Chapter 173: Aggressive Solicitors

Lead in with over-the-top compliments and physical flirting…

“Oh Travis, you’re so awesome!” Mabel said, hugging Travis’s arm, ‘accidentally’ squishing her generous bosom up against him in her enthusiasm.

“Eh, not that awesome.” Travis said with a shrug as they walked down the streets of Bakton Keep, drawing envious glares from about 95% of the population:

Male, single, and so traumatized by the constant loss of life that they had no hope of maintaining a relationship with another person, let alone a woman.

“Just because my powers will one day rival the gods of creation themselves doesn’t make me better than everyone else,” Travis said, head held high.

“So humble, too. I mean, you can literally create real things from nothing! That’s something to be proud of. And so handsome….” Mabel said, averting her gaze shyly, face reddening.

Okay, that might be a little much, Travis thought.

“I mean, you can make anything you want within the limits of your imagination! You can make illusions real! You could make a chair or a book, or…a fireball! You could copy the effects of other people’s Abilities, or conjure animals out of nothing to attack your enemies. Abyss, you could even make people!”

And then she realizes…

Mabel’s eyes widened minutely.

“Mabel, don’t-“

Mabel glanced around and scanned the surroundings: Older men, veteran Climbers with the scars to prove it.

She was completely out of place.

Travis winced with stage-chagrin as he saw the thoughts flicker behind her eyes. Pretty good eye-flicker. Engage existential horror.

“…Travis, am I real!?” Travis had Mabel demand, grabbing him by the shirt collar.

“Listen-“

Interrupt. Interrogatory question that implies sapience to confuse and horrify the audience.

“Why can’t I remember my childhood!?” Mabel demanded, her face going pale, eyes widening. “I don’t even know who my parents are!”

Shift in emotions is believable. Travis noted. Audience is invested. Simulate unravelling. Condensed tear-jerker ending.

“I’m losing my form…Travis, whether I’m real or not, these feelings are real. I just want you to know, that I Love yo-“ Mabel’s voice began to sound like it was coming through a distant tunnel, her body dissolving into motes of light that drifted away on the wind.

“NOOOOO!” Travis dropped to his knees, the last motes of his illusionary puppet slipping through his fingers.

Travis was left kneeling in the middle of the street, the other Climbers leaving a wide space around him and the disintegrating girl as they shook their heads and continued about their day.

Travis caught his breath and straightened his hair and clothes.

Well, that was fun, Travis thought, brushing himself off and climbing to his feet.

“Still…no…autonomy. May…need…Sacrifice.” Travis said to himself, opening his experiment log and making a note in the Mabel section. Which was a problem, because he also wanted a Sacrifice to increase the strength of his-

“…Wow.” Travis stiffened as Will’s voice came from above. “That’s…not really cool, man.”

When Travis craned his neck, he spotted Will standing in midair directly above him.

“She wasn’t real!” Travis said up at the Lord-to-be. “I was running both side of that. It was practice.”

“I don’t know if that’s sad, or gross.” Will said, waggling his hand. “A bit of both, I guess? I mean, there’s playing with yourself, and there’s ‘playing with yourself’.”

“Screw you, every girl in this Keep is over forty!” Travis said, pointing up at Will.

“Brianna’s seventeen.” Will said with a shrug. “Eolande’s sister’s are in their twenties. Loth is…well, I’m not sure how old Loth is, but I’m pretty sure kobolds don’t live long, so it can’t be much.”

“Every available girl.” Travis said, glowering.

“Point,” Will acknowledged. “Still weird though.”

“Why are you here?” Travis demanded.

“Ah. Right. C’mon, I need our exfil specialist.” Will said a moment before a scaled invisible thing looped around Travis’s waist and lifted him off the ground.

“I can fly by myself,” Travis muttered, arms crossed.

“Excellent. This way.” Will said, dropping Travis, his stomach lurching as he went into freefall.

Mirage

80 Charges remaining.

A carpet with the Oilton family crest and a pair of massive wings manifested beneath Travis’s feet. The wings flapped down once and arrested his fall. A moment later, he was soaring through the air.

Will glanced back and Travis saw an appraising look cross the Lord-expectant’s face.

“…Cool.” The kid’s tone suggested that his admiration was genuine.

“It’s no invisible telekinetic snakes, but it’ll have to do.” Travis said, his ride swooping in alongside Will.

“That’s your secondary?” Will asked.

“For now,” Travis said. His trainers had told him that there was wiggle-room to restructure your Class when you Advanced, and he was planning to lean way harder into the illusions.

“Sweet.” Will said, his gaze wandering across the horizon before finding its way back to Travis.

“…So is that girl your type, or do you just like-“

“Leave it!” Travis said.

“Having preferences is normal. Nothing to be ashamed of. Just because you play with dolls at your age-“

“You don’t know how sex works!” Travis shot back.

“Yeah, I figured as much after what Charnesa said. Maybe I should get some Anna’s to explain it to me.” Will said with a smirk and a brow-wiggle.

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“…Fuck you!”

“Fuck you. Also, we’re here.” Will said, pointing at Bakton’s castle below them.

***William Oh****

The two of them arrived at Bakton’s office a few minutes later. They were let into a long hallway with a small office near the end. The layout reminded Will of the Oilton patriarch’s office, way back on the 3^rd Floor.

“Come in!” Bakton said through the door, glancing up as they entered.

“Sorry, there’s only one seat,” Bakton said, pointing to the chair in front of his desk.

“He can make his own.” Will said, taking the seat.

Beside him, Travis sat down, an ostentatious gilded throne appearing beneath him.

“So what’s he for?” Bakton asked, glancing at Travis.

“Travis is gonna help me in a few minutes with surviving some hijinks. I wanted to ask for a favor.”

“Oh?” Bakton clasped his hands together. “What kind of favor?”

“You know those two civilians-“

“This seems like the sort of thing a Lord can handle on his own.” Bakton interrupted, already seeing where Will was going.

“This is me handling it.” Will said, releasing the Harbinger Relic Seed from his storage and placing the softly glowing teardrop gemstone onto the desk.

Harbinger Relic Seed.

The condensed myth of the Harbinger, who has seven times brought about the downfall of the Fae. When applied to a Relic, this seed creates an affix that enhances Focus, contract magic and gives bonuses against the fae. Affix starts minor, grows as the myth of the Relic does. Cannot be removed.

Bakton’s brow furrowed as he inspected the gemstone, then his eyes widened a nearly imperceptible amount before he directed his attention back up to Will, his focus suddenly laced with deadly intent.

“This is priceless, I hope you know that. Showing this to me practically demands that I acquire it.…One way or the other, this…relic seed is staying with me.” Bakton said.

“I was hoping you’d feel that way.” Will said.

“How much you want?” Bakton asked.

“Thirty favors.” Will said.

“Two.” Bakton replied.

“Six.”