A Simple Transaction I

[Rihaku]

Endless Tides

The sky was mouldering dark, charcoal-grey and studded with cloud, stark grim horizon all but swallowed up by the world-subsuming mass of the monster before them, the titanic Rotbeast whose tread sent thundering quakes into the feeble earth underfoot.

Hunger stopped at a rooftop outpost, leaving Mizuku in the care of Sovereignty militia as he observed the oncoming enemy. It was one thing to see the Rotbeast pointed out as geography on a map, and quite another to witness that uprooted landscape literally marching upon you, mottled grey flesh high, high, high like an apocalypse wave, towering so high it was vertiginous even to contemplate. Around it milled countless millions of its pestilent spawn; teeming legions dwarfed by their forebear whose sheer mass and bulk literally boggled the human mind, its uppermost ridges ringed with cloud, glacier-plates like armor shining in the dusk.

Of course, he thought numbly. Snow and cloud were not some intrinsic property in mountains made of stone. A mountain made of flesh and just as immobile would attract the same, until it began to move.

Though he'd gained a considerable portion of strength from 'defeating' the Foremost armor, Hunger could not help but feel a touch of apprehension at the magnitude of the foe opposing. It moved slowly to his perceptions, muscles the size of city-blocks steadily undulating across its form, but this was an enemy which demanded a terraformer's tools, not a hunter's. Ahead he could see Verschlengorge anchoring the Sovereignty's lines, a thin vertical speck of grey-and-red against the paler grey of the advancing flesh wall.

Half a heartbeat and he was there. Gisena waved from Verschlengorge's shoulder as the Armament bellowed, issuing challenge which no Rotspawn dared meet. Letrizia and Verschlengorge worked in vigorous harmony to stem the flow of spawn, a steadily-growing radius of smashed corpses the growing proof of her handiwork. Around them Sovereignty forces fired endlessly into the streaming horde, Aeira alongside her classmates, shadow-ensconced Elementalists dispensing enormous gouts of flesh-scorning steel and contagious flame, their few beleaguered Armor Prototypes working furiously to stem the holes in that rapidly-faltering defense.

Driven forth by their master and creator the Rotspawn only multiplied as their progenitor took another step forward, the world roiling under that colossal impact as an ever-denser tide of monstrosities bore down on the lines. An Elementalist groaned in exertion and Space itself shifted before the monster, giving the Sovereignty half-a-mile of distance more before the Rotbeast was atop of its fearfully-evacuating populace.

Hunger fired a few spheres of Edeldross into the stronger Elementalists, earning a chipper nod from Aobaru as he passed. Then he was in among the ranks of the enemy, and swept his sword in a broad, brutal arc, the strength of Stenallon Worldkeeper infusing this opening salvo, a single crescent of wind that scythed outwards depopulating every Rotspawn in its path. Like a freshly-cut field the plain before him flattened, and he wasted no time sprinting forward, arc of his blade carving a furrow more trench than divot as he harnessed the terrible weight of the Forebear's technique, swinging now upwards and outwards at the Rotbeast itself, impossible blue cleaving everything betwixt in twain.

The ponderous beast showed no reaction to his attack, even as a mile-high wound flashed across its side, the Power of Ruin splintering and crumbling its flesh as the cut deepened. Hunger leapt atop its surface and began to scale the face, sword held behind him to part its flesh as he ran. The beast shuddered, trembling musculature in waves ten feet high hurtling towards him, and then inhaled, the 'ground' beneath hollowing downwards as it sucked in. He attacked savagely, carving wide ruinous strokes into that retreating flesh, scooping out a tunnel into the beast's interior. Before he could finish it finally exhaled, a nacreous mist of silver-green expelling from every pore, poison in clouds so massive and so virulent that the Rotspawn surrounding it writhed briefly and went still. The Evening Sky wrapped around his face, its tatters boiling away around him, nonetheless he continued his excavating advance, the power of his Ring holding back the immensity of the Rotbeast's toxin for the moment. This was the Tiller Wurm writ large and he sought a similar means of bringing it low.

He plunged forward into the poison and dark, burrowed until he was entombed within a semi-solid sea of dull grey flesh, a great tremulous ocean bereft of blood or vigor which receded endlessly before Ruin's might only to reveal more and more of its seemingly-infinite depths. There were no nodes of power or neural clusters to target, nothing but an undifferentiated mass all of which was equally vital and equally useless to the organism comprising. For long minutes he cut and cut, each fall of his blade conjuring wounds the length of high towers, yet finding no respite from this vastness unending.

The power of his regeneration began to fail, Blood faltering before such profundity of poison, tips of his fingers grown numb and slowly necrotizing as he worked his way through the beast. Madly he circulated Edeldross, seeking to refine and purge all impurity from his body, but even those toxins expelled seeped into his pores a moment later, for there was nothing here that was not poison. The air was poison, the sky was poison, the walls were poison, the slick-molded impressions of his footsteps pooling poison; his whole world was poison, rot encroaching steadily and without cessation, not unlike the advance of its eponymous Beast.

He could still escape via the tunnel he'd cut; even weakened the Refinement of Quickness would easily allow him to dart out and back behind Sovereignty lines. But what then? Would he achieve anything by withdrawing now and allowing the Rotbeast to roll over the Sovereignty lines? Was there some secret, some technique or methodology that would allow him to actually fell this monster? Or was there truly no viable alternative to simply cutting through?

If that was so, then so be it. Hunger was no stranger to simple resolve. He had endured far worse against foes more torturous than this. But even if he reached the far side, what would that accomplish? Would putting a hole in the creature have been worth all this effort and time? Every minute wasted was a thousand, ten thousand lives spent, implicitly on the altar of his strategy. Such was the burden of all who presumed to call themselves heroes.

---

[X] Save with [X] Hungry Vim has won.

Drawing from increased Wisdom, Hunger does have quite a few plans he believes are promising, but none are without cost:

[ ] Get Gisena - It's regrettable to call upon the Nullity Sorceress' Ultimate once more, especially as that will preclude its use for several further months, but Hunger doesn't see an easy way out of this. Answer the Sea of Rot with the Sea of Nullity; perhaps a detonation of nulldross deep within its center will hollow out the beast. Subject to mere physics it would certainly collapse, unable to withstand its own tremendous weight. The main difficulty is evaluating whether even Gisena's ultimate attack would reach far enough to affect the greater portion of the beast.

*Death Chance: Almost none
*Condition Chance: Very High
*Gisena Condition Chance: Very High
*Estimated Odds: Great
*Collateral Damage: Medium

[ ] Thousandfold Shears - The answer is to Cut Through; merely adjust the angle of your cut. Shear away the portion of the Rotbeast closest to the Sovereignty at any one time by cutting in great horizontal strokes across its anterior. For every step forward it takes, carve off enough flesh at the border that it will be as if it had never advanced at all!

*Death Chance: Very low
*Condition Chance: Guaranteed Exhaustion, Low of other wounds
*Estimated Odds: Good, with near-guaranteed chances of at least partial victory.
*Collateral Damage: Minimized. By literally shearing away those parts of the Rotbeast closest to the Sovereignty, it can't actually advance at all!
*Hunger will be unable to use his Rank for several days afterwards; the exertion of this task will be crippling even for him.
*A small price to pay in order to retain the utility of Gisena's Ultimate for a more difficult foe.

[ ] Delve Deeper - Surely there must be an opening somewhere in this gargantuan mass. It has muscles near the exterior which implies other organs further in. But without any means of discerning such, and with his senses crippled by the poison, is there any way for Hunger to actually find them?

*Death Chance: Low
*Condition Chance: Very High
*Estimated Odds: Decent
*Collateral Damage: Variable
*A luck-reliant strategy that could slay the Rotbeast quickly, or squander precious minutes with no substantive results.

[ ] Cut Through - The answer is to Cut Through; further your mastery in a single transcendental moment of supreme effort and acquire the power needed to end this monstrosity once and for all.

*Acquire one of the following: Monster-Defeating Stance or Artful Thorn for 7 Arete (+1 pick debt for Artful Thorn) or Refinement of Battle for 25 Arete (+1 pick debt)
*Improves Rank from this encounter a further 30% as Hunger achieves a dramatic and narratively fitting victory against this immense monstrosity, this shadow of dire fear that has blanketed the Sovereignty in this thrall for well-near a decade.
*Death Chance Minimal, No Major+ Condition Chance, Minimal Collateral Damage, Great Odds.
*Expends your Arete in greater or smaller portion without granting Trinity.
*You may only choose Refinement of Battle if you have at least 24 Arete. You currently have somewhat over 11.

---

Should Letrizia use Verschlegorge's Grand Decimation Attack? At his current relatively meager Rank, this will affect the combat on the ground against the Rotspawn, but not the outcome of the battle with the Rotbeast itself.

[ ] Unleash the Devourer - Will clear away the Rotspawn in enormous numbers, but inflict considerable collateral damage upon the military (and outlying civilian) elements of the Sovereignty. Could breed resentment even if it saves more lives overall. Some Elementalists will die; however Aeira and Aobaru, having been enhanced by both Edeldross and Vigorflame, are guaranteed to survive.

[ ] Hold Back - There is something to be said for not attacking one's allies even if vastly greater numbers of the enemy would fall. Still, this means the Rotspawn will almost certainly breach Sovereignty lines and rampage amongst the civilian populace. They are likely to be surrounded and destroyed given time but thousands of civilians will surely die. A small fraction of the casualties projected should the Rotbeast itself break through, but it seems Lord Hunger has that matter well in hand!

[ ] Sea of Nullity - Have Miss Gisena use her Sea of Nullity attack instead. Achieve the same as Unleash the Devourer with much lower loss of friendly life, but cannot be used in conjunction with Get Gisena and may seal Gisena's Ultimate for several months. Knocks Gisena unconscious for a number of days.

---

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[Rihaku]

A Fire Woken

Hunger repelled another wave of stifling, noxious poison and adjusted his grip. The path the Forebear would have taken was clear. If he could not find a path, he would simply have to cut one. The natural evolution of the Forebear's technique. The purpose of his cut was to murder; if he could not murder simply by slicing through what lay before him, then that was a failure of execution, not of the path itself... For surely the Forebear had faced foes more terrible and esoteric than merely this.

He gathered it once more, the despair, rage and sorrow of his long and ruinous path, the barely-kindled hope of his new life as a Cursebearer, and most of all his unswerving determination to avenge all who had suffered at the hands of the Hidden Ones. The Blade sang true; there was no foe in all the wide breadth and span of this universe, that could resist the Forebear's Cut placed properly. All that barred him from the realm of that strike were the simple matters of aim and reach.

It was not a concept he was unfamiliar with. If one could not aim at the body, then target the mind. If one could not aim at the mind, then target the spirit. He'd done just that against the Tiller Wurm, and had entered this monster with the intention to do so as well. Would he be stymied by a mere lack of nerve clusters?

The Light of the Praxis had opened his eyes to new levels of endeavor, speed that could elude the unerring and race the untouchable, speed to match or exceed Vanreir's inescapable strike. His initial epiphany against the Prime Rotspawn had already elevated the offensive techniques of his blade to that level, but without the means to travel beyond mere space his Cut had been trapped within its coordinate plane. The Refinement of Quickness provided the solution, movement elevated to a conceptual level, power enough to slip the bounds of physicality, to intrude upon deeper realities for an action's fleeting span.

Long enough to dodge one strike, or to perform one.

All he had to do was use those techniques in unison.

Hunger scoffed. The drain of such an exertion might well kill him if unmitigated. The Forebear's Cut demanded enormous conviction; the Refinement of Quickness depleted him on a fundamental level. In combination they could render him an insensate vegetable. He could not allow irrational exuberance to dominate practicality, not utterly.

He'd not been idle as he thought, steadily plunging deeper into the Rotbeast's unchanging core. But neither had his opponent, the virulence and density of its poisons ever-increasing, now an opaque fog that bore down upon every inch of him with terrible ferocity, not just his extremities but his body entire a gruesome weeping sore. Even the protection of the Outer Shadow was steadily wearing away, though it'd outlasted the Evening Sky by many long seconds.

Time was running out. He wracked his mind for a solution, firing a pillar of Edeldross into which he curtly stepped, outputting as much of the element as he could possibly withstand. The strain was enormous, his reserves quickly depleting; he would pay for it later, but later he'd be dead if things did not change. Too much depended on him. He absolutely could not fail now.

Cut through, even if it cannot be cut. Cut away all that was extraneous, strip the Refinement of Quickness of all components except those necessary for a single attack, committing forthrightly as the Forebear's Cut demanded, technique matching intent in form, then in function...

He blurred, blade twisting sparsely, executing just a fragment of the Refinement, less than one-fourth the entire invocation, and felt the world shift into the chasm of speed that portended its activation. He stepped forward just so, destination already in mind, not an act of movement but the opening step of an offense, a charge whose purpose was not any transition of space but merely to meet the enemy.

Yes. In this place, halfway to the Realm of Forms, the Rotbeast was not just its physical morass but all-that-was-the-Rotbeast, its form and essence, its mind and spirit, and further 'beneath' the fuzzily-coherent mass of its core concept and ontological basis. No time to gawk; only to strike, blade cleaving indiscriminately at mind and form and essence, fading back to physicality halfway through the stroke, sinking softly into mere flesh once more.

Beneath him the titan shuddered, trembling slowly. The ground its flesh began to list, ever so slightly off-balance.

Hunger braced himself again and gripped the hilt firmly with both hands, again performing the truncated rune, again barely managing a cut. The Rotbeast's listing worsened, tipping like a ship in rough seas.

Each repetition was exhausting. To be safe, he could do no more than three in total; until he had a chance to rest, the damage to his own essence would scale up exponentially with each performance.

Again. And that was three. The Rotbeast paused, density of poison beginning to dissipate, the gray morass around him slowly melting away. But instinct told him this was only a feint, so he clenched his grip and forced himself to cut...

Again. Now the dissolution accelerated, vast swathes of grey flesh peeling away like a discarded rind, tissue become air like frost at dawn's coming. The Rotbeast was reeling, but even this it could survive, if it left, if it escaped to recuperate-

He did not strike again, though it would have been the fatal blow.

Instead he rushed backwards and outwards to the Rotbeast's surface, where the poison was thin and clear enough to see through, and from there began methodically to hack away at the monster, separating great chunks of its mass and steadily destroying them. It wriggled helplessly, furiously beneath him as he destroyed it, hounding it to the last, but was powerless to escape, powerless to resist, incapable even of a final suicidal thrust against the Sovereignty as he prioritized those pieces of it closest to the line of defense.

He was drained, and bitterly so, but even operating at half strength he was more than capable of dismantling this hapless prey. Some flicker of reassurance curled up from the Forebear's Blade, half-remembered instinct of the Forebear himself who had pushed this far in countless battles without hint of fatigue or hesitation. If he'd made the fifth Cut things would not have been so easy, but he'd refrained from that exertion and preserved the vast majority of his power.

As the final fleeting dregs of grey fell to the Power of Ruin embedded in his Blade, his Ring kindled bright and blinding with crimson light, a victory-flare over the battlefield as the shadow of the Rotbeast was wiped away at last.

That was the end of the war, but not the battle; many Rotspawn still remained and had breached into the city proper, rampaging among the civilian populace and slaughtering them by the thousands. No longer occupied with the Rotbeast itself, Hunger was freed to hunt down these stragglers alongside the Sovereignty forces, and made short work of the monsters that remained.

Afterwards they lauded him, pointlessly lionized him, asked him to be their champion, their general, even their King. He managed a smile, half-grimace, and said little to their pleas.

"Three cheers for the Reckoner!" They acclaimed him. He was too exhausted to do more than twitch at the unwelcome title.

"The Reckoner of Rotspawn!"

"The Rotbeast's Reckoner!"

"LORD HUNGER!!"

This, too, was the burden of he who would call himself a hero. But he doubted strongly that Letrizia had been entirely uninvolved in setting up this display.

And he would be avenged.

---

"Hunger!"

As he departed the celebrations in search of Verschlengorge's pilot, Aobaru caught up with him on the road. The redhead was panting heavily, face pallid; it was clear he'd never used his Vigorflame as intensely or as extensively as he'd been forced to today.

"Aobaru. You fought well out there."

"Heh. Nothing compared to you, though! Hey, I know you hate wasting time so I'll cut to the chase: take me with you as a mercenary."

Hunger raised an eyebrow. "Aeira was hired to provide a specific support ability. We don't need another primary combatant, even one as relatively capable as you."

Aobaru winced. "Eh. You don't mince words, huh? Well, I'm fully capable of filling a support role as well. My Vigorflame can enhance the physical durability of objects, or the overall physical ability of living beings. It's quite versatile and should stack with your Edeldross. Even if it only makes you ten percent stronger and faster, that'd be totally worth it, right?"

Hunger frowned. The boy had clearly given it some thought. "And you want Aeira's rate as well? What brought this on?"

"My dad was an Armor Commander in the corps. He fell during the fighting. My mom's stay-at-home and he was our only source of income. I've got five brothers, so..."

Hunger grunted. "It's dangerous to travel with me. I'll pay you a bonus. You helped train my Edeldross, more so than any of you classmates. It should be enough to keep your family comfortably for a few decades."

"T-that's really appreciated, sir, but it's not the only reason I want to join up!" Aobaru raised his fists. "I can already see it. If I stay here, I'm only going to stagnate. Slaying the Rotbeast has brought us a reprieve, but that'll only last a few years at most. Bigger and bigger threats are wandering across the Voyaging Realm and none of us are going to be ready when the next one hits. The Rotbeast isn't even the tip of the iceberg and it would have annihilated us without you!"

"So, you want not only to join my party, but to be taught by me as well."

"If it's not too much trouble. And only when you have time. I can pull my weight, I promise!

"...And you want to be paid for the privilege."

"Yeah." Aobaru gulped, but kept his eyes focused and gaze level. "But my services will be well worth it, I can definitely make you stronger! Actually I'm planning to ask for a bit more than Aeira's rate. I am the strongest Elementalist here and I'm confident I can maintain that. If I ever fall behind, you're free to dock my pay however you like!"

---

The winner was [X] Cut Through. Hunger has acquired [X] Artful Thorn. You have exactly 19 Arete, but may spend as much as you can generate this update.

What to acquire from the power of the Rotbeast?

[ ] Sovereignty (all picks, 20 Arete) - Feat: Reckoner and Silver of Evening. After multipliers increases your Rank by .375. It seems only fitting that, in felling the Elementalist's bane, Hunger's own Element would be elevated by ascension into the pantheon of Evening...

[ ] Outer Darkness (all picks, 25 Arete) - A rare Advancement. The supreme sublimation of Outer Shadow and Evening Sky, night unimpeachable as a saint's halo and inescapable as darkness itself. As the Outer Sky was not acquired, the cost in Arete is not discounted, and the cost in picks has increased. It seems only fitting that, in felling a titan of shadow and rot, Hunger's own command over shadow should be supremely magnified.

*You may now communicate with eldritch and gargantuan monstrosities, who will treat you as peer, subject or superior depending on your relative levels of ability.
*+++++Willpower, diminish all Sanity-targeting attacks on the wearer by one step along the Infinite Singularity Husk.
*+200% Might and Protection
*+2000% Health
*The Outer Darkness automatically defends allies within its reach, vastly improving their survivability.
*Fuses the Outer Shadow and Evening Sky as per the Outer Sky, providing magic resistance of a similar form, and permitting the lossless use of the Outer Shadow for offensive maneuvers.
*Qualifies for Trinity.

[ ] Elixir (all picks, 20 Arete) - Feat: Reckoner, adding .375 Rank and upgrades Edeldross to 25-point version. A rare Advancement. Sufficient refinement of Edeldross can create a substance ontologically equivalent to findross in potency but different in character: fairer, nobler and brighter, a power not for shining paragons but for heroes of legend; not the pristine beauty of the stars, but the blinding incandescence of the Sun itself!

*In conjunction with the Ring of Blood, allows Hunger to induce the Fairbright Bloodline in himself once his effective Blood Rank exceeds 8.0. If successful, mitigates the Apocryphal Curse by one half-stage.
*Vastly expands the space of possible Graces and enormously expands their potency.
*Does not disqualify Hunger for Trinity later, as Arete spend towards his Element is not classified as belonging to any one Artifact.
*Edeldross can now heal Hunger's eye, liver, and lung. Discounts Final Form by 7 (!) Arete.
*Hunger will learn what the Fairbright Bloodline actually does. --Heartlessness.
*Lucenthorne shall seek you as an ally, for any who wields the Fairbright Essence cannot be its enemy. You need not wield it personally; it has resided in the hands of ruler and champion both.

---

Do you intend to take Aobaru with you?

[ ] Yes - Pay 10 Currency units per quarter, vote on his Element Strength, below.

[ ] No - It's not safe, no matter what he claims.

Aobaru's Element, Vigorflame:

[ ] Vigorflame - Vigorflame is treated as a 2-Arete Element. Currently grants +10% to Physical Attributes and causes targeted substances to explode if overloaded. This can be resisted.

[ ] Grand Vigorflame - [2 Arete] - Vigorflame is treated as a 7-Arete Element. Grants +30% to Physical Attributes and causes targeted substances to explode if overloaded. This can't be resisted if overloading is successful, though beings not reliant on physical corpus may survive.

[ ] True Vigorflame - [7 Arete] - Vigorflame is treated as a 25-Arete Element. Grants +70% to Physical Attributes and scales upward without limit. Can eventually elevate targets by fractional amounts along the Infinite Singularity Husk. Can be safely imbued into targets for extended durations (up to one day). Causes targeted substances to explode if overloaded. This can't be resisted and works on substances with conceptual or abstract parameters, though training and practice are required to utilize this effectively.

---

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[Rihaku]

Sovereign Jewel

Dusk had come to the Sovereignty, the sky clearing slowly of its invader's cloud-carrying shroud. Wide fingers of sunlight dappled the mountains and springs, bathing reconstruction crews and emergency staff in their warm, fleeting glow.

Hunger walked into their celebratory suite at the Kaguya and wearily deposited himself into a plush armchair. Behind him, Aobaru peeked hesitantly into the room and carefully walked in.

"Hm? Aobaru, what are you doing here?" Aeira rose to greet him. "Are you okay? Should you not be recovering from the battle?"

"I'm gonna be joining you guys," he said, smiling tentatively but with a glimmer of his usual confidence. "Hunger's accepted me as kind of a... squire."

Hunger grunted. "Don't push it. You're here to buff us for combat operations. Everything else is secondary."

"Heh," Aobaru winced, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll do whatever it takes! Gotta support my mom and brothers. I'm hoping to learn and grow like you have, Aeira. From what I saw, you've already gotten a lot stronger since we last sparred. Still not as strong as me though!"

Aeira giggled. "We shall see about that. Care for a spar after you have finished recovering?"

"You're on!"

Letrizia skipped into the room with a plate of fruits. "Ah, the mighty Reckoner of Rotspawn returns! And... Aobaru?"

As the two Elementalists explained the situation again, Hunger blearily reached forth and stole Letrizia's tray.

"H-hey! That's special commemorative fruit from-"

"Don't care." It was especially delicious, a step up even from the Kaguya's extraordinary fare. The frost-limned skin of the delicately cut peaches perfectly surmounted their ice-cold flesh, which was plump with juice, bursting in the mouth with a richly substantial sweetness. The berries were firm and tart, their interiors ripe but not mushy, yielding the perfect amount of give against his teeth. The grapes were succulent, thickly skinned orbs nearly an inch in diameter, with a bright subtle flavor that meshed perfectly with the peaches.

In truth it was a spectacular harvest, better even than the fruit he'd consumed on their last trip here, the Ring glowing brightly as he savored every bite.

Hunger consumed each and every piece before the others had time to react, then set the platter down, glaring diffidently at Letrizia. "That's just the opening act. You'll rue the day you decided to popularize that title, Miss Artriez. The only one to experience a reckoning here... will be you."

Letrizia pouted. "The class thought it was cool! Did you really have to steal my fruit like that..."

Hunger crossed his arms, unmoved and unmerciful. "Friendship and enmity are both returned a thousandfold. This you know well."

Aeira bowed politely. "Then please also enact your vengeance on myself as well, Lord Hunger. For I was fully complicit in Letrizia's maneuvers and helped to spread your title as well..."

"Uh, yeah. Punish me too!" Aobaru said, raising a fist. "What's wrong with the Reckoner? It's a great title!"

"Aw, you guys..." Letrizia dabbed a fake tear from her eye.

"Very well. You'll all be punished just like Letrizia is, though I won't be going any easier on her for it. The crime of horrible taste must be expunged, and I know just the person to do it."

Aobaru slumped. "That, that backfired pretty heavily, huh... Well, nothing for it but to push through! Trial is just another form of endeavor, after all!"

"Gisena," Hunger called. The Sorceress peeked out from the master bedroom, her Ring shining brightly. A half-dismantled cell phone was in her hand.

"Yes, hun? How may I assist you on this most marvelous of days?"

"Our Elementalist mercenaries have decided they want to be punished alongside Letrizia in a show of solidarity. Could you whip something up for them to eat?"

Letrizia paled. "Hey, now that's going way too far!"

Gisena blinked. "Goodness. Letrizia, did you cry like we practiced?"

"Of course! I even roped Aeira into it!"

"And it still didn't work? Well, I suppose I must honor my Lord's request, he so rarely asks me for anything..." Gisena smiled dreamily.

"Stop joking around," Letrizia said frantically, "this isn't funny! Hunger, I'm super sorry and I promise I'll never do it again!"

She adopted a pleading positing, both hands raised as if in prayer.

He grunted. "You were the instigator?"

"Yes, it was only my fault, they didn't have anything to do with it!"

"Hm..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

The power of the Rotbeast had been slow to digest, only fitting for a creature of such Brobdingnagian proportions. There was a direction it wanted to be pushed into, some facet of the Evening Sky that would tremendously augment his Element - perhaps appropriate for the power gained by overcoming the nemesis of all Elementalists. But to unlock that capacity required some further action of his, something he was right now capable of doing but had been distracted from...

"I'm going to visit the hot springs," he said, rising to his feet. "Decide on an alternate punishment before I get back. If I find it acceptable, we'll go with that instead. Gisena, care to join me?"

"Hmm? ...Making a date of it? I happily accept!"

He shook his head. "Can't leave them with a genius to come up with the solution. If selling my body is the price I must pay, then so be it."

"If that's the case, I'll take full advantage!" Gisena said. "I am giving up valuable artificing time for this, after all. To start, how about a princess carry to and from the springs in question?"

"I'd love to, but my back is tired from carrying the party for so long. Best I can do is a massage."

"But we already did that," Gisena whined, tightening her grip on his arm. She laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him with softly pleading eyes. "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Hmph. I can carry you one way... If you build me an Artifact worthy of the name. My Ring tells me that yours has been slacking."

"Consider it done!" Gisena said happily, jumping into his arms. "Onwards, my noble steed! ...Perhaps I should build you a bridle? Or maybe an ornamented choker!"

"The things I do for vengeance. Don't get used to this."

A small crowd attempted to flock to them as they appeared on the Hot Springs terrace, but with his vast speed and the Evening Sky serving as obstruction, they managed to lose all pursuers, ducking into a private bath off the beaten path. Gisena made a happy exclamation as she sank giddily into the waters, still fully dressed as Hunger whipped the Evening Sky into a bath towel.

"Ah, I missed this." She closed her eyes and adjusted her posture languorously, stretching her legs and smoothing the flare of her dress. "These waters were amazing last time, but they're even better now that the Rotbeast's gone. Its power of contamination had failed to corrupt them, but it'd weakened their palliative effects significantly!"

"Is that so?" Hunger mused, dropping into the waters himself. "I wonder if that was its target all along. If the magical density has increased now, perhaps they'll be able to keep it going past sixty years."

"Maybe if no other monsters decide to venture here," Gisena murmured. Cutely she held back a yawn. "Can't expect us... to save them every time..."

"Mm," he replied, the warmth of the invigorated springs seeping deeply into his bones. It was a restful, formless energy, softly scouring all impurity from his form. There was no comparison to the waters from before; he felt even the wounds on his lung and liver beginning slightly to respond. If he had time to bathe here for a few months on end, it was likely his body could be healed in its entirety.

If this substance was capable of vastly greater feats at such densities, could the same be achieved with Edeldross? Weeks ago he'd integrated the Mire Wolf's ghostflame by projecting it as light from his Cloak of Evening; incorporating it into his panoply had enormously enhanced his influence over its effects.

Edeldross was too vast and too potent to be similarly contained, but perhaps the solution was sufficient density, no diffuse radiance but a single brilliant jewel, a star of shining Edeldross set amongst the heavens of his Mantle. Experimentally he expanded the mantle so that it was a cloak proper again, covering the entire span of his form, and began to focus.

He directed the incipient power of his triumph over the Rotbeast, expelling all his reserves of Edeldross to form a blazing ingot first the size of a melon, then a fist, a knuckle, and finally a glittering nucleus no larger than the jewel of his ring. This he placed atop the Evening Sky, and directed the cloak to encompass and contain it, to fuse the Element as indelibly into his panoply as the power of Blood afforded by his Ring.

---

The winner was [X] Sovereignty with [X] Yes and [X] True Vigorflame. Aobaru is excited to travel alongside the mighty Reckoner himself!

You have attained the Special Advancement, Trinity -

In a faraway world, in an innocent time, before the boy became a man and the man became a hero, the Oracles of Fate dictated the contents of his arsenal:

Treasures numbering three,
Ought hero's panoply be.
Crown, Saber and Orb,
Shield, Symbol and Sword,
Blade, Mantle and Ring;
Aloft to murder a king.

Blade, Mantle, and Ring all assembled, their powers brought to the fore. But what was the product of their powers in unison, the trinity that arose from them, but was not of them, the promise of the prophecy at long last fulfilled?

[ ] Threefold - Triple the wielder's AGI, MIGHT, WITS, PROT and CHA. They automatically win contests of primacy involving their Artifacts, but may never expand their panoply beyond these three items of power. This does not stop them from integrating expansions into their items, such as Silver of Evening or Outer Sky.

[ ] A Promise Kept - The power of Fate rides besides you once more. It will twine the strings of destiny to bring about favorable and interesting outcomes for you, independent of Apocryphal activations. While it cannot directly negate the power of the Apocryphal Curse, it can grant serendipitous encounters, boons at least somewhat commensurate to the risks of Interesting Times. Boons offered are roughly half as potent as Apocryphal activations and are not guaranteed to occur concurrently with activations of the Curse. This in no way diminishes the danger of the Apocryphal Curse, but Hunger may enjoy at last the good alongside the bad, even if in limited degree.

[ ] Core Panoply - The treasures of a Tyrant may expand without limit; why then not the treasures of a hero? You may buy your next Defining Advancement piecemeal, placing Experience towards it even without an enemy of qualifying scope. By default, will buy Stranglethorn. +1 Defining Advancement Slot, +2 Accretion Panoply Slots, +.3 Rank (+.6 with modifiers).

---

What is Hunger's next priority? Choose carefully.

[ ] Continued Errantry - His Astral Rank has advanced at a blistering pace compared to the brutal slog of his war against the Tyrant, but he is still far from the heights of his former glory. Time to rectify that. There is no substitute for power when dealing with the Tyrant's Doom; if Hunger is incapable of enforcing his will, he may be baited into a fight he cannot win. To live, he must grow strong.

[ ] Huntress' Moon - Best to seek out another target capable of mitigating the Decimator's Affliction. Hunger must stay on top of this lest he endanger all around him, and potentially provoke justifiable aggression from any magus capable of detecting his nature. It's a bit premature, but Hunger doesn't know how long such a hunt may take and it's best to take proactive measures as aggressively as possible when handling something as dangerous as this Affliction.

[ ] Depart for the Human Sphere - Time to research some means of safely extracting a few mages from the Voyaging Realm. Events continue to develop in the Human Sphere proper and Hunger has already gained a substantial measure of power from the Voyaging Realm. It would be unseemly to dawdle any further; a mercenary's pride demands that he deliver Letrizia as requested now that both Temple and Sovereignty are resolved.

[ ] Slack Off - Slack off a for few days. ++Mental Stability. Gisena will have time to create Artifacts.

---

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[Rihaku]

Dawn and Thereafter

With his Evening Sky granted dominion over Edeldross, both the magnitude of Element he could summon and the precision of his control over it had improved immensely; so much so that the physical component of his Edeldross-boost could nearly match Aobaru's specialized Vigorflame. They sparred lightly the next morning, Hunger restraining himself to one-twentieth speed and without the aid of his Blade or blood augments. Aobaru was a sweat-drenched mess by the end of the first hour, his weavespun shirt soaked entirely through as the red light of dawn illuminated field and clouds.

"It's, okay," Aobaru heaved, one hand held up to forestall Aeira's intervention. "I, can, keep, goiumpfh-"

Hunger had struck in the interval, burying two fingers into the boy's solar plexus. He carefully laid down the staggered Elementalist and turned to Aeira and Letrizia. "That's enough out of you, let the others have a turn. All right. Who's next?"

Aeira stepped forward determinedly, cloak of shadows enfolding her like the distaff counterpart to Hunger's own. "I shall be your opponent, sir. Do not worry, Letrizia. I will tire him out so he must go easy on you!"

He could feel his attention sliding off the girl, natural instincts telling him she was no more relevant than the mists and dew of daybreak around her. But his Rank had increased immensely after felling the Rotbeast, and with a pulse of Pressure he repelled her Element's effect on his senses.

"My hero!" Letrizia cheered, "Time to earn that pay!"

"The person paying you is me," Hunger groused, raising his palms in a fighting stance. "Ready?"

"Always, sir!" Aeira bounded forward, a passing shadow the color of midnight, whipping her blades around to catch him from the side. He stepped back easily, creating distance as his Pressure ramped up - an invisible barrier pressing against everything she was, constricting all routes of action until only his victory remained. Even the flashing sharpness of her daisho seemed to flatten and dull in the wind of that all-eclipsing Pressure.

Though their speed was equalized, still the shadow-wreathed mercenary stood little chance. Her ambushes were sealed, her attacks predicted, countermeasures slotting into place before she'd even thought to attempt the act that they nullified. She swept and he ducked, firing bursts of edeldross to propel him into a spin-kick against her torso; she thrust and he deflected into a clinch, overpowering her with superior mass and reach. Retreat saw her backing into a wall of solidified Edeldross; striking out with her Element, she was countered by a perfectly-timed blast of his own.

Fighting only with finger-jabs and the fundamentally non-lethal Edeldross, Hunger was quickly able to disable her, leaving Letrizia the last opponent standing.

The young Duchess gulped as she stepped onto the proving grounds. "W-why don't I go get Verschlengorge and you can face someone your own Rank? It's fine to use equipment in battle!"

Hunger impatiently tapped his side. "You should be glad we're doing something so productive as your punishment. I had half-decided to make you do lines on a chalkboard."

Letrizia cocked her head. "Lines... on a chalkboard? People actually did that in your time?"

He shrugged. "Who cares? It looks miserable enough."

"Using your position as the Reckoner of Rotspawn to procure such ancient artifacts! This is truly abuse of power!"

So saying, she flared her own Pressure, its whipsaw force colliding with his own, blanketing the field with dust as she charged. Like her erstwhile 'classmates' Letrizia favored an offensive style, though her personal combat skills were nowhere nearly as refined as Aeira's.

Her Elemental-infused Pressure lent her an intuitive grasp of the tactical situation, but lacked the sheer power necessary to contest Hunger's own. She wielded her Rank with keenness and brilliance, but could not fend off his avalanche force.

Hunger deflected her initial forays with a wall of sheer edeldross and effortlessly outflanked her, poking her mercilessly in the side with index and middle fingers.

Letrizia yelped, spasming uncontrollably as she twisted away, but he was already on her opposite flank. A series of swift jabs had the Duchess nearly in tears; knees buckling, she stood resolutely through the assault, swiping wildly at him but catching only air.

"I'm not going to give up so easily!" She exclaimed, fists bunched as she launched a focused shard of her Pressure directly into the swelling tide of his own, the greater density of her power forcing open a wedge through which she poured a torrential blast, equalizing their effective Rank for just an instant. This she followed-up with a proficient series of melee strikes, a swift combination of arm-bars and lashing kicks that nonetheless faltered before Hunger's vastly greater martial skill. Easily sidestepping the main line of her attack, he targeted the back of her calf with a strike, forcing her to her knees as he locked her arms behind her.

Defeated, Letrizia hung her head. All her efforts had only briefly neutralized his advantage in supernatural power, while his speed and skill both were still vastly the greater.

This surprised neither of them, but it was one thing to know a thing and another to see it so harshly demonstrated. "Okay, now I give up!"

Hunger laughed and let her go. "Don't think you three will get off so easily. Training tomorrow as well, and the day after that, until you're all up to par."

Letrizia grimaced, holding back a shiver at the thought of what Hunger's definition of 'up to par' meant. "Don't you think this is a bit over the top, Lord Hunger? We helped spread your legend! According to you that even contributed to your huge improvement in Rank."

"And you're to face that same Rank on the field of battle," he rejoined. "Fitting, isn't it?"

Aobaru staggered up to him, toweling the sweat from his face. "I'm, up for, another round, sir!"

"Not yet," Hunger said. "We need to get some calories into all of you. But only half portions, since you're still being punished. I heard the Kaguya has laid out a spread of shaved ice and sundaes..."

---

Letrizia hummed merrily, legs swinging beneath her as she dug into her ice cream sundae. Her entire body was sore, battered into submission like dough for the baking, but the prospect of delicious fare had pain and exhaustion melting away like the airy cream in her mouth.

Halfway to her mouth the spoon stopped. Eugh, what was she thinking, evaluating this moderately capable cuisine as anything near delicious?! Trapped in the Realm her standards had truly fallen. Her house chefs alone were ten times more skilled, and Lord Hunger's Fish half a step above that. Perhaps he would be more accommodating of her prank if she flattered those fishing skills of his... but Letrizia saw no such opening today.

Aobaru ate with frantic speed, peppering Lord Hunger with questions, while Aeira diligently worked on an Elementalism primer for some of their less-talented classmates. They were both such hard workers, as she'd been, once upon a time.

Uncowed by their example, she luxuriated in another bite of fluffy whipped cream and rich vanilla, sucking the flesh off a rum-dipped cherry to twirl pit and stem against her tongue. It really was best to eat cool dessert after a nice, heavy exertion in the morning. After Hunger was finished with his torments maybe she would take a dip in the hot springs.

Letrizia frowned. She couldn't help but think she was forgetting something, however...

"Ah!" She exclaimed. "Lord Hunger."

"Hm?" He turned to her swiftly, taking the offered lifeline to deflect the relentless Aobaru.

"The Decimator's Affliction." She popped the cherry pit out of her mouth and set it down. "It'll be coming back soon, right? You said you'd dealt with it for a month, and that was three weeks ago. I know you... absorbed... Verschlengorge's portion, but were you able to mitigate it any further with the opponents you've fought in the Realm? Several were extremely strong, especially in the Temple, so..."

He shook his head grimly. "Unfortunately not. It's my top priority after we're finished here. I don't believe the Decimator's Affliction is concerned solely with the strength of foes beaten. Searching for a suitable target may take weeks, so we'll be departing as soon as the political situation is stable."

"Hmph," Letrizia laid her head on an upraised palm. "They should just declare fealty to the Crown and be done with it. Or I can take them in as a fiefdom under my House Lands."

"Y, you can't just trample all over our sovereignty like that," Aobaru exclaimed. "Our ancestors came out here and braved the dangers of the Voyaging Realm precisely to escape Imperial tyranny!"

"What, 'no taxation without representation?'" Letrizia scoffed. "Might as well just defect to the Republic if you're going to pay lip service to empty ideals."

"Enough." Hunger put a slightly heavy palm down on the table. "We'll let the people of the Sovereignty make their own determination as to their political state."

He held up a forestalling hand. "...So long as it doesn't involve making me King."

Aeira giggled. "But you are considerably wiser than our current rulership, my lord. Even if that is not a very high bar to clear."

"Rulership's tough," Hunger replied easily. "You're blamed for everything, but only have a finite span to redress it with. Not a job I'm looking forward to any time soon."

"Maybe you should consider it!" Letrizia said brightly. "I'd support your Imperial claim. As long as you maintain the framework of Empire, there's nothing wrong with putting someone both well-meaning and capable on the throne."

"Still able to think such kind thoughts of me," Hunger grumbled. "Either you've the patience of a saint... or I've been too easy on you in training."

Letrizia pouted. "You can't punish me for voicing my political support! Just think of the precedent that would set!"

"Maybe I'll put Gisena in charge. That would show all of you..."

"As long as she is not also in charge of cooking," Aeira said worriedly.

---

[X] Core Panoply with [X] Huntress' Moon has won. Hunger now has 6.375 Astral Rank, or 6.575 with Hero-Defeating Stance up.

What was Gisena building at the time?

[ ] Decimation Lens - A simple but powerful Artifact that halves the time needed to locate Huntress' Moon targets. Highly relevant to your immediate situation! Offers no combat utility.

*Do I really need to argue for this?

[ ] Clarion Grenade - A weapon inspired by an old friend of hers, made possibly by collaboration with Letrizia. This one-use detonating munition, currently in the form of a grenade, transmits a pulse-wave of iteratively-refined light and force that penetrates any form of physical protection, explosively pressurizing, then shredding the contents of its not-inconsiderable radius. Can be safely used by anyone with active Pressure of 3.0 or greater, or WITS of no less than ++++++++++++.

*A ranged, durability-ignoring area of effect attack could have many applications, especially with Hunger's current high-offensive arsenal limited mainly to melee...
*May unlock further developments in this tree
*Single-use items seem to provoke less scaling from the Apocryphal Curse

[ ] Firmament Reinforcement 1/5 - Gisena makes progress towards an infusion of supernal substance, reified space and time woven through the loom of the Azure to provide reinforced structure for the Evening Sky. Yields additional Protection, health, conceptual weight and regeneration to the Evening Sky when completed.

*Gisena can make more progress if given more time
*Directly enhances Hunger's combat abilities, applying multiplicatively with his other sources of superhuman durability.

Which Huntress' Moon target did Hunger catch the scent of?

[ ] The Contest of Ages - The Republic-sponsored trade city of Valenheim is hosting its biannual fishing contest. A long-time trade partner of the Sovereignty, Valenheim boasts a cosmopolitan gothic appeal and several of the most dangerous fish species known to Voyaging man.

*Huntress' Moon Target: Triumph. Hunger must achieve victory in the Biannual FIshing Contest, which attracts all and sundry from a large swathe of Voyaging Realm civilizations. Note this may entail following rules, or somehow overcoming them; short of catching the unambiguously most impressive fish, the subjective judgement of arbiters could also be a hurdle, as Hunger is not the most personable of individuals when subjected to the demands of others... to say nothing of the potential for politicking and sabotage.
*Errantry potential: Modest. May yield up to .1 Base Rank upon completing, depending on actions taken.
*Distance: Near. Estimated 7-10 days to completion.

[ ] The Opalescent Tower - Deep in the fastness of a hidden valley at the furthermost reaches of the Voyaging Realm is a kingdom whose princess was imprisoned in a tower of opalescent sky by a Tyrant of unfathomable malice. The magic of this place is the stuff of foundational myth, its lidless Arcanist's walls piercing earth, cloud, firmament and vastness to sunder its borders clear of the greater Realm. Yet to a voyaging warrior of Hunger's legend, even such obstacles as these may be overcome.

*Huntress' Moon Target: The Tower of Sky. Neither princess nor Tyrant must be slain, but the tower itself destroyed, ground into earth and rendered into ash and dust.
*Errantry potential: High. May yield up to .175 Base Rank upon completion, depending on actions taken.
*Distance: Far. Estimated 14-21 days to completion; half that with the Decimation Lens.
*May encounter additional magic systems or legendary Artifacts worthy of being wielded by one's self or one's allies.

---

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If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join us on the AST Discord! We encourage substantive posts still to be made in the thread, and shitposting within the Discord.

 

[Rihaku]

Realms of Myth

The winner was [X] The Opalescent Tower with [X] Decimation Lens. A very close vote on multiple fronts, and well-fought by both sides!

With the Decimation Lens pointing Hunger towards a valid Huntress' Moon target, the group prepares to set out from the Sovereignty. But what is Hunger's attitude towards the governance of the Sovereignty itself?

[ ] Laissez-faire - Hunger is unconcerned about the internal politics of this remote Voyaging nation. They've given him plenty of free stuff and there's neither the time nor the inclination amongst most of his party to remain entangled here for long.

[ ] Intervention Mk. I - Aeira's family has some experience ruling this nation, right? They should be in power. Two allied civilizations are better than one. [+1 Arete, Starts Elixir Sovereign sub-plot. Should be fairly brief]

[ ] Be the Change - While the Decimation is a pressing concern, no less so is the governance of this nation on which turns the lives of millions. Given the power and versatility of these High Elementalists, the Elixir Sovereignty is sure to be relevant in greater Voyaging Realm affairs going forward. With Stenallon occupied in the Temple, it falls to Hunger to marshal the courage of his convictions and bring to these people what he failed to in his second world: a well-functioning society, with reasonable laws and free of excessive burdens on its populace. How hard could it be? [+1 pick to next experience point, unlocks a Defining Advancement if successful]

*There isn't time to overhaul everything so he'll have to keep the general framework of their civilization, but there's nothing wrong with an amendment that makes Hunger the constitutional monarch with theoretical veto power over the ministries of government.
*He can then wield this authority to root out corruption and make sure everyone is doing their jobs properly within the bureaucracy, no flagrant abuse of power is occurring, and so on and so forth. Those who Gisena and Aeira vets, he will Ennoble, granting them a near-insurmountable tactical advantage in office politics.
*With the help of his well-feted reputation, and a certain renaissance woman, this task goes from improbably difficult to merely challenging.
*Will saddle you with some modest responsibilities to the governance and protection of the Sovereignty, potentially escalating to major responsibilities should the Sovereignty be endangered again.
*However, you'll also receive massive potential benefits in time, such as an army of High Elementalists with a dizzying away of capabilities...
*Could take a while OOC even if IC it's the whirlwind effort of a few days.

---

Venturing to the lands enclosed by the Walls of Myth, what is Hunger's primary destination?

[ ] The Walls of Myth - It's a long trip to get there, so why not take a slight detour to examine the fabled walls themselves? There is sure to be high magic in plentiful supply here by the lidless cloud-piercing battlements that have successfully severed all they enclose from a domain as formidable as the Voyaging Realm. Do they wield Foremost magics themselves, or arts of a school of comparable power? Or are the Walls themselves merely some form of trick or exploit, failing to match the Foremost in puissance but superior to their unattended works in treachery? Either way, there is much to learn.

*Detour means your journey will tend towards the longer side of the estimate (closer to 10 days than 7 for the entire trip)
*Magics, artifice, ancient lore - who knows what awaits buried within the Walls of Myth?

[ ] The Tower Itself - Straight to the Tower, all else can wait. Perhaps it's reckless to charge in without an overview of the lands' magics but Hunger wields both the Praxis and the power of Ruin and is assisted by the wielders of Nullity and True Vigorflame. There are very few supernatural threats he would lack an adequate answer for.

*Somewhat riskier, but swifter.
*May generate more picks
*Gain beneficial condition, I Am The Danger for the duration of the Tower hunt.

---

Finally, Hunger has gotten some experience from slaying Astral Beasts attracted by the healed Verschlengorge these past days. 2 picks were acquired; what shall they be spent on? You currently have 10.9 Arete. Choose only one.

[ ] Towards Stranglethorn - Commits you to Stranglethorn, but also gets you halfway there! It's a potent Defining Advancement that suits Hunger well and scales greatly with All-Defeating Stance, while the power of Establishment gives Hunger a source of passive power in most timeskips. Doubled Willpower +s are also tremendously valuable given Cut Through's Willpower modifier to physical stats.

*If you don't commit to Stranglethorn now you may be distracted by other options in the future
*Stranglethorn's good, no need to overcomplicate things!

[ ] Honing (2 Arete) - Take Honing and unlock the Blood Advancements beyond it! Combat intelligence and more Agility are rarely bad. It's good value for your Arete and substantially improves Hunger's tactical acumen for most fights.

*Cheap and good, what's not to love?
*Efficient and unlocks future efficient picks.

[ ] The Ring of Power - Pitiless Maw (7 Arete) - A Conjunctional Advancement that requires the Forebear's Blade. How can hunger perish from this world? So long as there is one hungering thing, it will emerge again and again to feast upon this realm of mere phenomena. Passively restore health equal to 100% of the damage you deal in melee combat, and triples the Power of Ruin associated with melee strikes.

*Stacks additively with All-Defeating Stance
*Grants a fairly major combat upgrade, as you already have high Strength and Strength-scaling Ruin
*Increasing your rate of healing works well with your high Health pool from Inherit the World
*You can also take one Echo alongside this ability, increasing your Strength even further!

[ ] Feat: Crown (12 Arete) - Requires Be the Change. Unlocks the potential for Feat: Saber and Feat: Orb. You may find an opportunity to acquire this Feat again, but it is rare and dependent on circumstance...

If you survive, no power will be beyond you.

The Accursed had told him that. These three short weeks have felt like a lifetime, filled with harrowing challenge, foes and travails over every horizon. He has never worked so hard or so furiously in his life, even against the world-pervading crush of the Tyrant's presence. But the reward of discipline is power, and power has been attained at last. Power enough, in some ways, even to eclipse the Hero who stood against that Tyrant of yore, all those long months ago... power to triumph where he failed.

Now, child of Earth. How will you use that power?

At last attain the outcome that Hunger died for, what he set out to do before age and treachery taught him what may have been his final lesson, but for the intervention of the Accursed. Gain +.25 Base Rank; +.5 with modifiers. Rank gain may be reduced (with partial Arete refund) if reforms are not successful. This Feat would normally put you into pick debt, but Be the Change covers the difference.

*That's a lot of Rank.
*A lot of Rank.
*But it's also a lot of Arete...

---

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If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat with the questers, you're welcome to join us on the AST Discord! We encourage substantive posts still to be made in the thread, and shitposting within the Discord.

 

[Rihaku]

On the Crown

Public opinion had shifted enormously in the wake of the Rotbeast's defeat. The powerlessness and apparent incompetence of the government stood in stark contrast with the single-handed valor of 'Lord Hunger,' who had ventured alone into the depths of the Rotbeast and put down that primeval monster for good. Many called for a re-organization of the Sovereignty at the highest levels, and the renunciation of such policies as the mandatory conscription of Elementalists.

"The people are effectively unanimous," Aobaru said quietly, eyes wide. "They sincerely want you to be their king."

Though there had certainly been misrule and corruption, Hunger empathized slightly with the current government. They had simply lacked the power to address their people's troubles, and Hunger had not. That was no accident of circumstance - they had strived relentlessly to reach their current heights - but neither was it some great moral or intellectual victory for himself and his party.

Hunger sighed and rubbed his eyes, while Letrizia gave him a commiserating back massage. "It's okay, Lord Hunger! As we say in the Empire, noblesse oblige! Elevating nobility to the position of sovereign occasionally is merely what's done around these parts."

"Oh really?" He scoffed. "And when was the last time that occurred?"

Letrizia hummed and paused the massage to tick off her fingers. "Hm... I suppose it was a couple minutes ago!"

"I'm glad you find this so amusing."

Aeira tentatively gripped a stack of paper held against her chest. "Um- sir- If I may, I have a few suggestions as to the administration of this province, once you undergo your accession..."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Hunger grumbled.

"It's not like you want to be their king or anything, stupid!" Gisena sang cheerfully, sweeping by with, of all things, a duster in her hand.

"You did say you'd go with what the people want," Letrizia pointed out. "And this is what they want. Hail to the king!"

"It's impossible for me to stay here and rule."

"They're well aware of that," Letrizia rejoined. "That's part of what makes them so willing to elevate you to that position! Vacant yet uncontested at the same time - who could challenge such a throne?"

"The dangers of supernatural charisma," Gisena tittered, laying a hand on Hunger's shoulder. "What'll it be, my Lord? Learn to say no or take up this burden upon yourself?"

"If they really only desire an absentee monarch," Hunger sighed, "I suppose it's an opportunity to do some actual good with the power we've gained."

Letrizia cheered, pounding him enthusiastically on the back. "The seat of our sub-Empire rises! I'll make sure you have favorable trade terms with my fiefdoms. There are a couple of planets that would really benefit from even a few Elementalists!"

"We'll have to be careful that our reforms don't end up doing more harm than good," Hunger continued, "Especially with the populace so zealous. If we were to emigrate Elementalists on top of that, provoking the Voyaging Realm... Aeira, you've mentioned that your family are not the biggest fans of the current government. I trust you to give an objective evaluation. Is this mostly a matter of factional strife or is there truly considerable abuse of power in the current regime?"

Aeira considered carefully. "Certainly there is a great deal of corruption in the system, though I do not know if it rises to malfeasance on the level of, say, the Republic. But our education on the matter has likely been skewed. Our sources are mostly Imperial, and the Republic has long been embroiled in a rivalrous contention with their border Houses."

Nothing for it but to decide. He contemplated deeply for a moment.

"A constitutional monarchy," Hunger finally said. "With technical sovereignty in theory, but limited powers of appointment in practice. The main objective will be an overhaul of the current government structure emphasizing the elevation of officials that are both capable and well-meaning. We can skimp somewhat on the former as long as we prioritize the latter; at my current Rank I can permanently augment them with Blood enhancements. All of you will pitch in and assist with both the design and execution. We've only got a week and a half before the Decimator's Affliction returns, so we can budget no more than five days here."

"F-five days," Letrizia blanched. "To overhaul their entire apparatus of state? That's-"

"What the people want," Hunger said, eyebrows raised. "And we're going with what they want. Isn't that right, duchess?"

---

Afterwards, as Hunger retired to his room, Gisena dropped by with her newly completed Artifact. "This will make hunting for Decimator's mitigation much easier! You may praise me now."

"Truly you are a genius among geniuses," Hunger said dryly. "A star of grace come to earth and enlightening us by your presence. I simply don't know what we'd do without you."

"Ah~ wonderful!" Gisena fanned herself. "Praise me more!"

He took the Artifact from her to examine, a lens comprised of red quartz that could be placed before the eye. Already two figures were apparent on the display, potential targets with a high probability of replicating the phenomenon he'd tapped into against the pirate captain. Gisena had indicated that the first was most promising, a faraway tower woven from ancient magics that held some connection to his cloak of sky.

"How does it work?" He mused. That the Artifact was capable of interfacing with his Curse was no surprise - Gisena had always demonstrated keen insight into the nature of his afflictions - but he hadn't expected it to be capable of pulling such volumes of data from the world itself.

"It's connected to our Rings," Gisena explained brightly. "Among the lesser domains of my Ring is the Domain of Truth! Gathering a limited subset of data from our semi-immediate vicinity weighs against its ontological budget, but removing the Decimation's Affliction is absolutely a worthy cause!"

He smirked at the Azure. "Trying to escape our accusations of slacking? It's an ingenious design. I expected nothing less."

"Naturally," Gisena feigned demureness. "But let's talk politics. Are you sure about this, hun? You've got a mission to follow and it doesn't involve this Sovereignty, charming as it may be!"

He nodded seriously. "If we can make things better for these people, then we should at least make the attempt. Their society has been structured around Rotspawn defense for nearly two decades now. I don't want to see this place collapse into a military junta when their armed forces try to reclaim political relevance. Imperial culture places a fairly high regard on martial valour, from what Letrizia has told me. Edifying in times of war, but in peacetime..."

"This has been an odd turn of events," Gisena mused. "I'm surprised the powers that be allowed their official organs to broadcast such results! It's all but tantamount to treason."

"The groundswell of organic support put too much pressure on them," he said, "According to Aeira. I wonder if her family pulled some strings. They were previously discredited... but now their daughter is one of the only Elementalists confirmed to associate with our party. It wouldn't surprise me if some of their old contacts suddenly rediscovered their affection for her dynasty. Aeira herself seems earnest enough, but I don't know far to extend that trust..."

"Always trying your hardest," Gisena said fondly, resting her head against his shoulder. "Cursebearers deserve vacations too!"

"If only we all got what we deserved," he deadpanned.

"Exactly!" She rejoined, eyes wide. "So much acclaim would come my way! Perhaps I should be Queen instead?"

"Aren't Sorceress queens the very stereotype of jealous evil? But if you want the job, I wouldn't be opposed. My strengths trend more towards matters military. Not everyone can be a truly all-encompassing genius."

"Sorry!" Gisena chirped. "Flattering as the position would be, a genius knows never to take direct responsibility when she can instead deflect it onto others."

"How cruel, baiting me with false hope like that."

"Aren't you a master fisherman? For shame."

"I'm but an enthusiastic amateur. For a genius of your calibre to bully me is truly reprehensible."

She giggled. "My apologies! Let me make it up to you."

"Sure thing, I'll make you regent in my stead. You can do the hard work of vetting and selecting all our appointments."

"So long as it isn't Queen Regent. I'd hate to be a stereotype!"

"Princess Regent, then."

She batted her eyelashes at him. "How about Princess Consort?"

"How about another three Artifacts? We've Curses to be mitigating."

"Yes, your Majesty!"

---

[X] Crown with [X] Be the Change and [X] The Tower Itself has won. Where now shall Hunger focus his efforts? The option selected will be prioritized with the majority of his and Gisena's attention directed towards it, while the other option will be largely delegated. As both are major undertakings, it would be most efficient to direct their time to fully understanding one facet of the task before them.

[ ] Constitutional Design - There's not much time, so Hunger will have to work within the limits of the Imperial framework to some extent, but he's popular enough that major revisions are feasible. People are impermament, but a structure of government can outlive generations both great and timid. Focus on establishing the soundest possible foundation for the long-term stability of the government, guaranteeing basic civil rights and balancing the arms of government while maintaining enough of a continuity with the prior semi-Imperial system to maintain legitimacy in the eyes of the powerful traditionalist faction.

*A powerfully encompassing, but adaptive document can rein in the excess of would-be tyrants and clearly delineate the lines between public and private interest.
*A sufficiently well designed system of incentives, cultural norms and ingrained checks/balances can create aligned values from departments that would otherwise devolve into factionalism and internecine strife.
*This is a tremendous undertaking and not guaranteed to succeed, but may translate into effective rule at greater scales by use of similar systems.
*People go where their incentives lead them. How many evil viziers only turned out so because the system failed them at some crucial point? If officialdom rewards the pillaging of public coffers, even the staunchest idealist might find himself compromised.
*It is one thing to conquer, quite another to rule. Success here would ensure a steady foundation in both arenas.

[ ] Finding Capable Administrators - The intent behind any given document matters little in the face of its implementer. What's most important is to find people who share Hunger's vision and are reasonably capable at their job. Genuine well-meaning combined with a modicum of judgement should suffice to advance the public interest in Hunger's absence.

*An effective, but likely temporary solution to the problem of governance.
*Given Hunger's power of Ennoblement, very unlikely to fail
*If Hunger's hand-picked administrators are assassinated or otherwise indisposed, the system is vulnerable to collapse.
*Formal systems tend to be patched and compromised countless times in the process of actual rule. What matters most is that the people doing the patching are as competent as possible, with values strongly aligned with your own. Let the rest be sorted out empirically.

---

What faction will Hunger emphasize the interests of? This will affect the benefits you may receive from ruling the Sovereignty. That said, any tithes from the Sovereignty to its monarch will always be modest enough to minimize damage to its long-term prospects, except in situations of exigency.

[ ] The Elementalists - Ultimately the military and utility value of the Sovereignty lies in its Elementalists. Though naked advantage is not the purpose of Hunger's rule, it would be blithe idealism not to maximize the benefits of conquest in order to defray its considerable cost in time and attention.

*Strongly incentivize, but do not require, the training and advancement of powerful or useful Elementalists into coteries loyal only to the throne.
*May occasionally produce Elite-tier Elementalists such as Aeira and, more rarely, Super Elites in the vein of (though not quite reaching the heights displayed by) Aobaru.
*Many applications in battle and outside of it.

[ ] The Traditionalists - The Elixir Springs are the core of their eponymous Sovereignty, and its resorts the beating economic heart. Encourage cultivation and stewardship of the Spring waters and their healing powers, even at the cost of reduced Elementalist numbers.

*Great economic benefits; reliable and powerful healing magic of this scale is somewhat rare, and the Sovereignty sits at a Voyaging Realm crossroads where travelers are likely to stumble upon it.
*May acquire artifacts or sophisticated technology via trade.
*+50% to Gisena's Artifice crafting speed while within the Sovereignty
*You may be able to research further the properties of this water...

[ ] None - Seek only the welfare of the nation. You've no interest in self aggrandizement on such paltry scales. [+1 Arete]

*Selflessness is commendable, and your power is vast, but is this really the time or place for such sentimentality?
*You will fail to receive any concretely relevant (on your level) benefits from rule even as you spend blood, treasure and sweat defending the Sovereignty from all comers.

---

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[Rihaku]

Have some previews of the Blurb Library update, available for patrons now. You may also discuss it in our Discord!

[ ] Pathway to Idyll [7 Arete]

The lambent draping of the Evening Sky unfolds and billows in a dream-stoked wind; unbound by the lunar whim, become again the wavering noren to a place of wonder and grandeur unspeakable, the indigo terraces and night-traced valleys of Evening's Realm. Starshine like dewdrops gleams through clouds of pellucid haze: here, there is no strife, only rest, only joyous recumbence beyond the furthermost dreamings of men.

*The Realm of Evening may now be accessed once per night, though it cannot be used for training or its augmentative reagents imbibed. Regents whose purpose is purely curative may still be used. The user may depart at will or be automatically ejected an instant before noon the next day.
*Accessed in this way, time passes normally within the Realm as compared to outside.
*May be used to evade an otherwise undodgeable attack. This is not a perfect defense in that the wearer must still be able to react to the attack in question.
*Substantially improves the wearer's ability to shape the Realm of Evening for recreational purposes, improving effective Charisma (while hosting guests within) and Mental Stability (over time).
*The user may still access the Realm via the method outlined in Pillars of Creation, and remains eligible to cultivate the lasting benefits thereof - training against foes of escalating intensity, and access to medicinal plants of deific stature and potency.
*A nigh-unassailable (at this scale) and tremendously opulent redoubt within with to spend one's nights.

Upgrade:

[ ] Perchance to Dream

...

[ ] Sword in the Stone [25 Arete]

Downthrust the wielder plunges his blade into a stone, tomb or anvil of appropriate size. Buried halfway it stands immovable; an unyielding edifice of rule, pillar and testament to the inexorability of his reign, and its iron righteousness. So sheathed, it becomes a tool not of war but of governance - and if its talents should be poorly tuned for that purpose, it upends such deficiencies through sheer weight of power. Its presence is an echo of his will and his signature, fairness resolute and unmerciful judgement, redounding to the very boundaries of his territory and beyond.

No force may tear loose sword from stone; neither curse nor conquest, nor passing of eons, nor death of the wielder and extinction of his line may sunder blade from sheath until the hour of reckoning is come. Invincible and unbridled it stands, the sharp perilous tower whose graven-stone memory is the saga of ages.

Only a ruler of whom he would approve may pull loose the blade, calling again the Forebear's Implement to war. Rue the day such a calamity is unleashed upon an unsuspecting multiverse, for the remit of the Forebear is resolve without limit, and power without bound.

...

*Hour of Reckoning: To defy him is hubris; to assault him is folly. If the wielder is forced to take up his Blade by the unforgivable action(s) of an external aggressor, double the effects of Once and Future against that opponent.

 

[Rihaku]

The Platinum Expanse

It was a pale, cloud-wreathed morning, the wind sharp and brisk. It blew without mercy or respite, carrying tufts of frost-tinged mist across the shorn-flat stone on which they stood.

Hunger's coronation was, at his vehement insistence, a plain and unadorned affair, the ceremony itself taking no longer than fifteen minutes atop the carven peak of Elixir Mount. Without room to host the crowds seeking attendance, it was displayed via holocaster drone to the overspilling hordes below. His crown itself was a band of grey platinum adorned by a single well-cut diamond. In contrast, Gisena's accession as Princess Regent was as full of pomp and circumstance as a fairy daydream; her tiara of misted silver glittering with jewels like frozen starlight. Pale white, lilac, amethyst and azure, like a constellation brought to heel they shined furiously atop her brow.

"Let's hope this doesn't inflate your ego as grandly as it did the ceremony budget," he murmured as he finished crowning her.

"But I thought that already reached its maximum size?" Gisena blinked innocently at him.

He scoffed, seating himself back on his - throne. "Just look at all this. You never know when things might proceed beyond, and further beyond, all reasonable expectation."

"Maybe if you aren't a genius!" She smirked cheerfully. "I enchanted this one myself. All shall love me and despair!"

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful role model for aspiring oppressors everywhere."

"I exist to serve. Such is the duty of a Princess Regent!"

"Serving one's own ends is the purpose of every politician. Don't pretend to be special."

"You wound me. Do I truly need to pretend?"

"You seem to enjoy it."

"Aww," she grinned and laid dainty fingers over his own. "You know me so well... Your Majesty."

After the interminable ceremony concluded, they set to work revising the constitution of the Sovereignty, focused on creating a stable, just, and prosperous society. Their time was limited, and, desiring to maintain the legitimacy of a continuous structure, Letrizia's deep knowledge of Imperial law was crucial to the endeavor as a whole. Aeira, Aobaru and certain handpicked officials were charged full of Edeldross and tasked with assembling an interim government.

Ultimately they were amending an existing document, based on principles of empire that had survived centuries in this far-flung cosmos. Much could be retained or slightly adjusted, but the existence of the Elementalists - spontaneous magicians whose chief asset was their vast, nigh-uncontrollable destructive power - posed a unique challenge for the codifiers.

As the Elementalists represented both a volatile internal faction and the majority of the Sovereignty's military might, a delicate balance had to be struck. They had to instill a sense of responsibility for an Elementalist's vast powers without resorting to the direct conscription of the earlier regime. Almost every Elementalist represented an outlier risk capable of single-handedly depopulating anything from a single structure to the entire Kingdom. Those rare Elements associated with defense and restoration had to be carefully stewarded lest the civilization boil over from a few disgruntled magicians.

Even with the full might of his expanded Rank and all the speed he'd retained from the Forebear, Hunger was driven near-to exhaustion in the following days, as the wholesale reconstruction of an entire state occupied his complete attention.

Much of rulership was unpleasant decision-making between alternatives neither of which was clearly preferable: disputes on legalese and ownership between factions both of which held a somewhat-legitimate claim; minutia and clarifications of legal policy that could nonetheless affect thousands; and all the countless edge cases that any broadly sweeping law was bound to spawn in a modernized society such as this.

Gisena, of course, took to the matter with indefatigable cheer, remarking that their Kingdom was easier to manage than the territories she'd ruled as a noble in her old Realm. She gushed over the convenience and reliability of modern communications technology and was happy to do the intellectual heavy lifting on matters of great complexity.

Those disputes too thorny or too critical to be handled by their Edeldross-boosted staff had to be resolved by Hunger or Gisena themselves, and quite a number filtered up to their level as his officials sought a frame of reference for the intent of their monarch in the few days he would be present. Luckily there were no incidents provoking the Tyrant's Doom, the sheer force of his presence sufficient to deflect any serious attempts on his authority.

"It's a bit concerning," he frowned, tugging at the Evening Sky. Ever since Larissa he'd been worried about becoming a genuine cognitive hazard to those around him. Afterwards he'd mastered Edeldross to a vastly greater degree, the suffusion of that element naturally improving his charisma as it did every other attribute. The Cloak of Evening further magnified that power, bringing it to the point where even casual pronouncements could incite disturbing levels of fanaticism towards his person. But cloak and Element both contributed too greatly to his personal competence for deactivation to be practical, especially in light of the Apocryphal Curse...

"You'll get used to it," Gisena assured him, "People get bored of staring at even the mightiest of Sorceresses, given enough time. It may take years, but you'll need this power given the Curses you bear!"

It was unquestionably useful for avoiding the Tyrant's Doom, but it would be preferable to modulate his power somewhat, activating the higher reaches of supernal presence only when he so desired. Else it would be difficult to pass undetected, to say nothing of the consequences for those who interacted with him regularly.

Gisena and Letrizia had the wherewithal to withstand his influence. They were possessed of much experience in supernatural matters and comprehensively enhanced by their own arts. Aeira and Aobaru did not wield magics nearly as wide-reaching, and, for all their ability, had until recently been reasonably sheltered high school students.

It was a matter he would have to address sooner rather than later. That this capability was a tremendous boon and net positive did not mean he - and the society he governed - was obliged to endure the side-effects, if they could be avoided.

"Things are stabilizing here," he tapped the throne thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should remove ourselves from the situation as quickly as we can. It'll be good to get a head start on the Decimator's Affliction."

"Well, they don't exactly have matters well in hand," Gisena said, sorting through documents. Her standards were more exacting than most. "But they're probably capable of muddling along, and what more could you really ask for? Our underlings need to learn how to manage without me, the sooner the better!"

"Maybe you're right," he mused, "it does seem like your ego has reached maximum size. But I won't begrudge you for that, since you've worked so hard lately."

She could easily have refused the labor of reforming Sovereignty into a Kingdom to spend the time Artificing instead. In truth they'd had no particular obligation to these people, and taking up the reins of the Kingdom would consume some of their attention even with the structures they'd set up. Had it been to appease the popular will alone, Hunger would have refused. Why had he agreed? Re-litigating the failures of his past? Not that alone, though he wouldn't deny it had played a part.

Gisena preened. "When do I not? Perhaps I'm a genius of hard work as well!"

"Yes, good job. Let's go take a vacation to kill things."

"So violent! Are these the vicissitudes of kingship?"

"Nothing inspires patriotism like war."

And so, not desiring a fanatical cult of personality, Hunger resolved to finalize the affairs of his new Kingdom as quickly as possible, and planned to venture into the Voyaging Realm once more. Hopefully he would find some enemy capable of shrouding its presence, of dimming majesty's halo so that its bearer could cease to draw attention wheresoever he wandered.

---

[X] Constitution with [X] The Elementalists has won. The Kingdom's current performance is Adequate, though Hunger remains overwhelmingly popular. Performance may improve as people become more accustomed to the laws.

Which option does Hunger pursue on the trip to the Walls of Myth? Shadowcord alone can render him stealthy, but he specifically requires an effect that allows him to interact with others without overwhelming them.

[ ] Sky Veil [7 Arete] - Just as the sky emblazons one's majesty, so too can it do the inverse, serving as a curtain drawn against the solar blaze of superhuman will. In addition to allowing the wearer to voluntarily decrease his Charisma +s in increments of 25% (without affecting associated Attributes like Protection from Vigor Itself! A rare trait), it also increases Protection by +++++ and AGI by ++. Allows the Evening Sky to disguise its appearance, taking on the semblance of the morning or noonday sky, or even of an ordinary cloak - much as it may despise such diminishment. Unlocks stealth- and disguise-based Advancements, including Conjunctional effects with Aeira.

*With the power of disguise comes the power, to scam...
*May provoke a certain individual. But you can probably take him. Right?

[ ] Vanquisher Halo [7 Arete] - Superhuman Charisma isn't actually a problem. One can always introduce hard sensory filters like dense Shadowcord or literal fortress walls between oneself and those one does not wish to affect, especially given skillful intermediaries such as the Princess Regent. No, better to specialize, become the mailed fist to her velvet glove, especially when venturing into a realm of mythic war. Req. Triumphal Gleam. +20% Rank gain, +++++CHA, Adds your Charisma to your Strength, negates all penalties to Charisma, even self-inflicted ones.

*A Halo-type Advancement. Rare.
*Really strong in fights and removes your Charisma penalty from Uttermost.
*Hunger will abandon the idea of reducing his Charisma. It is a silly idea anyway.
*You can also take an Echo.
*SORD. PRETTY.

[ ] Honing [2 Arete] - The ability to voluntarily reduce one's Charisma can be pursued after the Opalescent Tower falls. In the meantime the priority must be combat strength, which Honing excels at for cheap. And it'll unlock further Blood Advancements!

*Haven't you delayed this long enough?

[ ] Just Take Echoes - Take 2 Echoes of the Forebear. It's cheap and effective.

Given the importance of good Elementalist stewardship, Hunger has one final decision to make before departing for the Walls of Myth. With what structure should the Elementalists of the Elixir Kingdom be organized?

[ ] Without Form - Elementalists will be free to use their powers as desired, though violations of the law will be prosecuted to its full extent. Voluntary training and advisory bodies will exist for Elementalists, with a certificate of completed training privileging access to many Elementalist-only perks such as advanced commission into the military, favorable insurance rates for contracting work performed via Elementalism, authorization to use one's Element as a mercenary or privateer, and so on and so forth. Training will emphasize the responsible usage of power and the delicacy of the balance by which Elementalists exist within, and are supported by, the society around them.

The administration of these training programs, the dispensation of Elementalist-related benefits, the organization of elite Elementalist-only special forces, and the protection of Elementalism-related rights shall be directly overseen by the Crown Office, headed by those officials demonstrating both exceptional competence and loyalty to throne.

*Somewhat risky, but social pressure and incentives can do most of the work of a policy, so long as the culture supports it. 'Not being destroyed by a rogue Elementalist' is a great incentive for people to support a culture of care towards these immense powers.
*Slightly increases occurrence rate of Super Elite-tier Elementalists comparable to Aobaru in potential.

[ ] Agents of the Throne - There will be one clear delineation between those Elementalists who are trained, evaluated, and eventually accepted as Agents of the Throne and those who are not. Agents receive all Elementalist-specific perks as well as further honing by the most skilled of Elementalist trainers, and are actively placed in an environment emphasizing performance, mental stability, and loyalty to the throne.

Non-Agents are free to use their powers for commercial purposes but not towards violent ends, as per a much more forgiving version of Regimentation, below. Powerful and useful Elementalists will be strongly incentivized, though not required, to join the ranks of the Agents. Education and social policy will be structured so that the position of Agent is highly desired and prestigious.

*Fairly safe and personally beneficial to Hunger. You may come up with a different title than Agent if desired.
*Highly increases production of Elite-tier Elementalists capable of performing independent missions.

[ ] Regimentation - While mandatory conscription will be barred, the unlicensed use of an Elemental power shall be illegal outside of certain specific circumstances (emergency self-defense, etc). The power of High Elementalism is simply too great to leave wholly unchecked; each can be considered no less deadly than a fully armed low-grade Armor Prototype, which represents a concentration of force that conventional policing would be hard-pressed to overcome.

Increasing levels of licensure (each accompanied by moderate to significant degrees of training and evaluation) will be applied such that the use of an Element for personal, commercial, political and military applications will be strongly regulated. This uses a similar system of training and incentives as Without Form, but causes such training to be mandatory rather than voluntary for any who wish to use their magics. Access to certain high levels of licensure will be granted only to those individuals with sufficient mental stability, competence, and loyalty to the throne.

*The safest option, almost guaranteed not to blow up the Kingdom by the time you return.
*Useful if you just don't want to worry about the Elixir.

---

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[Rihaku]

The Shadow of Nilfel

With matters stable in the newly-minted Elixir Kingdom, they set out for the Opalescent Tower: himself, Gisena, Aeira, Aobaru and Letrizia within Verschlengorge, to much fanfare and weeping of departure in the glamour-decked streets of the capital. To sate the Curse of Decimation they had to venture far, far into the depths of the Voyaging Realm - past meadows and fields of pastoral idyll, past sky-harrowing summits of lands drenched in snow ever-melting, past brine-stiff glaciers atop which entire civilizations scrabbled for the runic clusters that promised life; past lands surreal and prosaic, ripped from fable or fever-dream, into the true depths of Realm's Heart where the air itself was laden with mythic portent and the sky grew pale and limned with gold.

"It's amazing..." Letrizia voiced. Verschlengorge stared at the thin golden circlet above. "The Outer Halo itself. We must be only a couple thousand light-years from the Realm's center."

She paused. "Um... few who venture this far have ever survived."

Hunger followed her gaze. "This thing is supposed to surround the entire Realm. Why is it most visible from the center?"

Verschlengorge shrugged. "Who knows, it's Foremost stuff. We still haven't figured out how the place even moves. Maybe the answers lie just over the next horizon!"

Gisena stood, diaphanous elements of her dress blowing gently in the breeze. "How exciting! Is this where all the best magics are kept? Perhaps we'll be able to pick a few for ourselves!"

"That's right," Letrizia said. "Well, supposedly. Most of the operatives sent towards this place don't ever reach it, and those that do rarely come back. But I have faith in you, Miss Gisena! Surely with your powers of Nullity we will be safe even here."

"Says the operator of the giant robot," Hunger interjected. "I've healed Verschlengorge to the limits of my Ring's ability. Were the Sovereignty- ahem, Kingdom's, technicians insufficient to the task?"

"They tried," Letrizia mused, Versch shifting jauntily with its arms on its hips, "But their tech is behind the times, and anything Armament-grade never makes it to the civilian market anyway. We're still combat-ready, but I wouldn't put us up anything anything that could threaten you directly!"

"No kidding," Aobaru shivered. "Your combat strength is scary, Hunger! If it took someone of your power to bring down the Rotbeast, no wonder we never stood a chance. Those blue rune things still freak me out whenever you do them. It's like I'm seeing the naked face of reality itself..."

"I know what you mean," Aeira said blankly, pupils shrunken in fearful reminiscence. "And whenever he almost hits us with that Power of Ruin thing. I imagine my flesh flaking and crumbling to dust..."

"You'll face enemies more terrible than that," Hunger replied gruffly, "And wish they'd only 'almost' hit you... But training will take a break, now that we're in dangerous territory. Stay vigilant for true foes instead."

"Aww," Gisena wrapped her arms around his. "You can't be too gentle with the kids, darling! Who knows if they'll grow up spoiled, too soft and fearful for this cruel Voyaging Realm..."

"That's your job. I'm the good guy. Perks of being a mouthpiece king."

"If you're supposed to be my mouthpiece, may I control what you do with that mouth?"

"You must show due deference to your sovereign. And discipline the kids whenever needed."

"Yet another burden thrust unmercifully upon your Princess Regent! Oh, how I long for the carefree days of yore!"

"You said your job was easy enough. Think of it as the reward for a job well-done."

"You'll have to praise me much more for that to qualify as a reward..."

They arrived at last at the Walls of Myth which encircled their destination realm. The Walls seemed a nigh-impassable barrier: semi-translucent battlements reaching limitlessly skywards and spanning to the horizon, their wavering distortion-surface thick with runes of golden azure. Raw magic, sheer conceptual weight seeped from the surface of the walls, a heady denseness of reality that stultified mind and spirit, Pressure more comprehensive than even that of Astral Rank.

He would have leapt at the chance to stay for a day and examine the Walls in their entirety, digging deep into the magics enfolded into their construction, but their objective lay beyond this and they had no time to dawdle. The Decimation Lens guided them to a gatehouse, manned by a company of men in glimmering plate, their stature great with eyes of dusky gold. These their party accosted and paid for passage with a hefty sum of platinum, riches sufficient to retain both their Elementalist mercenaries for years.

"What's the purpose of your entry here?" The guard-captain stared him down with astute eyes.

"Tourism," Hunger replied, without so much as blinking.

The captain nodded, as if this were ordinary enough. "Staying in Nilfel or venturing to the Lesser Kingdoms?"

"It's my first time here," Hunger explained. "We saw the Walls and couldn't help but look further."

"Aye, that used to be more common," The captain smiled. "Most wanderers these days haven't the wealth, or the wherewithal to withstand the Walls. Tour the Alizarin Falls if you get a chance, they're beautiful this time of year. Good luck to you."

"And you," Hunger nodded, and the party made their way through. Surprisingly the portcullis was accommodating enough even for an entrant of Verschlengorge's stature, high enough that the Armament strode through with headroom to spare.

"I'm surprised the Tyrant's Doom allowed you to pay," Gisena mused as they left earshot of the gatehouse. "You've no concern for their authority in enforcing the borders?"

He nodded. "Commercial transactions seem to be all right as long as I don't find them inherently objectionable. We could have overcome the guards, but I'm not certain about the scale of their reinforcements. They were utterly unconcerned with our bringing Verschlengorge inside. Even if they're not aware of an Armament's nature, for a bio-mechanical giant of that size to inspire no trepidation whatsoever... We were lucky that the captain didn't probe further. "

"Lucky, or good?" Gisena giggled. "He certainly took a shine to you. Perhaps he saw something of himself in that gruff, war-weathered exterior!"

"Perhaps he did," Hunger shrugged. "Many are partial to those like themselves."

"Not I," Gisena brightly declared. "Rival Sorceresses are only a threat!"

"How ruthless," Hunger raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have any sympathy at all for your cute underclassmen?"

"I prefer to crush them beneath my heel," she replied lightly. "Such is the prerogative of a Princess!"

The Realm of Myth sprawled before them, vast valleys of perfect green interlaced with roads of mottled white stone, resilient yet curiously comfortable to the stride. Enormous redoubts of brighter, gleaming stone dominated every hill and outcropping, manned by lean-limbed soldiers armed with pike and bow, their arsenals brimming with barely-leashed magics. Some drilled in the open atop their shining walls, formations crisp and faultless, the skill of their duelists fantastical, a blur to the mortal eye. Hunger observed it all with a carefully appraising eye.

Each of the common infantry here could be hero or mercenary in the outer realms, and well-respected for their weaponry and magical skills. Even the least captains among them could be as kings outside, carving out lives of splendor and luxury with their martial agility alone. Was it discipline or condescension that caused them to stay their post? Or was life here, even as one soldier of millions, still truly preferable to the comparative desolation outside?

"There's much we don't know," Hunger said, flipping the Forebear's Blade. "I'd hoped we'd simply be powerful enough to destroy the Tower, fend off any response and leave, but that's looking increasingly unlikely at this juncture. We'll need at least some semblance of a plan."

He was confident in his chances against their soldiery so long as overwhelming numbers did not come into play, but seeing the diligently-manned towers and keeps across every mile of infrastructure made clear the validity of that concern. Worse, he'd glimpsed no examples yet of their greatest champions, or of any mages whose purpose was not primarily military. If these were the troops they could afford to flaunt, what was the calibre of their true trump cards?

After some hours of travel, they came upon a flourishing city beside a vast, thundering waterfall. From their vantage here they could see the true enormity of the society before them. The Opalescent Tower itself could be seen faintly on the horizon, a shimmering speck of sky-folded stone plunging upwards as if in challenge to the Walls themselves.

The city was no less than the Tower in magnificence, a metropolis spanning the whole field of vision, bustling humanity with no end or declination in sight. Even the common folk lived in artfully-composed houses of wood and stone rising dozens of meters; enormous semi-pyramidal temples and offices of state loomed hundreds of stories above those, white-against-grey like thunderheads bridled and shaped to their purpose.

The people were cheerful enough, their markets prosperous and brimming with exotics, yet there was a slight tinge of fear to their interactions, plastic smiles imperceptibly strained. But far eclipsing that fear was a quiet pride, the deep-seated confidence of a people that had been lord and master of all they surveyed since time immemorial. Here, the Voyaging Realm itself had been tamed and brought to heel.

"Holy shit," Aobaru said breathlessly. "There must be billions living here. Tens of billions, maybe."

Hunger nodded grimly. "Let's hope that Tower isn't critical to their way of life."

---

[X] Agents of the Throne won by a landslide, and [X] Sky Veil by a nose. Time is of the essence. If any society here were to be capable of detecting the Decimation, it would be this one. Only a few days remain.

You have 14.2 Arete.

[ ] The Direct Route - With the powers of disguise afforded by the Sky Veil, perhaps speed and audacity will suffice where methodical diligence will be outdone. Make for the Tower aggressively with your presence suppressed and the Evening Sky dimmed into an alternative form, then escape with a wholly different comportment after the deed is done. Your companions lack such powers of disguise and will not be able to directly assist you, but you can travel much faster alone anyway. It's a good thing Aobaru's Vigorflame augmentation lasts a full rising and setting of the sun. Aeira's Shadowcord should also persist long enough to give you an edge.

*Simple and efficient. Cut Through.
*You don't know how long it'll take to bring down the Tower itself, or what foes you may provoke in the process
*Ignore political considerations in favor of a military / stealth victory

[ ] The Scenic Route - There is much of interest to be explored here, and a few days can be a small eternity to one of Hunger's speed and prowess. Best to gain an understanding of the various factions that may arise to the defense of Tyrant or Princess before venturing to the Tower itself. Perhaps you'll be able to discover some information on the nature of its construction as well, the sky-stone reminiscent of your own Evening Sky.

*Probably safer, but could cut it close if the Tower proves difficult to destroy. Still, you've some experience at destroying vast foes, and wield the Praxis itself...
*Maybe if you can get Princess (or Tyrant) on-side, any concerns of your decimating their populace can be accounted for without either side resorting to violence, which would surely be injurious to both.
*May defray or mitigate risks in combat by successfully playing politics.
*May potentially acquire powerful Artifacts or other potent magics. If so, +1 Arete to be spent only towards Artifacts or magics encountered in the Realm of Myth.

[ ] Entrench - The power of Progression is yours. Do not seek the easy path, for effort alone comprises the path of discipline, and the fruit of discipline is strength. New horizons of power are visible to you; ensure your sword is their match. Let they who would challenge the Forebear's Blade witness an echo of the Forebear's might, for even realms such as this would kneel to his like.

*Send your companions to gather information while you study the blade and Gisena works on Artifice. It doesn't matter if you go over time if you're powerful enough to solo this realm.
*Kind of a dick move, but whichever path safely mitigates the Decimator's Affliction is ultimately the best for all involved. Given your current strength its radius would precipitate an ecological disaster if unleashed for too long. A few extra days here is a small price to pay, and these people have more life to give than most.
*+Heartlessness, +Forebear Lore. Gisena may produce an Artifact.
*Praxis training point. New Praxis techniques will be available.
*+1 pick at next Experience spending point.

[ ] Write-In - You may write-in specific tactics for either option above or propose your own plan. There is much that can be done to more efficiently allocate your assets.

Would you like to buy All-Defeating Stance? The resultant powers (especially +++++All Stats and Holy Shit) could be exceptionally useful in either the Direct or Scenic routes - 5x Power of Ruin and +++++Luck would certainly help you fell the Tower and escape with lower chances of detection, while +++++Charisma, Manipulation, Intelligence, Wisdom, etc would be enormously potent in the political sphere. Purchasing now ensures that Hunger will have the increased Attributes available for all tasks going forward: get the most value out of your Arete!

[ ] Become All-Defeating - Power now secures not only safety, but a more comfortable vantage for reaching greater heights.
[ ] Save - S A V E

---

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[Rihaku]

Smoke And Miren

Miren, the City in the Valley, City of Splendor, Capital of Nilfel and All Lands Surrounding, spread before them as an ocean of gleaming white stone, carven terraces its shoals and looming Temples its crested waves. Cautiously they waded into the shallows of that ocean, leaving Verschlengorge, cloaked in reams of attention-deflecting Shadow, parked just atop the shore.

The porcelain gleam of faultless stone lent the boulevards an air of the fantastical, though the tide of humanity within engaged in affairs no less pedestrian than that of the open-air market. Hunger was impressed by the variety and quality of the goods on display; here were delicacies and sumptuous spreads of seafood that outclassed even the Kaguya's in vivacity and savory appeal. They stopped at Letrizia's insistence before a street-vendor's stall to pick up a local specialty: raw cuts of lightly-marinated fish alongside strips of caramel-brushed dough, individually dip-fried in fragrant oils to a shimmering, bubbling sheen.

Gisena daintily picked a cube of fish off the plate, popping it into her mouth. "Goodness. Perhaps we should conquer this realm as well! Up for it, hun?"

Letrizia nodded enthusiastically as she bit into a dough-strip, tearing it viciously loose. "Mmhm!"

Hunger went back to the vendor for seconds. The man accepted his platinum-based coinage without batting an eye, and they discussed briefly the hawker's life and economic outlook. He'd been a solider in the Royal Guard before retiring from a grievous wound to the knee some six decades ago. Now he ran this stall as a matter of personal enthusiasm, wishing only to bring to the next generation the savory street-fares of his youth. He complained about the haughtiness of the present aristocracy, engorged on pride and war, and bemoaned the imprisonment of their beloved Princess Adorie.

As for Hunger's currency, the man waved off his concerns. Their financial unions offered fee-less conversion of precious metals into credit, and tourists were rare enough nowadays that he didn't mind the hassle.

Sensing slight trepidation behind his air of insouciance, Hunger declined to press the man on political matters of Tower and Princess, instead returning to their table to resume the feast. Despite its position as a vendor stall, the furniture outside was spotlessly clean, tastefully crafted from sturdy white oak, the joints seamlessly locked and all surfaces curiously devoid of imperfections.

"It's enchanted," Gisena said, crossing her legs languidly. "As is most everything in this place! The food is magic, the walls are magic, the ground is magic, even the very air is magic!"

She pouted. "What's a poor Nullity to do? My Bolts won't reach but fifty yards with all this mythos everywhere intervening."

"Um," Aeira smiled encouragingly. "I am sure you will figure something out, Miss Gisena. You are exceptionally capable and adaptable to every situation!"

"Aww," Gisena hugged Aeira tightly. "You're too sweet. With companions so wholesome as this, Hunger might have to lose his perpetual scowl!"

He'd had other companions, once, and sometimes as bright and ebullient. But they had all departed now, and only he remained. Sometimes he wondered at the peculiar timing of it, the lives of his companions spent like ablative armor, even in the absence of the Fates. Had the Tyrant failed to exterminate every remnant, or was that the elusive hand of the Hidden Ones in play?

"Hey, keep eating!" Letrizia stuffed a dough slice into his face. "You paid for it, after all."

He frowned. "This is all going on your bill in the future. I'm simply fronting the currency."

Letrizia blanched as he took a mouthful of dough. "And here I thought you were treating us to a meal... this stuff is kinda expensive, isn't it?"

He finished his food before responding. The texture was astonishing - crisp on the outside, a fluffy interior, yet still with a substantial chew - and complemented perfectly by the flavor of the oils.

Hunger cleared his throat. "Nothing's inexpensive here. Even with our platinum reserves we may start to run low if we spend profligately for a month or two."

"I hope Versch is okay," Letrizia worried her bottom lip. "Usually he at least has some technicians to keep him company. I'm not sure how I feel about leaving him all alone..."

"I could return to check up on him," Aeira volunteered. "It feels... not entirely professional to simply be sitting here and enjoying a meal at your expense while my services are being paid for."

Aobaru continued to eat steadily and without comment, except to remark that the food was really incredibly good. Shameless.

Finally they were all thoroughly satisfied and proceeded with the slow, tenuous work of gathering information without drawing undue attention to themselves. In this they were greatly assisted by Aeira's Element, though she seemed slightly miffed at being confined to the position of support magician alone. Hunger sympathized with her thirst for action but couldn't in good conscience deploy her as an operative against guardsmen trained to Mythic standards.

Further into Miren, it was clear that not all shared the street vendor's Royalist sentiments. The Lord Protector who had decapitated the royal family now held its sole remnant in protective custody, but was still well-respected among large fractions of the populace for his pragmatic cunning and his expansionistic foreign policy. Much land had been won, and new peerages awarded, under his newly-crafted doctrine, and the future promised limitless glory for the core residents of this burgeoning Empire.

Many felt that Nilfel had risen to its furthermost apex under his stewardship, with colonies and tributary states far-flung across the Realm of Myth. One street hawker they spoke to heaped praise on the Lord Protector for finally utilizing the extensively-funded military of the city-state, which for centuries had sat in diligent but wasteful vigilance upon the city's borders. Her son, she noted, had languished under the iron non-aggression of House Mirel, but the Lord Protector's conquests had turned him into a vanquishing captain, and commander of eight reaving-squads. She was but a young grandmother of eighty, with seven full centuries of life before her, but felt that the Protector's reign of a decade had accomplished more than the seven of Mirellian rule before them.

Little was known about the Opalescent Tower, save that it had been erected by the Royal House of Mirel about twenty centuries ago, and had been the subject of much magical experimentation under prior Kings. Most thought of it as a historical monument, a symbol of national pride but with no pragmatic purpose, and were uncertain why the Protector had chosen to house (or imprison) the Princess within.

They reached the foot of one enormous Temple, a trapezoidal slab of dusky stone rising mountainously above the bustling mundanity surrounding. Filthy smoke belched in endless torrents from serried rows of precisely-cut rectangular windows. The building facade was half in the midst of construction, old-fashioned murals and colorful glaze being steadily tiled over by steel-wrought iconography in sepulchral hue. Gray-robed magi manned the scaffolds, examining the newly-imparted cladding, summoning potent divinations with brusque, artless gestures.

"There's supposed to be a library in this place," Gisena mused, consulting a bamboo-bound guidebook she'd picked up at a corner shop. "It should have enough publicly-accessible information to orient ourselves politically on the fallout of destroying the Tower..."

Hunger accosted a man walking by. "What is going on here? This building seems out of place compared to the fine architecture surrounding."

"Ah," The man perked up. "Outsiders, are you? We don't get many who can afford to tour our city these days. Yes, this used to be a Hall of Arulothel, the Patron Spirit of House Mirel. But the Lord Protector's faith is of Claumngor the Grey Shadow, an altogether more productive deity. The Lord of Smoke and Toil rewards his followers well, unlike the useless Patrons of yesteryear! When finished, this site will produce arms and armaments fit to equip ten full legions a year. You're welcome to take a look! All who labor assiduously are welcome in the Halls of Smoke."

"I'll pass," Hunger said. "Sounds too judgmental for me."

The man wished them well and departed cheerfully, smugly shaking his head at their heathen obliviousness. Letrizia looked askance at the renovated Temple. "Is it just me, or does this Lord Protector guy seem kinda... stereotypically evil?"

"It is the Realm of Myth," Hunger observed. "Our storybook cliches may constitute their cycles of history."

"He's probably not all bad," Aobaru protested. "Yeah, it looks ugly, but there's nothing wrong with hard work! If the Hall wasn't doing anything useful, it would be a lot of real estate for the state to simply waste. They've got a nice society, but the overcrowding's pretty bad. Can you imagine living next to here knowing that all this land is being used for a glorified monument? My brothers-"

"Hmph," Letrizia huffed. "So it's true what they say. Where there's smoke, there's fire!"

"You can't condemn a guy just because he seems stereotypically evil," Aobaru frowned. "What about Lord Hunger himself? Is the Power of Ruin something that a classical hero would use?"

"Lord Hunger doesn't seem evil!" Letrizia shouted, arms akimbo. "You take that back!"

"Frankly, I don't care," Hunger said, "Though I'd prefer not to ally with the Lord Protector, either side is fine so long as we get to destroy the Tower. Given his grip on power seems stable, we might have better luck among the Royalists. There's simply more we have to offer them, and they're less likely to be concerned over the Tower's destruction if it means their figurehead's liberation."

---

The winner was [X] Scenic Route.

[ ] A Compact of Kings - It's only natural that one Royal would support the claims of another! Seek out the Royalist Faction and see if they would be willing to part with the Opalescent Tower in exchange for their Princess' liberation. Outnumbered, outgunned, the majority of the population deceived and turned against them - reduced now to a fringe minority - but if the cliches of fable are truly the levers of history here, that simply means their eventual triumph is all but guaranteed!

*Starts the Royalist route. You may change routes when presented with data of sufficient import.
*Should not the House that first shepherded Miren to glory, and reigned in peace for centuries without number, rule rightfully in the city they founded?
*You may need to overcome certain trials in order to be accepted within the counsel of the Royalists. They have been largely driven into the shadows by the Lord Protector's power, and open support is rare even if rebellious sentiment festers in certain provinces.
*+Letrizia Relationship, +Aeira Power

[ ] Work From Within - The Lord Protector commands the near-absolute loyalty of the fearsome Nilfelian military. His influence pervades society on every level, from the (new) priesthood and landed aristocracy to the common man and woman on the street. With such a formidable grip on the Miren populace, this shadowy figure will be difficult to directly challenge, much less dislodge. But he is known as a reasonable man, and there is almost certainly something Hunger could offer him in exchange for the Tower's non-existence.

*Starts the Protectorate route. You may change routes when presented with data of sufficient import.
*A Royal family that grew out of touch with the desires of its populace was overthrown by a calculating demagogue. Such things happen, and not necessarily to a state's detriment. Why not take advantage while you can? You have other concerns, responsibilities in lands far from here.
*An overall more straightforward and less difficult path. All you have to do is gain an audience and offer the Lord Protector something worth more than the Tower. Efficient!
*+Aobaru Relationship, ++Aobaru Power

Regardless of the route chosen, there are many ways to work yourself into a faction's good graces:

[ ] The Martial Way - Hunger will pose as some form of mercenary or traveling vagabond whose craft is violence. With the Royalists heavily outgunned and the Protector's forces engaged in territorial expansion, there is high and present opportunity in Miren society for a strong sword-arm. Challenges are likely to be martial and potentially dangerous.

*Will yield picks from combat if the stakes are sufficiently high. High Experience gain.
*Learn more about the martial composition of the Realms of Myth
*Plays to Hunger's strengths, but companions (excluding Gisena) may find it hard to keep up, though Aobaru's buffs are always helpful.
*Letrizia can pilot Versch, of course! Though whether you'd want to use him in the open is uncertain, given that Hunger is considerably more powerful in a direct fight.

[ ] The Political Way - As the King of a territory with mages in great supply, Hunger has sufficient standing to simply introduce himself as the envoy of the Elixir Kingdom. While this may not guarantee anything like diplomatic immunity, it's likely to shift any challenges towards the social/political arena.

*Take advantage of Hunger's immense CHA and Gisena's adroit skill at social maneuver, though your enemies may be no less capable and experienced than in the Martial Way.
*Less personally risky to Hunger's life and safety. +Gisena.
*Letrizia and Aeira are more able to assist. Letrizia has experience acting as a noble, though less than would be expected for a high-ranking Lady of her age given her mecha-piloting profession, and Aeira is of course an expert in all fields of skullduggery!

[ ] The Esoteric Way - As Gisena said, even the very air is magic here. A Progression-type Cursebearer can flourish in any system and under any challenge. Why not put aside the Blade for a moment and take up the pen? Surely there are magical arts here which could synchronize well with Hunger's existing arsenal, and the services of a powerful magus are if anything even more valuable than those of a physical combatant.

*Hunger will need to design his training regimen such that he isn't handicapped by the Ring.
*Many powerful schools of magic exist in the Realms of Myth, though some (often the mightiest) suffer diminished functionality beyond its Walls.
*Highly versatile magics potentially up for study. You have 1 Arete for such purposes...
*Somewhat unfocused - Hunger has plenty of arts to pursue already, including the Grace Development and the Sword Praxis.

You're pretty much still around 17 Arete, so keep that in mind when making spending plans going forwards.

---

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