PftA Book 2 - Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Gifts and Benefits

Before our hands made contact, I paused. “Forgive me, Elder Kairos, but can we speak with Administrator Rhona before leaving?”

The Mage sighed and dropped his hand. I knew I needed to be cautious with the powerful Time Mage, but I couldn’t allow myself to be meek. I doubted the Patriarch of a high-tier sect would want a pushover as his disciple.

“That’s probably for the best,” the Elder grudgingly agreed. “I need to renegotiate your contract to be more fitting for a Time Mage anyway. Once I show you a few tricks, you won’t need to spend so much time tied up with your responsibilities.”

We quickly made our way to the back entrance of Rhona’s office. I’d warned her of our impending visit, so she was waiting by the door when we arrived.

“It’s so nice to see you, Elder Kairos,” Rhona said with a beautiful smile. She didn’t look uncomfortable in the man’s presence like Vasilla had. Seeing her demeanor helped to release some of the tension I was feeling.

“And you, Miss AldQuartz,” the higher tier Mage said with a small bow.

I failed to keep my eyebrows from raising at the display. I could feel Elder Kairos was at a higher tier than Rhona, but he seemed deferential toward her. As I tried to figure out why, my mind returned to his form of address toward my boss.

AldQuartz.

Shit. The ‘Ald’ identifier represented the child of royalty. She was a freaking princess. No wonder he was being so polite, given their relative power disparity.

Seeing my look of surprise, Rhona turned a playful smile toward me. “Are you alright, Emie?”

“You didn’t tell me you were a princess,” I accused without any real heat. “We even discussed nobility and politics.”

“We did, and I told you that nobility is not strictly hereditary,” she said before stepping back and motioning for us to enter her office. Once we were settled in the newly placed furniture – furniture that had not been present the last time I visited her office – she continued speaking.

“While I may be the daughter of royals, the title of princess is largely honorary. Once my parents ascend or abdicate, I’ll lose that identifier. Even if my brother or sister earns the throne, I’d technically only be Lady Quartz unless I want to fight for a territory to rule.” She removed a steaming teapot and placed it on the small table between the trio of plush chairs before looking at me pointedly. “That’s not something I plan on doing.”

I noted the unexpected family name and decided to ask her about it another time – when we were alone.

Rhona poured a fragrant cup of tea for the Elder first before pouring cups for us. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Elder Kairos brought up the reason for our visit.

“I’ve decided to take Emie as a direct disciple. After hearing her schedule, I feel it would be best to renegotiate the girl’s contract to ensure she has enough time to dedicate to learning the fundamentals before officially joining the sect,” the older yet young-looking Elder stated matter of factly. “I recommend the standard Time Mage contract, basing obligations on performance, not working time. That is not a valid measure for a Time Mage who can manipulate the very factor used for measurement.”

I knew Rhona could feel my trepidation. I wasn’t trying to suppress it.

“We can discuss potential modifications to the contract, but I’m curious how Emie feels about this. You did ask, right Elder Kairos?” Rhona questioned casually.

“Why would—” he paused as his eyes unfocused. Rhona glanced my way and winked before sending me a message.

[Rhona AldQuartz: Give him a minute. And forgive any brashness he might have shown. Elder Kairos is a sweet man. He just gets a bit hyper-focused sometimes. I think he forgot that Earth is not yet integrated when he saw your affinity score.]

I noted the update to Rhona’s message identifier. It was likely something Lisa did after gaining the additional information. It made me wonder about the omission, but it was ultimately Rhona’s business, not mine.

The Elder cleared his throat. “I apologize if I came off as demanding. I’m unaccustomed to interacting with people who are unfamiliar with my sect and the benefits we provide,” he said a bit stiffly. I could tell that he was not used to apologizing. “Most people with a Time affinity are eager to join. We even have Academy graduates who seek to join our sect after balancing their debt. Given our earlier conversation, I assumed you would have a similar predisposition.”

I smiled lightly, appreciating that he hadn’t hinted at my secret. “I understand.”

“Good. So, may I assume you are amenable to joining my sect and becoming the best Time Mage you can be?” he asked formally.

Hearing the question, a knot of tension loosened. Even if it was ultimately an illusion, the perception of choice made the path more palatable.

If I was being honest with myself, I didn’t mind the idea of joining the man’s sect. If it really was the best place to learn about Time magic, it made sense for me to go there. Being the Patriarch’s disciple could be a double-edged sword, but it would likely provide benefits I wouldn’t otherwise be able to obtain.

I looked at Rhona and noted her smile. I could probably decline without much repercussions, but that would ultimately hinder my ability to grow.

“Thank you for the offer. I would love to learn from you, but I wasn’t joking about my lack of familiarity with sects. I’ve had little exposure to them,” after glancing at Rhona, I added, “in the game.”

I kept my mind focused and hoped the older Time Mage did the same. He had to know Rhona was a Mind Mage, so unless he had some kind of mind shield – which was entirely possible – I could only trust that he wasn’t inadvertently sharing my secret.

“What worlds are included in the game thus far?” my new mentor asked my boss.

“Pylos, Osana, Hadier, Olym, Andolia, and Atlantis. Locus and Sira are being ‘tested’ currently,” Rhona replied.

“Perfect. Your Hadier simulation should include the Epikairos Sect, correct?”

“I believe so. Your sect is prominent enough that it should have been included by the System Assistant in charge of creating the simulations,” the pretty brunette replied before glancing at the tablet that appeared in her hands. “Yes, I just verified it.”

“Excellent. It won’t be perfect since you won’t be able to train spells or do any fine mana manipulation, but the simulation should serve as an excellent primer for what to expect,” Elder Kairos said with a satisfied nod. “We still need to discuss adjusting the contract…”

The contract adjustments didn’t take long, and we left as Lisa reminded me to set a new Time Anchor. I still had time to run. I could go back two hours and either hide or find a way not to share my secret… but at this point, I didn’t really see the value in doing so. I would be handicapping myself for the illusion of freedom.

Besides, it wasn’t like running was a viable option anyway. I’d signed a system-enforced contract of employment with Atlas. It wasn’t like I could run away from that.

However, I hadn’t signed anything or made any system-enforced oaths tying myself to the Epikairos Sect yet. If I felt the sect wouldn’t benefit me after checking it out in-game, I could always petition Rhona to intervene. Given Elder Kairos’ deference to the princess, it might even work.

= = =

It was little surprise that the Patriarch, who insisted I call him Master Kairos now that I’d tentatively agreed to become his disciple, had a personal teleportation token that allowed him to take me directly to his residence. I was shocked to find he lived on a private island somewhere near India. Aside from three uniformed individuals who appeared to take care of his household, nobody else was present on the island.

While it felt like he spent several hours teaching me the nuances of creating a personal bubble of adjustable Time dilation, in reality, it was only about an hour. It would have been less than that if I could cast the spell within his personal bubble, but doing so was well beyond anything I could manage at Tier Two.

“It’s good that you’re also learning to use Space magic. Set an Anchor here in the arrival room so you can return for our next lesson,” Master Kairos said when my mana bottomed out for the third time. It had taken a lot of effort to perform such a feat, especially with the island's higher-than-normal ambient mana density.

I suspected he had some kind of mana-gathering array on the island, but it didn’t feel appropriate to ask – at least, not on the first visit. After taking a few minutes to recover enough mana to complete the task, I dissolved the Anchor I’d set in my private room and reset it at the new location.

When I indicated I’d completed his task, my new sect Patriarch – because thinking of him as my Master just felt wrong – made a comment about me being properly equipped and not reflecting poorly on him before tossing me a storage ring. I tried to decline the storage device since I could make my own, but Master Kairos had just scoffed and grumbled about appearances.

Master Kairos then dismissed me with a reminder not to be late for our next lesson before promptly disappearing, ending any further protests I might make. I quickly removed the sect robes I’d been given upon my arrival, replacing them with the casual clothing I’d been wearing earlier so I wouldn’t stick out so much upon my return.

The robes and underarmor were softer than any material I’d ever felt, and I could sense they were stronger than most mana-infused metal alloys I’d encountered. They would probably make better armor than the Tier Three armor I’d been ‘borrowing’ from Rhona for the past year and a half.

While shimmer was the color representing Time, the majority of the robe and underarmor were white, with shimmer and the pearlescent lavender representing Fate being woven into intricate runes and embroidery. The sect’s symbol – a large, intricate infinity knot – was prominently displayed on the back of the robe, embroidered with both colors to create a nearly three-dimensional effect.

There was also a decorative shimmer band around the bicep area of each arm. I wasn’t sure if this marked me as a Time Mage or if there was some other purpose behind it, but that was something I could find out later.

Curious about the ring still clutched in my hand, I looked inside. I was surprised at both the size of the space within the ring – which was well beyond anything I had been able to create – and the contents. Inside were several sets of robes matching the one I’d just taken off, multiple sets of enchanted white under armor, three types of shoes, several overpowered talismans, and a pile of other items I didn’t get a chance to look through before the realization of what I’d just been handed hit me.

This thing was worth a fortune. Even on Olym – the highest-tier planet I’d ever visited – the ring alone would have been worth enough for some to violate the Accords to acquire. Thankfully, it was impossible to tell the ring was anything special by just looking at it. Even using Identify on the item returned no result.

Hopefully, it would be enough. I doubted my new… Patriarch… wanted to draw a target on my back, especially since most of the talismans I’d noted appeared to be for protection.

With a mental flex, I returned to the Atlas Headquarters in Pensacola. I’d learned more than just Time magic in my dilated hours with Master Kairos. His approach had changed the entire way I cast spells. If that was the advantage that being part of a sect gave – not to mention all of the items – no wonder he was flabbergasted by my lackluster response to his invitation.

I quickly sent a message to Rhona, letting her know that I’d returned before heading toward my workstation. Her near-instant reply shifted my path, turning me toward her office instead. Exhausted from the day’s efforts, I fought the impulse to delay the meeting. If she was summoning me this quickly, it was probably important.