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[Attuning to unnamed pendulum pendant: SUCCESS]
[Mana recovery speed has doubled]
[Magic potential output has tripled]
[Spell: Bloodbolt Lv.1 useable with unnamed pendulum]
[Use item spell 1000 times to acquire and use without item]
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While Aki was focused on the gem, Mr. Bark watched with brows raised. Cyfrin also stepped out to see where the wave of power was coming from. Just as the room was lit, so too was Aki's refined mana felt by everything the light touched. A pleasant, refreshing feeling that alleviated - at least a little - the burden of loss weighing the two men down and filling them with energy.
"Amazing… is this the power of an Acolyte of Mune? I've never felt anything like it."
"It feels otherworldly to me, boss man. Then again, I've never met an Acolyte of Mune so I can't say." Cyfrin sidles up to Mr. Bark and pours himself a drink to watch the lightshow.
Mr. Bark blinks repeatedly as the light dies down and shakes his head, attempting to focus himself. He looks over at Cyfrin then back to Aki as he gathers himself. He snatches the drink from Cyfrin's hands. "I'm not senile yet, boy."
"Worth a shot." Cyfrin raises his hands to either side and slides back from the counter, waiting to see the next thing.
Mr. Bark sighs and unwraps the towel. "As for the next thing, consider this as a token from the Hunter's Guild rather than a reward. I'm glad you and those otherworld adventurers were here."
Inside the towel is a golden badge in the shape of a heater shield with the symbol of the Hunter's Guild. A diamond shaped crosshair bisected by an X and a dot in the centre.
Aki reclines herself against the bar counter, leg kicking off to one side from the stool. "Don't Hunters wear a silver rectangle pin for their badge? Why's this one a gold shield?"
"This is a token of recognition from the Hunter's Guild. It is ceremonial in nature so you can't waltz into a Hunter Guild or Adventurer association to take on requests, but you are recognised as an honoured one with the same standing as a master Hunter and gold rank adventurer."
"Gold? Isn't that like, the third highest level you can get?" Aki wonders, her expression scrunching as she tries to remember details she'd overheard before. "Wha- that's too big of a deal!"
"No need to fret." Mr. Bark chuckles, pushing the badge to her. He leans forward, levelling his gaze with her wide-eyed self. "The world is as wide as it is small. Having a voice is vital but not everyone has the chance to be heard."
Nodding, Aki gratefully accepts the badge, storing it away in her pouch.
"Also, I was wondering if your Guild might know anything about the, um… " Now that the most pressing business is out of the way, Aki turns. "...World Narrative. I've been hearing people say it was a Crown of Salvation that beat… the witch, but I don't remember hearing that word – Salvation – anywhere until later."
Cyfrin taps on the counter, reclining his head on his arm as he speaks. "You noticed how time stood still, right? With the sound of bells and the like, it's pretty scary, even when you know it happens to signal a narrative's beginning."
"Unlike those with Soul Sight, it's the only time all of us ever see those kinds of magical panels without a magic item manifesting it for us. The Narrative's name is mistaken by the masses over time…" He leaps over the counter and sits on the stool next to Aki. "Ah, to see your status and learn skills without needing to pay for a Patheia Stone… what a charmed life to live."
"I don't understand. I mean, I do, but that didn't answer my question at all."
"Seems even an Acolyte lacks familiarity with World Narratives, same as us worldly guys, huh?" Cyfrin says teasingly, nudging Mr. Bark's shoulder.
"Did you expect otherwise? I've heard Acolyte's specialise entirely on eliminating the creatures beyond the pale." Mr. Bark states matter-of-factly. "The only reason we know a little more than the common folk is because of Julius."
"Huh?" Aki's ears twitch. "The blond guy that sent me here?"
"Aye, the same." Mr. Bark nods sagely. "He's a curious sort with an all too serious demeanour when it comes down to the wire but he's an honest man with good values."
"Was he really that type? He jumped to accuse me as an otherworlder when we met… well his intuition was right but still."
Not lingering on the thought, she presses the topic back on course.
"According to Julius, there are parts of the world that bear the scars or fruits of past Narratives and remember them." Mr. Bark says. "For the rest of the world, waiting with baited breath for the next narrative is about all that could be done. Narratives never repeat. At least, that was the case until now. I don't know what to think."
"That's why the name Salvation is so important." Cyfrin stares at the broken floorboards, a bemused smile on his face. "It's one of the things that stuck around from that narrative. Don't ask about what though, it's just what I heard from Julius."
"If that's the case, then I wonder what exactly a Crown is." Aki looks down, Bark's feeling of resignation stagnating in the air. "And why am I one of them?"
"Now isn't that a question?" Cyfrin remarks sharply, his hand morphing into vicious claws that dig into the counter. "Tsarjar! A melting pot of so many races that can live for centuries, yet the grip on the past is more faint than the ghosts you slay."
"Well, it's more than I've been able to learn all month at least. I was starting to think I'd be stuck without a lead." Aki raises the pendulum to eye level, smiling slightly at this small victory. "But I am surprised no one else knew as much as you two."
"Who would? It was at least over a 1000 years ago, wasn't it?" Cyfrin shrugs. "Really, only a paranoid bookworm would think knowing about past Storms – just in case – is a good way to spend time. So don't be stupid and focus on what you can do now because history won't teach you anything useful. All it repeats is ruin."
"That is no way to speak to someone simply curious, Cyfrin," Mr. Bark snaps.
Shocked, Cyfrin whips around, staring daggers at Mr. Bark for a tense moment. They hold this pose for a few seconds before Cyfrin deflates.
He then places a glass of crystalline liquid in front of Aki. A sad look reflected in the way his brow creases and the edges of his lips curl.
Cyfrin looks like a puppy that was just scolded by its trainer somehow. Trembling fear had been clutching his heart ever since the discussion turned toward the Narrative.
More precisely, since Cyfrin glossed over how time had stopped. He played off his fears by speaking lightly but his emotions fell in such waves around him, it would have been impossible to not feel them even without her Empath Gift.
"Uhm, sorry."
"It's fine. Thank you." Aki accepts and sips it tentatively which earns a chuckle from the two men.
"It's an energising fruit cider. Only thing that survived in bulk." Mr. Bark flicks the end of his nose with a proud grin. "My own mix."
The cider is surprisingly good, a little sour but with a sweet lingering taste. She drinks more confidently, enjoying the flavour.
Mr. Bark speaks once more, crossing his arms with a heavy sigh.
"You mentioned wanting to know more about the Narrative, yes? Before Julius departed to the mountains, he mentioned an auction in Deika City, just across the Star Sea in the late autumn this year."
"A super secret underworld auction." Cyfrin says in a loud whisper.
"Underworld auction?" Aki takes another sip of her drink.
"Keep it quiet though. Information leaks are pretty serious with criminal types, especially in the criminal capital of the continent." Cyfrin makes an overexaggerated wink. "I've never been but Julius and Mr. Bark have. Way too dangerous for my taste. Even more when the underworld auction roles around. No thanks."
Mr. Bark groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. His expression stating 'but you just leaked it easily yourself' so clearly that Aki doesn't need her Gift to understand.
"If he survived after the request in the mountains, that is the most likely place to find him." Mr. Bark shakes his head. "And… putting danger aside, the underworld auction is bound to have things from ages past that may answer your questions. Just be wary of the organiser this year. Since it is a time when otherworlders are around most, I cannot tell you the situation with him at the helm."
"Him?" Aki says curiously.
"Lord of the Desert, Master of Slaves. The King of the Eastern Underworld."
A lump forms in Aki's throat and her mana nearly bursts out of her. The anger, sorrow, and disgust her memories tie to that man – to that absolute scum – are nearly uncontrollable.