A Simple Transaction I

Arisen Again

Hunger trudged wearily out of the Temple, kicking up clouds and eddies of dust with his ragged, irregular stride. He had the speed and strength of two hundred men, and the physical resilience to support that power, but the bone-deep exhaustion from his fight with Amarlt left his pace slow and tremulous. The swordsmaster had been by far the mightiest outrider that he'd crossed paths with, and only his last-minute gambit with the Ring had torn victory from the clutches of death.

He'd tangled with a few more outriders on his path of retreat, but they were no more skilled than the goldenrod archer. Refreshingly, they fell quickly to his standard feints and tactics, requiring barely more exertion than the ghostly Knights. Though he'd not fully absorbed the power from the Amarlt's defeat, perhaps it was already paying dividends. Despite the weariness, in some respects his mind and body actually felt sharper.

Even so, he could go no further today. Slowly he made his way to Verschlengorge, catching Letrizia in the middle of a skirmish against a pack of Astral Beasts. Exhausted as he was, still his power eclipsed these rabble utterly. With a brief exertion he appeared before them, linear slice like a sudden horizon bisecting their angular frames. They chittered and fell over, green blood spouting furiously from their bodies as they slowly succumbed.

He frowned. Though the Ring had healed his wounds of the body, something about his restored liver felt slightly off. Had Amarlt's first blow struck also at his spirit? In the heat of battle he'd hardly noticed, but the organ seemed somewhat frailer than before. His healed eye appeared to have avoided any complications, but that had been a shallow thrust, while the swordsman's first strike had pierced cleanly through.

He would have Gisena take a look when she was finished. He was fortunate not to have taken many true wounds from the battle with Vanreir, despite how taxing it had been. It was a tired cliche that a duel between experts could easily be decided by a single wound, but true nonetheless. In that sense his stroke had cut deeper, though he'd been outclassed both in power and skill. And yet sometimes that was the way of the world. Circumstance was a weapon no less deadly for the fact that it was profoundly unfair.

"You're back early!" Letrizia's cheerful voice boomed over her Armament's speakers. "Also, no stealing my targets! I've got to stay in shape somehow!"

"Oh? I thought I was your bodyguard. Going to prevent me from fulfilling my duties?"

"Gotta stay sharp so I can defend myself!" Verschlengorge punched the air energetically. "Else, I'll be paying for bodyguards forever!"

"Ah, they grow up so fast..."

"Anyway, how was it today? Did you make good progress?"

"In a sense." He sat, leaning the Forebear's Blade against a boulder. Briefly he allowed his eyes to slip closed. The daytime sun bore down relentlessly, but the pull of slumber was stronger still, soft undertow of thoughtless dreams...

"Wait, is that... ?" Verschlengorge loomed above, its inquisitive face blocking out sun and sky.

His eyes opened blearily. "Hm?"

"A-ah! Sorry, never mind! It's not a big deal. I didn't see you were trying to sleep."

"Don't worry about it. More enemies?" He scanned the horizon swiftly, cloak swirling about as he began to rise.

"No, nothing like that. Go back to sleep! Hehe. Today it's my turn to guard both you and Miss Gisena!"

"Were you looking at my sword?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I-I was just surprised! Did you find a blacksmith or something?"

He called the Forebear's Blade to hand, the bright sharp shard of its silver blade now a full handspan longer than when he'd left. The sword was steadily replenishing itself, feeding ravenously from the energy of his triumph against Amarlt. By the evening he expected the entire weapon to be restored. That was truly a strange feeling. The last time it had been unbroken was when...

He closed his eye. No point in dwelling. "I slew a swordsman of considerable skill. I should have lost. He was better than me, but too straightforward."

"Aha! Your undead chimera powers are growing stronger. Now you've somehow gained the power of... having a full sword!"

"Terrifying, isn't it. A classic vampiric ability. Truthfully, this Blade is much diminished from what it once was. If it's replenished by this evening as I suspect, I'll be able to defend you much more effectively."

He remembered now, the heft, the mountainous solidity of the Blade in hand, the terrible crushing momentum of its stroke, the sharp bitter bite of its edge. The shadow of its passing was water made ice; pressed to the flesh, it was ice against marrow. The Forebear had been inevitability made manifest, an overlord so mighty he'd no need of cruelty.

He would need to restore his other arm. Two hands were needed to wield it properly.

"More power, huh? I hope you're not angling for a raise."

"Afraid? Does House Artriez lack confidence in the strength of its coffers?"

"A-as if! The Empire's going to pay you, so n-no need to worry about that!"

"Fiscal troubles? I'm planning to work as a mercenary. Help me advertise and I'll give you a cut."

"Are you sure? The name of Artriez does not come cheaply."

"I'm more interested in the name of Letrizia, the Armament pilot. Surely that commands value in military circles."

"Oh! Well, in that case... wait, you can't sweet-talk me into a lower rate! I would require at least fifty percent, and that's with docking Miss Gisena's pay. But don't worry, I'll give your promotion my utmost effort. You can count on me!"

"Thirty percent, final offer."

"Deal. Hehe, I was only aiming for thirty in the first place!"

"I know." He nodded to Gisena, leaning jauntily against the side of her tent with three fingers raised.

"Miss Gisena! You sold me out?!"

"Sure did, Zea! Now what's this about docking my pay?"

---

The winner was [X] Uttermost with [X] True Maiming. With his Ring's regeneration now active, Hunger can fight through the severe damage from maiming, though only in short bursts for the next three days. What now?

[ ] Visit the Encampment - Once Gisena is finished with her meditations and the Forebear's Blade finishes its regeneration, visit the Encampment, allowing her to take point on social interactions. The potential benefits are vast, but some degree of risk is still present. There's much to do, though the mercenaries present may not offer as much comparative value as they once did.
-[ ] Visit the Official Fishing Contest [+1 Arete, +progress towards next +1 pick option] - Fight hard. Fish harder.
-[ ] Do Not Visit the Fishing Contest - The temptation is too great. Discipline must prevail.

[ ] Slack Off - It feels unnatural, but perhaps the best option is to focus intensely on rest and recuperation. In this as in all things, execution makes the result.

+??

[ ] Heal Verschlengorge - Though physical activity strains you, once you're rested there's nothing stopping you from using the Ring of Blood. Work with Letrizia in an attempt to restore Verschlengorge's power, at least in part. Perhaps you can pick up some marginal improvements from the stronger monsters it attracts.

[ ] Vacation - You don't want to go to the Encampment, but it would be nice to partake in civilization somewhere. Heal Verschlengorge with a focus on its navigational abilities and look for something fun and relatively safe. While you are determined to free the Imprisoned Ring, in your current state there simply isn't much that can be done for it.

*Consumes more time than the other options
*+Gisena, +Letrizia
*Gain +0.5 Arete, inane tasks sidequests

---

You've received 1 pick from the Outriders slain after Vanreir. Your choice here may influence the result of the action taken above. You have 4.3 Arete.

[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear - Cloud-shadow of the Forebear's might.
Legendary strength and speed, and the resilience to exert them. Can be taken multiple times. [+Might, +Agility]

[ ] The Ring of Power - Dominion - 2 Arete
A ring of power does not exert influence casually. It has its own will, its own preferences, and if that will should be inseparable from its owner's, its sway thereby shall be greater for it.

Select a domain of influence. While acting within its domain, [Ring of Power] effects are substantially less taxing and more potent; the effects of this can be abstracted as follows: treat the owner's Rank as if it somewhat* higher for related actions. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time. If multiple domains apply, their bonuses do not compound.

*+0.5 if Low, +.25 if Mid, +.1 if High.

The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion

[ ] Fierce Quickening - The absurd violence of Blood unleashed. Let all that falls within its dominion be spilled, if it be in service to the Ringbearer. Adds [++Agility, +Wits] to the bonuses from Quickening, subject to the usual conditions. Can be taken up to 3 times.

[ ] Vigor Itself - The primordial might and glory of Blood resplendent. Let all who witness its form tremble, and be subject. Adds [++Might, +Charisma] to the bonuses from Quickening, subject to the usual conditions. Can be taken up to 3 times.

[ ] Augment Dominion: Blood - The world-wielding will of the Ring.
Treat the wielder's Rank as if it were (.5 Low/.25 Medium/.1 High) higher for purposes of the [Ring of Power] effect applied to the Blood domain, increasing its potency and versatility. Repeatable, but costs 1 more pick each time.

[ ] Evening Sky - Opalescence - The soft light of evening before which all attacks falter.
Improves defensive parameters. [+Protection]

[ ] Evening Sky - Iridescence - 2 Arete - The sharp light of the stars before which all malice is lessened.
+Protection, +Charisma. Expands the range of effects subject to the Evening Sky, allowing it to passively weaken almost all forms of magic. Even Nullity itself can be once withstood before the Sky recedes.

[ ] Exalted Spirit - 2 Arete. Conjunctional [Hunger, Evening Sky]. Mind made vigorous as the body. Gain +Int, +Wits, +Wis, +Cha, -Heartlessness, while in a form with physical blood. Allies under blood enhancement gain +Int, +Cha. Blood enhancement requires physical blood.

[ ] Null Slice - 7 Arete. Conjunctional [Hunger, Gisena]. ++Wits, ++AGI. Severs a conceptual aspect from the target. Resistable. More abstract and difficult concepts are much harder to strike and may induce Tiredness or Exhaustion in the attempt. While this offers minimal power now, it can potentially lead to a wide variety of applications with time and training. Discounts either [Once and Future] or [Cut Through] by 2 Arete.