Wish upon the Stars (Original Superhero cultivation sci fi litrpg)

[BJJPanda]

His soul strength seems to fluctuate, sometimes it takes him a dozen moves before his head hurts and other times it takes only a couple. Also, he said no finishing moves and then pulled out the dragon

 

[Malcolm Tent]

His soul strength seems to fluctuate, sometimes it takes him a dozen moves before his head hurts and other times it takes only a couple. Also, he said no finishing moves and then pulled out the dragon

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Depends on a lot of factors. First of all how many changes he's making, firing off a bunch of Skills normally does almost nothing, but changing a move dramatically is a huge effort. Also stacking or modifying stored attacks gets extremely draining extremely fast.

 

[BJJPanda]

So he has already seen someone who can change size, the pavilion guy who dealt with the healers. Also, he has queued wishes before, can't remember when but he definitely has before, might have been one of his beast lord wishes but I am honestly not sure when

 

[MichaelSuave]

Oh Lucy (Celine) you got some splaining to do!!

 

[Revanandfriends]

So I now wonder if she is a honeypot.

 

[chrnno]

Wow oops on the cane exploding and releasing everything. No wonder the other two immediately surrendered, at least he managed to heal the guy enough.

 

[Quenster06]

Aw, man, I'm caught up. Loving the story so far and the world you've made. If I lived in this world I would totally hope for the same or similar Ability that Benny got, except instead of going Inventing I'd go Blacksmithing and aim for Armour Embodiment. Then start making situational Armour and base my suits on different creatures to attract more interest. From there I would find a martial arts style that also imitates creatures and then focus on improving what I had, absolutely pick up Enchanting since that's pretty important for item crafting. Not sure if you've had any ideas like this or not, but feel free to take inspiration from it if you haven't. Can't wait for future chapters!

 

[BJJPanda]

The ending felt a bit anti-climatic but I guess not every fight can be super exciting

 

[Bezarius]

I kind of wished Abel and Mel had come, but Abel had decided the gala sounded boring and begged off, which was fair. Callie didn't push, she was team
leader but this was more personal errand than team business.

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I even saw Abel and Mel join the party, with my mentor using his spatial ability to eliminate the distance between his feet and the ground while still standing mid air.

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You said Abel and Mel didn't come but they appear on the next chapter at the gala.
Typo?

 

[Malcolm Tent]

You said Abel and Mel didn't come but they appear on the next chapter at the gala.
Typo?

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I fixed it on RR but never went back and changed it here lol.

 

[TribuneAlpha]

Mmmm, coming across a 780k story right as I finished my previous ones... excellent.

Having read the story overall, I am a bit curious how Wish could've been generated. It got hinted enough that it's clearly no simple feat, but that raises the question, is the Orginal Wishmaster simply a unrivalled genious and/or lucky bastard, or are there other high end skills custom tailored to be similarly broken? I remember at some point it was stated the OG wishmaster was a god, and ~top 3(though I think he was the weakest of them? been a while since it was mentioned), and I see a... lot of potental for a paticularly callous or ruthless Wish user. Stealing innate potental and talent, stockpilling Skills and experiences with those Skills, even possibly grafting extra Abilties on top of their own(it's possible to have two abilties, and thus a powerful enough Wish could probably steal other people's, considering it can do the same for stats and skills, though undoubtibly not cheaply), manipulative Geasses that let them get around 'can't make their own wishes'. His opponents in this oncoming competiton could be quite brutal.

That honestly just has me even more pumped. What the hell can stand up to something like that? And given there are known people stronger then Wishmasters, clearly the upper echilions of the universe aren't too suppressed or concerned with new Wishmasters either. I also keep getting the sense Wishmasters are respected more for what they can offer then their own personal strength, which jives given the requirement for someone else to make the wish, and their naturally distriubted stat line to grant various Wishes, even if not quite as balanced as Shane's. Still a bit weird how... odd Shane seems to be considered for a Wishmaster, have none of them before ever gone the Skills & Syergy route for power, instead of just buffing bodyguards?

I'm also very curious how DS Mastery ends up at higher levels. Given Master seems to drastically change the name of the skill, could we see something like Video Game Mastery? I get the concept behind using Enchantment Mastery as a funnel to turn his 'imagined' videogame skills into 'real' ones, since Enchantment is all about that kind of thing, but at higher levels I don't see that level of diversity holding as he seems to be constantly straining his soul, with startling regularity(even if it ended up being quite useful, he seems to be walking the knife's edge). That's only going to get worse as he pushes DS's original skills beyond the game itself, and is another reason I suspect a generization of the Skill as it grows. Would ease the 'conceptual' difficulty if the skill was video games in general, rather then a specific game with specific mechanics that he had to fight against to grow his skills. Or maybe I'm misinterpriting Skills somehow, but DS seems... very narrow for a specilization, even as a Unique Skill(though the specifics of that term are a bit fuzzy too) with significant breadith.



For the current story arc, I'm only wondering one thing: why does Shane seem so fixated on getting to improve his Impact? Zeke said explicity there was a level of Wish that could exchange Impact, so it's not a true 'If I don't do this I'll never have another chance', and judging by the fact that Impact seems to be a stat, it can probably also be exchanged for with his teamates without Shane loosing his own, though the price would undoubtably be expensive and more exclusive, nothing has given the impression Wish can't grant(as opposed to simply trading) Impact, merely that it's not quite at that level.

Is it a sense of protection? Having that extra Impact means being more resiliant, and your own points going further, not to mention the repeated recursion benifit of being seen as stronger then your competiton, even if Shane & crew don't really rely on normal Stat accumulation(as in, through renown instead of their current Wish based growth). Still, I'd expect the downsides of showcasing so much of his suprise based battle style would at least be mentioned, but no one seems too concerned. Maybe it's not as big a deal as it seems, showcasing all your current cards?
Does he just want a good fight? I could totally see this as Shane's battlelust(though not bloodlust, interestingly) getting the better of him, he's said repeatedly he wants to do this becuase it's his own decision, and he certianly does love a good fight, even if he has a healthy fear of death.


I really do enjoy Shane & co, even though we tend to focus more on him and Bestgirl Shadow-waifu. It's a bit odd to me seeing such a completely healthy and trusting relationship form so naturally and quickly, but that's more just a bit of confusion since I have clicked with people before, though just never so quickly or so deeply. I was expecting more Benny and Elf-girl, a good relationship, but not a diamand studded one, and certianly open to weaknesses. He is a protagonist after all, and their love lives tend to be... compicated. The faith and conistancy of the two of them makes them feel significantly older then they're described as, espeically given their clear immaturity in other areas.

It's nice to see such an... enjoyably immature protagonist. He's a happy kid having fun exploring a new world to him, and his long terms goals are pretty murky and undefined beyond the vast goal of 'find parents, win Definitely-Not-Hunger-games', but there's a level of proactiveness to him that keeps him from feeling like he's being dragged into plots. Maybe Callie's non-POV role lets us accept her actions as 'proactive' even if they're really more story-driven at times? Not always, but there are moments that remind me she's definitely not our POV into this world.

I also really enjoy how imperfect Shane is. He's clever, and definitely not an idiot, but he's also got some glaring holes in his arsinal, which he can't really fill on his own. His Team(Callie's, but I feel Shane seems to be the 'connecting link', even if she commands them) covers his weaknesses very well, even if I wish Benny and Flower Girl would catch up and be fight-relevent just a bit sooner... His beginnings of a Faction of his own is also interesting, StarChaser Pallace(I think that's it's name) seems like a perfect place for Shane, who loves a good fight, and improving himself, with no bullshit inbetween.


That also brings me to Abel, who is an awesome demonstration of the strength of the people in the universe. He's nearly unstoppable here, but Zeke calls him 'mediocre', which might be his high-end view, but I think it's his honest assessment. Guilds and Factions would obviously horde all of the best things to improve their status and power, and MC level exceptions are definitely not common. Imagine the speed a low level Ascendant could grow at if they had foucused attention from a C, B, or even A ranker? Not even through ranks, but their Skills and capabilities would have the knowledge of someone significantly higher level to back them up.

Given Zeke's Soul Power hint, there's clearly something they have to do to keep up, talent wise, which will be interesting to figure out. I do wonder when, and if, Shane will end up figuring out stealing Potental. He took Callie's height, which suggests vague concepts work just fine. I could see him accumulating affinity for elements or styles of combat Wishers don't really need, but still have. Burning useless talent for a wish is probably a great deal in their eyes, and would help Shane catch up and go beyond. Especially given how much of our time with him has been him desperately playing catch-up to Callie's prodigious talents. Shane works hard, but I don't get the sense he's paticularly talented, just enjoys the fight. None of the in-fight clever innovation or realizations I'd expect of a combat genius, just someone cleverly leveriging their abilities(Mainly DS Mastery) to combo into good attacks. If he could skip the planning and prep he puts into his fights, or even just significantly reduce it, he'd have signficantly more time to improve in other areas.
That also has me curious, how much talent actually flows down a family line? or is do they just get some Renown leakage? His mom is apparently a very quickly growning and well respected Saint, and his dad is apparently a monsterous and dangerous power in the universe, only two steps away from actual godhood(He's A, there's S and then God), and clearly doing well for himself. The inital stats are nice, but I'd have expected someing... longer lasting, beyond his startup. Maybe there's a subtly greater understanding of Wish, or an affinity for friendship or companions(Seems 'saintly' enough...), but I don't see it if it exists. I'd love to know exactly how impactful inital points are to a Wishmaster, given they can so easily accumulate and bolster their weak points. It doesn't seem too impactful even at G, the other girl seemed fairly even to Shane.


I'm also very curious what Gods want. Every rank before probably wants to rank up and grow stronger, what happens when you're the strongest? There doesn't even seem to be a rank beyond God rank, does Renown even do anything for them, after they hit their limits? or does God rank simply not have stat limits? I'd expect a minimum degree of agelessness given their title, so they're probably not in it for just surving anymore. Are they searching for a rank above God? would be an interesting question, though I doubt even Zeke knows.
I'm also curious about Impact. Mostly because it behaves so differently from the other stats. I can understand it being more valuable and rare, since it marks your 'impact' on the universe, but the watershed values it reaches are... weird. Every other stat grows fairly fluidly, changing with your Renown's affinities, but Impact is more... ridgid? stricter? more strongly regemented? It's an odd difference only componded by the odd increments it increases at, compared to every other stat. Especially since it only grows naturally during a Rank Up.
I'd bet D rank probably brings the user over 1000 Impact, since it's called the 'watershed rank', where the wheat are seperated from the chaff. Do Gods maybe chase Impact instead of stats? I could see a person with sufficently high Impact simply willing changes into reality... are the Gods competing for Impact on the scale of the Universe?


Seriously, man, you've got an amazingly interesting world I'm looking forward to seeing your interesting characters explore. Though I do wish non-Callies got more screentime a little, Benny and Jenny get sidelined a bit too often for my liking, given their team status(even considering their lower stats). We've seen and know more of Abel, and he's hundreds of chapters newer, try not to let power overule relationships, even if Abel is quite fun. Shane's combat focus is fun at times, but the universe you've created is clearly not just one gigantic dogfight, it's a political PR Showmanship Dogfight. I do hope Shane & co touch more on the options that don't involve punching harder. It's fun, but it feels a bit... samey, given how many of their problems involve punching someone, or teaming up with someone who can punch for them. I understand a bit, since they've been growing so rapidly, but seeing them work their head muscles a bit more would be nice. Callie does it the most, and I defintely like her a lot more for it. Shane has shown that he's got a sneaky devious streak(contracts mainly), and a strong understanding for Skill Syngery, would be interesting to see that outside 'helps me fight better-er'.

 

[St3f]

Why is there difference in the chapter count between here and the other place of 16?

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Why is there difference in the chapter count between here and the other place of 16?

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Because the first four chapters on RR were combinations of five of these chapters, before I changed release strategies and started doing daily lol.

 

[BJJPanda]

Was that super instinct Shaggy lol?

 

[Strong_Thread]

On the one hand, I'm rooting for the kid. On the other hand, there's a part off me that wants this to be a hard fought loss for him. There needs to be a big loss at some point, if only for narrative balance, and better it be now when the stakes aren't life and death.
Between that and his raw newness in being intermediate rank with PoDS, I'm expecting it to be a hard win for Abel.
(For a moment there I almost called him Cain, wrong brother.)

 

[Verdthandi]

Roland Wilder. They call him the Walking War. He uses this crazy weapon summoning ability, calls up swords and spears and axes of different sizes and materials.

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Roland sounds like he needs a soundtrack. I'm undecided between this and this.

 

[BJJPanda]

Why didn't he rank up btw? Is he waiting to max his other abilities? Also, throwing a bunch of enemies that he can't do shit to and has to rely on someone else to beat is a bit weird, not much story potential for mc

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Why didn't he rank up btw? Is he waiting to max his other abilities? Also, throwing a bunch of enemies that he can't do shit to and has to rely on someone else to beat is a bit weird, not much story potential for mc

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He's going to rank up at the ceremony, the attention will give extra boosts. As for the latter, not exactly. It should be noted that Shane has a support ability. Wishin inherently relies on other people, and is mainly geared toward team development. He did get stronger throughout the tournament of course, but the strength of his team IS his own strength. I prefer stories like that. Though if it helps you can consider it setting the stage, since we're not even off the first planet and this is probably a quarter of the way into the story tops lol.

 

[SilverEagle2121]

Wow. This is totally crazy and unbelievably awesome! I absolutely cannot wait for more.

 

[BJJPanda]

"He snapped. "I'll let my their excellencies deal with her after they finish with you. Your brat has been responsible for the deaths of several of our operatives, including a promising your talent her to attend the tournament he needs to pay, and since we're here anyway, we can just send a few messages all at once."

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A few mistakes here, also just goes to show how wide a gap there can be in the same level

 

[BJJPanda]

Zeke is a bad motherfucker, goddamn

 

[Droosh]

Loving this story! Thank you.

 

[BJJPanda]

Seems kinda weird how they got almost the same amount of stats even though he made it further, he has such a wide array of skills you would expect him to be eyecatching, especially after Zeke defended him

 

[Malcolm Tent]

Seems kinda weird how they got almost the same amount of stats even though he made it further, he has such a wide array of skills you would expect him to be eyecatching, especially after Zeke defended him

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having a wide array of Skills is a downside in WUTS. Means he made an impression but it got spread out over a variety of stats, rather than someone like Mel who would have mostly gotten Might, or Jessie who would get mostly Vitality.

 

[Droosh]

My wish list:

I'd love to see him get more skills to merge into his main skill, or just to have. He could go back online and use his game profile to trade human skills for wishes again.

Or if there's justification for trading wishes with his cousin again say for a stronger type of alliance through the upcoming event or his uncle's protection, he could ask for something unique. Maybe one of the most expensive and rare ascendant skills that are sold in elite markets or he could request "the most complete beginner flying skill that you can provide and that I can safely accept" or "interpersonal skills" or "political savvy" or "tactical mastery" or "strategic mastery".

All skills he simply lacks and could use.

I've also wondered why he hasn't asked the Elf princess about the dark elves and if she could provide a contact or an introduction to a master in Balam martial arts? Seems like he should be looking for a trainer. Also, I think you mentioned originally that the style features sword in one hand and dagger in the other?

Maybe he'll be able to buy or commission some low level E-rank weapons that are special and can also channel his video game sub-skills? He could borrow money from his rich E-rank allies in exchange for future wishes.

Also, now that his uncle can't protect him from e-rankers anymore, will his girlfriend's uncle or one of his other e-rank allies join him off planet as personal bodyguards until he can punch up high enough?

 

[Strong_Thread]

... we all gathered for a meeting on who would be coming. Natalie, Perit, Valk, Abel, Mel, Benny, Jessie, Callie, and Mel.

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You listed Mel twice.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

When Zeke had mentioned the bazaar, I had assumed we would be attending some small gathering of stalls. Maybe some tents, a few blankets on the ground. The word invoked images of a temporary market that contained equally temporary sales locations. What we actually ended up walking into was...not that.

For one thing I felt...heavier. Like I was under pressure I hadn't been before. It was a strange feeling to experience, like I was suffocating even as I took a deep breath. Once I realized I was panicking about nothing and forced myself to calm down the panicked sensation went away, though the weight remained. For another thing though, the place we'd ended up was...amazing.

The close night sky in the portal made much more sense once I got to view it up close, since we were literally IN space. It looked like someone had torn a city (a very large one mind you) out of the ground and let it float among the stars. Buildings extended for as far as the eye could see, all of varying shapes and styles. "This is...temporary?" I said in shock. This place was just a random camp set up to wait on the glade, but it looked like it had taken centuries to build.

Zeke snorted. "They've probably got a high ranking Architect around somewhere. I've seen variations of that ability that can make entire countries with a snap of their fingers. There are a bunch of ways to do it. Though out in space like this they either had the rock shipped out or they hired one of the Fantasy based variants. The latter would be pretty damn expensive though."

There was a sound as a man cleared his throat, and we turned to see a short, burly man with curly dark hair and horns. His eyes were goat eyes and he had a small patch of facial hair that went well with his annoyed expression somehow. He held out a hand. "My tip?"

Rolling his eyes, my uncle started muttering something about Waywalkers, and fished out a chit he flipped to the goat man. The other ascendant caught the chit, then made a show of biting it while staring at Zeke, before nodding and vanishing into thin air in a blink. I was guessing since Zeke had been transported too, tipping wasn't a breach of contract, but I wasn't going to ask in case he'd just managed to slip that by the geass by not thinking about it.

"So...we're here." Said Callie slowly. "Wherever here is. Does this place have a name?" She looked around excitedly. "Actually, I can find out on my own. I should try out my new powers here. I can use them to spy on everyone around here to figure out all the important info. Learn the ins and outs of the city."

She stepped toward a wall, but Zeke held up a hand. "Don't!" He said quickly. When she stopped to give him a confused look he just sighed. "Don't forget that your ability, while amazing, IS Perception based. Anyone with a sufficiently high Perception can detect you even in the shadows. This place is full of random elders and faction management. Given the low standard of the cluster, I'm guessing that there won't be many B-rankers, if any, but a C or D-ranker is more than up to noticing you."

Wincing slightly she stepped away from the wall. "Ah. And you can't protect me because I'm not your charge. Speaking of, D-rank is the new level of protection you can offer right? If we run into any E-rankers and piss them off we're screwed." She sounded about as worried as I felt.

Zeke just waved it off. "Oh sure, but there won't be any here. Sending an E-ranker to this place would be stupid. Everyone else would be stronger, or weaker, depending on if they were entrants. With the Glade blocking anyone below or over F-rank, and any protectors being notably powerful, most of the people will be C-rank. Only lower middle class factions will send B-rankers. Strong enough to have them but weak enough not to trust their reputation to protect their people."

That seemed to put Callie back on balance. "That makes sense. This whole thing is its own kind of challenge. The chaperones will be seen as expressions of both power and confidence. Won't having you here make us seem weak though? You're WAY overkill for this place."

"Nah." Said my uncle casually. "I'm his sole protector, technically speaking. Stuff like this tends to be a gray area for candidates. If anything having a protector like me is bound to impress. Most candidates get rookies like her." He jabbed a thumb as Selka, who was standing next to a calm but interested Nat.

The other guardian bristled. "I'll have you know that I'm a talented combatant. You don't get chosen to be guardian unless you can handle yourself. Don't treat me like some punk kid."

Zeke just grinned maliciously. "Awww, it thinks it's dangerous. How cute. Here's the thing though, you ARE some punk kid. It become exponentially harder to rank up as you move up. You may never reach B-rank, and even if you do it'll take you absurd amounts of time to reach the point I'm at in B-rank. By that time I'll probably be an A-ranker." He paused. "Or dead. I might just be dead. Either way, respect your elders kid."

Her glare was almost funny, until I snickered and she turned it on me, at which point I shut up. "Anyway." Said Callie firmly, regaining attention. "Where are we going? Do we have some sort of...faction safehouse here? Are there other WCP branches here? Can we trust them if there are?"

"There are, and we can't." My uncle said firmly. "I don't know if there are other candidates, though if there are I would wager not many. Regardless, the WCP isn't cohesive enough for that. Maybe if it was another member of your branch, but there's no way to know at the moment. Too many people for me to keep track of, so I can't even check. Not that my geass would allow it."

Callie scowled. "So...maybe a hotel or something? Do we even have the money for that?" I hadn't paid much attention to join funds lately, but I knew I personally was just short four and a half E-rank coins. I was betting that would NOT be enough.

Zeke just gave her a pitying look. "Did you forget we're traveling with a pair of wishmaster candidates? They're basically walking piggy banks. You can trade wishes for nearly anything." He pointed over at Nat and I and I scowled at him in annoyance.

"Hey!" I said loudly. He just raised an eyebrow at me. I looked away, grumbling to myself. "You could be nicer about it, you know. I'm not just some asset to pay for things."

"You're a PAIN in my asset." He drawled. "But we can figure out where to go with an easy trick of the trade. I wish we had the location of a safe place to stay." I blinked at him. Zeke had never wished for anything from me. I could see how it was within his geass, since he needed a place to stay too. He paused as the words flowed across my vision. "Oh, payment." He pulled out a chit and flicked it to me. An F-ranked chit, which was pretty decent.

Wish detected. Grant wish? I confirmed, accepting the point cost which was much lower than my usual wishes theese days. There was a flash of electricity and I realized why there had been Creation points folded in. A piece of paper covered in a spidery scrawl flashed into existence, a map that showed all the nearby areas, including a single neatly marked X off to on side, with a caption over it saying. "Daylight Dreamer Inn."

I grinned at him. "That's a good idea. I take it you want me to get more used to using my Wishes as an asset now that I'm stronger?'

He nodded amiably. "Yup. There will probably be another candidate or two around here, given the sheer scope of a cluster wide search. Even candidates who don't travel horizontally among similar scale worlds like Natalie probably got swept up in this mess."

Clapping me on the shoulder, he chuckled lightly. "More candidates means that your Wishes are both more and less valuable. You can use them more freely, but they aren't quite as limited a commodity as they used to be. You'll need to adjust to the new environment. Granted, it's pretty specific to places like this, but the Ruined Soul Temple will be one of those locations as well, so it's something to get used to."

I nodded, following Callie as she grabbed the map from Zeke and set off in a direction. Benny stepped up next to me. "This place is nuts, right?" He said, gesturing around us. "Because I thought Rajak was big, but this place has to be like...half the size, and they put it together short term as a place to hang out and wait? Architect or no that's insane."

"Yeah." I murmured back. "I feel that. I think I feel...slower here. Weaker maybe? Which is nuts because my stats are higher. This must be a higher level area than our planet. Probably just D-rank though. If we were more than a rank up right now I assume it would be much more obvious."

Zeke, who was ahead of us, turned to nod. "Yeah, D-rank. Since your planet is a psuedo D-rank world anyway it's less difference than you would expect. It won't have much effect at this level. Just a bit of suppression and a change to the strength of your abilities. Nothing too noticeable with all the recent upgrades."

"It's true." Celine said solemnly. "I've been on higher ranked planets before. Your combat efficiency doesn't drop much, considering it's a linear change across the board. The one difference is that the surrounding environment tends to be harder to damage. I doubt it would be a simple thing to destroy a building here, if we were even capable of doing so."

Which seemed like a big change from our psuedo D-rank planet, but then again, this place was much smaller. Maybe the Impact was more condensed here. Suffice to say I could understand why they didn't let anyone under F-rank off the planet. While this was only mildly stifling for us, I got the feeling that with twenty less Impact it would be much more difficult to bear with, even if still possible.

Finally we came to a stop in front of a large, tower like building. With cream colored walls and red tiled roof, the place looked like a vacation destination more than a run of the mill inn, but it was definitely upscale enough to be a feasible place to stay. Zeke looked it over carefully before nodding. "Decent security and top notch stealth. Probably a high C-ranker running the place. Not perfect but more than enough for our purposes."

I was curious how it had top notch stealth when we found it so easily, but I was sure I wouldn't care about the answer anyway. He said it was fine and I trusted his judgement. So we stepped inside, strolling up to the counter. The girl behind it had black hair in a ponytail, pale skin, and dark lips with a single ring in them. Her eyes were ringed with dark liner, and she mostly ignored us as we approached, engrossed in a leather bound book.

Knocking on the counter, I cleared my throat. She looked up. "I'm hoping to talk to your boss about accommodations." She pointed above her head at sign with pricing on it before returning to her read. Must be a fascinating story. I scanned the values and sure enough, WAY too many chits. I grinned, knocking again. "Tell them we're from the WCP. And we're willing to trade wishes." It was satisfying how quick she slammed the book shut. It's nice to be taken seriously.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

The owner of the Daylight Dreamer Inn was not what I expected. Though to be fair that was probably more my issue than his. He looked younger than I'd thought, but reconsidering Ascendants were almost always young looking, at least once they were full grown.

Sindar was more the kind of person you'd expect to see at a club than in the office of an inn though. Handsome guy, dark skin, dark eyes, and long wavy black hair. He had on an expensive looking suit (which for an Ascendant meant it was enchanted) and had an easy smile that was belied by the coldness in his brown irises. I could tell he was trying to give off the impression of a friendly, amiable guy, and I could ALSO tell that if I believed that impression I was going to get badly ripped off.

Which was interesting, because he was at least at the peak of F-rank (probably one of the entrants), and he really should have had a Skill that would make it harder for me to spot that. It took me a second to realize that I'd picked it up through the bond, and that Callie, with her high perception stat, was the one who had noticed. It was a bit jarring how smoothly that had come through, honestly.

"So." Said Sindar. "I'm told you have a precious resource you're seeking to barter with." He folded his hands in front of him as he smiled at us cooly. Then he did...nothing. Damn it. He was waiting for us to make the first offer. I tried to consider who would be the best fit for this situation. Benny had the haggling Skill, but it was Minor, and there was no way it would useful here.

To my relief, Celine stepped forward, offering a cool smile. "Mr. Wyndham is interested in safe lodgings until the Glade fully opens, but we had some...concerns. Just a few questions we need to have answered before we can decide if your establishment is right for us."

I had to stifle a sigh of relief, and Callie felt the same, as we both turned to stare at Celine. Because of course being a noble she knew how to negotiate. I was suddenly extremely glad that we'd brought her along, because she clearly had a much better handle on this situation than any of us.

What came next was a master class in diplomacy. I learned enough to almost pick up a Skill just watching her I think. First she turned the tables on him with that initial reversal, forcing him to go on the defensive instead of waiting patiently for us to respond. Once she had him off balance she pretty much tore him apart.

Every comment he made was taken in the worst possible light, every open ended statement was looped around to be a negative. It was almost beautiful watching the character assassination of his inn, and by the time she was done, I don't think even HE considered the place worth staying at. She finished the negotiations with a one wish per day payment schedule over a single month, and he looked confused and almost nauseous when she was done.

As we headed up to our rooms, each of us with our own room key,we all turned to stare at Celine in horrified fascination. She just gave a small but smug smile. "Negotiations are an important part of diplomacy. As a noble I'm naturally quite experienced in the art of discourse. I hope that was helpful?"

Callie burst out laughing. "You smug ass, of course it was helpful, and you know it. But I appreciate the save either way. I'm glad we decided to bring you along. You're officially in charge of haggling and negotiations." As she saw Celine's smile grow, she countered it with one of her own. "I wouldn't be so happy about that if I were you. We're about to go to an interstellar market. You're about to get a pretty sizable amount of work."

The elf girl's expression fell as she realized she'd basically just been upgraded to a personal shopper for the foreseeable future, and Benny snickered at his girlfriend's dismay, only for her to whirl on him and shoot him a surprisingly expressive glare. "Oh, I wouldn't be laughing if I were you." She said sweetly. "I know you have the haggling Skill, and I plan to train you up so that we have more options in the future. You're going to be coming along everywhere I go."

His eyes widened in panicked horror, but sadly for him, his fate was sealed, Celine grabbed him by the wrist, wished us all luck with finding our rooms, and dragged him off down the hallway. Callie was smirking as she watched them leave, a thoughtful look on her face I didn't really like. The last thing I needed was my girlfriend deciding she needed to take a firmer hand in our relationship.

"Oh hey." I said desperately. "I forgot to ask you what you think about my weapon? I'm about to replace it. Zeke was talking about possibly picking up the staff so I could learn a martial art. What do you think?" She was startled out of her thoughts by the question, which was about weapons and therefore BASICALLY loot. Helping me shop would keep her distracted, and I also really wanted her opinion.

The others had scattered to their rooms, leaving the two of us alone to find ours, and she looked pensive as we walked. "That's a good question. I could see how a staff might work, but it seems...off. The length is wrong. Maybe I just got used to you with a cane though. If you think it would work I could see it though. Maybe take it further, try for the spear? Having a blade on the end of your weapon might be nice."

I shook my head firmly. "Hard pass. A lot of my Skills increase flat impact damage. A blade would mitigate some of the advantages, and it just...feels wrong. Not like me." Pushing through the door to our room, I looked around in surprise and enthusiasm, stopping the conversation so I could take in the new digs.

The hallways of the inn had been well appointed but small. About five feet across, with thick carpets, smooth painted walls and the odd bit of bric-a-brac or a painting hanging at eye level. I expected similarly meager sizes for the rooms, but when we stepped inside, I was blown away.

If the room had been some gymnasium sized palace with tons of marble and beautiful gold accents I'd have been pleased and amused but not shocked. Rather, ostentatious and huge was what I'd come to expect from Ascendant places. To my surprise though, this place was actually pretty homey. It wasn't a small room, fifteen feet by fifteen or so, and painted in dark earth tones.

The furniture was plush without being showy, looking a bit beat up but supremely comfortable. The only nod to traditional over the top Ascendant decorating was the absolutely massive bed, large enough for me to lie sideways and not have my head or feet stick out. Callie bolted across the room, throwing herself bodily through the air to land with a loud whump on the mattress with a giggle, making comforter angels as she groaned in appreciation.

"Ok." She said in a voice of utter bliss. "We're buying this bed, or we're sneaking it out when we leave. We'll have spatial rings, we can pull it off. I demand we carry this with us everywhere now. What rank is this?"

I glanced down at the bed, surprised based on how happy she was that it was only G-rank. I didn't see enchantments or anything, but for all I knew it was an Invention, some random interaction between materials making the perfect bed. I dropped my bag, dropping my mask on the dresser as I walked over to climb up onto the absurdly comfortable mattress.
Callie's earlier groan had been completely understandable, and I made one of my own as I pretty much melted into the cloudlike softness of the bedding. "Ok. Deal. This is ours now. I'm never letting anyone else sleep in this bed. It belongs to us and there's nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise."

She rolled over to cuddle up next to me. "My hero." She stayed like that for a bit, and I was about to bring up the weapon again when she finally spoke up. "Doesn't this feel weird?"

With the bond and my own knowledge of her, I could tell exactly what she meant. "It does. Being on our own like this. Like, we were living on our own anyway basically, minus Zeke who doesn't count as an authority figure, but being out in the wider universe together like this...it feels like a big deal."

She looked up at me, bottomless blue eyes boring into mine. "Big in a bad way? Are you having second thoughts about us?"

Leaning down for a quick kiss, I shook my head, laughing. "Hardly. It just makes me amazed at how far we've come. From dancing around each other until you finally asked me out. I spent a while just dragging my feet and it makes me wonder if we'd have had more time together if I had just had the guts to ask instead of asking you on dates until you broke from the frustration."

That got a giggle. "It's ok sweetie. I don't mind that you made me work for it. Besides, I like where we are. We were friends before we got together and I think it made us more comfortable with each other. Without all those dates you probably would have been a squealing fanboy still." At my offended noise she grinned at me. "Oh please, I remember the first time we met. If your jaw dropped any faster it would have broken the sound barrier."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I said with dignity. "I admit I always found you attractive, but I certainly never let it unbalance me."

Rolling her eyes, she kissed my cheek. "Owning my merch would say otherwise, but whatever you need to tell yourself, love." She paused. "You as excited about this whole Moonsong Glade thing as I am?"

"Probably not." I said mildly. "There's loot in them there woods. I'm surprised you're even lucid. I half expected you to be floating along a golden scent trail into the void with giant credit signs flashing in your eyes." Her glare was adorable, and I ignored it. "But...I am kind of pumped about all the new enemies. Not to mention my new earth and plant based divination skills will come in so much handy here."

She lit up. "That's TRUE! Oh I can't wait to get mountains of treasure and then sell some of it. I want a giant vault filled with chits with piles of magic items strewn throughout it. Maybe we can drag the bed into the vault and sleep on piles of our money." Her high pitched squeal of delight made me chuckle as I tried to imagine her as a dragoness sleeping on a hoard of treasure.

"Well." I said with a yawn. "I think we'll have plenty of cool treasures to see in the bazaar. You can have as much fun out there as you want. For now though, this comfy bed is making me tired. We should head take a nap, then we can figure out our next move after."

Snuggling into my side, she let out her own yawn, glaring at me for getting her started. "I guess we can do that. I am feeling a little sleepy." And I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of the bed and someone I loved lull me to sleep on a floating city in space above an alien world. My life could be pretty cool sometimes.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

I woke up to the sound of pounding on my door. Not urgent pounding, granted, but someone wanted me to wake up. It was annoying and I tried to ignore it, but they were insistent and I eventually dragged myself out of bed, ignoring the annoyed whine of my extremely clingy girlfriend as she burrowed into the covers. When I threw the door open with a glare, I was mostly unsurprised to see Benny waiting for me, Celine looking mildly uncomfortable behind him.

"What!" I snapped, knowing it wasn't anything serious by the smug look on his face. I'm not a morning person almost ever, but being woken up before I've finished sleeping puts me in a bad mood every time. Even for naps, premature wake ups are the best way to piss me off if there's no special reason for us.

He just raised an eyebrow, long since immune to my bad moods. "You've been sleeping for like four hours, and I'm bored. We want to go to the bazaar now."

"I'd like it noted that this wasn't my idea." Celine said, raising a hand to get my attention. "Also hi Shane. I told him to let you sleep, but he's actually kind of excited about the shopping, despite how scared he was earlier when I told him that he'd have to learn to haggle."

Benny glared at her. "Don't TELL him that! Now he's going to think I'm a huge pushover."

"Oh please." I snorted. "That ship sailed years ago." I blew out a breath in annoyance. "I...guess we could go out. I'm up now so I guess it doesn't matter." I looked over my shoulder. "Hey, Cal, you up?" My girlfriend's only response was a hand with the middle finger out poking through the covers. Celine actually giggled at that, and I turned back to Benny. "Yeah, she's up. I wouldn't expect much civility from her for a while though."

There was a series of muffled words croaked out from under the blanket, and Celine went red as Benny blanched. "You can't say that to someone!" He squeaked. "Where did you even learn to talk like that?" Her hand snaked out again and pointed to where I was standing. My best friend glared at me. "You're a bad influence."

I just gaped. "I didn't tell her to say that!" I snapped indignantly. "She's got an even worse mouth than I do sometimes when we're alone." Sulking a bit, I huffed. "Go get ready or whatever, we'll be out in a bit to get going. You check with the others? Do they want to go?"

He shook his head. "Mel and Abel already left to explore, Jessie is cuddling with the animals, Natalie is in her room and Cark and Cass are in for now. I went to check in and I think Cass decided to follow in your footsteps and take a nap. Cark was hanging out reading some book Zeke gave him. Seemed pretty into it. Basically, it'll just be the four of us."

I hadn't seen a spot to put the animals, but this place was an Ascendant inn, so they probably had a basement for it or something. Shutting the door in Benny's face, I walked over to grab some clothes. There was an attached showed behind a hanging tapestry on the wall that I'd only just noticed. I poked Callie as I went by. "You want to join me?" There was some muffled muttering and I winced. "Not only is that not anatomically possible, even if it was I wouldn't do it. How about you wake up a bit while I shower and we can talk later." Her response was a muffled grunt that may or may not have been a four letter word.

By the time I came out, Callie was awake, albeit wearing the blanket like a hood. She'd managed to scrounge up a cup of coffee from somewhere and was sipping it, staring blankly into the distance. I snickered because I'd seen this before. When Callie was really tired, especially after partial naps, her brain kind of overloaded itself after waking up. She would stare into space while her thoughts ran for a few minutes, letting her mind catch up.

Despite that, when I walked in, wearing my armor, her eyes snapped up to me. "Shower." She croaked. And I just laughed and gestured that it was all hers. She downed the coffee like a shot, shook her head back and forth like she was trying to shake start it, and the stumbled into the bathroom, grabbing her clothes on the way. After she left I grabbed my mask off the dressed and popped it on my face, then I started stretching a bit to loosen myself up after that absurdly comfortable nap.

The hot water from the shower had relaxed me a ton too, and the combination meant I needed to warm my muscles up a bit to really feel like I was awake. As I was stretching, the tapestry pushed aside and steam billowed out of the bathroom. "Oh gods." Groaned Callie as she emerged. "I'm going to punch Benny in the throat someday when he isn't looking."

I just laughed. "Don't be so grumpy. The nap would have messed up your sleeping schedule anyway. Besides, I'll make you breakfast to make it up to you. In return make sure he IS looking when you punch him in the throat." She giggled at that as she dried her hair with a towel, not worried about normal water damaging her armor or anything. "Anyway, aside from the spatial rings, you planning to look for anything?"

She gave a hum of consideration. "I think I might look into some weapons myself. I raided the pavilion coffers before we left, so we'd have enough for rings, but I should have some leftovers for a dagger or something. My personal stash I'm saving for wishes, but I think it's about time for me arm up. If you remember I can imbue my darkness into items and control them like shadows. I did it with my bike, though it took years of imbuing and special materials."

"Ah." I said, understanding her point. "You've improved. Your new rank and all the stats will make it easier. Plus I bet having a smaller target would help too. Will you need to find a dagger with special materials for that? Or can you just brute force it with anything darkness related." I wasn't sure even a market this big would have her weapons if they were too rare.

She grinned at me. "Pretty much. I just...gods Shane, I never thought I'd be this strong at this age. It would have taken me YEARS in Valen to get to F-rank, if I ever did. I might have been able to do it in Rajak if I'd left with my dad originally, but I'd have basically been selling my soul. Now not only am I an F-ranker with a TERRIFYING new ability, I have a whole team of friends and I'm STILL growing. By this time next year I might be at E-rank at this rate!"

I wanted to tell her not to jump the gun but...she wasn't wrong. I didn't think it would be quite that fast. but still I could see her point. "So...you're happy then?" She gave me a flat look and I held up my hands. "Ok, forget I asked. I know we just talked about this. I just worry. I don't want you to regret coming with me."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot about some stuff. You're lucky you're so cute. Not much in that giant head of yours."

It was my turn to flip her off, to which she just giggled, then finished brushing her hair and dragged me out of the room. We met up with Benny and Celine in the downstairs entryway, and then the four of us set out to explore the city. As a cheat, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the map that led us here, but it didn't actually help at all. Lots of streets and buildings but nothing was labeled.

"Nice try." Said Zeke's voice from behind me. I jumped out of my skin, whirling to find m uncle leaning against the wall behind us. He gave a lazy wave.

"What are you doing out here Zeke?" I asked incredulously. "You're usually pretty hands off. Do you have something you wanted to pick up?"

He sighed. "This place has way too many C and B-rankers. I can cross a planet in a blink, but that only matters if my abilities are leagues above everyone else. If two equally strong B-rankers are attacking someone, the closest wins. Don't want to risk you pissing off someone who might be a genuine threat. After that big show I put on I figure I should stick close."

That hadn't occurred to me, but it seemed like a sensible precaution. "The mask won't work on high rankers. Right." I paused for a second. "Wait...is this mask made from a person? I know your other ones are..."

He snickered. "No. I have a limit to how many greater masks I can make. I can add little buffs and stuff to them with my Voltomancy easily enough, but soul binding a mask is complicated and time consuming, and I can't sustain too many of them. Thirteen at a time, give or take. I can make as many lesser masks as I want from lower ranked Ascendants, but I usually don't bother."

"That's a super creepy power." Said Benny matter of factly. "Just in case you didn't know. At least they're masks made of porcelain and not like...actual faces."

Zeke nodded solemnly. "Even I have limits. Anyway, you're all looking for the marketplace. What specifically were you hoping to find? I know spatial rings, but I also know Shane wanted a weapon. What kind of weapon did you settle on? I can point you in the right direction. Since I'm with you and don't feel like wandering around for hours it's only really helping myself."

I nodded. "I've been waffling, but I decided on a specific type of staff that has the properties I like. It's called a Bang. Some crazy Ascendant with a monkey trait used to use one a long time ago. It's a short staff made of wood with long iron caps on both ends. Small, heavy, and with good spin, plus it's compact and easy to carry on my back. There are some martial arts that use that kind of weapon, so I can pick up some new Skills with it and keep a similar style of combat."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I know the guy you mean. Way before my time obviously, but I think the original Wishmaster knew him. Gods don't age at all as far as I know, and he's been around a LONG time. Not that I can swear to it, I've only met the old man a few times. He likes to spoil the grandkids but attendants aren't usually allowed near him. Me and Eli were close so he got an exception made."

I stared at him in shock. "You...met the Wishmaster. The original? What was he like? I always figured he'd be really scary."

"He wasn't." He said simply. "But because of that...he was. Being a god and being able to hide your presence so thoroughly you seem like a normal old man? He looks to be in his fifties probably, and the one time I met him I couldn't tell. Not based on the way he moved, or talked, or even his senses. He just felt...regular. It was extremely jarring, because I knew he could atomize me with a strong thought."

He trailed off, seeming distracted, so I focused back on the task at hand. "We can talk about that later. For now, let's see if we can find my weapon. I assume you have a place in mind?" The grin he gave me in response made me a bit worried, honestly. I got the feeling this was going to be a wild kind of place.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

"Well." I said uncertainly. "I wasn't expecting...this." Zeke smirked smugly as we stood on the stairs down into an underground chamber filled with tables and stalls. The whole individual vendor thing wasn't a surprise, since this city was supposed to be a bazaar. No, the surprise was the fact that the entire setup was built on a giant sword sticking out of the rock of the cavern.

Below us, I could see a yawning abyss, and off far in the depths, a few shining lights that had to be stars. The hole we were standing in dropped out the bottom of the city into fucking SPACE. Weirdly, the air here was fine, and I wasn't too worried about freezing to death or my lungs exploding, but even knowing that empty space was within sight was seriously freaking me out.

My uncle took in a deep breath, inhaling the smoky, metallic smelling air. "Titanblade emporium. The whole giant sword thing is a bit of a gimmick, but the family that runs the place are weapon fanatics. They're a unity wide organization, and have branches like this all over. I knew someone would have set one up here."

Benny raised a hand cautiously. "Um...what the hell is big enough to use THAT." He pointed at the sword. "Or is it just a platform made to look like a sword."

Zeke chuckled. "Nope. Every Titanblade emporium is built on an ACTUAL titanblade. Giant swords forged for the elders of the Kyros family. They're size shifters, some of the very best. Dakken Kyros, the S-ranker who founded their clan, is known as the Worldhurler. Because he literally gets big enough to THROW planets. Pretty high rank ones too."

I stared down at the massive sword and gulped, but Zeke just patted me on the back. "Don't worry so much. That thing is a push pin compared to one of Dakken's blades. I've seen the main branch of their emporium before. The sword is stuck in the side of that planet like a dart in a dartboard. The hilt reaches the atmosphere. I'd imagine this thing probably belonged to one of the C-rankers the family sent over."

Thinking of a blade that size was...terrifying. Especially since the emporium was probably on a high ranking planet, and they got BIGGER as you ranked them up. It was part of the reason for the gravity increase. Some of it was the weight of Impact, but massive planets had a stronger gravitational pull. You could probably fit a hundred Calluses lengthwise in whatever world that blade was stuck in.

Walking down the steps, we made our way onto a crystalline energy bridge that extended from the bottom of the steps, leading us out into the metal platform created by the huge blade. I expected the floor to shudder or make a hollow clang, but it was like stepping onto a normal metal floor. The only strange thing was that I could feel some of the Impact of this thing. It was much higher ranked than I was, though it seemed to be suppressed somehow.

Since my uncle didn't seem to know more about this place than where it was, it took some wandering around to find the shop we needed, but find it we did. One specific old man sitting at a blanket covered in a literal pile of staves, in front of a squat red tent. As we approached, I started looking through them, but since some of them were buried under the others I eventually got sick of trying to differentiate with just my eyes and turned to ask him. "Hey, I was wondering if you have a short staff with iron caps on the end."

The old man, white hair hanging in a braid down his back and hands folded in the sleeves of his long red robe with gold trim, sighed, muttering. "There's always one." His eyes focused on me. "Yes. I have a Bang you can buy."
"Perfect." I said with a grin. "I'm looking for and enchanted one that-"

"Changes size." He cut me off with annoyance. "I know. Like I said. There's always one. I don't have a size changing staff. They're pointless and not cost effective. You wouldn't be able to handle the increased Might requirements when using it, and even if you could, without some kind of specialized Skill for it, or a staff that was indestructible, it would either be impossible to control or just break under its own weight."

This had the air of a rehearsed speech, but despite how direct he was, I felt the need to point out the obvious. "We're STANDING on a giant sword."

He groaned. "We're standing on a giant sword MADE to be a giant sword. It doesn't change sizes. It's a huge blade made with the express purpose of being used by a huge person. That's why Titanblades are made like that. I can't sell your a size changing weapon, and if I could, I wouldn't because it's stupid."

I just stood there and blinked at him for a second before sighing. "Ok, fine. What does the staff do? And what rank is it? I was hoping for an E-rank weapon. Future proof my layout a bit. Do you have a bang that's E-ranked?"

Shoving his hand into the pile, he fished around for a second before withdrawing...power. The staff WAS E-rank, and I could tell it would be tough to get used to. I knew that people could use weapons and armor one rank above them, but I'd never asked what was required to actually do it. Judging from this sensation, I was going to need to train with this thing for a while just to be able to hold it.

The shaft of the staff was deep, rich brown wood, the grain seeming to form enchantment symbols on its own, though the symbols were never the same when I was looking at it too long. The caps on the ends were made of a greyish black iron, and I could see screaming faces in the metal, their empty eyes pleading for release in a truly chilling way.

"Ghost iron and Infernal Ash wood. Enchanted by an elven master. They have a peculiar way with wood based enchantments. The weapon can pass through solid objects if you focus. The ghost iron also has the interesting effect of absorbing minute traces of life energy on contact. The energy can't exist inside the necrotic metal stably, so it's stored and corrupted, and can be released and an explosive burst of death damage."

He offered it to me, and when I took it I almost staggered at how heavy it was. Not physically, but...in other ways. The Impact of the staff weighed on me, making it feel like I was standing under a great burden. I loved it. "It's perfect." I whispered as I ran my hands over it. "How much?"

He squinted at me calculatingly. "That's a lower end E-rank weapon, but it's made from the finest materials. I'd say fifteen E-ranked coins." I winced, since there was no way I could afford that, but when I went to argue, I was cut off as Celine stepped in.

I'd forgotten she was our go to for haggling so I back off as she issued her counter offer, and when it was rejected, tore into the old man. She started making weirdly accurate deductions about his social standing and effectiveness based on his placement in the market and the condition and organization of his wares.

Sadly despite my hope that our terrifying negotiator would be able to get him down low enough, He stopped at ten E-rank coins and refused to go lower. He wasn't an amateur like Sindar had been, and Celine's skills (or possibly Skills) weren't enough.

"Alright." I cut in once the haggling stalled. "How about this?" I wrote down a few lines on a piece of paper I was carrying
and passed it over, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw them, then narrowed in suspicion.

He glanced from me to the paper. "How many?" I held up three fingers. "And you want me to throw in six rings?" I nodded. His eyes gleamed with avarice. "I can use them as the actual payment, yes? Because if these are compensation I'm not paying twice."

"Yes." I said firmly. "If you have somewhere private nearby to go we can do the trade directly." I poked a thumb at Zeke. "Though be warned if you decide to try anything funny I'm not without protections." This guy didn't strike me as the type to watch tournaments, and even if Zeke couldn't intervene most of the time, there was no need for him to know that.

Zeke met his eyes, and there was a frisson of pressure, too fast and focused to jar the sword or alert anyone else. The old man's eyes went wide again, this time with fear. He was an F-ranker, which meant he was old as hell to look like he did. Like thousands of years old, but feeling what Zeke really was obviously scared him shitless.

He led us back into the tent, closing the flaps, then he touched a few runes that lit up with contact and turned to nod at us. I'd carried the staff in, but he plucked it out of my hands and dropped it on a pillow in the middle of the tent, fishing in a pocket and pulling out six rings. "As agreed. Three wishes. One for the staff, one each for three rings." At my nod, he grinned. "Good. I wish to be young again."

Wish detected. Grant wish? I was positive this wouldn't work like he wanted, but I confirmed, and sure enough. Insufficient stat points to restore youth to target. Requirements: NA reversing thousands of years or Ascendant aging beyond the capacity of Intermediate Wish ability. I'd assumed it wouldn't work, but I expected that message. It was the same one I got when Benny tried to wish for a Master rank ability when I was at Minor.

"That's not going to happen." I said bluntly. Before he could argue, I cut him off. "As in, I don't have the stats to do that. You're too high ranked and it's too much time. I'd suggest shooting for something a bit more feasible." I didn't suggest a wish, because I was paranoid about them not working if they knowingly benefited me too much, but with the hint I was confident the old man would think of something.

He looked annoyed, but then thought it through. "I wish for ten biological years of my youth restored to me." He said confidently. I confirmed when the wish came up but shook my head. "Nope. Too much, scale it back. That's three hundred and twenty years of life. Literally ten percent of your total lifespan."

He snarled out a curse and then snapped. "Fine! Three years. I wish for three biological years of my life back." He paused, waiting to be let down, but...huh. That actually worked. Maybe because of the three times modifier or maybe it was just a more reasonable ask.

When I told him he brightened a bit. Considering three times thirty two was ninety six, which made the three years I'd given him almost three more centuries of lifespan, I could understand why. He made all three wishes, then passed us over the rings and handed me back the staff. He looked sprightlier, albeit not to an insane degree. He'd probably been biologically in his mid nineties (albeit in extremely good shape because of Vitality), so taking him down to ninety two wasn't a huge physical change. Still I could tell, especially with my Perception being what it was.

I weighed the staff (apparently it was a Stygian Branch) in my hands, grinning madly at my new weapon and how much fun it would be to use it, and thanked the old man before we moved on. We had more shopping to do, looking for a weapon for Callie and possibly something for Benny to integrate alongside the new inventions he informed me he'd just finished. I was happy to shop though. I still had all my money to spend. This would be so much fun.