Kierra rubs at her eyes as she walks into the Adventurer's Guild in the morning, nursing a killer headache.
Her new body isn't one that really needs sleep, but by sheer coincidence, she finds herself wanting to take a nap just like when she first arrived. This time, it has nothing to do with the whole, transferral of consciences thing.
Instead, the cause is that she spent basically the entire night after that whole fiasco with Flamelle exercising the abilities that granted her the Title of [Purveyor of Eternity].
Last night was a wake-up call telling her that she should not be underestimating how desperately Destiny wants to pull at Flamelle's life.
She expected that she would have to keep an eye out while they travelled. But since Destiny is willing to go so far as to connect portals to the girl's room, well, she had to take precautions.
So for the entire night, Kierra has been searching and mapping Threads of Destiny.
She started within reality, extending her sight to the edges of this solar system and checking over each and every Thread of Destiny coming and leaving out into the far reaches of space.
Now, there is quite literally an infinite number of Threads of Destiny. Any basic understanding of the multiverse theory can explain why, though she isn't actually convinced that the multiverse theory holds true here, not as it was explained to her anyway.
The point is that every atom in the universe has its own infinitely branching Fate. So actually peaking into every single one is obviously unreasonable.
What Kierra could do is filter it somewhat. Look for Threads that hold power, those that are connected to powerful beings like Dragons.
A Dragon's Fate will often influence many smaller Fates, so those Threads tend to have a certain gravity to them that the Thread of a grain of sand's Destiny will not.
Other than then, she also looked for 'clusters', so to speak. She was basically searching for any alien life that might be approaching this system.
Truthfully, before seeing that Eye, she had thought that the sequel was going to be a hyper advanced alien invasion. She was kind of excited for it, because Magic versus technology is cool.
Unless technology wins, then it sucks.
Regardless, she did find a number of life-forms out there, but none of them seemed likely to be heading her way any time soon, if ever.
So, done with that, she turned her attention to the beyond. She broke through reality and spent a few hours pouring over the 'bubble' that is her universe within non-existence.
She did much the same thing, only with far more difficulty. The chaotic nature of non-existence makes everything more difficult, especially an ordered search.
She must have looked at billions of Threads, searching for anything heading the way of her universe. Any threats that might get in the way of Flamelle's growth.
There are a few coming in the short term. Not all of them connected to Flamelle of course, but still. Either way, it shouldn't be anything this world can't handle, not for at least another decade anyway.
Beings around her level in power are naturally capable of shielding themselves from her, so she can't be certain on that front.
Lastly, Kierra returned her sight to Flamelle and spent the rest of the night searching through all of the Threads connected to her.
There are a lot.
One interesting thing she did find though was that there is indeed a high ranking Cultist that is connected to Flamelle as a teacher and student might be.
Too bad for him, because Flamelle is hers.
It is only a shame that she can't gather detailed information like this. Only a general sense of who or what is sitting on either end of a Thread and what the connection is. It's not like she can learn where they are or what they are like or anything.
It's still draining as hell though.
A normal Mage doing what she spent the night doing would do so only through glimpses. Maybe a few seconds looking before stopping.
It makes a lot of sense when one considers both the complexity of the art and the fact that even Kierra, with her insane pool of mana, was burning through her entire mana reserves every three minutes or so. For the entire night.
She is so tired right now.
She's basically just been huffing health potions to stave of the headache.
Luckily, Kierra's body is too aloof to show any feelings that aren't mocking or amusement. So she looks no different from normal when she walks through the Guild's doors.
The already becoming familiar sensation of a few dozen sets of eyes locking on to her is brushed aside and ignored as Kierra locates her student sitting alone at a table to the side.
The girl in question perks up at her arrival and sends a rather shy wave her way, which has Kierra's headache feeling just a little bit better.
However, as Kierra makes her way to the girl, she notices two finely dressed men on the other side of the room take note of her, end their conversation and begin to approach.
Random encounters first thing in the morning? [Advanced Luck Glow] really doesn't take a day off. At this point, it feels contradictory. There is so much 'luck' that I feel like we'd have to be incredibly lucky just for nothing at all to happen.
"Mistress Kette!" Kierra has no idea why Flamelle started calling her that instead of teacher or something, but she doesn't necessarily dislike it. "Did you sleep well?"
"Hm." Kierra nods, but doesn't bother starting a conversation or sitting down.
Instead, she simply turns to the two gentlemen and watches their approach in silence.
"Lady Kette, is it?" One of the men greets. His clothes are more functional than the other guy, and he has a decent build, so probably a fighter of some sort. Though, with his greying black hair and rugged features, he looks like he'll level up your one-handed swordsmanship if you talk to him or something. "I can only apologise for overhearing your student, it was not my intention to eavesdrop, but I would like to speak with you if you have the time?"
Kierra meets his eyes in silence. Outwardly, it might seem as if she is silently telling him to get to the point already, but inwardly she is just marvelling at how good of an idea it was to shrink the brim of her hat. It would be awkward to have every conversation with her face hidden behind her hat.
The man forces a cough and then gestures to the blond-haired, blue-eyed white knight looking dude by his side. "This is Lord Clotis Brismarche, of the Brismarche family. He is the governing Lord of Laptilla." The Lord in question dips his head in a polite greeting as the man's hand comes back to his own chest. "And I am Gregory Finch, the Head of this branch of the Adventurer's Guild. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Kette."
"Indeed," the Lord continues from Greg. He even smiles like a prince. It kind of reminds her of Mihae in a way that pisses her off a little. "Even this far north, those of Orichalcum and above are a rare sight. Additionally, I must thank you for your efforts in bringing those criminals to justice and ensuring their inability to escape."
She looks him up and down, trying and failing to find fault with his friendly mask.
Kierra doesn't trust politicians or governments, so she has an inherent bias against this guy because he is a Lord. She doesn't trust him at all.
"Hm. What do you want?"
The Lord seems taken aback by her blunt response, but he moves past it with surprising grace and understanding. He must be a high level politician.
Smiling reasonably, the Lord gestures back to the Adventurer's Head. "We both have our own reasons for wishing to seek you out, but as we are here within the Guild, I feel that it would be best to allow for Sir Finch to go first."
So you can use the conversation to gauge my character and better ply your manipulative trade?
She really doesn't trust politicians.
Politics has always been corrupt, and she has heard they were starting to get really blatant with the corruption back in the early second millennia, but it got so much worse in her time. Her grandparents used to whine about it like crazy. It was kind of annoying honestly.
"Ahem. First, I would like to offer my official thanks for saving a number of my Adventurer's from those criminals," Mr Finch begins, and Kierra cuts him off as he opens his mouth to continue.
"Does an official thank you come with monetary compensation?" She doesn't really need the money, but she is honestly curious.
Finch pauses as a somewhat awkward look crosses his face. "Er. Well uh, no, not really."
"Then what is the point of making it official?" The Lord's lip twitches and he raises a hand to cover a smile at her words. She still doesn't trust him though.
"Doing so officially means that my thanks can be added to your file," Mr Finch explains. "That means that other members of the Guild will be more willing to trust you at your word if you ever come to them with anything, such as more captured criminals."
Ah. That actually does make a lot of sense.
Not being above admitting fault, Kierra dips her head his way. "I see. Thank you for informing me."
He nods graciously before continuing his earlier words.
"Now, other than simply thanking you, there was one other matter I wished to discuss. You see, Lynsil has informed me that you have been absent of worldly affairs for roughly a century and a half now."
So much for client confidentiality, Kierra thinks bitterly in her heart.
Seeming to notice her feelings, the Guildmaster waves his hands placatingly in front of himself.
"Worry not, Lady Kette. Other than the duration of your absence, Lynsil told us nothing of your consultation. He only said that much so as to help us avoid forming any false preconceptions about you. He would speak of nothing else, as he is very professional."
She nods at his words, grateful that she didn't actually misread Lynsil.
"Moving forward, I could not help but notice how you seem to be unaffiliated, and so I wanted to extend to you a personal invitation to join the Adventurer's Guild-"
"I refuse."
He seems a little put out by her interruption, but not in the way of annoyance, more like resignation.
"Are you certain? Over the past century, the Adventurer's Guild has grown significantly. Joining would offer many benefits, and I am even prepared to promote you directly to Platinum-"
"Stop." He stops. "I would not join if you offered me a Kingdom's treasure vault. I have my own reasons."
Finch lets out a sigh, but he does not his head in acceptance. "I see. In that case, I shall not continue to pester you." His eyes dart between her and the Lord for a second before he continues, "In that case, I shall take my leave. A Guildmaster is always busy."
With one last friendly smile, the man turns on his heel and marches away, leaving the two of them alone. Well, three if one counts Flamelle, who has been sitting there and watching he conversation like it's a tennis match.
Kierra's eyes fall back on Lord Prince Charming, who smiles friendlily.
"First, allow me to once again introduce myself." He actually bows this time, though only lightly. One hand on his chest and the other behind his lower back. "I am Lord Clotis Brismarche. Heir to the Ducal House of Brismarche and governing Lord of Laptilla and the surrounding lands."
"Mhm. Kette."
He seems more amused than offended by her simple introduction, which is really starting to make her feel paranoid. She is almost certain that if she decides to trust that he is actually both a Noble and a reasonable person that she will immediately find a knife in her back.
"Before I begin, would you be willing to relocate to a more private venue?" Mr Lord asks her, and she doesn't miss the way his eyes glance down to Flamelle and then the room at large.
Kierra simply flicks her wrist and casts a [Silence] as a barrier around them. She can't be bothered to have this conversation elsewhere.
She notices his curious look at her action and figures she should at least explain. There are limits to how rude she is willing to let her paranoia make her.
"Privacy Spell." His eyes flick to Flamelle again. "No need to exclude my apprentice."
"If that is your decision," he dips his head again in acknowledgement. "Then, there are two topics of discussion on my part as well. I will get one out of the way first, as I believe it will not take long for you to have an answer. On behalf of the Ducal Family of Brismarche, I would like to invite you into my employ. I would be willing to offer you incredibly generous terms."
He makes the offer as if he already knows it will be rejected, which is smart of him.
However, before rejecting, she is actually a little bit curious what terms he considers to be generous. A Ducal Family should be second only to the Royal Family, so he should be pretty rich.
"How generous?" She asks, causing his eyes to light up with surprise.
"Incredibly so," he responds after a moment's hesitation. "As well as the vast connections of my Family and access to advanced magical resources and artifacts, I would be willing to offer you a yearly salary of one million Gold, as well as a signing bonus of one Celestium if you agree to a thirty year contract."
Kierra ignores Flamelle gasping in the background.
One million Gold is actually a pretty decent salary. Actually, it's a massive salary now that she thinks about it.
She forgot for a second that she is stupidly rich, assuming her bank account hasn't been touched.
So to her it isn't a big deal, since if she converted all of her coins to Gold, she'd probably have had over a billion of them.
However, that Celestium is actually a little bit tempting. She only had 189 of them last she counted. They're super rare.
Valuable too. Most of the currencies are 10:1 going up the list. That only changes when you get to Orichalcum, which are worth 100 Platinum, and Celestium, which are then worth 1,000 Orichalcum.
Technically this makes one Celestium worth one million Gold, but in practice, there are certain things that can be bought with Celestium that simply cannot be bought by any amount of Gold.
From the satisfied look to Clotis' eyes, it is clear that he is perfectly aware of how tempting that Celestium is. He probably wouldn't have offered it otherwise. She thinks he realised that the Gold alone didn't interest her and added that last minute.
Sneaky. As expected of a politician.
But is one Celestium worth 30 years of her life?
...It's honestly hard to say. She doubts that she will be able to get them in this life as easily as she did in the game. Basically all of her Celestium came from robbing Dragon hoards and treasuries from fallen Kingdoms and stuff after all.
Eventually however, Kierra shakes her head. "Thank you for the generous offer, but I refuse."
It pains her to do so. Gamer brain has her wanting to take every chance to collect super rare items, but it's just one Celestium. One million Gold, converted. She's coping.
Ahhh!!! She wants it so baaaad!!!!
"If that is your decision," Lord Clotis accepts her choice, and he seems more interested than anything else that she would turn down such a generous offer.
"Hm." Her body still doesn't show her internal struggle, but he seems amused by her response regardless.
Stupid politicians.
"Then, the other matter." His face draws into a more serious disposition, rousing her interest. "About those criminals you captured. I have had my men interrogate them, to very little effect mind you. They have been remarkably silent. Of the three of them, only Mox, the Beastman woman has been in any way cooperative, and I believe we have you to thank for that."
"How so?" Kierra asks with a tilt of her head.
He seems almost amused as he answers, "Because she seemed rather terrified that you would show up if she said nothing. Regardless," his amusement fades away with a shake of the head. "We have discovered that they are likely members of Seeking Coffin, a-"
He is interrupted from explaining who Seeking Coffin are by Kierra being uncharacteristically emotive enough to facepalm, letting out a small, quiet groan as she does.
"You know them?" Clotis asks, brows raised in surprised.
"Hm." Kierra lets out a sigh before regaining her poise and turning her attention back to Clotis. "They're super annoying. I would have greeted news of their total demise if it had happened over the last hundred years."
Seeking Coffin was a Player Guild from the game, like her own and many others.
Except, they were a PK Guild that she doesn't think ever even once cleared a Raid Boss or anything. They would just wait for other people to do so and then ambush them. That, or they would raid your Guild while you were out fighting Bosses, it was a massive pain in the backside.
Luckily for her, Kierra and her friends were all the best players in the game, so they didn't have to worry too much. However, they all had a few friends outside of the party who got hit a few times.
Kierra and her friends must have launched a dozen or so raids against Seeking Coffin over the years, but they never stayed gone for long. They were like cockroaches. Knowing that even now, a hundred years later and in her new real life, she will still have to deal with the annoying little parasites, she almost wants to cry.
Well, she thinks, her head tilting in thought, At least they shouldn't be respawning this time.
"Indeed," Clotis agrees, "They are a troublesome lot. I mostly came simply to warn you of the nature of their Guild and advise you to be cautious, but if you are already aware, then that is even better. Additionally, we have learned through certain sources that Seeking Coffin has been growing its relationship with The Cult, whose influence is unknown in scale. So it would be best if you kept one eye over your shoulder, in case they decide to retaliate for your actions here."
She nods her head in acknowledgement, and he surprisingly does not try to push his presence once he has said his words. Simply nodding back and smiling.
"That is all that I came to say, so I shall not bother you any longer. Unless you have anything to mention?"
Kierra doesn't trust politicians. All of them are corrupt.
However. Some politicians are actually smart enough to realise that they can gain more by making themselves useful and helping others rise with them, instead of doing everything they can to kick the ladder out behind them.
Clotis seems to be one of those politicians. So, while she certainly won't trust him or his apparent sincerity, she figures that she probably doesn't need to worry about him being so stupid as to make an enemy of her.
House Brismarche, huh?
It's not a name she is familiar with, so she commits it to memory.
"No. Thank you." Wait, didn't he say Ducal? He should actually be connected enough to help her with one thing then. "Wait." He pauses in the motion of turning to leave, raising a brow in her direction. "Do you know who is in charge of the bank these days?"
"A reasonable question," Clotis responds with a chuckle. "When the famed Enchantments failed, things became a little bit fractured. There were too many diverse interests for the bank to truly break apart, but while the actual bank has remained one whole, the bureaucracy has split by national borders. You should find no issue accessing your account no matter where you are, unless you find yourself as a wanted criminal, then you likely won't be able to do so while within whichever region you are wanted. Here in Laptalia, I believe it is the Ducal House of Cohenberg."
Kierra actually recognises that name, though she is pretty sure they were Viscounts last she remembers. They're doing pretty well for themselves then, to be Ducal now.
"Thank you," she nods his way again.
"It is no problem at all. Are you planning to stay in Laptilla for the rest of the festival? I would be happy to host you in my manor if you are?"
"No. We're leaving."
He doesn't seem surprised. "Might I ask where you are headed?"
She eyes him for a moment, but he really hasn't given away any reason to be overly suspicious of him, so she decides to answer.
"We're taking the next train to the capital."
"Train?" He asks, confused, which confuses her in turn.
"The thing with the tracks?"
"Oh! You mean the rail?" Is that what they call it? Not very creative. "Well, the next rail to the capital should be in roughly an hour if I recall correctly, and then every two following."
"Hm." This conversation is draining her. It's been going on too long.
Still, he doesn't seem put off by her lacklustre responses.
"Well, good luck on your journey then. And if you find yourself needing anything when you arrive, please do not hesitate to seek out my Family. I will send them news of you and inform them to help you with anything you need."
Kierra's eyes narrow at his offer. "Why."
His lip quirks up in a wry smile. "Because it is my belief that generating positive relationships with powerful individuals such as yourself is worth the trouble that doing so often brings."
That answer only makes her eyes narrow even more, as it is clearly intentionally phrased to fit with Kierra's mindset. It's even working. Being so open about his politically scheming ways is making her have a better opinion of him, which is in turn making her suspicious of why he would phrase it like that.
"No need to be so suspicious, Lady Kette," Clotis speaks again, chuckling lightly. "One does not isolate themselves from the world for over a century if they hold a positive impression of society at large. I am not blind to the dispositions of many of my supposed peers, so I do not misunderstand your caution. I will simply say that my family did not rise to its current heights by betraying our allies."
Kierra nods her head at the bit about the typical Noble dispositions.
The only good politicians are autists that treat their job like a real life RTS game. Because at the very least, you can trust that anything they do will be to the betterment of the nation as a whole. No one takes their jobs quite as seriously as hyper-fixated autists do.
Kierra nods her head again. "I don't like you."
He chuckles. "Because you can't find a reason to dislike me?" She glares harder and he chuckles some more before shaking his head and turning to leave once more. "Then, if there is nothing else, I shall not bother you any further. Have a nice day, Lady Kette, Miss Flamelle."
Flamelle jumps in surprise at being named abruptly and hurries to bow and offer a proper goodbye to the Lord.
Kierra watches him leave for a moment before turning and taking a seat at the table with Flamelle. She watches the girl in silence as she seems to be processing that interaction.
Soon enough however, Flamelle is turning to Kierra with a great deal of excitement. "Oh my Goddess did he really just offer you Celestium!? And so much Gold too!? And you turned him down!? And told Lord Brismarche that you didn't like him!? To his face!"
Kierra just waves the girl's disbelief away. "It was a good offer, but not irrefusable. More importantly, how are you feeling? Did you have any strange dreams last night?"
Flamelle calms down, and actually gains a rather worried expression, looking down at her with furrowed brows.
"I did, actually," she admits, audibly concerned. "I dreamed about entering a tall, spikey black tower, and then I was walking down a hall and two big doors swung open to reveal a crown atop a pillow on an altar in the centre of the room. It felt like the crown was talking to me, inviting me to become a successor. Mistress Kette, what is happening to me? Am I cursed?!"
[Advanced Luck Glow] really is persistent.
"No, you are not cursed," Kierra says, placating her student. "You are lucky."
She knows that Flamelle won't understand from just that, so Kierra raises a finger and enters lecture mode.
"Second lesson," she begins, the first having been to not touch suspicious magical objects. "Luck is by itself not the same thing as good or bad luck. Destiny is a very real thing, and it is affected by Luck. Despite what some people like to think, Fate, or Destiny, is not some sentient force planning and scheming or any such thing."
Even if it does feel good to curse out Fate sometimes. But she doesn't think that it's good for a Mage's development to go around believing that Destiny has a will. Hence this lesson.
"Destiny is just another energy field. Being 'lucky' simply means that you have a sort of 'gravity' that specifically pulls at the Threads of Destiny, thus bringing 'possibility' closer to 'certainty'. Most people with as much luck as you tend to die young, but those who survive tend to go far. An example you might be familiar with would be Archmage Aerion, if he's still kicking these days."
The way her eyes widen at the mention of his name tells Kierra that Aerion is in fact likely still active. She finds herself honestly relieved to know that. She would have been upset to hear of his death.
Kierra may only know him as an NPC, but the game was still very advanced, and he is an NPC that she has spent a lot of time with.
"This all brings me back to my offer from last night," Kierra continues. "I can sever your Fate if you want. Make you free from Destiny. It is up to you though."
Flamelle takes a moment to digest her words and think about her answer, which is good. One shouldn't be rash about this sort of thing.
"Would it be permanent?" She asks a very good question.
"No. Reconnecting to Destiny is easy. However, your exceptional luck would be gone for good."
Flamelle thinks for a bit longer before responding. "What do you suggest I do, Mistress Kette?"
Kierra nods her head at the question. Asking people more experienced than yourself is the smart thing to do. That is the whole point of having a teacher.
"Normally, I would say that it is up to what you seek in life. With your luck, you will either die without accomplishing anything, or you will manage to reach the peak of this world. Without it, you will still have your talent, but opportunity will rarely find you. You would still likely go far, but it would be unlikely for you to reach the same heights. Personally, I would choose to take that risk over the safe option. One has to be ambitious if they want to see the heights of Magic. But it would be unreasonable for anyone to compare themselves to me."
Kierra pauses for a moment so Flamelle can digest her words, before raising a finger as she goes to respond.
"However, I am here. As my apprentice, you can rely on me. So I would suggest keeping your luck regardless. Destiny will continue to pull danger into your life in equal measure to opportunity. But Destiny does not know that you have me. Any danger that comes that you cannot handle, I can deal with. The opportunities that your luck will bring is more than likely worth the trouble of having to deal with frequent improbable dangers."
She's already benefitted from it with Ner'char sitting in her inventory. The knowledge of what is coming is certainly a nice thing to have, and she intends to spread this knowledge once they reach the capital.
This isn't really the kind of thing that she should be keeping to herself after all. Not since it is going to affect the entire world.
Kierra's attention is drawn back to Flamelle when the girl nods her head and looks down to her with resolve in her eyes.
"I will do as you suggest, Mistress Kette. But uh.." The girl's resolve doesn't last very long, falling into uncertainty. "Are you sure I'm that lucky? I mean, I have always felt like life has been unreasonable at times, but I can't help but feel like you're overestimating me. Both about my luck and my apparent talent. I'm better than most my age, but I don't think I'm that good."
Kierra considers the girl's unsure expression for a moment in silence.
"Third less—no. Third rule." Kierra makes sure to meet Flamelle's eyes in order to convey the importance of this rule. "Have faith in me. I will not lie to you. I will not exaggerate. I will only withhold information from you when doing otherwise would be actively detrimental to you. I am your teacher, you must be able to trust my words, or my teachings will be wasted. You are more talented than Aerion. I will take you to heights no other Human has ever touched upon."
Flamelle obviously isn't entirely convinced. Trust like that isn't something that can come about from words alone. But she is considering it now.
Kierra wants Flamelle to truly accept and internalise the fact of her own incredible talent. A little bit of ego is necessary for one to succeed, after all. So it will be Kierra's job to not just encourage that ego, but also prune it so that Flamelle does not fall into arrogance.
It is a fine line.
She'll get there eventually.
"Now come," Kierra pushes herself to her feet. "We have a train to catch."
Oh wait, I suppose I should start saying rail?
Distracted by the thought of etymology, Kierra never notices Flamelle ducking her head in embarrassment. Nor does she notice how Flamelle brushes an unshed tear from her eye, following after her teacher with a small, watery smile on her lips and a gaze full of the determination to hold up to such high praise.
///
A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
Kierra once more channelling her inner Serie at the end there.
Oh yeah, fun fact! yesterday, I went to bed at 2pm, woke up at 9pm, ate half of a family sized chocolate bar and then went back to bed at 10pm and woke up at 5am, where I then finished the chocolate bar, drank an energy drink and wrote this chap, and now I'm going to bed at 5pm. :) Normal behaviour.