Mythshaper

I had missed how the Waygate operated during my first visit to Klearon, but this time, the Waygate Plaza was our first stop. Regrettably, we weren’t here to travel through the magical gate but to wait for another person to come through it.

Located in the inner city, the Waygate was one of the most secure places, alongside the sanctum. Sentinels stood alert on all sides of the plaza, deep blue and red uniforms draped over their shoulders, bearing swords or lances. I noted a few shapers available as well.

Surprisingly, despite the busy terminal, there wasn't any commotion, which was uncommon with such large crowds. People came and went at their own pace, some, like us, waiting on the hardwood benches.

The Waygate was protected behind walls and layers of runic obstructions, thwarting my wish to examine it. Unless we were planning to traverse through the gate, we weren't allowed near it. But that experience would have to wait for another time.

After the persistently long winter, spring had come and gone in a blur with nothing serious of note. No new rifts broke in the Candor Mountains, nor did any demons stray their way to harass the honest folk of Karmel Valley.

I had finally managed to craft a poorer imitation of the Aetherbound QuillPen for Rosalyn, though I was still at a loss as to what to make for Mum. For Father, I was planning an enchanted tabard, not the knightly kind, but one elegant enough to wear for most official business.

Mum was in complete agreement about keeping it all a secret from him until we finished the product. It was creeping up to be a long, drawn-out endeavour to have a tabard I was satisfied with, mostly because I had rarely worked with materials other than metal or wood.

At least we had finalised a design before our trip to Klearon. Now, all that was left was to procure the materials and go through a rather excessive amount of practice to succeed.

Materials were one of my priorities for this visit to Klearon, along with a visit to Klearon’s finest crafting emporiums.

Even after a season of practice, I was still hopeless at crafting the right gift for Mum. It didn’t help that I was working around the tight constraints of trying to craft something of greater value that fell within my current mastery of artificing. I was hoping those shops would have some articles of artistic brilliance—something that would finally inspire me in the right direction.

But of course, Mum's priority was entirely different from mine. She wanted to have me see one of her old acquaintances, a Dreamweaver, before I advanced further into the Shaper path. Since I had been experiencing nightmares whenever I formed an Aether root, Mum thought it was prudent to consult with an expert on the Path of Dream.