[X] Don't interfere.
[X] Create gold from raw energy and drop it into his room. It will raise way more eyebrows than the above and carries more risks of him spending it on luxuries rather than equipment, but it should be fine. (-90 energy.)
You, still without physical form, travel back to Erald's house.
You off-handedly notice his parents arguing with each other. Erald's brother is tending to the family business, it seems. You stop for a moment, just to listen in out of your own curiosity. The center of the argument appears to be his father wanting to kick Erald out, as he thinks of his son as 'prodigal,' a trouble-maker, a freeloader and without any aspirations.
His mother counters the argument with a very compassionate statement; it doesn't matter if he is any or even
all of those things, he is still their son. You can sense how much she loves Erald. She may not be aware of it or even think about it, but she'd love him even if he killed someone. Of course, in that situation, she'd distance herself and show all the proper distress of a sane person and frustration of a parent, but still love him nonetheless.
The father, on another hand, is the opposite. He's that 'grounded, traditional pessimist' type of person, that believes in 'God and country' above everything else. His family is a tertiary matter.
And from his next statement, which he makes with the vehement scoff of someone utterly convinced in their righteousness, you discover that Erald already told them of his dream line of work. The father makes a point that Erald isn't made for that kind of life, and will get torn apart by the first greenhorn slayer that he stumbles upon.
Being an adventurer is FOOLISH!
At the word 'adventurer,' the mother lowers her brows and makes a blank face. While the father used the word freely, her brain associates the word with several emotions. You sense... wonder, worry, passion, pity, and several flavorful colors of feeling that are mixtures and variants of the aforementioned impressions.
Was
she an adventurer? As a spirit, you use spiritual sensations rather than the physical senses mortals have. You don't
see, hear, smell, feel, or taste. You just
sense.
If someone has strong emotions, you sense it. If someone is vividly colored blue, you
sense, not see it. This is a much more versatile method, as it allows you to convert nearly any universal force into a sensation instantly. You can sense kinetic energy and its vector, you can sense magic and its purity, or you can sense concepts and their significance. This has a trade-off, in that you can't pick up the more subtle of impressions, as they are blotted out by the rest. You can only make out the general image of smaller elements and how they come into play together.
Because of this, you can't tell whether she's the kind of person that
would be an adventurer. She gives you the impression of a stern but compassionate person. Humane, tender, empathetic. She doesn't have that 'roughness around the edges' that most adventurers would have from what information about the world your creator gave you.
Weird.
But you digress. The two continue to argue and the mother faithfully protects her son's dreams, saying it's not right to just call them foolishness.
You let the parents argue this way, then go into Erald's room.
It takes a fraction of your energy, but you create a neatly wrapped-up sack of platinum coins behind his pillow.
This world has a simple currency system of coins, colloquially referred to as
pieces. Ten copper is one silver. Ten silver is one gold. Ten gold is one platinum. There are other trade goods, such as animals, gems, or magic items, but their costs are slightly more debatable and economy-dependable than these, rigid, unchanging prices.
Generally, the consensus is that anyone who makes about ten platinum coins monthly and upwards is considered to be above the middle class and wealthy.
And since the sack contains eighteen platinum coins, a fancy amber gemstone that's worth
at least another ten, and a carved ivory statuette worth about fifteen of them, the kid can buy pretty much any starting equipment that's not magical, masterwork or overly exotic that his heart desires.
Being done with your job as the inexplicable tooth fairy, you make a stop in the house's living room to see what the family is up to. The father left for work and the mother is alone and crying.
[] Comfort her with a sensation of hope. (-25 Energy.)
[] Leave her alone. Cold as that may be, not your concern and divine energy should be used sparingly and saved up for emergencies.
=-=-=-=-=
You proceed to track Erald's particular essence and track him to the tavern. He's having an after-work drink with a few of his friends. He describes to them his arrest from yesterday, coloring it in his favor to make himself look like he isn't a pervert. Nonetheless, they lightly tease him for it.
As you observe, you feel something tugging on your spiritual mass, followed by a light, spiritual broadcast.
"Lo, there, honored celestial!" A fellow spirit floats up to and presents itself to you with respectful intent. It's moderately sapient and slightly weaker than you; were it to possess a body or avatar, it could pass itself as a mortal confidently and live in their society for as long as its mana allowed it. It is not a ghost, but a natural spirit and its slightly neutral resonance gives you the impression it's from the Deep Ethereal Plane. In other words, a native.
"Greetings," you reply, simply and curtly. You're more focused on Erald's interactions with his peers.
The spirit notices the simple answer and gets on with its business, dimly aware you have more pressing concerns. "I apologize for taking up your time, venerable one. I am a local spirit and call myself Auli. I'm very glad I happened to stumble upon you, because you see, this town has... a problem."
"A problem?" You quirk an eyebrow, now slightly interested despite your programming. "What is this 'problem?'"
"About ten years ago, there was a... uhm... a freakish accident with a necromancer, and, and..."
"Say no more." You dial Heaven.
Using the words 'necromancer' and 'problem' in the same string of words means one thing: someone fucked up the natural order beyond all recognition. It might be ghosts or wraiths. It might be zombies or skeletons. It might be something else involving the primal energies of life and death, but it is a freakish abomination of unnaturalness that must be wiped from the surface of the planet before it reaches critical mass and undergoes a dark metamorphosis and reaches an angle of loathsome and impure power that upsets the entire worldly balance.
At least, that's what your creator's programming says. Some other gods probably disagree strongly.
Anyway. In a few seconds, you ask Auli to extrapolate on the issue and speak into the metaphysical 'phone,' reporting to your superior spirits what happened.
Apparently, a necromancer successfully changed himself into a necropolitan ten years ago and got terribly cocky, set up a lair near town and has been spawning undead soldiers for an invasion, as well as using wraiths, specters, shadows, and other incorporeal spirits to spy on the local authorities. His power grew considerably, and from what Auli knows, he has all the local bandits at his beckoning. He will attack anytime soon.
Just as the archangel is about to dispatch a few reapers to fix the natural order, Carnicero metaphysically steps in, grins at everyone with his presence, making Auli transmit the expression of bowing, and says: "Why not send those adventurers after him?"
Because of course. Being polite, you answer, "My lord. I don't think that's—"
"Then it is settled!" he interrupts you as you objected. "The great, prospective heroes will slay the fiend! Glad we all agree."
You frown but transmit the expression of smiling instead. "Yes, my lord. Your luminous erudition knows no bounds..."
The transmission stops. Auli asks if he can help somehow.
[] Ask him for any energy he can spare. It's not divine, so the conversion rate will be steep, but it will not lose any of its usefulness in the process.
[] Ask him to go and impede the necromancer as much as he can in the time you're getting Erald matured into an adventurer.
