Ah.

  That was both…expected and unexpected, honestly. Just before he had left the scene of my duel with Rhazal in the Concord, Tarus had made a cryptic remark about ‘seeing if we can work something out’. I’d wondered what he meant about that, over the last few months. I suppose I was about to find out.

  I fixed a polite smile on my face. “And what does Lord Tarus want from me, Lady Shurenga?”

  The burning saber-tooth eyed me pensively for a moment, before dipping her head towards one of the grass mats on the platform. “Come and sit with me, Nathaniel. And please, no need for formality here.”

  I followed the Shurengan progenitor over to the mat and sat cross-legged in front of her, as she did the same upon her haunches. I waited patiently as she gathered her thoughts. I couldn’t help but notice the brief flicker of her amber eyes, as they glanced up almost dourly at the midday form of Tarus shining through the distance opening of Mt. Umetsuji.

  Shurenga sighed slightly and then spoke. “My Father is…stubborn, at the best of times. Nosy, most of them. He and the Lady Elys pay constant attention to the people of Vereden during the times they bestride the sky. Little escapes their notice. From this snooping, Father has told me much of you and your companions, Nathaniel. And he has been keeping a very close eye on you indeed, of late.”

  There was one suspicion confirmed. I suppose it might be a bit difficult to escape the notice of the literal sun.

  Not…sure how I felt about that, honestly. It almost felt like an invasion of privacy. Like, no matter what I did, there was an all-knowing eye in the sky watching all that I did.

  Scratch that, there was no almost about it.

  I didn’t like the idea of anyone intruding on my life like that.

  A small frown crossed my lips, and I didn’t bother hiding it.

  Of course, Shurenga noticed. Her own feline lips curled humorlessly. “Believe me, I understand. I do love my Father, of course, but his attention can be a bit stifling. He is not…malicious, in his vigilance. It is merely the duty, the Mantle,” She stressed, almost exaggeratedly. “That he took upon himself, long ago. Father watches, endlessly, for those threats that would harm this world. He sees much, but does not speak unless necessary. In fact, Father has quite the reputation for trustworthiness, if you can believe it.”

  I hummed, folding my hands on my lap. “Is that so? When I met him, Tarus seemed almost…bloodthirsty, to be honest.”

  “Because he is also prideful,” Shurenga said wryly. “He takes his role so seriously that there is a saying, in Kawamara society. ‘The sun may shine, but it does not sing’. And so, to ‘sing’, is considered to be spouting falsehoods. Perhaps you will have noticed that song was not very common, during your days in Hinaga?”

  I blinked at that. My core ring rapidly reviewed our time in the capital and…

  I couldn’t recall a single time I’d ever come across an actual song. Either in the single play I’d attended with my friends, or in any of the tea houses. Music, of course, wasn’t uncommon. It was just nonverbal and mostly came from skillful fingers plucking at instruments. Even the play had mostly involved spoken poetry and grand speeches, with the occasional background melody.

  I…just hadn’t picked up on that.

  “Father’s pride was slighted, a very long time ago, by the particular Calamity you slew Nathaniel. He was quite ecstatic about his death. And so we come to his offer.”

  Here we go.

  Shurenga leaned forward, a glint in her eye. “Are you aware of Blessings?”

  I inclined my head to her. “That’s how Mystic Beasts are created, right? A Greater Spirit extends their Blessing towards a young animal, granting them a degree of Mysticality. With it, the animal gains full sapience and accumulates power, to where they eventually become a Spirit themselves upon their death.”

  “Just so,” Shurenga said, with a fanged smile. “Such a thing happened to me, many a century ago. But did you also know it’s possible for Greater Spirits to extend a different form of blessing to mortals?”

  …sort of.

  I don’t think I would ever forget the sight of the Thunderheart Clan transforming into Werewolves under the full and heavy light of Elys, guided by Taran. It was the kind of thing that stuck with you.

  Wait a minute.

  I’d never thought of it in those terms, but…wasn’t I a kind of Were creature now? Vis Maledicta Exactoris wasn’t all that dissimilar to that type of transformation?

  What did that make me? A…Werebat? Wereraptor?

  My core ring promptly called me a ‘Werebraptor’, and I promptly told it to kill itself.

  I think part of my all-too-familiar internal struggle showed on my face, considering the odd look that Shurenga cast my way. I plastered a smile on my face as my core laughed at me. “Yes, I’m familiar with that as well. But my understanding was that it wasn’t possible any longer, with the advent of the System?”

  Shurenga quirked an eyebrow at me. “Oh? So you’ve encountered Taran’s little pack, have you?” She mused, before shaking her head. “That is only one kind of Blessing that can be bestowed, and not the kind I’m speaking of. Taran is also not a Great Spirit, Nathaniel. No…I’m speaking of a form of Blessing the Great Spirits can bestow upon favored mortals that the System allows.”

  “Envoyship.”

  The light cast by Tarus, shining from above, intensified for a moment. Oddly, both my skin and the core of my soul, the crystalline tree that shined with the rainbow flame of my most powerful Skill, warmed from the sensation.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  It was an…odd sensation.

  I forced my hackles down and met Shurenga’s knowing eyes. “And what is ‘Envoyship’?”

  “A gift of power,” She continued. “Of responsibility…and comradery. One that is held by someone I am told you’re quite close to, Nathaniel. Care to take a guess?”

  I furrowed my brow at the teasing tone in her voice. It…wasn’t hard to figure out who she was talking about.

  “Grey,” I said quietly. “Grey is an Envoy?”

  Shurenga inclined her head. “Indeed. Greycton is the only currently active Envoy upon Vereden. Many years ago, the Ivory Lady bestowed her Blessing upon the mortal she had come to love. He who stole the love of my Father is also the tip of her spear. And in return, he was granted a sliver of her power to wield as he saw fit. The form it took was of his own choosing, and he has wielded it to great effect.”

  “…what form would that be?”

  “He carries it out in the open, for all to see. The slender form of that instrument carried him to stand as the current pinnacle of humanity.”

  Slender form…

  I sucked in a breath, my eyes widening. “Elarux! The staff!”

  I’d always wondered what the deal with that thing was.

  Shurenga’s smile widened, and she nodded at me. “Indeed. Greycton of the Shadowed ‘Sun’,” She rolled her eyes. “Chose for his Envoyship to take the form of a weapon of terrible might. It’s not uncommon for Envoys to do such a thing, and thus the Spire of Night descended upon Vereden once again.”

  Hmm…

  “Well, there’s a problem there, my lady,” I said wryly. “I’m not exactly wanting for weapons. In fact, I perhaps have too many of them.”

  Between Tlazo’s staff and my own creations, I was almost drowning in armaments. With my General Weapons Talent fueling my extendable spears, Terractus, my unnamed bow, and hell! Even the handful of throwing knives I literally had up my sleeves, I wasn’t hurting for weapons. I slipped one slim Oninite blade out for her to see as a demonstration, considering that was all I had on me. I’d left everything else back in the guest room with the others to watch over since we were nominally in friendly territory.

  Nominally.

  Shurenga was unmoved. “As I said. Greycton’s choice was merely one form of the Envoy's Blessing,” She said patiently. “If you accepted my Father’s offer, then it need not necessarily be that of a weapon. Your gift could come in a number of distinct fashions. In the past, Tarusian Envoys have chosen powerful abilities that are marked on their Statuses as Unique Skills. Gifts of knowledge, or even wealth are not out of the question. Even a channel directly connected to Tarus himself, as a font of raw power is possible. Weapons of unquestioned power are simply one form the Blessing can take. Once…” She trailed off before rallying. “Once, an Envoy asked for a direct intervention of Tarus himself, here in the physical. That conflict was soon ended.”

  I was quiet for a moment, considering that.

  There were…things I could ask for, that were far more tempting than merely a strong stick or a sharp blade. Knowledge…that stuck out to me in particular. I had…so many questions I wanted answers to, that an ancient being like Tarus could provide for me. Things that could benefit either me, my companions, or even Vereden as a whole. For instance…

  I could just ask for what I’d come to Goryuen in the first place. The knowledge and secrets that were waiting for me in the bunker, on this very isle. Surely Tarus was old and knowledgeable enough to know what was waiting for me in there?

  Knowledge about Precursors in general. There was…so much up in the air, about what I was.

  Grey said we were mysteries.

  Alveron said we were weapons, poised at the hearts of the gods.

  Nehushtan had called us failures.

  Where did the truth lie? Maybe…Tarus could tell me.

  But I was wary of signing up with anyone else, at this point. I had just gotten out of one war, as a blade in the dark. I didn’t want to immediately jump right back into another. I was finding that I quite enjoyed my freedom, since my exit at the tail end of the Construct War. Besides…

  “What does Tarus ask in return?” I asked quietly. “What price does an Envoy pay, for power?”

  “It differs, from Great Spirit to Great Spirit,” Shurenga said, twitching an ear. “In ages past, Greatuncle Orus required grand works of his Envoys. They would forge and craft miraculous monuments to his majesty before he grew tired of the world and retreated to slumber. Lady Neris called for blood, the sacrifice of those who would befoul the oceans. Lady Elys…before Greycton, her Envoys were paragons of justice. They ventured the land to rectify great injustices born in the dark, seen by her watchful eyes. But since she took her new lover…well. None know what she asks of the Shadowed Sun.”

  I waited a moment for her to continue, but she didn’t continue. The great cat seemed lost in thought. “And Anima?” I prompted. “What does she ask?”

  That snapped Shurenga out of her contemplation. “Ah,” She paused briefly. “Apologies, but Lady Anima has never taken an Envoy. In all of the history of this world, not once has she gifted her power to another. The Font of Life is elusive at the best of times. However, it was Father you were asking about. Tarus asks for vigilance.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Vigilance? From what?”

  Shurenga smiled softly at me. “Why, threats of course. Calamities, rogue gods, mad beasts…anything that threatens the balance of peace on Vereden or within the Concord. If the danger grows too great for mortals to handle it, my Father asks that his Envoys step forth and…deal with the problem.”

  I…

  Well, that made up my mind almost immediately.

  I wasn’t interested in being the guardian of an entire damned planet. I had enough problems on my plate as it was, without signing up for such a task. If I was going to help Vereden in a way like that, I was going to do it on my terms.

  My rules.

  And it wasn’t like I had no clues to find the answers I sought. I was here, in this place, looking for them now.

  I could get by without Tarus.

  I fixed a polite smile on my face and stood up from the grass mat I sat upon. I bowed at the still-sitting form of Shurenga. “I thank you and your Lord Father for the generous offer,” I said smoothly. “But I’ll have to decline.”

  The light shining from overhead dimmed. Flicking my eyes up, I saw enough time had passed for the bright form of Tarus to pass over the rim of the caldera. It might have been my imagination, but the circular impression of the sun as it intersected the rock almost looked like a…frown, as mad as that sounded.

  “As you wish, Nathaniel,” I heard Shurenga say, entirely unbothered. Looking back at her, I saw that the matriarch was unruffled by my refusal. In fact, there was an almost amused tint to the flicking of her two tails. “My Father is prideful, but he can take a refusal. However…,” One of those tails reached up and into the flaming mass of her ‘hair’. Inexplicably, it wasn’t burned as it somehow withdrew what seemed to be a small, orange stone. The tail whipped it in my direction.

  I caught it without thinking, afraid for a moment that it would be burning hot to the touch. But no, it was as cool as any other stone. Looking down, I saw that it was…beautiful, to be honest. The little gem held in my gloved Primordium hand appeared almost as if it was fire itself, frozen and shaped into a teardrop. Whorls of reds, oranges, and yellows danced in the light of the caldera as I turned the stone back and forth.

  I looked back up as Shurenga spoke again. “If ever you change your mind, shatter the stone and Father’s attention shall fall on you at once. Then, you may bargain for the Aegis of the Envoy if you so wish.” At that, Shurenga stood up. “Well! If that’s over with, then let us adjourn. Father’s offer has been heard and rejected, and so I say it is time for supper. I believe your dwarven friend was grilling for the amusement of my children? I should quite like to try his fare.”

  I slipped the stone into one of my pouches and followed Shurenga out of volcano’s heart. I was quiet on the walk back to the guest room, pondering the opportunity that I’d summarily refused.

  Had I made the right decision? Was I just being as prideful as Tarus himself, by turning him down?

  I guess time will tell.