Phoenix was feeling much better after her initial session with Priest Jacob. He had been kind, compassionate, and extremely patient as she told her story to him without delving too deep into her more disturbing feelings about it all. He didn’t push and didn’t ask any questions that might have made her uncomfortable, sticking more to just crifying events rather than asking how she felt about them. That had been her biggest fear about going, she realized.

  Rather than focusing on the trauma that she wasn’t ready to unpack, they focused on what the goals for their time together would be. For now, she just wanted someone to share her secrets with who she didn’t have to worry about making upset and could offer an unbiased view of herself, and he seemed more than willing to provide that.

  To begin with, unless she was out on a mission, she would be meeting him every Dimsol—which she knew as Saturday but was trying hard to learn the names of the days here. She was slightly surprised when she found herself hoping to be back in time for that.

  Once on the road, Phoenix found comfort in Saiya’s tranquil aura again, and the voxen seemed to attach herself to her side, linking arms or holding hands and making Phoenix feel like a small child again.

  Passive Ability: Soothing Soul

  Type: Aura (magical, life)

  Current Caste: Crystal 6

  Crystal Effect: Allies within your aura are calmed and have increased resistance to Magical Banes.

  “Ya know, I always like the missions where we get to punch some monsters, but these delivery jobs are a bit… I don’t know… lesser? More like a chore than a mission,” Rayna reflected, a bit aggravated from having traveled for a few hours and only running into two packs of Mundane monsters that they were able to dispatch fairly quickly.

  “It may not be glorious, but it’s the work that is most needed. Our supplies are vital to keeping people alive. Monsters are not the only risk to people during a blood moon,” Dazien expined with surprising conviction, “If a fortress full of people starve, or their defenses can’t be powered, then we have all failed as Adventurers.”

  “I know, I know… I just really want to make some music,” the bard replied, punctuating the word ‘music’ by smming a fist into her palm.

  The group ughed then quickly cut off as they rounded a hill and caught sight of a pack of some rger cat-like creatures that reminded Phoenix of snow leopards at first gnce with their white fur and bck spots, but they were much rger and furrier, with longer ears and fluffy tails.

  Dazien signaled to halt and hide as they assessed the threat. The creatures appeared to be sleeping in a pile together a few meters off the road. He turned to Phoenix, who quirked an eyebrow in confusion and he grinned, “Ready to try out that new Spell?”

  Her eyes went wide, then she returned his grin and gave a nod. With the severe mana cost, a long incantation that she would have to focus on as the mana gathered, and the long cooldown, there weren’t many opportunities for her to use the Spell. She would have to pick and choose her moments which would make it harder to level it up.

  Dazien and Rayna prepared to rush and finish off any survivors once the Spell was done, and Uriel stood in the back to cast his few single-target Spells if any ran.

  Saiya offered to use one of her boosting powers, but Phoenix declined this time, wanting to gauge its baseline damage. However, she promised that they would try it the next time to judge the difference.

  Phoenix took a deep breath and began the incantation to cast [Meteor Shower] on the sleeping monsters, “From the depths of the universe, I summon forth the shards of annihition. May the wrath of the cosmos descend upon all who dare to oppose me.”

  As the mana was siphoned from her, she stumbled slightly once the casting had ended, and she felt the beginnings of a headache threatening her senses.

  For a moment, it didn’t seem like anything had happened; then a bright light fshed in the sky, as though a rift tore open the very air, and a fming ball of molten psma and metal about five meters across appeared through it, crashing down onto the unaware creatures.

  When the meteor had appeared in the sky and its massive size was made apparent, the group recalcuted their positioning. They retreated as fast as they could, and a cacophonous explosion could be heard behind them. A force bst swept over them, and the ground trembled from the impact.

  When they returned to the location of the monsters, all they found was white ash drifting through the air from a smoldering crater.

  “Huh,” Phoenix broke the silence as her head throbbed, “With a name like Meteor Shower, I was kinda expecting like a rain of meteorites… not just one big one.”

  “Well… it is only Crystal Caste,” Dazien began, “Plenty more levels to see the ‘shower’ part.”

  Phoenix’s eyes went wide at the implication, and the others stared at her for a long moment before she added, exhausted, “That’s a bit terrifying. It completely taps me out, though… if we use that, don’t expect any follow-up contributions from me for a while.”

  Then she conjured a mana potion out of her collection, “Not unless I go through our supply of consumables.”

  Before she could tip the vial down her throat, however, Dazien’s hand caught her arm, and he said, “This would be the time to use that Familiar power if we still needed to fight them so you could help in the follow-up attacks.”

  “I’m not sure we’ll need to follow up with anything,” Rayna responded incredulously, looking from her to where monsters used to exist. Then the bard said with a smirk, giving Phoenix a mischievous look, “I think I just figured out your Role specialization.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, you’re the crazy person who pulls off the fshy, insane stunts.”

  The party ughed, and she scrunched her nose with a slight pout. “That doesn’t sound very useful or consistent,” Phoenix muttered.

  Dazien patted her shoulder congenially, “It’s the most useful in times of greatest need.” Then he turned to the others and said, “Let’s keep moving, everyone. There are people still waiting on us.”

  “And more monsters to explode!” Rayna cried out, punching the air in a cheer while cackling in excitement.

  “You summoned me?” Paul asked with a pointed look at the duke as he entered the study they had met in previously. He was dressed casually in his usual white tunic and cream pants but was surprised to find the duke also dressed down, this time in a simple yet expensive red shirt and long gray sarong wrapped around his waist.

  “Don’t give me that look, Waynd,” Victor Tul retorted, pouring two gsses of a blue liquor this time, “I requested a meeting. As the duke, I can do that.”

  Paul took the proffered gss, sat in the chair he had before, and asked, “So why the sudden request? Do you have news about the investigation into House Ruwena?”

  The duke grimaced and sat opposite of him, “Yes and no. It seems that they want to fight back, making arguments of illegal invasions of privacy and favoritism towards both House Teras and Waynd.”

  Paul scoffed, “Of course they are.”

  Victor gave him an awkward look, then added, “We also received word this morning that Noble Murinah was killed during a scouting mission out on the tundra.”

  He met the duke’s ember gaze unflinchingly, “It’s a blood moon. Every mission is a danger one might not return from.”

  Victor’s frown deepened, but he nodded, “While I agree in general, the timing of her death with your accusations has left some wondering if perhaps it wasn’t entirely an accident of a mission gone wrong.”

  “Mere coincidence,” Paul responded, taking a sip of the sweet drink that was too syrupy for his tastes, then added, “Too bad there’s no evidence of foul py to pursue.”

  “That doesn’t mean you take justice into your own hands, Waynd!” the duke bit back, leaning forward in hushed anger.

  “I didn’t,” Paul said, taking another sip before giving up and setting the drink further away from him, “I left justice to you, remember? It sounds like you’re not making much progress, though. How many more lives might be lost while you continue to push through red tape and slow government procedures?”

  “And how many innocent might suffer because you pounce without thought or proof of their crimes?!” Victor shot back, “We have ws for a reason! You used to understand that! I never thought I would be telling a former Padin of the Purifier that the rules should be followed to avoid anarchy!”

  Golden eyes narrowed on the duke, “I told you st time that people can change. Perhaps I’m done with letting others stab me from behind because I’m trying to follow the rules and maintain order.”

  “Paul,” Victor said with more pleading in his voice than he had ever heard from the man before, “We can’t have our strongest protector murdering the people he’s meant to protect.”

  Victor leaned forward, clutching the gss between his hands, and said, “I know I argued about your position, and I meant what I said st time about recognizing it as more of a boon now… and I know that I don’t have the personal power of Caste to stop you, so I am asking. Please, do not just go off on your own whims to kill people just because you think it’s right.”

  He watched the duke for a long moment, knowing full well how painful it was for the nobleman to be put into this position where the social rank was higher but without the Caste level to back it. It was why most rulers were the strongest Casters or at least had the loyal support of them.

  During this blood moon and in this remote area of Pyrin, both of them knew that the queen wouldn’t be sending anyone else to help Victor or challenge Paul.

  “Despite what you might believe,” he began, “I did not hurt anyone based on just my whims, as you put it.”

  “But the Noble—”

  “I knew it!” a new voice yelled as the duke’s words were cut off and the door smmed open. An irate cinderen man wearing garish robes stomped into the study, causing both Emerald Casters to stand at the perceived threat.

  The newcomer didn’t stop walking as he pointed a finger between the two, “I knew there was favoritism at work here! I bet you ordered my daughter’s death as punishment for refusing to hand over my research!”

  “Lord Ruwena,” Victor said, holding his palms up in a defensive manner, “I assure you, I was meeting with Lord Waynd to inquire if he knew of anything that might have befallen your daughter but that, in all appearances, she was simply caught off guard by the miserlings—”

  “Lies! My sweet shadow would never have been caught by such weak creatures,” the Sapphire Caster cried out, “This wasn’t the first time she had scouted them, and never before had—”

  “It only takes one mistake to fall,” Paul interjected as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the man who was causing so much strife in his life.

  “She was perfect!” the father retorted, “She would never make such a mistake! Just because your Protégé made a mistake and died in the battle with the Berg Sirens doesn’t mean my daughter would!”

  Both Lord Ruwena and Duke Tul froze as the force of a peak Emerald aura washed over them to drown their own in the anger permeating the Wrath Bde, who asked much too calmly, “Who told you my Protégé died?”

  Ohsen Ruwena’s eyes narrowed at him, “My niece saw her get impaled by one of the Sirens and fall dead into the sea. Don’t try to pretend that you didn’t take out your wrath by targeting my daughter!”

  Paul gave a slightly twisted smirk as he said, “I’m not pretending anything.”

  The mourning lord was about to shout back when he began to tremble at the sight of the bck obsidian armor and crimson cape the newly rededicated Padin conjured to emphasize his next words, “Believe me when I say that Murinah Ruwena got exactly what she deserved and that the rest of your family will as well.”

  Victor whispered in both awe and terror as Paul dropped his arms, and their eyes fell upon the sigil of a crow with spiked talons on his chest. “A Padin of the Avenger.”

  “I have found my faith once more,” he stated resolutely, “If anyone falls to my bde, it is in retribution for their crimes.”

  “You are the one who will see retribution, Waynd!” the fear-filled father shouted and turned to leave as abruptly as he had entered.

  Silence fell upon the room, and Paul turned back to the duke, who asked, “Your Protégé died?”

  “Almost,” he replied, “She still lives, though I’m certain she will be targeted again. If Ohsen starts looking into me, he’ll find her.”

  “Then I hope the gods will help keep her safe,” Victor muttered, “For all our sakes.”