Zenith Affinity

"Trying to sleep in a fantasy world sucks!" Zaria yelled.

Everyone started laughing.

After the fire had gone out, despite giving it a valiant attempt, no one could fall asleep with the energy they had coursing through them and the ambient light in the air. The night was alive with movement and activity in ways that made it difficult to sleep.

"I figured an entire day of fighting would be enough to knock us out," Kesa said, lying on Dark Hero's chest. The huge goliath held his wife while staring into the night sky.

With the addition of higher levels came higher stats; the senses and perception of the two parties had essentially skyrocketed beyond their old human norms. The six stats that everyone has are Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Constitution, Intelligence, and Will Power.

At level 1, every stat is at an average of 10, depending on race, gender, and class. Unlike most games, it is the class and race that determine the distribution of your stats as you level up. Each class has stat priorities that benefit everything that they do. Every 5 levels, every stat goes up by 1 as well, showing growth to each character. This changes drastically for each tier ascension, however.

While they relaxed, Sky was playing with a miniature star, changing the nature of her [Sun Bringer] spell to fit her needs. She lay there throwing it up and down like a ping pong ball while trying to sleep.

"You know, Sky, it is insane that you can do that," Zedra said.

Sky caught the small sun, "What do you mean?"

"That..." He nodded to her hands.

"Uhh, it's just my [Sun Bringer] spell, but I just reduced the amount of mana I put into it to make it small enough to toss into the air," Sky explained.

This was a revelation to Zedra. He looked around like a madman, as if checking to see if anyone else heard what Sky said.

"Are you serious, Sky?" Zedra asked.

Sky finally sat up and looked over at Zedra's question, "What do you mean?"

"You casually changed the fundamental aspects of the spell. Not to mention, you completely reduced the AoE damaging effects as well, didn't you?"

"Uhh, well I didn't want to start any fires or anything..." Sky said sheepishly.

Zedra shook his head with a smile, "Classic Sky, doing the impossible without even realizing it."

He held a dagger, and the blade was slowly covered in darkness. "You have to realize this has crazy implications. If we can freely manipulate our elements, then what will it do when we bind one to us?"

Atticus, who had been staring into the night sky while listening to the conversation, decided to join in, "You speak of the level 25 ritual thing?"

"I do. Sky...tell us what you remember about the lore of the affinity attunement ritual."

"Oh, well, it's more than just unlocking the next tier of power and leveling up to tier 2. It is infusing your magic and soul with the affinity of your choice. They say that accepting an affinity is like growing your soul to encompass the element and our understanding of it. Our mana fundamentally changes to be bound to the chosen affinity,” Sky explained.

“Essentially, we stop making our unattuned tier 1 mana, and start producing more potent tier 2 version that is attuned to the chosen affinity," Sky explained.

Ar'Gen spoke next, "I actually read a bit about the lore in Zentih. For instance, there are many advantages when it comes to attuning to an element, regardless of what it is. They say that the strongest people in Zenith's history spent a great amount of time training while within attuned chambers of their element, or finding natural sources to envelop themselves in. It increases your resistances as well as your strength to whatever you are bound to."

“I didn’t know you were so into the lore, Ar’Gen, that's awesome!” Sky said, happy to find another fan of the lore.

Ar'Gen smiled and nodded, "I am a cleric who will attune to the holy affinity first. It would make sense that immersing myself in the environment, or even just studying about it, will increase my affinity attunement for the holy element. But yeah, I enjoy reading about the game in my off time...or well, I did, that is."

"What does the ritual entail? Is it dangerous?" Atticus asked.

"It's not dangerous as far as I know. You will all be working with Dark and me to create the discs, officially called an [Attunement Ritual Disc]. It is just a flat disc that is enchanted to conduct the ritual, bound with the element you choose. We need one for each of us, and they get more expensive for each tier. The first tier won't be so bad, even with our limited funds," Sky said.

"Then we go to a ritual location, which there is one in Osten as well as Ostbury, and each of us will go through with the ritual. Don't worry, though, it’s not dangerous or anything. We are only level 10 right now, so we still have a bit longer to continue leveling up," Zedra said.

"Mmmmmm," Kesa said as she lay against her husband.

Dark's huge chest rumbled, "She likes the feeling of leveling up, haha."

She slapped his chest, but it just made him laugh more.

"Ehh, who doesn't? It's like sleeping, showering, and relaxing in the most amazing warm sunlight all at once," Sky said.

"True! I love the full restoration as well, which makes continued fights more fun!" Zaria said, drawing approving nods from the ninja twins.

"Speaking of leveling, at what point do we stop trying to sleep and go fight some stuff?" Tia asked.

"I am so down," Mia said from next to her sister. She was tossing her dagger with surprising grace.

"Yeah, screw it, let's go clear the valley! I can hear creatures stompin' around!" Sky said.

Zedra looked around, "I guess I am also wide awake. What do you think, Kesa, Dark?"

"I am pretty comfortable, but I guess I can go level up some more," Kesa said.

"Looking at the map, if we cross this stream and head through that valley, it should open up a bit. That will be plenty of room for both of our parties to get some good hunting in for a few hours," Zedra said.

"Perfect! Up you go!" Sky said, gesturing to Dark and Kesa. She turned and held a hand to Atticus, "Come on, big guy! Let's get stronger!"

“Heh, I am excited to see…well, everything, I guess!” Atticus said, accepting Sky's hand to help him up.

The two parties stomped through the water, revealing it to have a slight amount of bioluminescence that hadn't appeared when the sun was still up. A few bestial roars echoed around, but instead of taking it as a warning, both parties honed in on the sound.

"It's like they are inviting us to find them," Zaria said, a smile on her face as she stomped through the stream.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves!" Sky said.

Mia and Tia both disappeared into the night, and Zedra followed closely behind them.

The hunt was on.

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

Dawn broke over the wide valley, ambient luminescence turning to illuminated rays of sunlight that passed through misty morning dew. The air grew humid, and bird song filled the meadow, as the sounds of combat finally died out. Zedra, Sky, and Atticus were lingering by the piles of dust that remained from the looted corpses of the Twilight Elementals they had just killed.

"That is truly a rare spawn, I think I have seen them maybe twice in game?" Zedra questioned his memory.

Sky nodded, "They always spawn 5 minutes before sunrise and disappear as soon as the light hits them. I remember hunting them with a buddy because they have like a 10% drop chance for high-tier materials on top of the [Twilight Essence Dust], which should go for a pretty penny."

"Dread?" Zedra asked, referring to the friend who was going to join their group, if he hadn't had a party of his own.

"I wonder if he made it here," Sky said, confirming the name. "He would love it here as much as we do."

Zedra smiled with a nod, then seemed to look at Sky a bit longer, "You are doing alright?"

Sky raised a blue eyebrow.

Zedra elaborated, "I mean, you know...new body, new world. Who knows what this place will end up like, you know? I mean, this could be our new world indefinitely."

"I am amazing, Zed, truly. This place is a dream come true. What about you?"

Zedra smiled, looking up into the warm light of the sunrise. His eyes seemed to glow in the reflection of the golden light, "This is everything I ever wanted."

Sky smiled back, "What about you, Atticus?"

The kainen looked surprised as if he was caught listening in despite being there the whole time, "Uhh, yeah, I’m alright as well. I feel like I have been waiting my whole life for something like this to happen. To become someone else, someone better." He looked down at his hands, "As long as we avoid heights for a while, I think I will be just fine.

They laughed, and Sky put her hand on their newest friend, "I am glad you joined us, Atticus. I can't wait to get to know you more."

Huge fangs showed in his predatory grin, "Same, I would still be in the starting town right now, dealing with that huge crowd. Who knows how things are back in the city...Ostben was it?"

"Ostbury. All the little villages around here have ‘Ost’ at the start of the name for some reason. I guess because of the City of Ostbury," Zedra said with a shrug.

"It's named after the founders of the human provinces, I think, but we can get into lore later. We should be heading towards Osten soon. It should be a bit of a run."

"So Sky...you used to be male, huh?" Atticus asked.

Sky smiled, completely willing to speak on the topic, "I was! And I won't lie, I designed this body to be what I wanted to be, before I knew I was going to be it. I have always enjoyed playing female characters, and choosing one was just natural. But even now, ending up as Solara Sky, the celestial, is still so unreal to me. I wouldn't change it for anything, though. What about you? You are a male leonine, but you were a female IRL?"

He nodded, smiling as he spoke, "I was, but I admit that I always loved big cats, and kainen seemed like a perfect race for me! I feel so powerful and soft!"

He was feeling his fur along his exposed arms, the brown fluffy stuff hiding lithe muscles.

Before Zedra walked off, Atticus got his attention, “Sorry, Zedra, I wasn’t trying to ignore you. How are you doing in a new body?”

Zedra smiled a rogue-ish smile, “I won’t lie either, I have never felt this good. Like Sky, I wasn’t in the best of health, so doing anything athletic or even remotely outdoors was out of the question. This is a dream come true for me as well. I mean, look how handsome I am!”

Laughter bubbled forth from both of the other party members. Sky spoke up, “True, you look fantastic!”

“You three coming or what?” Dark Hero asked from a distance away.

“Coming!”

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

“I wouldn’t have thought such a place could be called anything besides a fortress, much less a town,” Kesa said.

“You know, I remember Osten from the game, but I don’t remember the walls being this big…or the town, for that matter,” Sky said.

“That is the reality effect in action, I think,” Zedra said.

“What do you mean?” Ar’Gen Lightfist asked.

“Just a name I have been thinking about to describe the difference between the game and the real world we are now in,” Zedra explained.

“That’s not bad, cause you know…Reality Check…” Dark commented.

“No, it is pretty on point,” Ar’Gen added. “And I remember Ostbury, from the game, but it wasn’t anything like it was in this world. Reality effect is a perfect name for it.”

The two groups walked into the town through an open gate, guards inspecting them without speaking. They didn’t seem worried or hostile at all, even nodding at some of the members who made eye contact.

Zaria bumped shoulders with Zedra, “So, Zed, what’s our plan?”

“Straight to the crafting hall, which is part of the Adventure Association, so we can all select our crafts and get gathering equipment. Then Sky and I are going to see if we can’t find the person we need to talk to about starting our guild,” Zedra laid out the plans. “Then we just get food and go hit the road again!”

“But you said there wasn’t a representative here before? And that it would cost 100 gold?”

“In the game, there wasn’t, but it’s worth checking, if only to save a trip back to Ostbury, and yeah, we definitely don’t have the gold just yet.”

Zaria nodded, “Where is this crafting hall?”

“Hmmm, not entirely sure. We might have to do a bit of exploring to find it, or I guess we can just ask,” Zedra said. “It should be a fairly large building.”

They explored what seemed to be a larger version of Osten from their memories in-game. There were differences in all but the materials used, as it contained fewer magical features and more natural ones. No floating islands were present, but there was a towering skydock for airships and sky whale transports, reaching almost 6 or 7 stories into the air. Every street had trees that broke up the buildings, while courtyards had beautiful arrays of planted flowers and trees.

The Adventure Association’s local branch was a large building, the size of a small arena, containing everything adventurers could need. Merchants, quest boards, information, bar and lounge, and of course, lodging could all be found there. The many crafting stations that anyone could need could also be found in a large room.

The interesting thing was that they found other adventurers there. Not players, but actual adventurers that lived, breathed, and worked the job to make a living. It was a strange sight, but seeing people in gear that were ready to go added to the ‘adventuring vibes’ that filled the Guild Hall.

There were huge, blue colored magical screens that listed ongoing quests and requests that had been submitted to the guild. It was a strange thing in a fantasy realm, seeing things that looked like magical TV screens with information in neat rows and perfectly aligned columns.

Zedra and Zaria walked up to the counter where a human woman smiled at them, “Welcome to the Adventure Association. How may I help you today?”

Zaria spoke first, “We need to register our parties!”

The girl’s smile widened, “Fantastic! Are you new adventurers?”

Zedra nodded, “We are!”

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

“So, how do I start as a cook?” Atticus asked.

Kesa was walking with him, “I’ll go with you, follow me!”

She took him over to where the kitchens were, providing food for not just the Adventure Association, but street vendors and restaurants as well. “I think you speak to that guy right there and he will tell you how to get started, then when you get a writ, you can take it over to Dark or wherever you need to go to get your starting tools.”

“What is a writ?”

“Anytime you need something from another crafter, you can form what is known as a writ,” The Master Chef said, hearing their conversation. “For instance, if you want to learn how to be a chef, you will need tools. They can be purchased from a merchant, but it is usually cheaper to bring a writ to a smith who can fulfill the order precisely.”

“And you will be helping Dark progress further when you bring it to him,” Kesa said.

Atticus nodded, “I see. I have quite a bit of experience working as a chef, but I admit that I don’t have any tools or levels in the craft for now.”

The Master Chef nodded, “I don’t mind teaching you the basics to start leveling your crafting ability. It will allow you to learn all sorts of fantastic abilities.” His huge mustache seemed to wiggle as he continued to describe the basics of the crafting class.

Atticus accepted the craft after the introduction and looked at the requirements needed for cooking, “I need [Chef’s Tools], which I presume includes a knife?”

The Master Chef nodded, “Indeed! You will find that higher quality sets will have enchanted knives and more specialized tools to process higher quality ingredients and the like."

Kesa nodded, “You will probably want to get a writ for both the tools and the camping supplies. So, if you select the thing you need, you should be able to select the option to create a writ from that.”

“Create [Writ: Chef’s Tools], yes,” Atticus read at the pace of someone ensuring they didn’t select the wrong option. He had interacted with a panel on the nearby countertop, and the pop-up allowed him to find what he needed to start. “Oh, and [Writ: Campfire Cooking Kit] as well.”

Two pieces of paper that looked like scrolls appeared in his hand. “Oh, that was easy.”

“Yup! Let’s run by the alchemist's station before we talk to Dark, so I can get my writ as well. Sound good?”

“Yes!"

The groups met back up at the smithing station, everyone handing their writs over to Dark Hero, who immediately created the required tools after receiving refined supplies from Ar’Gen. They split back up and did a few basic crafts to get past level 1.

Some even took the time to create basic harvesting tools to help collect more resources instead of buying them. Everyone was finishing up their crafts when an alarm rang through the town.

“What the hell is that?” Zaria asked.

“That is a town alarm…I think?” Zedra replied.

“Let’s get together and see if we can help,” Sky said. The trio had finished their crafting and were waiting near the entrance to the crafting hall. The two parties met up and made their way towards the alarm.

Guards were running through town, and the parties followed. They had originally entered Osten through a gate to the east, but were now heading to the northern gate.

As the closed gate came into view, it nearly buckled with a wave of force as an echoing cry came from the other side. It was a piercing screech accompanied by a quick flash of flames that flashed up on the other side of the gate. The guards were holding the gate while a handful on top were launching arrows.

Sky spoke first, “Guards, you need help?”

One of the guards in more intricate armor turned from the wall to look at her, “Adventurer’s?”

“Yeah! What have you got?”

“Cockatrice, this thing has been a menace. Attacking the town every couple of days,” He said, inviting the parties to scale the wall with a gesture. “The thing is flame attuned and shouldn’t be able to break the gate. Usually, we hit it with arrows, and it runs back to where it came, though it seems more aggressive this time around.”

Sky mounted the wall next to the guard and found a trail of flames that led up to the gate from down the road. She leaned over the edge and found the massive angry bird, screeching and pecking at the gate. Flames billowed off of it with the flapping of its wings.

Zedra spoke up, “Legendary creature…Xalti, The Flamewalker.”