Broken Lands

Sophia was certain that if she took Aura Armor, she wouldn’t replace it unless she found an ability that was a direct upgrade. The Voice would do that; she wondered if the Guide did and if so how it worked. Would she have to devote two Ability Slots to the basic and upgraded Ability or could she drop the basic Ability once she had the upgraded Ability?

Even so, she couldn’t really argue with the advice. It was pretty similar to what she’d been thinking and it was clearly informed by the area.

Come to think of it, she should ask. “Is it possible to upgrade Abilities?”

Vramt nodded. “Of course. The usual way is to Dedicate Wisps to a better Ability at a higher Level. Some of them can be traded out, but most of them require the lower Ability to work. It’s often worth doing; upgraded Abilities can be a lot better than the basic ones.”

“The usual way?” Dav leapt on the phrase before Sophia could.

Vramt chuckled. “The other way is usually only achieved by Professionals; Vocational Abilities are hard to completely master. To completely master an Ability, you have to be able to do it on your own, without the Guide’s help, reliably and as well as the Guide can. If you can do that, Dedicating Wisps to an Ability upgrade will set it into the mastered Ability’s slot. If you manage to master an Ability and already have an upgrade to it in an Ability slot, it will slide into the mastered Ability’s slot and give you a free slot. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to be sure you’ve actually mastered the Ability; the Guide doesn’t tell you.”

That was the first way Sophia had heard that made the Guide actually sound like it was giving guidance, and it was awfully poor guidance. You had to feel how an Ability worked, reverse engineer it, and then manage to repeat it on your own? She could see why few people managed it. It could easily be faster and more effective to just go get the Wisps for the additional Ability slot.

Of course, there would come a point where that wasn’t true. Sophia suspected that most people didn’t ever get to that point. She’d have to see just how hard it was. She was certain it would be tough to do with spells, but Imbue Blade seemed possible. It wasn’t that far off the magic she knew, especially Intent-based magic; she’d just have to take the bits apart and see if she could replicate it. Maybe there was a spellform she could maintain to help guide it?

“What can we expect when we leave?” Dav didn’t wait for Sophia.

Vramt smiled. “If you go with old Arryn, the merchant we’re expecting some time in the next couple weeks, he’ll take you through the plains to the mountains. The plains are fairly safe, like this part of Kestii or even a bit safer, as long as you avoid any of the old warpsprings. He knows a safe route, so I doubt you’ll go anywhere near them. The mountains are not safe; if you see a monster, listen to Arryn. He’ll know if it’s something you can fight or if you need to hide in his wagon. It’s spellwarded to be ignored when it’s all closed up, and most monsters will avoid his draft sloth.”

Sophia blinked. Had she heard that correctly? “Draft sloth?”

“Yeah, no idea where he got Peaches, but the sloth will do almost anything for his namesake and is more than big enough to pull Arryn’s wagon. He seems slow, but Arryn says he’s good in nearly any weather and far sturdier than a horse.” Vramt shrugged. “He’s had Peaches for years and says he’s the best deterrent he’s ever seen; something about Peaches makes most monsters cautious.”

All of Sophia’s questions fled at the idea that they’d be traveling with a merchant in a wagon pulled by a guard sloth. All she could do for a long moment was stare at Vramt.

Dav didn’t have the same problem. “So what’s past the mountains?”

“It depends on which way you take through the mountains. He usually talks about Censit, which at least used to be a prosperous market town and fort. Like Revina, you two can pass; your Warp glows a bit, which makes it look like manaburn, while Sophia looks almost like a Wyld Elf. I’ve never seen one with silver horns, but that’s what people will assume. You aren’t radiating the magic of your Warp nearly as strongly; if I hadn’t seen it back when it was strong, I might well think that your face was just a case of manaburn. Turn down treatment if it’s offered and you’ll be fine. They’re probably not looking for hidden Warped anymore.”

“You’re talking about why you ended up here in Fallen Kestii, aren’t you?” Sophia had heard Aymini talk about it a bit as well, as if being Warped was considered a bad thing elsewhere.

“It’s ancient history now,” Vramt answered. “More than a decade. Aymini talks about it like it was a war, but it wasn’t nearly that big; it’s probably forgotten and it’s better that way. You two are from a long way from here and not involved; it’s best for your sakes that that stays true. Revina can make her own choices. If she starts looking into it, I don’t expect you two to protect her. She should know better.”

The fact that Vramt said that made it sound like he wasn’t confident Revina would leave well enough alone.

“Now, as for what’s there. I know Aymini has mentioned the Vocational Registry. They’ll be your best resource; they’re used to people who travel a long way from home to find an area suited to their Level and Ability set. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much more than that; I used to know people in Censit, but most are either dead or here in Fallen Kestii.” Vramt had a faraway look in his eyes, like visions of better days danced in front of his mind’s eye.

“What are the differences between a Shard and a Fragment?” Dav seemed ready to move on at the simply inadequate description of Censit. Sophia wasn’t certain what she would have asked, but surely there was something. Going to a new place and knowing only the name of an organization to talk to seemed inadequate.

“Everything,” Vramt picked up a stone from the shelf next to himself. “This was part of a wall, once. A Shard is like that, something that was once part of something bigger. A Fragment sounds like it ought to be the same thing, but it’s the opposite: it’s something small that is trying to become something larger. A Shard, once removed from its area, can be joined to other Shards to remake what it once was, though usually in a weaker form unless it is given time to grow. A Fragment, on the other hand, has nothing to be joined with; it can only be made into something else. Shards and Fragments are the two most common pieces used to create enchanted items, but they’re used for different things. As to what those things are, you’d be better off asking Aymini; she has a Profession. I don’t.”

“What does a Profession have to do with it?” Sophia didn’t get that. Why would that change what knowledge they had?

“Almost everyone that makes things has a Profession-” Vramt was interrupted by a knock on his door. Before he could even get to his feet, the door swung open to reveal Revina.

Revina ran a step into the room, then bounced on her toes. “He’s here! He’s already here!”

Vramt finished standing, then gave his daughter a long look that promised a scolding later. Sophia knew the look well, even if her mother used it far more than her father. “Who is here?”

“Old Arryn! Vyk and the hunters met him on their way back from the hunt, so he helped carry the snakes they’d killed!” Revina didn’t seem to notice that her father was significantly less excited than she was.

“You know better than to call him Old Arryn when he’s here.” Vramt frowned, then shook his head. “Already? He’s early. I’ll have to ask why later. Right now, we need to make sure you have your Vocation before you go back downstairs. Go get your things, including the wand. We don’t have time to find more options, so we’ll have to make do with what we have. As for you two,” Vramt turned his attention on Dav and Sophia, “I’m afraid that your questions will have to wait. You should have a few days before he leaves to ask me anything else you want to know.”

Sophia knew that for a dismissal, and Dav seemed to take it the same way. They made their way out onto the balcony then down the stairs to the main hall, where they found Aymini talking to an older man dressed in a completely different style than any she’d seen in Fallen Kestii.

His graying hair was long; two sections of it were braided and hung over his shoulders to rest on his upper chest. His face was weathered and deeply lined, but it looked more like someone who’d lived a hard life than someone who was simply old. His clothing was complex and ornate, with strong colors and slightly faded golden embroidery. There was a metal emblem on both his hat and his chest that looked almost like a star in a circle with lines radiating from it; it probably meant something, but Sophia didn’t know the local culture enough to be certain that it wasn’t just a fancy embellishment.

The old man paused and looked up at them as they came into the room. “You didn’t say you had new residents.” He was clearly talking to Aymini, even if he wasn’t looking at her.

“That’s because they aren’t,” Aymini answered. “They’re travelers; a portal failure, it seems, and they’re not certain how to get home. The boy took some backlash; you can still see where it glows.”

“Not a full Warp, then, just some backlash?” The man sounded interested but not concerned. “That explains why you’re not trying to get them to stay.”

Aymini shook her head. “That’s a lost cause. The first thing they asked when they got here was how they could get out of here. They both have Vocations, so they’ll be a good escort for Revina.”

The man who had to be Arryn turned back towards Aymini and set his hand on his chest flamboyantly. “I’m not enough of a guard? You wound me.”

“Not for the trip, for after they arrive,” Aymini countered quickly. “I hope they’ll make a long-term group, but even short term will help Revina get set up with something. We can’t send her with much; you know that.”

“All too well,” Arryn agreed. “Although this year it sounds like there might be significant quantities of Ruins Constrictor meat?”

“How do you already know that?” Aymini sounded annoyed. “I know you came back with the hunters, but they didn’t have that much more than normal, even with your help.”

Arryn chuckled. “The butcher was most unhappy to see even more of those damn snakes.”