Tars was adjusting the way his new cloak hung over his sword as he walked with Allevia to meet with her father, Ponter, and Feerestia.
They had only left Vert's leatherworking wagon-turned-shop a few minutes before. He'd started off well enough, asking what Tars needed and getting a good pair of boots without much trouble. Once the leatherworker learned that Mayor Kinton was paying the bill, however, the man started trying to get Tars to buy everything in the place.
"It's free for you!" he'd said. "You should make the most of it, not sure when you'll get another chance, am I right?" It made Tars' skin crawl to feel the dishonesty rolling off of the merchant with every sentence.
Ignoring the frown Tars was then wearing the man went on to start embellishing on the merchandise he had, praising the quality and the amount of time and effort Vert had put into each piece.
He'd continued on in that vein, slowly increasing the costs, and the matching exaggerations, until he'd made one mistake too many.
"And this here Budroso leather is the finest piece I've had the pleasure to work with! Difficult, and time consuming, but the satisfaction of a job well done more than made up for it!"
This time it wasn't a simple exaggeration, if any of his overly embellished words fit the word 'simple', but instead was a flat out lie. Unlike the creepy feeling of dishonesty, the lie felt like a blaring red flash of light going off behind his eyes. He knew the instant the man claimed it was 'Budroso leather', whatever that was, that it was a complete lie. Worse, it was a lie the man knowingly and willingly made.
The pulsing of a quest update and the chime of a new skill were ignored for the moment, buried under Tars' worsening mood.
Tars held up his hand to stop the ongoing sales pitch. "Are you sure that this leather is what you claim?" The Protector said, gesturing at the rolled up so-called Budroso leather.
"Huh?" he replied after being interrupted. "Oh, yes of course! I worked …"
Tars ignored the scheming merchant, taking the boots that Allevia was holding and the scabbard he had in the crook of his arm and placing them on the barrels the man had set up as a small counter.
"Let's go, Allevia. We'll find somewhere else to get what I need." Tars then began walking away from the barrel laden wagon. "Your father needn't spend so much money on something 'unnecessary'", he added while glancing back at Vert.
"Wait, wait! You're right! I must have had it stored in the wrong place!" the merchant corrected with a nervous laugh. "All the commotion has my wares in unusual places. I'm not usually so disorganized."
Allevia raised an eyebrow at Vert, seemingly seeing through his second lie almost as easily as Tars did.
After that the shopping went much smoother. Tars didn't want to give him business at all, but his archer companion convinced him that they didn't have enough time to get everything before leaving otherwise.
Tars' mood became better as soon as they were out of sight of the wagon, largely due to Allevia's loud, gasping laughter. He just looked at her with a confused smile while she had her hands against her knees to keep from toppling over.
"I've never … never seen him so stumped!" she panted out, trying to control her chuckling. "I think he was even scared of you at the end!"
Thankfully, meeting Miussa went much better. She was a nice woman who did the best she could with her class. She agreed to tell him about her spell and the Life element when he had some time.
After Tars finished adjusting the way his cloak rested, now leaving his arm free to draw his sword at a moment's notice, he took the time to see his new skill that he'd gotten from the lying merchant.
-You have learned a tier 2 skill, 25 exp awarded!-
-You have completed a quest!-
-You have learned a tier 3 skill, 50 exp awarded!-
Tars was surprised to find his new skill was tier 3, thinking it would have only been tier 2.
-Lie Detector- You can sense when someone around you lies, their words feeling wrong and glaringly obvious. Determining the exact place the 'lie' was in a statement is not always obvious.
-Domains- Truth, Justice.
Then that skill grayed out along with Honor Sense, similarly to how the Knight's Vow had the day before, and a new skill appeared in its place.
-Virtuous Soul- You passively radiate an Aura of Virtue, giving others around you a sense that your words can be trusted. You can also sense when the people around you are trustworthy, or if someone tells a lie within your aura. Caution! Honest words do not mean honest intentions!
-Domains- Truth, Justice.
The skill seemed to have combined the four quest requirements into a single skill, then added the Virtuous Aura on top of it. Also, there was no longer a mention of being unable to tell where in a sentence a lie took place. Hopefully, it will be as easy and natural to use as it was before.
Tars also took to heart how the skill gave a warning about people avoiding a lie by omission or using clever wordplay. The vision the Protector had the day before already showed a glimpse of how that could happen, but the skill's warning drove that point home.
"What is that?" Allevia asked, looking at Tars.
"What?" Tars replied back in confusion.
"Hmmm, something felt different. I feel … safe? I think?" The Archer was having a hard time explaining what she was feeling.
"Oh, that's probably the new skill I got for completing one of my quests. I'll explain it when we meet the others."
Tars also noticed people showing slight reactions nearby. Some looking around as if they felt something, others seeming to show a slight smile. A few even looked at Tars with curiosity in their eyes.
Only a minute later the two reached the meeting shed. "I'll see what's keeping father," Allevia said when she saw that Ponter and Feerestia were already waiting inside.
"So, what is this 'Oath' thing about?" Ponter asked once Allevia left the room. "And how is it different from a Vow, again?"
Tars decided to explain a bit more about his Oath skill. "An Oath is a promise you make that ignores the words you use and instead follows the intent of what you meant. There are ways to bypass a Vow without breaking it, there must be stories about that kind of thing. An Oath cannot be manipulated like that. Either you follow it, or you don't."
"As for the power, an Oath is witnessed by the Gods and the give a blessing. If you stay true to your Oath you keep your blessing. If you break your Oath, you lose the blessing. There is more to it, but I can't remember the details. I will need to use 'Bestow Oath' more."
At that moment Mayor Kinton walked in followed by Allevia. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Are we ready?"
"In a moment," Tars answered. "I wanted to make mention of a new skill I got. It's called 'Virtuous Soul'. It creates an Aura of Virtue around me that allows me to tell if someone lies within it. It also makes people feel like I am trustworthy. Allevia says it makes her feel safe, it might be a little different for others."
Ponter looked stunned while Kinton just shook his head in resignation.
"You don't even have a class yet!" Ponter exclaimed.
"I'm very curious to know what you were before you came to us, Tars," the Mayor said. "That sounds similar to a skill for High Priests or Judges. Those are tier three classes, just so you know."
Now Tars was the one that was shocked. He didn't originally see why they made a big deal out of it, but for some reason Tars was getting skills that were … well, he didn't know how many levels it took to reach tier three. Thirty, maybe?
"Well, it doesn't matter," Kinton said with a shake of his head. "Allevia, see if your mother needs anything, we'll be leaving in an hour, if everything goes well."
"Yes, Father," Allevia responded and headed out once more.
"Keep your sword at hand," Tars said to Feerestia as he took a step closer to the center of the small room. "You will need to cut your palm near the end."
Feerestia took a step forward as well before taking a deep breath and nodding in readiness, her face as impassive as ever.
"Now, what you will do is swear an Oath of Vengeance against the one or ones who have wronged you, or on behalf of those who were wronged. Make an Oath for what you truly believe, not false words of bravado or to sound justified."
"I see," she said and looked down a moment to get her thoughts in order. "I swear an Oath of Vengeance against Osbur Nilliston and all those who had a hand in the betrayal and death of my party, as well as the lies that led to my slavery." She then looked into Tars' eyes to see if that was acceptable.
Off to the side Kinton looked sad while Ponter looked furious, Tars kept his expression neutral, but inside he was as angry and disgusted as Ponter. The Protector simply nodded, agreeing with her Oath. "Next you would draw a few drops of blood from your palm while stating what you want granted to complete your Oath, followed by what you will lose should you give up pursuing your Oath. It could be stats, guidance, a skill, or whatever you think you will need. Things to give up can be the strength originally granted by the Oath, losing all the skills and levels you've gained since taking the Oath, or even your life," Tars explained. "The greater the punishment the greater the power granted by the Oath."
Feerestia looked down again, longer this time, as she thought. "Grant me a path to get stronger and a way to find those who I swear this Oath of Vengeance against. Should I give up on my Oath of Vengeance, let me lose all this Oath has granted me!"
"Good, very good!" Tars acknowledged with a smile. "Now you will repeat the first part, who you swear against, cut your palm, say the second part, what you need. And finally, finish with 'This I swear!'"
Feerestia took a deep breath before mumbling her Oath again to make sure she had the words right. After a minute she looked up at Tars and nodded. She was ready.
Tars closed his eyes and felt for the Divine Energy that let him make his Oath the day before. Soon he moved it to his palm in a manner similar to what he'd done with mana while trying to use 'Lunge'. When his eyes opened again, they had a golden light within them. "Speak your Oath, and be heard," Tars said, the words coming unbidden.
Feerestia repeated her Oath as she'd practiced, only this time Tars covered her in Divine Energy. It felt different from how mana did, as it flowed through him. It was warm and uplifting, where mana was a cool and calm feeling.
When Feerestia cut her palm, with a far deeper cut than was necessary, the blood floated in the air before here. Unlike when Tars made his Oath, however, this orb was a deep red color, almost black in places.
The orb then split into separate balls of energy, one the size of a fist, consisting of about half of the blood, the rest separating into six other blobs that then spun around the elf before flying straight through the roof of the shed.
The last blob then sunk into Feerestia's chest and a moment later the Oath was done.
The small room was silent as the two witnesses glanced at each other before looking at Tars and then the elf.
Tars waited, the new Oath taker seemingly looking through her menus at what had changed.
Finally, she looked up at Tars. "It gave me a quest. An 'Oath Quest' where 'I must embrace the Ice element and reach tier three'," she said.
"It is something long term, isn't it?" Tars asked, having vague impressions of how long his own Oath had taken.
"Yes, I don't think I can do any of these things soon," Feerestia said, looking anxious to start.
"I told you I would find a way to repay your favor. Let me try something for you. It is part of my daily quest, anyway." Ponter looked somewhat concerned at that statement, possibly remembering the Radiant Beam.
Tars closed his eyes again, feeling for that Divine Energy once more, this time focusing on what he knew of Arthaesis and the Blessing he held. He felt the energy swirling through him and tried to create a personal quest for Feerestia. One that would help her reach her Oath's goals, one step at a time.
For a moment the energy continued to swirl until finally it seemed to flow through a particular channel, like a path had opened. The energy poured through him, leaving very little behind. Should this not work, he wouldn't have enough Divine Energy for a second attempt. Not anytime soon, at least.
Fortunately, something was telling him that there would be no issues. The Blessing seemingly wanted to be used and merely needed some semblance of a plan and a target. Similar to an Oath, the Blessing followed intent, Tars could feel that now. He didn't need exact methods, only to honestly state his intentions and the Blessing would do the rest.
Soon, the Divine Energy formed a small orb of multicolored light in front of Tars' forehead. It steadily grew and spun, the colors shifting within. When the surge flowing through Tars stopped and the ball of energy reached the right size, it floated from Tars' forehead to that of Feerestia before sinking inside, as if her flesh and bone were non-existent.
Tars didn't remember calling his menu, yet he found himself looking at a new tab for 'Bestowals'.
-You have granted a Personal Quest to Feerestia, the Blade Dancer.
-Teach Tars, the Light Shard, either Wind or Water Elemental Proficiency – Novice 0/1.
-Improve your Wind and Water Elemental Proficiencies by 1 level each - 0/2.
-Improve your Ice Elemental Proficiency by 1 level - 0/1.
-Teach Tars, the Light Shard, 2 new Sword Arts – 0/2.
-Rewards-
-Earn a new title.
-Gain 2500 exp.
-Receive +10 to your Magic stat.
-Gain Earth Elemental Proficiency – Novice 1/5.
Tars thought those rewards were far more than he was expecting. 'Unless I'm underestimating how difficult it is. It's probably far more difficult than it seems to me. I'm not learning, after all, just remembering,' he reasoned.
More importantly, it worked! Tars could assign personal quests to people and help them grow. And if he gave them quests that helped him in addition, he could give himself the power he needed to protect himself and those around him.
His optional quest was also completed. Under his Mana stat he now had a stat for Divine Energy, which read 1/3. It was safe to assume he'd used one point for the Oath and another for granting the Blessing. He would save the last one for a while. He had no way of knowing if some new skill would need Divine Energy and he had even less of an idea what would happen if he ran out. In the meantime, he would make it a point to repeatedly check his menu and try to determine how long it took for them to replenish.
Tars closed his menu and refocused on Feerestia again, he saw her blinking rapidly. He wasn't sure why, was his quest too difficult, after all? Did she get something in her eyes?
The elven woman closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then looked at Tars again.
"Thank you, Tars. I'll see you tonight for training."
She then looked at Ponter and headed out of the shed. Ponter gave Tars a nod before following.
Mayor Kinton and Tars made their way to the wagon Umia was organizing.
Allevia showed up a few minutes later and she was tasked with taking Tars to meet with Kino who would assign him his duties. Tars knew who Kino was, but he didn't mind the escort so agreed without issue.
An hour later the wagons were packed, the beasts hitched, and everyone was looking to the Mayor as he was about to give the order to march.
"Friends," he began, speaking loudly and clearly. "Today begins a journey, a difficult one, but one that is necessary. No more will we be tormented by rulers who don't care for us, who raise our taxes, take our people, take our food, and then refuse to protect us when it is needed."
"Now, we will find a new home where we will protect ourselves and each other! We will build a New Immica! And one day our great grandchildren will tell stories of how we made this journey!"
"Onwards! To a better life!"
A series of buzzes, dings, and hums went through Tars mind.
-You are now part of a Wandering Tribe.-
-Kinton Miccan is your Chief.-
-You have gained a Title!-
-You are an Elder of your tribe.-
Tars looked at Mayor, no, that felt wrong now. Chief Kinton. Tars looked at Chief Kinton only to see him frozen climbing down from the wagon he had been speaking from. His mouth was open and his eyes moved from side to side as he obviously read his messages.
'Seems I'm not the only one shocked by this.'
Their journey was off to an interesting start.