Honour
Junior: if you wish to Ascend, you MUST dare.
Awarded to those who successfully learn to cycle. Provides a Minute increase to control of Authority. +5 all stats, +3% all stats.
Kaius withheld his desire to whistle. The additional stats were nice, and he could only assume that more control over Authority was a good thing — Ianmus had made off handsomely.
Still, what most impressed him was that the Honour was available to anyone who learnt cycling. The more of that kind they discovered, the more they could encourage others to pursue them — and nurture exactly the kind of path takers that would help the world survive the integration.
Sure, it wouldn't be easy. They'd need to gain access and best a Crucible, but they were still accessible. If a team was dedicated, they could spend a fair amount of time at the peak of tier one to prepare and ensure their success. Given they had the requisite drive, of course.
Giving Ianmus an appreciative nod, Kaius settled into silence as they waited for the rest of his team to finish their training.
It didn't take long — over the next hour, both Porkchop and Kenva came out of their focused trance.
They were all smiles — beaming at each other as Xenanra sat there. The Ascendant's eyes were closed, and she continued her ethereal hum for another minute before it cut out. As the noise trailed into nothing, she opened her eyes and smiled warmly at them.
"Congratulations, for you have achieved something that few ever obtain." She shuffled, adjusting so that she kneeled on her cushion. "I hope you will allow me some ceremony — to celebrate this moment as my people once did."
Xenanra swiped her hands through the air, and a small cup appeared in front of each of them. Barely large enough for a mouthful, there was a dark green liquor inside — smelling strongly of the acrid bite of alcohol, but also carrying a potent hint of magic and alchemical reagents. One that smelled of joy and succour.
Xenanra raised her cup. "But beware its bite. It's quite strong."
Kaius coughed, his eyes watering as he downed the shot of liquor. It was potent and medicinal, steeped in cracking thunder and the crunch of autumn leaves. His reaction was mild compared to Porkchop — who spluttered as he suppressed a retch.
Kaius shot him a teasing grin. "Cant hold your drink?"
"Shut up — it's disgusting and you know it."
Once they all placed their cups down, Xenanra got to her feet and nodded at them.
"And with that, our lesson is done. Congratulations, for you have bested this Crucible. You may stay here a while, but once you are ready I will summon another portal — an exit to the spire, so that you may rejoin the Depths once more, in the same place you left."
"How long will it have been?" Porkchop asked. "I assume there has been some level of time compression involved."
"There has," Xenanra nodded. "About a week, give or take a day. Not all that long."
Kaius sighed in relief — depending on her answer, he'd been ready to suggest they cut down their hunt for honours somewhat. Thankfully, they had even more time than he dared hope.
A simple week, for all that they had gained? Well worth the trade off in his opinion.
Still, he had one remaining question. Throughout it all, Xenanra had insisted that cycling was optional. It seemed anything but, if it was so integral for later steps of the Path.
"If cycling becomes critical later, wouldn't its requirement hamper people's ability to progress?"
The ascendant nodded. "You're right — and that is by design. The further you progress, the more you are funneled towards Crucibles to be tested. I will allow you to know one thing: now that you have learned cycling, future Crucibles will not be as vital to visit. They are fundamentally places of learning — if you run into a roadblock of lacking capability or lacking understanding on the path, you should seek them out to learn the steps you must take. Otherwise, do not worry over much."
"I suppose we will see them quite often then," Kaius said, considering that their world had no tradition of taking the path.
"You may or may not. Later in the path, individuality begins to reign supreme - the advice and guidance provided in the crucibles becoming more abstract and theoretical. Regardless, some may be similar to what you've experienced here, and provide optimum conditions for making progress which you would otherwise struggle to seize. Regardless, the assistance is not as critical as learning to cycle in the first place."
Kaius nodded. It was good to know — though, until more steps of the Path were unlocked, he would need to wait and see if they were truly the kind to strive ahead without a waypoint to follow
He imagined they would be more likely to need assistance than those on a more established world. If the steps of the Path were a known thing, he could see how a Crucible could become a place of acceleration and assistance, rather than a necessity.
While he didn't have any more questions, Kaius was surprised at the melancholy he felt — a creeping disappointment that their time with Xenanra was done. It was not every day that you had an Ascendant all but at your beck and call, not just for guidance but to simply interact and converse with.
Xenanra gave him a slight smile.
"Will we ever see you again?" Porkchop asked, as Kaius felt a similar feeling cross their bond.
"Climb high enough, and you might just find out. Integrations are times of exciting events, where what would otherwise be rarely seen becomes common place. Certainly, I will be watching your rise with great interest. Ones that initiate the second stage and maintain their lead, such as you, are rare."
"And it doesn't get lonely, waiting here for people to arrive?" Kenva asked.
Xenanra bent over laughing, propping herself up with a hand on one knee. "By the boundless, no. A bare fragment of me is here — you can consider it analogous to your Glass Mind: an existence running in parallel. I have plenty to occupy my attention. What's more, more people discover my Crucibles by the day. The vast majority do not meet the requirements to enter, but word will spread soon enough — at least as I consider such things. I will have plenty to do."
Kaius blinked at the unexpected admission — that of more people coming across her Crucibles. They really should make their way back to Deadacre soon and spread what they had learned. To claim the credit, at the very least, for being the first ones to share this knowledge with the Guild, and the wider society as a whole.
They still had some time — there was a good chance that even if others had the opportunity to share before them, they most likely wouldn't. The culture of secrecy of their world had wormed its way too deep. While some might share it with their dynasty, closest friends, or perhaps even a wider clan, doing so with an institution such as the Guild? He wasn't so sure. Still, he didn't like the idea of leaving it to chance.
First, a quick jaunt hunting Honours, then evolving their classes, and then they would leave. They could risk that much — Honours were too important.
Kaius rose to his feet and gave Xenanra his deepest bow.
"Thank you," he said, "for what you have taught me and everything I have learned. I have not had such a dedicated teacher since my father."
"High praise coming from you. Thank yourself for being so steadfast in your resolve to grow strong. All of you have proven yourself worthy of those who walk the Path."
She waved them off. "Now, you have things to do and monsters to slay. I suggest you make haste and struggle hard, for the integration will leave you behind if you do not — and that would be a terrible sight for me to see."
As she flicked her finger, Kaius felt the Ascendant's authority pulse, and an arch was suddenly before them — filled with a void of familiar black. Kaius snapped between it and his team. They gave him a nod, before giving their own thanks as they bowed and graced the Ascendant for her assistance…
… and stepped through the portal.
An eyeblink later, he found himself standing on a platform of void glass that was inscribed with the burning runes of the system's own design.
At his back, an obelisk towered into the sky, stark and imposing on the alpine plateau. The sun glittered off its glossy surface. It was magnificent, as eye-catching as the first time he had seen it.' To their front, mountains rose, covered in tussock and snow.
Directly across from them was the familiar sight of a flattened peak. Deep within his soul, Kaius felt himself tugged towards its summit. A Guardian.
Their next target.
Before he could check on his team and plan their route, another notification sprawled across his vision.
**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Paver of Ways**
Paver of Ways:
Honour
It's a fucking nightmare out there man. Everyone keeps wanting things from me, and I don't know how to tell them I'm just a dude who likes kicking ass and smoking grass.
Awarded to those in one of the first five teams to complete a Crucible amongst a cohort. Provides a Minute increase to control of Authority. +5 all stats, +3% all stats.
Bonus: For every team member succeeding, the stat bonus is increased to +8 all stats, +4% all stats. Additional reward bonus is increased to Slight.