Starting Line

Friend Cloak
Uncommon
A silver disk empowered with a perception filter that hides the holder from the prying eyes of those unknown to them. Once detected, however, the effect is negated.

“So that halfling girl had access to something like this?” Vivian muttered as she read the Observe.

John nodded as he took in the room set aside for them to prepare for the trial. It was a rather comfy chamber, with a number of chairs and couches for all of them to relax in.

“I think she teleported it onto Rowan’s armor while she shooed away an over eager crowd of well wishers,” he said. “Seemed a bit surprised I was able to find her. Which did not improve her thoughts on me.”

“What’d you mean?” Beth asked.

“Apparently she went digging and found the old Ashcroft rumor mill,” John revealed in a bitter tone.

Beth flinched. “That’s probably not a good way to start things.”

“Tok’s willing to speak on my behalf, so there’s that,” John groaned. “But I really hate that petty high school drama is still something I have to be reminded of after all the other stuff I’ve done.”

“Hopefully, they won’t take those statements as gospel,” Verida said, walking over to John. She began to massage his shoulders. “The vast differences in them and how you present yourself should cast them into doubt.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Aeolia chimed in. “I could hear some rumblings about how ‘lucky’ John was having all of us with him.”

“Tok pointed that out too.” John rubbed his face, even as he leaned back into Verida’s massage. “I don’t think we’re winning the optics game.”

“I think we can,” Vivian said. “Just show them how noble you are in this trial.”

“Well, I’m not going to stab Tok or Rowan in the back, so ‘dishonest’ isn’t going to be something they can label me,” John remarked before glancing back at Verida. “You get any hints from Vel about what we’re going to be up against?”

Verida shook her head. “He was quite tight-lipped about the whole thing. His little speech was the most he spoke of it.”

“Great, going in blind.”

“It’s not like we had expected to get a primer on it,” Estelle chimed in. “I did talk to someone who was somewhat involved with their aethersmiths, but all I could get from them was that they needed to import a good variety of plants and creature samples, so whatever’s in there will be true to form.”

“They really are going all out,” Teri spoke up. “Remember when you fought the barghest to show your mettle to the elders?”

John nodded, prompting Teri to continue, “As best as I understand it, barrier crafters use bits of real things to aid in making them more authentic. Bryjt has a barghest fang on a necklace and drew on the lingering essence within it to craft what you fought back then.”

“Great, unknown horrors from across the whole Abyss are waiting for us,” John joked.

“I doubt they’d make something you couldn’t get through,” Kiera spoke softly. “They don’t want Tok to fail, so it can’t be too hard.”

“They still want him to show off his strength and training,” Aeolia said. “Giving him a cakewalk defeats the purpose of the whole thing. It’d be like us going into a level one barrier. Kind of pointless.”

“There will be some level of struggle, but things probably are dialed back a bit,” John mused. “Since there’s going to be some place we have to get to and a puzzle to solve, they can’t have all the monsters gunning for us at full throttle. They want to see some fight, some travel and some brains at work.”

“That sounds like it’s what they’re going for,” Vivian muttered. “A good mix of combat prowess, ability to adapt to an unknown landscape and something to test your ability to think. I wouldn’t expect any of them to be too difficult, especially after all we’ve been through.”

A knock on the door drew everyone’s attention. Vivian swiftly moved to the door and opened it, revealing Lita, looking as anxious as ever, her hand still extended towards the door.

“Oh,” she squeaked, arms snapping back. “Um, V-Vel sent me to c-collect you. A-and to escort you to where the trial is.”

The cat girl peered into the room, a small frown breaking through her nervous demeanor when her eyes found John. “Oh. You’re not wearing anything different?”

“Oh, I’ve got armor,” John said. “I can change into it if we’re going right in once we’re all gathered.”

“Um, that was the plan,” Lita said, confusion overtaking any lingering anxiety.

“Then I’ll change real quick.”

John watched Lita’s eyes widen in surprise as he opened his inventory and equipped his armor. He knew to Lita’s eyes he had poked at the air and suddenly was wearing armor and a long coat, and he liked the idea of word spreading of his ‘instant armor’. It would at least give people something else to talk about than old school rumors.

“There, all kitted out,” he said, shifting his arms a bit to get his coat into a more comfortable position. “I’ll keep my weapons stowed for now.”

In a barely audible whisper, Lita said, “So cool,” before she realized she had spoken aloud and spun away from them.

“Um, if you would follow me please,” she quickly said, her body rigid even as she began to walk away, as if she was putting all her willpower into keeping herself from melting into a puddle of embarrassment.

‘Oh, no,’ John groaned. ‘Did I just…?’

'Possibly sow the seeds of attraction in another woman? I do think you did,’ Senka said, a smug note in her voice. ‘I wouldn’t have pegged her as a fan of a suit up sequence, but you know what they say about judging a book by its cover.’

John held back a groan as they began to follow the robotically moving Lita. ‘Just great. This is going to lead to Lara accusing me of playing with Lita’s heart somewhere down the line, I just know it.’

'Hopefully, your debut will forestall any accusations until you can get to know Lara better and dispel any unfounded characterization,’ Senka remarked.

John hummed in agreement as Teri slid into position next to him and tugged his sleeve.

“You’ve made quite the impression on her,” the goblin said in a whispered, almost conspiratorial voice.

“I know,” John replied, resignation in his voice, his volume matching hers. “Going to make getting my reputation cleared a bit harder, I reckon.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Teri remarked. “From what I picked up around the hall, no one seems to hold any negative emotions about us, so the rumor thing is likely only a thing with that halfling.”

“Let’s hope,” John muttered. Deciding to focus his thoughts away from romantic entanglements and reputation, he looked down at Teri. “How are you and Kiera holding up?”

From a glance, he knew they were handling the summoning of Verida well, but he would feel better with assurance from one of them. And he knew Kiera would stubbornly refuse to speak up if she was in distress or struggling. It made her adorable in a way, but still a bit concerning.

“We’re good,” the goblin affirmed. “We don’t need Verida at full power, or at least what we could manifest of her full power, so the strain on us isn’t all that bad. Keeping other expenditures of our magic to a minimum is helping. We could keep her here for a dozen more hours at least at the rate we’re being drained.”

“Just don’t strain yourselves to the breaking point for my sake,” Verida cut in. “I’d rather have the scandal of disappearance than either of you two suffering.”

“You know you can sever the connection yourself, and have an innate understanding of how our magic is going into you,” Teri said with a soft smile.

“I’d rather you take your health seriously and not work yourself to **** for my sake,” the goddess replied, her expression mirroring the goblin’s.

John let them play bicker as he focused his mind. He went over his kit and how to best combine his various weapons, spirit skills and Evocations. As he did, an errant thought crossed his mind.

‘Should I make a party with Tok and Rowan?’ There was merit to it. This was a collaborative effort and letting them get the full benefits of Observe without him needing to read it out would certainly save time. Plus, Rowan was already aware of it, so she could ask about it.

How about something to help tip the scale? It’s about time to give you a little upgrade.

Party System Chat enabled. Party members can now mentally type out messages to any party member as long as they are within 100m from you.

‘Well, that certainly makes the choice a lot easier,’ John thought.

‘You would have invited them even without this incentive,’ Senka remarked. ‘It’s in your nature to offer what help you can and even the small aid of Observe can shift things greatly.’

‘Ow, right in my bleeding heart,’ John joked. ‘You’re not wrong, but ouch.’

As Senka laughed in his head, the group followed Lita out of the hall and into a large courtyard at its center. In the center of it stood a raised platform with an elaborate metal arch spanning the whole length of it at its rear, reaching at least five meters into the air at its peak.

Already, Vel and Tok stood on the platform, the young dwarf changed out of his kimono and into a sort of leather armor with a large two sided ax on his back. There were others present, most of them dwarves, but a few outliers, like a blonde satyr woman in overalls, and they all were working on the arch.

“I see you’re about as quick in the changing room as Tok is,” Vel said with a grin as Lita led them up. “And with that set up, I have to say I’m impressed you got suited up so quickly.”

“I’ve got a few hacks that help,” John said, electing to show off a bit by equipping his helmet.

“I can see that,” Vel chuckled. “Hope you’ve got more than dressing magic.”

“I’ve got a few more tricks.”

Tok let out a barking laugh. “Can’t wait to see them. Been itching to put my ax to a real test.” His eyes moved over to where Lita was standing, the tall cat girl doing her best to remain unseen and motionless. “Not that training with you hasn’t been an uphill climb, Li.”

Lita somehow even became more still as everyone’s attention fell on her. Before anyone could comment on Tok's revelation, the sound of marching metal began to emanate from another passage back into the hall. The three members of the Order strode out, their well oiled and practiced steps allowing them to easily outpace Lara, the halfling nearly running to keep up.

John would not lie and say he didn’t feel a bit of satisfaction over her struggling to get back in front of them. Turning his attention to the knights, Ramirez led the group, followed by Gaunt and then Rowan. The senior knights were still wearing their ornate showy armor but Rowan had changed into a freshly polished version of the armor she wore before, already looking more comfortable even with her expression set with determination.

The relic blade sat on her back, sheathed in a custom made scabbard. Which meant if any of the dwarves were to recognize it, it would only be once the trial began. As the Order members marched up, one of the workers flashed Vel a thumbs up.

“Right on time,” Vel said as the knights stopped. “The portal’s all primed and the broadcast is good to go.”

“How exactly is that accomplished?” Ramirez asked.

“If you’re talking about the portal to the trial barrier, I’m afraid that’s a secret we’ll have to let be unsaid for now,” Gin answered as she sauntered up onto the platform from the far side, followed by a younger dwarf who could have been her daughter in John’s estimation. “Old clan secrets, you understand.”

“I assumed as much,” Ramirez said coolly. “I hope there isn’t as much secrecy regarding how you intend for us to witness the trial.”

“Oh, that’s hardly something to get worked up about,” Gin replied with a grin. “We’ve got about half a dozen drones equipped with cameras. And we have someone with the right magic to operate them from here and broadcast the trial to all the screens we have set up.”

Out of the corner of his eye, John noticed that Lita shifted nervously as Gin spoke, making him wonder if she was the one Gin was talking about. It did make him wonder just what her magic was. He couldn’t quite work out just what her magic entailed from the little tidbits he’d picked up and now wasn’t the time to puzzle it out. Should things go well, he’d likely see it eventually.

Or Tok would blurt it out casually during the trial, he figured there was a fifty/fifty chance of that happening.

“Now,” Vel spoke up, clapping his hands together once, “Mr. Newman, Lady Donnelly, Tok, you three will stand under the arch, which when activated will transport you to the barrier set up for the trial. Since the old tradition sent the takers into areas known to the clan, I’m going to tell you just what you’re going into. The barrier is something of a jungle with a structure in the middle. Your goal is simple: get there, either by beating or evading the creatures between the outer rim and the center, and complete the return archway in the structure. Once that’s done, you can start it and, boom, right back here for the celebratory feast.”

“Sounds good to me,” Tok said excitedly.

Rowan glanced at John, skepticism in her eyes. A skepticism he shared. He knew enough that there had to be some curveball. And there was one element of this he could think such a twist could come from.

“What sort of things will be in the jungle, if that’s something I can ask?” John inquired.

“If you want to have me rattle them off for a couple dozen minutes, yeah,” Vel answered. “I can give you a quicker summary though. Think big cats, snakes, other reptiles and bugs .”

A part of John wanted to press him for more details but he really didn’t want to drag things out. He had Observe to fill in the gaps in information so him making this a point of contention was a bit in poor taste.

“That’s good enough,” John diplomatically said. “Going over everything would take away too much time. I’m sure we can figure out how dangerous something is when we encounter it.”

“For sure we can,” Tok agreed, a hint of impatience creeping into his voice.

When Rowan remained quiet and no one else spoke up, Vel brought his hands together once more. “Well, if we’re all ready, we can get this show on the road.”

After brief exchanges between the participants and their retinues, John, Rowan and Tok moved under the arch. John was tempted to Observe it, but he held back. He didn’t want his action to be misconstrued at the last moment and throw everything off.

The air around them grew static as the arch was powered up, and in a flash, they were off.