It was the first time Phoenix had woken up from death already feeling victorious. She had actually managed to help her mentor—at least a little bit. Sure she had died, but for once it had felt worth it. The sense of pride and accomplishment filled her with a joy that she rarely got to experience and she just y there naked on the bed basking in the feeling.

  It took her a moment to realize there was more than just the usual death notice waiting for her to read on the open pages of the [Guide Book] floating above her like it usually did.

  New Title: Martyr

  Your aura has been slightly modified by your accomplishment. The desire to save others at the cost of yourself can be sensed within it. Your aura has slightly increased effects when low on health.

  Phoenix hadn’t been expecting a title for actually dying to help someone else rather than for herself or at the hands of enemies. She idly wondered if other people had the title as well or if she was the only one to survive after the fact to see it.

  On a whim, she pulled out Sky from her collection to talk to the blue stuffed kitsune plushie about her victory and new Title. When one of the nine tails brushed against the pages of her still-open [Guide Book], new writing caught her attention as it gave more details about the trinket.

  Item: Sky, the Magic Kitsune Plush

  A dearly loved nine-tailed kitsune plush companion that soothes and comforts the wielder.

  Caste: Emerald.

  Avaibility: Epic.

  Type: Trinket, doll.

  Effects:

  Repairs damage over time. Extensive damage may require external repair.Cleans itself over time.Increased resistance to Elemental and physical damage.Can be easily found by the st person to pet it.Slowly grants instances of [Refreshing Presence] when pet; up to a maximum threshold.Slowly grants instances of [Calming Companion] when held; up to a maximum threshold.Slowly grants instances of [Sleepy] when hugged, up to a maximum threshold.Refreshing Presence (boon, magical, arcane, stacking): Slightly increases regeneration of mana and stamina. Instances are quickly lost over time.Calming Companion (boon, magical, covenant): Moderates the emotions of the wielder to prevent sudden changes or reduce extremely votile levels.Sleepy (boon, magical, covenant, stacking): Greatly increases drowsiness, causing sleep after reaching maximum stack threshold. Once asleep, all stacks of [Sleepy] are removed and a twelve-hour cooldown is incurred in order to gain more stacks of [Sleepy].

  “Who makes an Emerald Caste plushie?!” Phoenix asked the doll incredulously, though still proceeded to hold Sky closer and pet the soft creation; for the first time, truly believing that the voxen twins really were born into some kind of nobility despite their often casual demeanor.

  After taking a few minutes to calm down from the victory high –most likely accelerated by the plushie’s influence– she slowly sat up and conjured a fresh dress. As she hung her legs off the side of the bed, she mentally went over the new items in her collection.

  There was an influx of Fire, Earth, and Light Shards as well as the usual Mana Bits. A small dimensional belt pouch was also included and she assumed it had originally been holding the stack of Emerald Caste Mana Potions that now lived in her collection. There was a Fire Aspect and Emerald Caste Purifier Spirit Gem that she had no use for, along with a handful of various Emerald Caste jewelry that mostly boosted Light, Fire, and Radiant damage. She idly wondered if Paul would want to wear it since she wasn’t high enough Caste. He definitely met that requirement and actually had multiple abilities that would benefit from it.

  The most notable items, however, were the Robes of the Purifier, Wings of Zeal, and Pure Wrap, which she assumed also came from the Emerald Caster, along with her new quest rewards.

  She checked out the description for the wrap first, which turned out to be a cloth sash that would wrap around her waist as a more decorative style of belt.

  Item: Pure Wrap

  A wrap often worn around the waist by the servants of the Purifier.

  Caste: Emerald.

  Avaibility: Rare.

  Type: Apparel, belt.

  Requirements: Emerald Caste or higher.

  Effects:

  Repairs durability over time.Keeps the wearer’s body and equipped items clean.Slowly accumutes ambient mana over time to generate instances of [Benediction] on the item up to a maximum threshold.The wearer may spend a low amount of mana to generate an instance of [Benediction].Benediction (boon, dispel, divine, radiant, stacking): Automatically consumes a stack to remove a Magical Bane when the wearer acquires one.

  Next, she examined the matching pure-white robes with gold trim.

  Item: High Robes of the Purifier

  A set of robes often worn by the servants of the Purifier and inscribed with their divine symbols.

  Caste: Emerald.

  Avaibility: Epic.

  Type: Apparel, chest.

  Requirements: Emerald Caste or higher.

  Effects:

  Repairs durability over time.Keeps the wearer’s body and equipped items clean.Grants a minor levitation effect to keep the wearer a few inches above the ground.The wearer’s movements become more fluid and bance is slightly increased.For an additional low mana cost, the item can emit a soft glow.Increased resistance to Dark, Death, and Void negative effects.Increases Light, Life, and Radiant damage.Enhances the wearer’s aura to sense through aura disguises.

  Phoenix was excited about the useful items, but regretted having to wait for Emerald Caste before she could use any of them. She wondered if maybe it would be better to trade them for a couple of things she could use now instead. Perhaps Paul would have some ideas on what might be better.

  She was slightly confused about the incongruity of the size of the next item compared to the name she read and wondered if trying to test it out would cause some sort of backsh from not being the appropriate Caste.

  Item: Wings of Zeal

  An Augmentation cultivated from the conversion of a transfiguration ability into an item.

  Caste: Emerald.

  Avaibility: Legendary.

  Type: Augment, back.

  Requirements: Emerald Caste.

  Effects:

  Can use an Augment Ritual to embed the item into the wielder’s back. The wings will take on an appearance that reflects the zeal of the wielder’s soul. This Augment type can be removed via an additional Separation Ritual without harm to the wielder.For no mana cost, the Augment can remain in [Passive Mode] which grants the wielder the ability to hover idly in the air and increased resistance to negative Elemental effects.For a low mana cost per second, the Augment can remain in [Flight Mode] which increases the size of the manifested wings and grants the wielder freeform flying capability.For a moderate mana cost per second, the Augment can remain in [Defensive Mode] which greatly increases the size of the wings and further solidifies them into interlocking shields, granting greatly increased resistance to negative Magical and physical effects.For a high mana cost per second, the Augment can remain in [Offensive Mode] which disperses the wings into individual feathers which move as high-speed projectiles that explode on contact with a targeted enemy for a high amount of Radiant damage. Once all the feathers have been expended the wings automatically return to [Passive Mode] and incur a 1-hour cooldown to replenish the expended feathers.

  Phoenix gaped at the item which appeared like a small golden pin about the size of her palm in the shape of a pair of tiny angel wings. Now she really wished she was Emerald Caste already because flying around with these sounded awesome.

  She even contempted hoarding them until she could put them on, but the fact that she was still a long way off and they could be removed, meant that she would likely give them to her mentor. She had seen how he had struggled with that aerial combatant. These would have made the battle much easier for him, and likely saved lives because of it.

  The next and st item to inspect for now was the upgraded quest reward that she hoped was another result of her [Guide Book] providing her with something she actually needed and would help her die less often.

  Item: Shifting Twilight

  A full body armor, crafted from the leather and scales of a twilight wyvern.

  Caste: Crystal.

  Avaibility: Epic.

  Type: Apparel, chest and legs.

  Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

  Effects:

  Increased resistance to physical damage. Highly effective against sshing and piercing damage, less effective against bludgeoning damage.Repairs durability over time.Adapts to fit the wearer, within a certain range, and is treated as the wearer’s skin for the purposes of abilities.Color shifts along a grayscale spectrum based on the level of light in the surrounding environment.Grants variable increase to Strength and Agility based on the current shade of the scales. The darker the shade, the more Agility is granted; while the lighter the shade, the more Strength is granted.When the item’s shade is at its lightest, gain the Boon [Brightest Day].When the item’s shade is at its darkest, gain the Boon [Bckest Night].Brightest Day (boon, transfiguration, magical, song): Your secondary characteristics reflect the day. For a low amount of mana per second, you can loudly amplify your voice.Bckest Night (boon, transfiguration, magical, song): Your secondary characteristics reflect the night. For a low amount of mana per second, you can make your voice come from a nearby target.

  Phoenix was amazed by the item and eagerly donned it, making her way to the bathroom to look at herself in the standing mirror she had discovered there. It fit her form like a second skin and easily flexed with her, the small smooth ste scales sliding to accommodate the movement.

  In the soft glow of the glowstones embedded in the ceiling, and the bit of diffused sunlight entering through a frosted tinted window, the armor was currently a soft matte grey color covering every inch of her body up to the top of her neck. Her red hair, green eyes, and pale glowing face stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the wyvern skin.

  Phoenix not only felt the increase in her Strength and Agility, but she also felt lighter without the thick clothing she normally wore constricting her movements. She suddenly wanted to go out and test the new item in combat, then remembered she had left her friends in the Reality Rift, and they would get suspicious about her not returning with Paul. It had only been about fifteen minutes since she awoke, though, so they were likely still there waiting.

  She only made it about halfway across her bedroom when the door opened and she came face to face with Dazien. He stared at her bnkly for the briefest of moments before his expression transformed with anger, and he conjured [Excalibur], leveling it directly at her chest.

  Paul was between them in an instant as he held his hands up defensively and said in a low and steady voice, “Calm yourself.”

  “What manner of illusion or shape-changing is this, Lord Waynd?” Dazien spat out in obvious rage and disgust, “What vile trick are you attempting to deceive us with? You pn to get away with murder by having an imposter assume her form?”

  Phoenix was shocked by his behavior towards her mentor and was immediately consumed by curiosity about what exactly Paul had told them about her momentary absence. Then confusion hit as she wondered how and why they had arrived here so quickly. It should have taken them a good hour to walk back here from the base within the Rift, but it had only been a quarter of that since she had awoken. The thought left her feeling suddenly uneasy.

  “This is not a trick,” Paul calmly said as he tried to reassure the party. The others had entered behind Dazien but hadn’t seen what had caused him to suddenly turn on Paul. At least, until she peeked her head around the rger man to look at all of them and give a small wave.

  The others gasped, Saiya covering her mouth in shock, while Uriel let his hang open. Rayna practically lunged toward her in an attempt to embrace her, but Dazien grabbed the bard’s arm to forestall her, saying harshly, “I saw her in the center of that explosion. I saw her get impaled on Lord Waynd’s sword. Then my own ability confirmed her death when she was suddenly no longer part of my communication network. She is dead.”

  “Um… Yes and no,” Phoenix said, staying behind Paul just in case Dazien made to end the perceived threat, “It was the other secret I was pnning to tell you about after my quest, but then the whole expedition thing kind of interrupted…”

  Dazien’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he asked, “Another secret?”

  “You knew about this one too,” Phoenix pointed out, “My st Natural Talent.”

  His eyes widened but then hardened again as he bluntly said, “Prove it.”

  “I’m not killing myself again to prove anything,” Phoenix replied, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest, which she just realized was no longer being left to the imagination with her new armor. She internally groaned and conjured her dress over the second skin.

  “I didn’t say to prove you could die,” Dazien growled in annoyance, “Prove that you are who you cim to be.”

  She quirked an eyebrow, “Really? That’s like from every cliché movie involving magic out there. We never even came up with a secret passcode or call sign.”

  At their confused expressions, she sighed and summoned her [Guide Book] to slowly float in front of them and dispy her [Waypoint] information for them to read.

  Phoenix waited patiently as she gave them time to process then the holy sword vanished and she was wrapped up in strong arms. Dazien threatened to crack ribs as he held onto her as though letting go would be her dying all over again.

  She awkwardly tried to pat his back with her pinned arms in an attempt to comfort her friend when another set of rge arms wrapped around the pair of them. Then another smaller pair, followed by a twin set.

  Suddenly the whole party was entangled in a group hug, tears mixed with ughter as the swirl of emotions swept through them; the friends relieved to be reunited once more.

  As they all started to calm down and managed to extricate themselves from one another, they took to the plush seats to talk about the details Phoenix had left out before.

  Saiya was the first to ask a question as she casually pced the Sky plushie into Dazien’s p. He raised a brow at the gentle voxen, but Saiya just moved his hand in a petting motion for him until he took over himself to idly pet the plushie as she inquired, “That night when the sirens raided. Was that the first time you died? It seemed odd the way you vanished on us.”

  Phoenix chuckled at the sight of the warrior petting a blue kitsune doll and shook her wild locks that she hadn’t bothered to tie back into a braid yet as she expined, “No, that was the third time. The first and second were before you had joined the party.”

  Dazien paused in his idle petting as events started clicking into pce for him, and he muttered angrily, “Are you saying that Arktis actually murdered you?!”

  Saiya moved his hand again for him, forcing Dazien to calm down unbeknownst to him. He didn’t even look at Saiya that time as he resumed the petting, as though subconsciously seeking the pleasant fuzzy feeling she remembered gaining herself earlier.

  “She was the one during the raid,” Phoenix admitted grimly, “And while she was there during the fourth time when Murinah’s dad kidnapped me, she wasn’t actually the one who killed me.”

  “How many times have you died?” Uriel asked in quiet horror, mirroring the looks that everyone else gave her. Then he joined his partner the next moment in petting the small nine-tailed fox plush, after doing a double-take of the man beside him and eyeing the plushie with curiosity.

  Phoenix actually had to pause, though, to mentally count as she answered, “Six now.”

  “Eight,” Paul spoke up from his pce leaning against the back of her room door, “I checked with the Temple of the Undertaker and they have two other confirmed deaths listed… so far.”

  “What? How is that possible? I’ve only died six times since coming here. My book tells me each time it happens,” she said in confusion.

  “Well, are you counting when you arrived here?” Saiya asked as though that one was obvious.

  “What do you mean? I didn’t die on arrival.”

  “You’re a Wayfarer though,” Saiya continued, “You mentioned your body being remade when you arrived in this world. My guess would be that your soul was what got transferred to this reality, leaving your old, now dead, body behind, while a new one was formed on this side.”

  “How would something like that even work?” she asked curiously.

  Saiya shrugged, “No idea. I don’t think anyone has seen a Wayfarer arrive before.”

  “That would still only be one more,” Phoenix pointed out, trying to get the discussion back to the original topic and pointedly ignoring the questions surrounding her arrival, “There wasn’t any magic in my world, and I didn’t have this [Waypoint] talent. How could I have been resurrected?” Most of them gave a shrug, likely not having enough information about her world to specute properly.

  Dazien was reading over her ability once more as he asked, “What’s the cost for this? Mana? If you don’t have any left when you die will it fail?”

  Phoenix’s brow furrowed as she stated, “No, I was pretty tapped out when I used [Supernova] before that st death. I don’t think it costs anything to use.”

  “Everything has a price, Phoenix. Nothing is free, even when it comes to magic. We talked about that before with your storage talent,” he gestured toward the book, “Even when your book says an ability doesn’t cost something it just means it’s either negligible or utilizes something more inherent to your nature but you don’t just get something out of nothing.”

  She shrugged, “Maybe it’s one of those things then?”

  He frowned, seeming displeased with the answer, asking, “You’re sure the book doesn’t inform you about any cost after you die?”

  With a thought, the book dispyed the st death message she got for him as she answered, “No, that’s all it tells me.”

  You have died.

  All equipment has been returned to your collection.

  [Waypoint] has guided your soul back to your designated location.

  You have been reconstituted to a state of full integrity.

  Twenty-four hours remain until this effect can be triggered again.

  Dazien’s frown deepened as he asked, “What does it mean by a ‘state of full integrity’?

  “I just assume it means a ‘not dead’ state,” she said with yet another shrug. She pondered the words for a bit though, thinking through the implications, then asked her own question that had been gnawing at the back of her mind as she gnced over to Paul. “How long did it take you to get here after I died?”

  The question seemed to catch him off guard as he answered, “About a quarter past an hour. I tried to make them hurry a bit so we could discuss things privately.” He gave a side gnce towards Dazien. “Your companions were beginning to make a scene thinking I had murdered you.” Then his eyes narrowed towards her. “Why do you ask?”

  She frowned and stared at her p before admitting, “When I resurrect it feels instantaneous for me… but I was only awake for about fifteen minutes before you arrived.”

  Rayna pointed at the text she had been reading over Dazien’s shoulder. “It says here that your soul was guided back here. Maybe there’s some travel time involved as the soul progresses back?”

  “Maybe,” she said with uncertainty and wasn’t sure she wanted to test the theory. Then another tangent thought crossed her mind at the mention of ‘progress’ as she made her book float over towards her and pulled up her profile to double check Ta’s growth after the difference in fighting Arktis compared to the other Sapphire Caster. Plus, she was also curious about how her newest cataclysmic ability might have grown.

  Her jaw dropped in shock as she looked over the numbers. Her [Wings of the Cosmos] ability read Crystal 4 (6%) while [Supernova] still showed 0%. Her Familiar ability percentage had gone down. She didn’t even know losing progress in an ability was possible.

  As her mind whirled, she said in a horrified whisper, “I think I figured out what resurrecting costs me…”

  When they all turned to look at her with a questioning gaze she said, “It’s the worst game mechanic of all… Dying costs experience.”

  End of Book 2 of Wayward: FightingPhoenix and friends will return in Book 3 of Wayward: Falling