Satin Appointment

Valant nodded. "A lack of communication."

"Very much so." I winced.

"Your communication with your familiars will be a life and death connection, just like with a party of other humans. Yours are bonded familiars, yes?"

She eyed my odd familiars critically.

I nodded.

"Communication is a Wayfinder's single most important skill." She proclaimed. "Therefore, let me be clear. If you lose control of your familiars in the dungeon, it will kill you."

She leveled us with a severe look. Then relented.

"I have one other matter to discuss with you." Valant said. "Do you feel able? We may schedule a separate--"

I shook my head. "I'm good. What's up?"

Valant raised a brow.

"What's up, professor Valant?" I tried.

She snorted.

I nearly leapt out of my chair, at her casual amusement. I hadn't realized she was capable of something as undignified as a snort.

Then she sobered. "Your Class."

I tensed.

"--makes you the latest in a recent uptick in what has historically been an exceedingly rare occurrence-- exotic Classes from entities other than the Architect."

I frowned. "So there's a bunch of people now with Classes that aren't from the Architect? Are they from Chaos too, or...?"

Valant studied me closely. "As far as I know, you are the only Chaos Blessed. Two linked issues bear mention. First, the entity to gift these exotic Classes most prolifically has been Eternity."

I nodded, trying to look like I understood.

Valant sighed. "This entity has sometimes colloquially been known as Undeath."

Oh FUCK.

Then an image struck me. Blood pooling together into a flesh abomination. Wally's body reforged into a writhing mass of dead arms.

Lorna and Lucy drew closer to me, protectively.

"Max." I said.

"Indeed." Valant confirmed. "He was Night Blessed. A recipient of one such an exotic Class."

I furroughed my brow. "What was he doing in Emberdome?? We're no where. Was he just looking for bodies to start an undead army or some fucked up...take over the world type shit?"

Valant eyed me carefully. "Eir. The reason I bring this to your attention is that the Night Blessed, those with Classes from Eternity and its allies, have been hunting the Blessed of the other Primordials for some time. Exotic Classes tend to grow faster and more powerfully than those of the Architect. So threats of the kind that struck Emberdome have become increasingly common across the continent, and we believe, the world."

Valant kept talking. But ringing was filling my ears. I felt sick.

"He was there for me." I said. My skin was crawling. "But he didn't know what I looked like, or who I was. He asked Wally 'where is she?' but I was right there. Why?"

Valant opened her scar twisted mouth, but my brain beat her to it.

"He was looking for someone powerful. Exotic Classes are supposed to be stronger. So when I was a helpless little weakling...."

I couldn't finished. I had gotten everyone killed. It was my fault, doubly. If I had just taken one of the other, perfectly good Classes the Architect had offered, everyone I knew would be alive. Wally would be alive.

And then I had gone and taken Chaos' Blessing. AND then still been so weak, Max couldn't even recognize me.

"Eir." Valant harsh voice cut through my spiral. "It is not your fault."

I nodded, numbly.

"It is not. Your. Fault." Valant growled. "The Night Blessed have some way of locating...people like you." She stopped, obviously withholding something.

"The people who attacked your town came from the Durnst waste." Valant said. "They had no portal specialist, and even if they did, such a journey would have taken weeks. Most likely, they had been en route for months. The wastes are not easy to cross, even for Wayfinders of that calliber. Did you know, months before the attack, that you would take an Exotic Class?"

I blinked and shook my head slowly. It had been a complete surprise.

Valant nodded. "But they knew someone would. And they came for war."

I slumped. "Why? Why go to all that trouble? Why hurt all those people. Why are they hunting the rest of us?"

"I don't know." Valant said, "I am sorry. But I promise you that I, and many trusted and powerful allies, are working very hard to find out."

"Am I a danger to the school, being here? Will they come to Bayloft?"

"That is a matter of some contention. You have a choice. You could choose to conceal the strength of your Class, hold back a little as you Level, and attempt to blend in with your fellow first years. This may lower the chance that our enemies get wind of you again."

She paused.

I swallowed. "Or?"

"Or, you could strive to the utmost, become as bright a beacon as possible, and in doing so lay a trap."

A slow fierce light kindled in me.

"I'll do that one."

An approving smile spread over Valant's scarred features and she sat back like a great cat.

"In truth, we are...I am very much hoping that they come to Bayloft." She said, "The staff do not take kindly to threats to our students. And remember that this place was originally a fortress."

She lounged, eying me like a hawk for some time. Then abruptly. "Regardless of how subtle or not you are about it, you need to get as strong as possible, as fast as possible. While you are at Bayloft, you are under our protection. But things are afoot in the wide world, Eir. And like it or not, you are to be entangled in them."

She cast a sharp glance at my Familiars, lingering on Lorna for a long, intense moment. Then she stood.

"Work hard. Dismissed." She said.

I took the envelope and retreated from her office, Lorna and Lucy in tow.

Lucy snatched my hand and slid close in the hall.

"You heard her." She whispered. "It's our responsibility to have more bonding time. It's our greatest strength."

She grinned happily at my flat expression.

"We must become strong, Lady Lucy." Lorna said, gliding beside us with a somber, far away look in her eye. "Eir will need us soon."

Lucy's grip tightened on my hand, and her grin turned fierce. "We will be. And so will she. Right baby?"

"Right." I nodded.

I didn't understand who these Night Blessed, Eternity/undeath worshiping fuckers were or what they wanted. But when they came for me again, I would be ready. They owed me a debt. And I was looking forward to collecting.

Back at the dorm, we drew quite a few whispers and looks but I kept my head down and scurried to the bunk I had claimed with Jennie.

She was already there, sleeping with a fluffy mask over her eyes.

I stopped to find that my suitcase had already been nearly unpacked into one of the trunks at the ends of our bed. I gratefully snagged a change of clothes. I was gross from the long day.

The bathroom was spartan, clean but utterly bare of amenities. The water didn't even get warm. My familiars didn't require bathing to stay clean, being able to simply zip off back to the astral whenever I dismissed them. But I had no such option. I endured the mountain's freezing waters long enough to furiously scrub myself and not a second longer.

I piled into the narrow twin bed, and was grateful when Lucy curled up with me. Her warm soft embrace quickly had me drifting off to sleep. I was exhausted. Even Lucy didn't try to start anything frisky. Lorna faded and watched over us as a benevolent ghostly presence all night.