Chapter 90: Kirlunst (2)

"What's with the sudden erm, change?" Agni asked as she glanced over at Vivian. The kitsune had now adopted her normal form as an adult but this wasn't the only change. She was also wearing a modified samurai set of armor. Rather than heavy plates across the midsection, this area was free and uninhibited. The same held true for armor on her thighs, leaving only her shins, feet, forearms, chest and shoulders covered in samurai plating.

At her hip were now two katanas, one longer than the other, Agni could only assume that the two items Vivian constantly carried with her, the gourd around her waist and the fan she generally flourished were the two blades. Their handles were beautiful as were the sheathes,traces of lotus flowers against a dark background made the light colored floral pattern pop. Even the samurai armor, which was the color of midnight held the same floral pattern.

Agni couldn't help but admire the look, all things considered. Vivian was much more appealing in her mature form. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Her eyes were more alluring as a deep reddish color bordered them now drawing attention to the blade shaped slits that formed her pupils.

Her bust was quite impressive as well, the V shaped cut of her chest plate revealed the plump push up of Vivian's bosom.

*D!* Agni thought inwardly.

*And you'd be right.* Shula's voice responded.

*Shula! You're back.* Agni thought as a smile of delight formed.

*I never went anywhere...you just couldn't hear me…* Shula said in her usual smarty pants tone.

"As I said, I have secrets to keep and maintain." Vivian responded. Even her tails grew larger and more fluffy in her adult form, giving the Kitsune an extra air of majesty. Vivian pushed a tuft of her hair to the side and turned to begin walking, this was apparently the only explanation she cared to offer on the matter. Agni decided to leave the topic alone for now and follow the Doyenne's lead.

The place they arrived from was indeed a park atop a large hill. There were many wooden benches, both fancy and functional for any to use. The cobblestone pathway created circular walkways around the centerpiece of the clearing -- the fountain which Agni and Vivian were currently near.

Surprisingly enough, no one was around on such a beautiful day. The autumn colored trees caused all sorts of vibrantly colored leaves to fall as a gentle breeze wafted by. It was one of the rare times that Agni was reminded of the length of her own hair, the breeze pushed it into view and covered one of her eyes in the process. Still she managed to keep up with Vivian who was now walking quite briskly.

Agni didn't really say anything because her intuition led her to enjoy the silence and beauty of the walk. It was rare that she found herself outside of Grenvale and even more rare to be in such a natural place without worrying about Grimlock attacks.

This silence continued for quite some time as the pair made their way closer and closer to the southern district of Kirlunst, a place full of shops and street stalls. Around the time they neared the street, having passed out of the park's aluminum fence, Vivian herself began to speak.

"You're quite lucky. Passage into Kirlunst isn't easy to come by for a rank 0. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find even one more zero ranker within the two's limits." Vivian said as the pair finally stepped out onto the cobblestone streets of Kirlunst.

Agni felt that the city was much more grand than Grenvale, and with good reason. Upon arriving she had a peek at the sea of buildings which comprised the almost star shaped city. Now, looking from the base of the buildings she realized they were taller and bigger than most in Grenvale. The street was also much busier and many more adventurers were present than in Grenvale. Rather than standing about talking or planning Agni noticed they were either shopping or coming and going casually. This suggested to her that most of the adventurers lived within the city itself.

"Why? Is there some kind of discrimination against zero rankers?" Agni asked after having taken in the sights of her surroundings.

"No. Not at all. Adventurers have way too many enemies to fight amongst themselves over something so petty." Vivian remarked as she motioned for Agni to continue following her. Vivian led the succubus down a rather large street which was easily three times the width of Grenvale's widest lane.

"It's because the city of Kirlunst is located in the center of the Central region. The area we just left, Grenvale is actually a month's travel by carriage. In fact, Kirlunst is a few weeks to a month from any of the so-called 'starter' settlements." Vivian further explained, occasionally she would nod to other adventurers who passed as well.

"Are we really that far from Grenvale? The weather doesn't seem that much different.." Agni thought as she looked at the passing adventurers. Indeed, as Vivian pointed out there were only first and second rankers everywhere Agni looked. Rarely she would even spot a rank three adventurer, but they were few and far between -- perhaps one every two hundred individuals at best.

"No, not at all. If you could travel directly to Kirlunst from Grenvale it would probably only take a week on foot. The problem is forests, usually filled with Grinmock, or terrain which makes the pace slow going. I suppose if you fly it would only take you a few hours but, flight isn't something everyone is capable of."

"Why would you even need to fly if transfer gates exist?" Agni asked.

"Mmm. I guess the best way to explain it simply is resources. Everything requires some kind of catalyst or resource -- even magic. Think about it, to activate spells you have to expend mana. The transfer gate is the same, what's more the ability to move great distances instantly requires massive amounts of mana. This is usually only possible when many people work together." Vivian replied.

���Anyway, back to your original question -- traveling to Kirlunst is seen as a rite of passage for adventurers. A way to both test resourcefulness and grit. Most endeavor to make the journey a sort of pilgrimage. You'll find that you also get a certain level of respect from others by doing so. I guess you could call it a sort of community bonding?" Vivian finished up her explanation as to why so few rank zero adventurers dwelled in Kirlunst.

Agni took this to mean that if one was too weak or inexperienced they would never make it to Kirlunst at such a low level -- unless they had help like a transfer gate.

The two had only been walking for a minute or two but already the sound of clamour was growing louder as they moved ever closer to the center of the town.

"So..wait. How did you cast such a powerful spell by yourself? Are you really that strong?" Agni asked, suddenly becoming very curious about Vivian.

"Ahem. Well, I AM a third ranker. So I could probably do it once if I tried, but I would never be able to move any significant distance. It's...it's not complicated but the method isn't something you'd really be concerned with at your rank." Vivian explained.

"But-- I'm curious! Is it a secret?" Agni asked.

"No. Not really." Vivian responded as she glanced toward the succubus who was now walking side by side with her.

"Fine. I'll explain it. It's like a shared mana pool. Joining our chapel marks you with the chapel insignia right? Well, all members donate minute amounts of mana to the chapel's mana pool. This can be used for various things by the elders of a chapel. A good example of it is the chapel blessings you received upon joining." Vivian further explained as she first pointed to her chapel insignia which revealed itself on her chest for the briefest of moments.

As Agni recalled, the blessings associated with the Mystic Tower chapel were :

[Mana Regeneration +20%.]

[Mana Recovery Rate +10% {Home} / +5% {Outer}.]

[Mana Efficiency Buff +5%.]

*All related to magic.* Agni thought to herself.

*What else would they be related to…*Shula chimed, her voice biting with sarcasm -- which Agni completely ignored.

"So all those blessings use mana from the chapel? That sounds familiar. Where have I heard something like that before?" Agni receded into her own thoughts as she struggled to grasp at an elusive memory.

"Probably this." Vivian obliged as she lifted her left hand, showing off her Systema mark.

"Oh! You're right!" Agni said with a pat of her hand. She recalled someone briefly explaining that systema marks used tiny amounts of mana in order to provide its benefit.

*So chapels and the systema mark are alike in that regard.*

The pair continued walking for a quarter of an hour as they discussed various things. Agni found speaking to Vivian to be rather enlightening, although she couldn't tell if Vivian was simply answering questions to avoid angering the succubus.

*If I was evil I could probably blackmail her into all sorts of mischief.* Agni thought, although it was simply that --a thought. Agni knew that if she managed to truly anger Vivian the Vixen would be able to swiftly smack her down with minimal effort.

Just as this thought occurred to Agni, Vivian stopped in front of a rather large building. They were now in the center of Kirlunst, surrounded by two and three story buildings from every direction within the massive square. The building directly in front of them resembled a gothic era structure, complete with imposing stone statues. What's more, the stone used to create the building as well as the statues was ashen grey, almost black. It reminded Agni of charcoal in color and gave the building a rather strange appearance, that is to say it stood out.

The three story building was surrounded by a black aluminum fence, adorned with spear-like protrusions at the top of each bar. The metal rods rose upwards a full three meters (9ft), presumably to keep people from wandering into the well tended courtyard just out front of the building.

"This is the Demonic Chapel." Vivian said as she pointed towards the building with a flourish of her hand.

"Correct." A cold, deep voice said.

Agni was taken by surprise as an old man appeared, seemingly from nowhere. He stepped out from behind a rather large trimmed tree, one of many that led towards the building's entrance. His appearance was quite a shock, his hair was short and grey -- nearly white in color. His eyes were of a deep red color, crimson and darker than Agni's hair while his pupils resembled slits. Agni found his eyes quite striking, even more so due to a pair of round wireframe spectacles accentuating them.

His skin was well aged, yet he still maintained elasticity. He seemed to be in his sixties, perhaps early seventies and hunched over slightly as he walked forth, his hands behind his back. He was dressed well, in something a businessman might don. Creased pants, a long white sleeved dress shirt with a designer vest and a red bow tie. Perhaps the strangest feature of his appearance were a set of large, curved horns which adorned his head.

Agni recognized them as something a ram might grow, thus she couldn't help staring as the older man stepped forth. Despite his age he moved silently and effortlessly and within seconds he was staring at both adventurers from the other side of the gate.

"Vivian Lex. What a pleasant surprise. I would ask what brings you here today but…" The old man glanced over at Agni, his eyes shining behind his round spectacles.

"A Succubus. It's been a while since we've met a rare demon type. Hello, I'm Ogthin, keeper of the grounds. Welcome to the Demonic Chapel."