The Star 31

The young mage had a lot to juggle and little essence leeway to do it with but he fulfilled half of what the seer wanted him to do here and the first step of what he wanted while he was at it. Luckily, his role was only as a battery for unfolding events and not a caster or most of what would have happened would have failed. The appearance of the blue half giant of a demigod beside Jaden shocked Orison nearly to his core.

The first action of the 'alchematrix' was to summon the experimental breeding program soldier the seer called Sable, to them. The blue half giant was moving power to immobilize the man when his faith essence and the faith essence he had invested into his son was drawn out by the alchematrix. The device then sent out a pulse of curse breaking power rippling across the entire underground city.

Moments later, the device sucked the critically weakened people, along with a terrified brown sash lady, inside with a huge amount of chaotic ambient essences. The young mage had no idea what would happen to the others but he knew what would happen to himself. The device would extract foreign patterns and give them false life, thinking them souls. Then, all the patterns he had held for his own physical form would be sorted into the most advantageous expression.

Through the cradle; Cole, Garret and a few others would be surprised by a nice little baptism of this reality's law flavors without having to travel for it. Orison's insides would be scrubbed of foreign stuff that would end up doing him some harm in the long run. And last but not least, he would get an optimized human appearing body pattern crafted by a pseudo tier seven artifact to set as his new default.

While nowhere as finely and powerfully crafted as the cradle, the alchematrix specialized in life and its preservation. Somewhere along the way, Orison had forgotten that his inner space had portions that were a living extension of himself. Battered and abused, it had been further mutilated by Satyra and stitched up roughly by the cradle.

Along with whipping up a good body for the young mage, the artifact patched and healed his inner space 'organs' to the best of its ability with the soulless, impartial and unbiased precision of a machine. There was plenty more it could have done but it ran out of free power to do it. There was quite a large supply within but that was reserved for passive protection and healing functions.

With a wet splatter, Orison was spit out onto the floor of the infirmary. He had been inside for a bit longer than the others. So, he missed out on the shadows of folks drawn out of him, getting yanked up by the cradle before reality could erase them.

Still reeling and unable to control his new body quite right yet, he was powerless to resist being picked up and shook like a rag doll by the blue half giant. "Where's my son, Cantrip!"

"Chi-i-ill out, Gravat! I just sent him over to our Greater Reality Lily through the void cradle like some wicked good seer wanted me to. There's some causality shenanigans involved but they're supposed to be back after the Great Merge thingy," Orison said.

The blue man didn't actually look much like Gravat outside size, temperament and spiritual signature. But, considering how much of an aversion the young mage had to seeing him, there was no mistaking him for anyone else.

The aggravated half-giant said, "Don't call me that. I am Glaucous... Our Lily is this Lily's great grand-daughter... Get your a** over to Sun Cave's Clan House. We'll talk on this after I handle some important business."

"F*** you, grape ape! I'm not your lackey. Besides, I don't know where that is," Orison said with an irritated grimace.

Gravat/Glaucous looked around until his eyes landed on a pretty deep elf girl wearing a brown sash and covered in the same colorless slime as they were. "Fine. Let me rephrase. If you don't want to run around like a clueless sh*t in a world filled with dangers you have zero f***ing knowledge of, get your a** to Sun Cave's Clan House... You there, girl. Take him to Umberdown Manor. They already know you're coming."

Barely able to stand on her feet, Orison supported the shaken young lady as he lent her a robe out of reflex courtesy. Confused but compliant, she slipped it on and shakily pointed the way. Their outburst hadn't gone unmarked. Glaucous must have been someone very important because the two found themselves with an honor guard escort of practically every warrior type that had been passing through. Before they had gone very far, they had a rickshaw like transportation provided as well.

News was running in front of them at top speed. Orison suddenly felt like he was sitting in the mayor's car at the front of a small town parade minus the cheering. Considering the manner of dress for casuals not on duty was a few pieces of jewelry, he was both happy and sad he wasn't walking and taking in the sights.

While clusters of people gathered to see the hubbub, it didn't escape his notice that body language for lovers and friends didn't seem to have as clear a boundary. The standard family unit of two adults seemed more of a polite suggestion as he looked around as well. It left Orison a little puzzled over community structure.

"A strange first question to ask someone before knowing their name but Delvers marry, right?"

The young lady managed a choked giggle through her jitters and said, "Of course. Women can only have three legal spouses and men may only have two. We live in a conservative era. Such limitations makes it hard for brown sashes to be other than live-in lovers, practically servants paid in shelter and affection."

Raising an eyebrow, the young mage said, "Brown sashes can't marry each other?"

Blushing wasn't visible through such dark skin but Orison could see a little extra heat rising into her cheeks. He wasn't about to embarrass her for her slip of social climbing aspirations.

Instead, he said, "Here, take a look in this hand mirror... Just so it's clear, that artifact isn't some kind of divinity. Nor does any work through it. You were caught up in... well... Okay, so a demigod was involved but the only faith miracle in action was pointed at something else. Anyway, I'd say that you have a decent shot at purple but red is guaranteed from what little I've seen. Your status does change if you get a makeover from the bottle?"

She wasn't really listening. She was silently crying while running fingertips over her features. The young mage rolled his eyes and patiently waited for the ride to drop them off after running a presto and renewing the modified tongues spell.

It was a bit confusing. But as guard shared information with guard, they were led through a huge set of double doors into a pitch black corridor that ran for quite a way. At the other end, it opened into a eye stinging brightness. The Sun Cave was even larger than the public city one but with good reason.

Large swaths of fields filled with an array of agriculture sat beneath a cavern roof generously adorned with crystal growths that glowed with golden light. Their destination wasn't out towards that glorious set of fields. It was towards an intimidating stone manor flanked on the nearest side by a grim network of soldier oriented buildings. On the other was a wide section of cave wall covered in beehive shaped structures.

Once ushered into a large and stately room, a serious eyed woman, who looked rather pure deep elf herself, swooped in on Orison's temporary female companion after having spoken a few terse and hurried words of introduction. It was hard to find a safe place to rest eyes that didn't draw them to inappropriate places. The standard dress code for a rushed informal visit with a potential dignitary was apparently a cloth belt after a quick shower.

The 'man in charge'; surely a glorious, intimidating and charismatic man in any other given moment was chuckling in affectionate embarrassment while his daughter helped him dry his hair. The two managed to do what his mind hadn't been able to on his way to their place, shut off aroused interest. The man was intimidating and scary in difficult to admit ways and the presence of a minor flipped a switch in Orison's mind that changed his entire perception of things.

On a fundamental level, nudity instantly stopped meaning arousing and started meaning comfortable. Exotic features became something to merely take note of rather than drawing interest. Feeling out of place, he changed his garments to a reasonable facsimile of what Jaden had worn, a loincloth with a curtain but no mudflap. In present company, outside of the light waist tunics minors wore, it could still be seen as conservative but as far as he was willing to go in a setting that wasn't all adults.

He wouldn't have gone so far save for one reason. It was a psychological queue that he was trusting them and showed a willingness to 'belong'. The tightness in the leader's eyes that shown through the jovial scene he displayed, softened a notch. His eyes then shot up in surprise as he looked at the pattern on the loin cloth.

Looking down to see what had caught the man's eye, he noticed that the main motif of the embroidery on it matched reoccurring ones all around him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just copying what I saw another wear. I didn't mean any discourtesy by wearing your house's... crest?"

Quickly schooling expression to open friendliness, the man said, "No need to waste your magics on removing it. As our guest, I would be honored if you would wear it with ease. It would only be hurtful if you were eager to remove it after knowing our house sigil was upon you."

The young mage resisted the urge to smirk. He was powerful enough in his current environment that falling into such a small political trap as appearing to align with their interests so intimately was beneath his concern.

"The wave patterns along the borders are only worn by our guardian's children. By accounts, it seems that your re-" the man stopped speaking as he saw the speed by which Orison removed the wavy border pattern.

Pink eared, he said, "Well, that was a close one. If Gra-Glaucous saw that, there's no telling how long he'd use it to embarrass me."

After offering him a seat and ordering refreshments, the man said, "You have a... friendship with the guardian?"

With a bitter face, the young mage said, "In the terms of another place, it would be more accurate to call us frenemies."

Seeing the look of wary confusion on his host's face, he added, "A person you have begrudging associations with. In my case, I can barely stand him but I don't hate him either. We're just... too different to really get along but a few people who I think a great deal of seem to believe he's a great guy... It's complicated."

In a place where curse masters were apparently a real threat, Rohn got around polite personal introductions by bragging about his daughter Rohna a little while she did the same in return. The young mage was half lost in thought for a moment. To buy himself some thinking time and make more informed decisions, he prompted his host to fill him in on important customs and some cultural common knowledge.

When he was finished adjusting and reorganizing his personal plans, he said, "A seer had set me a few tasks in return for allowing me to pursue some of my own that didn't exactly agree with their agenda. Since I'll be cooling my heels with your people for awhile I should make myself useful. Why don't I tutor your daughter in academics and magic?

"It's latent but she has potential for the art. And with a little personal power of her own, she shouldn't have any issues taking charge later on. I'd feel more comfortable taking residence with an agricultural clan than a military, hard trade or professions clan that have lots of secrets to keep.

"I don't mind being taken in but I don't feel like associating with groups that would constantly be on guard against me or trying to control and use me. If your clan has been taking care of the grape ape's needs for generations, I know you're at least patient. It'd be a nice change of pace to let someone else hold the umbrella for awhile."

Wine cup almost slipping out of his numb fingers, Rohn sat it down while his young teenage daughter looked like she would pass out from the sheer force of locking her dizzy excitement under polite calm. Orison didn't make the offer casually. Rohn and Rohna were both important figures. Earning their trust and gratitude would make future plans easier.

The young mage hadn't expected to make their acquaintance so soon but knew it was a possibility. The instructions and willing compromises the seer had left for him throughout his 'what if' combing in the cradle were sparse on detail but clear in focus. Their proposed tasks falling directly across his rout to accomplishing his own wasn't so much surprising as it was a testament to their ability. And after dealing with his own spiritual mother's prowess, he had a deep respect and even fear of the mystery person's capabilities.

"You are willing to be one of mine and teach my daughter magic?" Rohn said, sounding disbelieving.

Orison nodded. "To be clear, I'm offering my services to you and your daughter on a personal basis, not in service to your clan. Modest consideration and a little comfort to make my daily life easier is what I'm asking for in return. Anything beyond that is voluntary. I don't mind lending a helping hand every now and then. But, if I start getting swarmed by a pile of requests, I'm going to shut down and get rude."

With eager but mixed feelings, Rohn said, "It's not in my nature to enjoy submitting to another. I'd be a fool to not accept someone who can stand on equal footing with the guardian but..."

The young mage gave him a smile of camaraderie. "I don't know what kind of hell your guardian has put you or anyone else in your clan through. But for me, the idea is to relax and let someone else be in charge of things outside the small focus of usefulness I'm offering. Pretty much the only thing that makes this whole arrangement appealing is being taken care of instead of being the one with all the responsibilities."

In somewhat confused amusement, Rohn said, "You want to be pampered?"

Possessing a superior EQ to her dad, as a sour look crossed the young mage's face, Rohna quickly cut in, "Father, Lord Cantrip is heart weary and needs time to heal. I believe he is saying that your shadow seems strong and dependable enough to rest in until he is ready to cast his own once more... Have I spoken out of turn, honored sir?"

Offering Rohna a weak smile, he said, "The truth lies somewhere between his brutal interpretation and your kinder one... The best years of my life I spent with a deep elf. Seeing the... ghost of that all around me in your people might be clouding my reason and softening my defenses a little.

"But yeah, I am a little tired. They were the only one I've ever fully trusted to take charge of things when I needed a break. I've mourned their loss and moved on but I guess I might be projecting a little of that willingness to trust onto you."

Rohn said, "I take it the more sincerity and generosity we show, the more sincerely and generously you'll reply?"

Not seeing any reason to hold back a smirk to such a comment, Orison replied, "What relationship of any type worth having isn't like that?"

The clan leader waved over one of his attendants and passed him a note, quickly scribbled another and passed it off to his daughter.

As they darted off in different directions, Rohn said, "So be it. You have the best of what we have to offer and the greatest authority position I can grant under the conditions you want. It carries only the responsibility of guidance for my child until she's of age.

"One other shared responsibility is assumed. But, under the circumstances, no one will question its fulfillment... Though on the first responsibility, mother may sit in on lessons until she is reassured you are up to the task."

When the last puzzle piece slid into place, Orison almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "Well, that's certainly a practical solution. Your guardian will get a chuckle out it, for sure... It'll be a deal breaker if I have to ask your permission before seeking companionship."

Frowning, Rohn asked, "Would that companionship be with a man or more than one woman?"

Laughing, Orison shook his head.

Rohn smiled and said, "Then, all is well... I do expect you to have a parental or, if that doesn't suit, a professional relationship only with my daughter."

The young mages trailing chuckles died. "Getting romantically tangled with a teenager wasn't fun when I was one myself. Seriously, no thank you in general. Although, I'm sure your daughter is a perfectly wonderful young lady and I wish her nothing but happiness in the future... Now, from what I've seen of your mom..."

Rohn laughed awkwardly. "Feel free to woo her but spare me the details. She wouldn't be the first matron to use one of her children's marriage positions to give a young lover privilege."

Nearly an hour later, in a pavilion at the center of the Sun Cave, Rohn slipped a sun stone medallion over Orison's head. Exchanging kisses to each other's palms, they looked like boys playing a prank on their elders more than people involved in a solemn ceremony. Rohn's mother said as much as she comforted the teary eyed previously brown, now red, sash young lady.

Until she had been informed that Rohna had 'magic potential', the woman was going to set the newly socially promoted girl as Widower Rohn's new wife. For the moment, it was a waiting game. If Rohna could kindle the old talents, the last thing the matron wanted was a potential male sibling to challenge Rohn's daughter in the future.

Looking awkward, Rohn said, "For the ceremony to be completed, it's customary for the 'wife' to give a dowry. It doesn't have to be expensive. It can even be symbolic but... just something for the law keeper of our clan to write down in the book."

Orison took out his dimensional space isolating snow globe and set it on the pavilion's table.

After activating it, he said, "Your people were nominally recalled back to the Sun Cave for the well wishing after this ceremony? Yes, good... Give me a few minutes and I'll tell you what I've given you."

There was a look of wariness and anxiety mirrored on Rohn, his mother and his daughter's faces.