Gift

Later that evening, sometime after dinner, when Hera was on the balcony on the second floor looking at the sky, Daskka said, "By the way. When we completed the dungeon, almost every member of the court became eligible for a gift. Only one at a common rarity, though. The only ones that still can't get one are Lurize and Edge. Lurize takes longer since he is a titled blade, and Edge didn't do enough to get it. Not that he didn't do anything, but the others ended up helping more in the fight. Edge is still a bit… lost when it comes to fighting. I think it's because he is supposed to be a tool, not a weapon. Oh, and Nimbus can't get the upgrade yet. I thought that was obvious, but it's better to make it clear. "

"Really? He is struggling that much? Edge I mean," Hera asked. At the moment, Daskka and her were the only two people on the balcony. Not even her court was around.

"He's not struggling exactly, but most of his attacks are more focused on removing parts without damaging others, which didn't actually help in a dungeon like that," Daskka explained.

"I see… Do you think we should talk to him about it?"

Daskka shook her head, "No. He is asking the others about it. I think it's a good idea to let your court help each other. For now, you have a small number, but in the future, you might have too many members to help them individually like that."

"How many court members will I eventually get?" Hera asked.

"If I'm being honest, I don't know. But when I try to check that, the only answer I get is that it will grow with time, but not that it will have a limit. So currently, my best estimate is that you can eventually have between eight and three trillion court members," Daskka sighed.

That was such an odd idea that Hera couldn't help but laugh, "It would be amazing to have more blades than humans in the world. I could just rule everything with that."

"Is this how we start our plans for world domination? I'm down. You would be a good Queen or Empress," Daskka giggled and started rubbing her tail as if she was a cartoon villain.

"Nah, that would be too much work. I already have my hands full dealing with all my children," Hera smirked, "But what about the gift? Ooze, Armory, Scythe, Core, Frost, and Dao all can get it?" Daskka nodded in reply, "Ok, I'll call them here."

"Let's go inside. I think we could sit down for this," Daskka suggested, and the two of them walked back into the room.

Hera called everyone around the bed and explained what was going on. While she talked, Blue and Helena also came to the room, but the Empress and her court didn't mind. They were not doing anything too private anyway.

"... So I think that's why Dao managed to reach the point of getting the gift. Since he is being more active in the fights and the last two dungeons, he was responsible for the bigger hits, so it makes sense. Everyone else is with me for longer, and that's why they got the chance for the gift too. Don't feel sad, Edge. I'm sure you are not far from getting yours."

"Wait… but that doesn't make sense. I mean, you got the skill after you got Edge, didn't you?" Blue asked.

"Yeah. I believe so," Helena nodded, "And according to what you told us, the skill only started counting after you got it, so at that moment, every one of your court members started from the bottom, didn't they?"

"Oh… that's right," Hera nodded.

"In the end, Edge couldn't contribute az much az the remaining court. For that, he can't receive the gift," Lurize added. Making the small skinning knife lower himself in shame.

"It looks like it, but that doesn't mean you are bad or anything, Edge. Dao only did so much because of his skills, and everyone else is used to fighting. These were your first two dungeons, while Ooze already did a couple hundred by my side. Don't feel discouraged, you will get to the same point as everyone else, and it doesn't have to be by fighting. Armory and Scythe don't go after monsters, but they help us in other ways. If you want to fight, that's ok, and we will help you improve as much as we can, but if you want to find your own way of doing things, that is also completely fine, and we will be there for you. Ok?" Hera tried to cheer her blade up. She could see that he was really upset. Thankfully her words seemed to improve his mood somewhat, even if it didn't solve everything.

"Ok… I'll think about something," Edge replied. As he did so, Nimbus repeated what he said out loud for Blue and Helena. He and Lurize decided to take turns doing that. That way, Hera could focus on talking, and everyone else would be in the loop of the conversation.

"Are you ok?" Hera asked.

"I am. Thanks, Empress."

Hera nodded, "If you need anything, please, tell me. I think it's better for us to check the gifts later then."

"No, no. That wouldn't be fair to everyone else. Please, continue. I am ok."

"Really? None of us will be bothered about waiting some time for that," Core said.

"Really. I would feel even worse if you guys had to wait."

"If you are sure, that's fine. Now, with the exception of Edge, Lurize, and Nimbus, everyone can receive a common gift. Who wants to get it, and who wants to wait for a better rarity?" Hera asked the court.

"May I ask a question?" Frost spoke up.

"As many as you want," Hera smiled.

"Is the rarity set? Or we might be lucky and get something beyond the rarity of the gift?" the glaive continued.

Hera didn't know the answer, so she just turned to Daskka. This time, it was the Empress' turn to broadcast what the snake was saying for Blue and Helena, "Ok… So I don't want anyone getting their hopes up, but yes, you can get something above your current rarity as long as it's not a legendary one. And you can only get something one tier above. So if you are getting a common gift, you can, at most, get an uncommon one. But the odds are absolutely terrible. Don't expect that to happen often."

"I see… then I have made my decision."

Hera quickly interrupted Frost before he could finish speaking, "Ok. Wait. Here is the thing. I don't want anyone to influence each other here. The gift should be a personal decision, not one made because of peer pressure. So here is what we are going to do. Everyone stays out of bed. Whoever wants to get the gift now just needs to get to the bed, and I don't want anyone discussing if they should get the reward or not."

"Why are you doing that?" Blue asked, "Wouldn't it be better if you let them talk amongst themselves? They might have some good ideas."

"The skill is too new for that. Right now, we only have Nimbus as an example. I'm worried that if I let them talk, one of the blades might feel pressured to 'give up' on a higher rarity just to test things out. In the future, I'll let them give some advice to each other, but right now, we need some information, but I don't want to force anyone to get that," Hera explained, receiving an approving nod from Helena, "Ok then. Are you all ready, or do you need some more time to think?"

"I'm ready!" all the court said at the same time.

"Ok then. Whoever wants the common gift, come to the bed."

Only a single blade moved forward, Ooze, who quickly got in front of Hera.

"Are you sure about this?" Hera asked.

"I am. I will most likely be the next blade to leave the court, and I want to be able to help, even if it is just with information," Ooze replied.

Hera nodded, she knew that the chakram was right, and soon she would have to change him. Not just because he would be far behind the rest of the blades but because the issue with her emotions was getting worse. Armory and the Empress noticed more than a few times when Ooze froze during combat because Hera was starting to feel flustered.

"We don't know when that will happen, and it's not like it will be the last time we see each other," Hera tried to change the mood.

"I know. You will get the graveyard skill eventually. And I know it's not a goodbye right away, but I don't believe I will be around for much longer."

Hera wanted to say he was wrong, but she knew better. Each of Ooze's statements felt like a stake in her heart.

"Hera, I'm ok. We all know that this is part of the deal. Don't worry. I'm ok. Now, about my gift. What are my options?" Ooze asked.

Hera sighed and turned to Daskka, who made a few marks appear around the chakram, marks that only Hera could see. The first option was in the middle of the weapon, in the handle, and it was a skill called 'Challenger's Call.' As the name suggested, it would make a loud noise, and all those who listened to it would be compelled to attack Ooze. The biggest issue was that doing so wouldn't necessarily exclude allies from being affected. There was a small chance that the effect could also taunt anyone who wasn't part of the court.

The next option was a simple increase in damage when Ooze was covered in mana coming from a circle around the entire chakram. Essentially, it would be a buff to any mana reinforcement or spells like it that she applied to the weapon. It was interesting but not all that exciting. Lastly, there was a skill called 'Wail' that could disrupt attacks and interrupt spells. But like the Challenger's Call, it had a hard time differentiating allies from enemies, but at least it was a directional thing and not a wide area of effect attack. This one marked two points in the weapon, both on opposite sides of the handle.

"So those are the options. What do you think?"

"So most of the gifts are either interesting but can have some drawbacks or are just simple and not that fun," Ooze turned to the other members of the court, "Everybody making notes?" the court chuckled, but they stopped soon to let the chakram pick his gift.

"I think I will take the Wail. A way to interrupt things is a good idea. Maybe we could even stop the slime from transforming," Ooze suggested.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea, but I understand your point. Ok, I'll pick that one for you," Hera touched the illusory layout and selected the Wail gift. Mist started forming around Ooze, and a pair of small engravings appeared around the weapon's blade.

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Wail - (Rank Common)

By channeling the cries of the court, you can let out a scream that can interrupt spells and attacks that are directly in front of it.

Mana cost: 65 000

Interrupt Range: 20 meters

Sound range: 500 meters

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"Ouch, the sound range might be an issue," Hera said as she realized that this was far from being something stealthy.

"True… but then again, I'm not someone who focuses on being sneaky," Ooze said with a happy voice, "I hope this can help, and we already know a little bit more about that skill now."

Hera nodded, but before she could say anything else, Shane knocked on the open bedroom door, "Hey, sorry to bother you, but Hera. Is your safety cube working already? I mean, is the cooldown over?"

The Empress quickly checked and nodded, "Yeah. You want to use it?"

"I do. I have a few questions in mind that might help us find out more about this place. Can I borrow it?"

Hera passed the cube to the explorer, "Sure, do you need a soundproof bubble too?"

"Nah, I'm going to the house on the other side of the street. I think it will be fine there," with that, Shane left, stealing Ooze's thunder a little bit. Still, it was for a good reason, and they would know more about this place. If things went well, they might even have an idea of when they would be able to leave this room.