Item: Maverick Badge


    Keystone Item


    Legendary


    The badge symbolizes that you are now a member of the Maverick Federation. This item unlocks the final power in the federation power slot. Would you like to use? Yes/no?


    Yes.


    You have gained the federation power, Maverick. You have displayed what it takes to be a Maverick. You have shown grit, tactic, and wit to allow you to pass the Maverick assessment; congratulations.


    Skill: Celestine Fusion


    Maverick has unlocked the skill Celestine Fusion. You are producing an intense amount of energy. Infuse that energy with manna to release it in various attacks. The attacks can be long-ranged or short-ranged. Fusion attacks are heavy-hitting, dealing significant damage. Fusion attacks can be held to increase power before being released. Damage is equal to relative energy output.


    Interesting, Ob thought, I didn''t think that would unlock a skill for me. I thought I had to use keystones. But I guess it was a keystone. Well, that is one less thing I have to buy at the Goldar temple.


    Objective: Join a Federation - Completed


    You have joined a federation. Reward for joining the Maverick Federation.


    Reward: Keystone Match Box


    Reward: Wand of the Loyal


    Reward: 100,000 gold pieces


    Ob looked out the window to see the moon still shining high. He couldn''t sleep. His mind had been racing all night long, looking at the badge in his hand. He was nervous. He didn''t like being here with the thought of something or someone tracking him. He still wasn''t that strong but wanted to get stronger. He was eager to train but was also practicing patience. Calm Ob, there will be plenty of time to train. Realizing he hadn''t spoken to VON in a while, he gave the mental command.


    Ob slipped out of bed to go sit in the moonlight on the balcony. Hey VON.


    Status: VON has leveled up


    VON is now level 10


    "Goooodnight, that''s a lot."


    VON can be bonded with a soul-link. VON''s form will change to match the aura and soul of the user. This form will not be able to be changed after. VON will revert back to its old form from now on. Would you like to create a soul-link with VON?


    "Hell yes!"


    Soul-link connection is being established.


    As Ob was sitting, waiting for VON to fully materialize, he was so curious as to what he would turn into. Was VON even a he? Would it be a small silver fox? Is that useful? If VON is transforming into something, does that mean he is a baby? How does that work? All these questions were sprinting through Ob''s mind all at once. As each question raced by, he could start to see a small light appear in front of him. The light grew, not brighter but bigger; golden swirls began to form around the spot in front of Ob.


    Ob held his breath, unsure what was going to appear, but he was so excited. Eclipse appeared next to him, "I am getting a roommate, how fun." Ob turned to look at Eclipse, a little shocked at that response, "What? You thought I would get jealous; you''re cool but not that cool, Ob." She said playfully, "It is another purely magical creature,"


    "Another dragon?" Ob secretly did not want this to be the case. One was enough.


    "No," she responded, "no other dragon would accept the soul-link with you already having one. As a matter of fact, most creatures wouldn''t accept it. There is one, though, that gets along really well with dragons."


    A creature with two furry large paws and two large eagle-like talons started to appear. As the body was more revealed, the legs of a lion above the large furry paws, the fur was diamond ice blue. Above the eagle''s talons were thick furry legs; the fur matched the fur of the rest of its body. The midsection of the body was thick and muscular, all with that same diamond ice-blue fur. It had two wings, big enough to carry the heavy body. The connecting point between the wings and the body was that same diamond ice blue as the fur. The feathers that extended out of the joint were a gradient blue, ending a dark glacier blue. It had the face of an Eagle, but not one that he had seen on Earth. The feathers were the same silver and white, but the beak was dark red/black. The creature''s fur would shimmer in the moonlight. The shimmering reminded Ob of a frozen waterfall. Once again, he found himself in absolute awe of the creatures and their beauty. He was face to face with a griffin that looked like it had been frozen in a glacier.


    What looked like the opposite of Ob, its eyes were glacier blue and sharp. They stared back at Ob quizzically as if it was wondering how it got here.


    "Hello, Oscar," The griffin spoke into the minds of Ob and Eclipse, "Hello, Eclipse, I am Zephryus."


    "Like the god of the west wind, in my world." Ob said.


    "Just as you say." His voice was deep and mellow. It was like what he imagined ice would talk like, cool and relaxed. The direct opposite of Eclipse, who is fiery and aggressive.


    "I see," Ob said, looking back and forth between his two companions. "You''re the final balancing piece to Eclipse and myself. You are the ice to Eclipse''s fire? More harmony."


    "Just as you say. Do you mind if I call you Oscar? Ob is a nickname of a name you no longer recognize."


    "Sure, that''s fine." Ob said, "You can too if you''d like Eclipse."


    "No, thank you. Ob is great with me, friend." She responded, "A griffin, huh? Why did you say yes to this soul-link?"


    Zephyrus turned to Eclipse, "Because of you. Your mother speaks highly of you; I wanted to come to see the beautiful, feisty solar eclipse dragon for myself."


    Ob raised an eyebrow at the comment. Was that mythical creature flirting? He didn''t know whether to be impressed or disgusted, so he elected with silence. Ob looked at Eclipse, recognizing that he had a better bond with her, and noticed she was thinking the same thing. Once again, Ob didn''t know what to feel, so he just ignored the feeling altogether and said. "So are you level 10 like VON? Also, how did you come from VON?"


    "Your earthling ability was always meant to be a charm. The charm would adapt to you. What you turned out to be, what your nature would mostly become. You turned into a mystic celestine. Once VON, as you called it, got the soul reading it needed, it boosted itself to level 10 which unlocked the charm. That is how I was offered and accepted the link. I am not level 10. I am level 16, the level you are."


    "That would make sense since my aura and soul manipulation came from my earthling ability. Speaking of abilities, I have been meaning to ask… how come they don’t show up when I pull up my status, only did the first time or when they were upgraded? How do they upgrade? The first time I looked at them, they were question marks. Also, why didn''t identify work at showing abilities either? Is there a maximum of abilites one can have? And lastly, were you at a higher level at one point?"


    "Abilities are special to the individual; they are one of the most treasured secrets any magical or somewhat magical being can possess. Only a few species can have abilities to evolve or upgrade as you say. Celestines and Humans. The rest of us are set with the abilities we are born with. How they upgrade is unknown. The amount you can have is unknown to me. You will have to manually check your abilities outside of our status.”


    Ability: Way of the Dragon


    You have woken up in a different dimension; your new first dimension was one that was ruled by dragons. You have created a soul-link with a particularly powerful dragon race, thus evolving your ability. The Way of the Dragon allows the ability to live in multiple dimensions. Flight and teleportation are now available to learn. Magical senses and manna pools have increased significantly. ????, ????, and ????


    Ability: Aura Manipulation


    You have created a soul-link with a particularly powerful dragon race, thus evolving your ability. Aura Manipulation increases UI, allowing the user to see how difficult it would be to manipulate an aura. Users can now learn how to control aura. Users can now see other''s souls. Users can now learn how to control souls.


    Ability: Absolute Resolve


    You have swallowed your fear to hold steady in the face of grave dangers. You are now immune to fear aura attacks of those from a maximum of one level higher. Fear Aura attacks from at least two levels higher do reduced damage. You have gained bonuses to your soul and aura defenses. Fear Spells from your level or lower result in boone to strength.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    “Thank you for showing me, you have a good set of abilities. To answer your question about my level; Yes and no. As you know purely magical beings are different in terms of powers. When we are not a soul-link we have our power level then; The moment we accept a soul-link our powers get scaled down to the soul-link companion. This is why Eclipse here was level 1 when you met but she was also young."


    "But I thought you had to be my level; otherwise, you can''t accept."


    "That''s dragons only Ob." Eclipse said, "that is just our nature. We are too proud to stoop down. Your system must have put that warning in so you wouldn''t waste your charm."


    "I believe that is accurate," Zephyrus said. The griffin paused for a moment, then looked at Ob with sincere eyes, "I am excited to be on this journey with you, young Celestine. I believe it will be a taxing one but one that will be enjoyable."


    "Likewise! I''ve always wanted to meet a griffin and now I have one as a friend and partner. I''ll get started on your soul home, I wonder what you''ll appear as on my body."


    "I believe I will change your hair color," Zephryus said, "thank you for the accommodations. I will likely not be as hidden as Eclipse, here."


    "Probably not, are griffins hated?" Ob asked.


    "No, we are revered." Zephyrus said.


    "Great, more attention," Ob said with a sigh, "I''m just going to have to accept this huh?"


    The two soul-link companions nodded at Ob''s rhetorical question. "WAIT!" Ob said with sudden realization, "Did I lose VON?!"


    Help:


    You still have access to VON but only as a UI/HUD and guide as it first was. VON has lost the ability to level up. VON has lost the ability to create projections and spar.


    "Smooth, bummer about the projections though. Oh well, good, that would have been tragic," Ob said.


    Soul-Link: Zephyrus


    You have created a soul-link with the griffin Zephyrus.


    Status: Zephyrus


    Bronze Level: 16


    Skill: Icy Bite


    Using their ferocious fangs imbued with magic. The bite will leave ice burns on opponents if the attack is not fatal.


    Skill: Icy Talons


    Using their ferocious talons imbued with magic. The slashing attack will leave ice burns on the opponent if the attack is not fatal.


    Skill: Moonlight


    The griffin''s feathers and claws have healing properties. Using magic within the griffin can heal wounds.


    Ability:  Treasure Hunter


    Your soul-link partner has the ability to spot gold or valuable items. Your chance of receiving these items from drops off of vanquished enemies has marginally increased, passive.


    Ability: Nobility


    Griffins are noble and loyal creatures. Born to fight evil and protect. A griffin provides strength and speed bonuses to those in its party when fighting those who have an evil heart, soul, or aura.


    "Do all griffins look like you?" Ob asked.


    "Yes, why?" Zephyrus responded.


    "In my world, y''all don''t exist. But the myths and stories all describe y''all to be golden brown and reside where the sun never sets."


    "I see, here most griffins reside in colder climates. Where the sun rarely shines."


    "Interesting," Ob mused; the more he interacted with these great magical beasts, the more he felt like many people from his former world had come here long, long ago. Bringing back the myths to his former world. Not completely, though; I wonder if that was intentional or if they were changed due to the passing of stories. "Well Zephyrus, welcome to the team! We''re still," he motioned to Eclipse, "getting used to each other, but we''ve formed a great bond over the past few months."


    "Your bond is quite strong; thank you for your welcome," Zephyrus said, bowing his head slightly. As he did that, Ob went back to lie down in bed. What was once filled with unsleepable exhaustion was now filled with excitement. VON had to have been a gift to Ob for the specific reason of providing a charm item. He wasn''t sure if the dragon charm was a gift or extreme luck. He couldn''t believe he was that lucky, though. There was a point where too much luck became suspicious, and he was two legendary items past that point.


    Ob wanted to learn more; he wanted to find out why he was here. Scourge said he wasn''t sure how he got here, but he was sure it was for a purpose. He didn''t know if he should investigate more or leave it be. There was something deep inside Ob that he wanted to understand what brought him here. There was another part of him that didn''t want to know; he wanted to live in ignorance and live his new life with his new friends, his new special person, and his new companions. Adventure is here and exciting. Did he want to ruin that, figuring out how to get back to the life he was okay with?


    Zephyrus and Eclipse stood there giving each other a look and watching Ob stare at his hands, not saying a word. Eclipse walked toward her friend and rested her head against his side. She wasn''t sure how he must have been feeling, but she knew he was deep in thought about something.


    Ob looked up from his thoughts to see Eclipse providing him comfort. He smiled, leaned back, and gave a grateful nod. "Clearly, I am lost in thought; I just don''t know what to do." Ob began; he sat on the floor, taking a deep breath. "I want to know why I am here. I also want to not know. This life is awesome; this new start has provided me with so much." he paused, searching for the right words to say here. "Opportunity, gifts, blessings, adventure! I don''t know!" his voice started to rise as he got excited. "The world is full of wonders and beauty."


    Zephyrus felt something inside of him flutter; this man, this Celestine, was a fresh start. He sensed a big desire to be good in Oscar. He sensed a desire to remain balanced, to fight evil, to be whole. He sensed something else, but he couldn''t figure it out. Was it determination? Was it pride? Was it love? Whatever it was, it was attractive to Zephyrus, and he assumed everyone else. Zephyrus felt a huge pull to help this man find exactly what he wanted. He felt a sense of duty to fight to the ends of the world with Oscar. "I''m with you, Oscar." is all Zephryus said. Ob looked into the glacier-blue eyes of the griffin; he understood all that was meant in that statement. Ob nodded gratefully at him.


    "I got your back Ob, you know this. We are here. Whatever path you decide, we are with you." Eclipse said.


    <hr>


    Abigail woke up next to a snoring Vincent. She looked over to her left to see her boyfriend in his purest form, mouth widely agape, drool falling slowly, long, deep snores with every breath. She thought about how wonderful he was and how adorable he was even in this state. She rolled out of bed and went to get ready for the day. It was time to get their first quest as a party.


    After getting ready, she walked into the main room to see Ob already there; he looked like he hadn''t slept all night. What she saw beside Ob was truly shocking. "Ob.." she said cautiously, "did you get a new friend?"


    Ob looked at Zephyrus in shock, "OH MY GODS A GRIFFIN!?!?! WHAT? HOW?!" he said sarcastically. Abigail was not amused with what he said.


    "Sarcasm, the poor man''s humor," she said, rolling her eyes. "Who is this creature Ob?"


    "I agree; sarcasm is beneath you, Oscar. Lady Montall, I am Zephyrus. I am Oscar''s new soul-link companion." Zephyrus said confidently. Ob shrugged and laughed, "It, my new friend, is not beneath me, not at all." Ob responded.


    "Pleasure, Abigail is fine." She said with a small nod. "So you," now looking at Ob, "you got another charm? How and you used it without asking me 15 hundred questions."


    Ob looked back, "It''s closer to 13 hundred questions, please. I''m not totally helpless. It somehow came from VON. VON leveled up to level 10 and synced with my aura and soul, then was able to act as a soul-link that matched my soul and aura. Then out popped Zephyrus."


    "You, sir, are blessed," Abigail said, repeating herself.


    "I know, something is happening." Ob responded. "Are we ready to go get our first quest and have Maeva officially on our team?"


    "We are, once they all get here, we will head over together."


    "A GRIFFIN!!!" a male voice shouted from behind Abigail, "THERE IS A GRIFFIN IN OUR ROOM!"


    "Yes, Mister Vincent, I am Zephyrus," Zephyrus said.


    "WE GOT A GRIFFIN ON OUR TEAM! THAT IS SO COOL!!" Ob raised an eyebrow. He had never seen Vincent so excited, never seen him lose his cool like this. It was like a little kid seeing their favorite uncle with gifts.


    "Yes, love," Abigail said, "we just did all these introductions; we could talk more on our way to the federation."


    "Ooo, a griffin," another female voice said from the front of the room, "you''re so pretty, love. I''m Maeva, I take it you''re with that one there, mmm?" she said, nodding towards Ob.


    "Just as you say," Zephyrus said, "I am Zephyrus; nice to meet you, Lady Maeva."


    "Not lady for me, that''s too prim and proper. Maeva is good love."


    "Are we ready to go to the Crusader district?" Abigail said, losing patience. "We can talk about how lucky Ob is on the way there, Okay?"


    The group all nodded and began their journey toward the Crusader district. On the way there, they began discussing how Ob got another set of awesome powers. They were shocked that it came from the Maverick badge. It was a big benefit that no one had expected. Not even Abigail she speculated that it had his celestine nature counteracted anything that could have been negatively done. Or it was Ob himself; his soul and aura strength were too strong to be controlled. They weren''t sure; not even Zephyrus was sure; what they did know for certain was that giving Ob the badge was not intended to have such a perfect result for Ob.


    "Welcome to the Crusader Federation, how may I help you?" the clerk said to the group of four and the griffin.


    "Hi Clarence," Ob began speaking, "I am Ob, these are my pals, we just formed a crusader party, well Abigail here did-" Abigail pushed Ob to the side and began speaking.


    "Sorry about him, please ignore my friend here, Clarence." Clarence looked at Ob quizzically, then giggled. "We would like to formally add Ob Jones and Maeva Colbine to our party. Then look to get our first quest."


    "Ahh, yes, would you like to create a name for your party? You said Ob and Maeva would be added to your party. Very good, just hand them the stone you had received from the time you created your party." Clarence was used to parties coming in and demanding things without conversation. This group was fun and had a different energy with them. She hoped they would go far. She enjoyed their company.


    "Do we have to name our team now?" Abigail asked, feeling awkward about being put on the spot.


    "No, of course not; just find any federation building and any clerk. They can get that updated for you. For now you will be known as party number 51685." Clarence said with a giggle.


    "51685," Ob said, laughing behind, "What a great name. There are that many parties out there?"


    "There are many parties out there, yes. The federation has been around for many, many centuries; the numbers do not reset," she responded.


    "That makes sense; thanks, Clarence!" Ob said gleefully behind Abigail. Abigail turned and shot daggers at Ob to tell him to shut up. "Oh, relax, Abigail! I''m just having fun with the super nice Clarence here."


    Abigail''s face twisted in anger and annoyance, "is it too late to take him off my party? Thank you, Clarence, you have been exceptionally helpful. Could you show me the way to the quest board?"


    "Why yes of course," Clarence responded with a helpful smile, "if you head out to the main door and turn right, there is a large doorway with a question mark symbol. That is where the quest board resides, in the quest hall. You''ll want to focus on quests lower than level 25 for the time being. With a team of 6 you can likely take out quests level 50 or below. But you look like a more than capable group, perhaps taking out silver could be possible."


    "Wonderful, that is awesome information, thank you for your time." Abigail responded. Before she could turn to head off towards the quests hall, Ob walked up to Clarence.


    "Here, thanks for helping us today, I know it''s your job, but you went above and beyond with that extra bit of info; we appreciate you," Ob said and handed her a small bag of coins as a thank you. He gave her a big, genuine smile. Before she could respond, she looked up to see he was turning away.


    She grabbed the coins and looked back at that strange man. Why did he give her a tip? Why was he so genuine and nice to her? Whatever that reason was, she hoped party number 51685 would be successful because they were friendly and represented what the federation used to be. She missed those days but had hope that they would return because of them.