[Discovered: Blissful Bread]

  “So what can you craft with a phoenix feather anyway?” Lithia asked.

  It was the next afternoon, and deciding we needed a break from the tavern, we had met up at the bakery to enjoy some hot chocolate and forget the cold of the mountain peaks. I had spent the morning reading a book on charisma, enough to level me up to [ Charisma: 6 ], but a higher level wouldn’t write my speech for me. I figured talking it out would help with that.

  “That’s what’s so wonderful about it!” I replied. “Feathers are very versatile - obviously you can use it as a trim on an outfit or on top of a hat, but it also makes wonderful filler for warmer clothes like those we wore to the peaks.” I always worried Lithia would find my enthusiasm for the minutiae of crafting boring, but she always engaged in the conversation. I attempted to do the same when she talked about melee combat techniques, of which I knew equally little.

  “And what’s special about phoenix ones in particular?”

  I took a sip of my drink. Blissful Bread had similar offerings to that of the tea shop in Rockburg. However it was more simple in it’s presentation. Most of it’s art in fact, was simply paintings of bread. I respected the continuity of it all. It was also less crowded, allowing me to feel more comfortable taking up a spot as we brainstormed.

  “Phoenix feathers,” I continued, “Are special because when you craft with them, you can choose to boost ANY one stat you want in that piece of equipment.”

  Lithia whistled. “Now that’s really something!”

  I nodded. “It’s definitely legendary for a reason. And it’ll help me adapt easier to whatever the next phases of competition are, since I have no idea which class I may be designing for in my final product.” The idea still made me nervous, as I did not quite know what I would create if I was required to make some heavy armor.

  “Oh, speaking of that!" Lithia clapped her hands together, as if remembering something.

  Turns out she had been asking around and confirmed the royal’s family classes. The princess was an archer, the prince a druid, and the king was gifted with a power none other possessed in Oshiala - the ability to multi-class. In fact, he was known to change his class periodically to be better prepared against current threats, also a rarity in our world simply due to the time it took to level up and master skills.

  Currently, the king was focusing warrior and rogue. This seemed a bit of a unique combination due to one favoring stealth and the other more of a direct approach - but I had little doubt the king had the best teachers and mentors available to make it work for hin.

  “Interesting…” I mused. Various outfits flitted through my mind, just outlines, but more concrete than anything I had visualized before.

  “Does this help with your speech?”

  I nodded, “I believe it just might.”

  ***

  The Festival Grounds were just as lively as they were for the Jubilee, but it was completely transformed in terms of set-up. Instead of one big stage, there were 3 smaller ones spread through out the space, color coated the same way our ribbons had been to represent our category in the competition. Right outside the grounds, a little way from the stages, was a set-up for the stable masters to show off their horse’s jumping ability.

  With the prince and princess serving as judges, we had received scrolls this morning letting us know our presentations would be spread out so each category could get equal attention, and we weren’t sitting around for hours waiting for our turn. I personally wouldn’t have minded watching the horses, but it made sense that outfitters were scheduled to present along side the armorers.

  “Nervous?” Lithia asked.

  “A little,” I admitted, but watching other presentations had helped easy my anxieties some. With so many competitors in this stage (with time to count, I had found about 40), people were only speaking brief commentary on their item and why they chose it. Although the scroll had informed us the judge may ask follow-up questions, prince Aldis hadn’t asked anyone anything. He simply nodded from his ornate chair set off to the side, and then wrote down a score out of 100 which appeared above the contestant.

  Anyone who did not receive above an 80 would not advance. So far, only 10 had received such a score, thinning things out efficiently.

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  Lithia elbowed me and gestured towards Enos, who was taking the stage. His father was following slowly behind - was he…limping? It was hard to tell from this distance, but he certainly seemed tired if nothing else.

  Enos walked up to the table, confidently eyeing the crowd and then Aldis as he removed an impressive looking rhino horn from his bag. It was large in size and structurally perfect in shape with no bumps or scarring.

  “This horn,” he was explaining, “provides a powerful coating when combined with the right metal - particularly obsidian. As my fellow outfitters will know, rhinos are endangered, and therefore these horns are not easy to find-”

  “Is that why your father is injured?” Everyone went silent, shocked to hear Aldis speak.

  If Enos was thrown off, he didn’t show it. “Well yes, the creature put up a bit of a bit of a fight, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle-”

  “You actually fought and stole this horn from a rhino.” It was not really a question.

  “I promise, I am well, your highness,” Enos’ father said quickly. It was not the most convincing response, as when he stepped forward he revealed a visual bandage around his leg.

  Aldis didn’t address him, his eyes still on the horn. “Most of your fellow competitors brought naturally found resources - gems found in caves, wool taken from sheep, plants formed into linen, and you felt the need to brutally attack an innocent animal for your entry.”

  “I assure you,” Enos responded incuriously, “the creature lives. I would never-”

  “Yes, without his horn.”

  A normal person would have likely just bowed at this point, but not the satyr. “Your highness, a rhino does not need a horn to survive. I recognize as a druid you are connected to Oshian’s creatures, but my task today was to bring a legendary item that could be used for whatever greets us next in this competition. I did that.”

  Aldis frowned. “Unfortunately, your statement has reminded me of my father’s intstructions. I am to judge today based on material quality alone and not to allow my…personal feelings to cloud my ratings. For that reason alone, you will be receiving a passing score.”

  Enos’ father breathed a sigh of relief.

  “However, I ask that in the next round - you prioritize compassion. Both for the creatures of our world, and for your own family. You are dismissed.”

  A message displayed [Score: 80] briefly flashed above the horn to no fanfare from the crowd. No one even clapped. Instead, there was only silence as Enos stuffed his horn into the bag and walked off the stage. To his credit, he walked slowly and helped his father walk down the stairs. I couldn't read his expression.

  I turned to ask Lithia what she thought of all this, before realizing my name was now on the display in front of the stage. [Next Up: Fanwen]

  I had to follow-up that? The order so far had seemed random, I hadn’t noticed some kind of pattern such as alphabetical or grouped by class or region. That meant this was simply just bad luck.

  The prince had said his personal bias was not allowed to interfere with his scoring, but surely his mood could push a score on the edge below or above passing? Enos was right that a rhino horn was a powerful material, although I shared similar feelings on the procurement not being worth the rarity. No one could doubt it was legendary. Could the same be said of my entry?

  Any of my planned speech, about the versatility of the phoenix feather, with special mentions of the royal family’s classes, seemed to leave my brain all together. How could I naturally work in that I certainly had hurt no phoenix? Would he even believe me?

  I straightened my shoulders and walked up to the table in the center of the stage. Turns out I didn’t need to worry about thinking what to say, as Aldis addressed me before the feather was even all the way out of my satchel.

  “How did you procure that?”

  I took a deep breath. “I assure you, your highness, I harmed no mythical bird in getting this feather. It is not stolen. As I am sure you know, but I shall iterate for the sake of the crowd, these feathers are enchanted. They must be willingly given.”

  The prince’s face had softened significantly. “There are unfortunately those who have been experimenting with dark magic to get past that requirement. You did not look the type, but I had to be sure.”

  Is that what the bandits had planned to use? I shivered at the thought. “No, this was presented to me by a baby phoenix.”

  Now the prince as actually smiling. “A phoenix? I have not been so blessed as to seen one myself. How remarkable. How did you prove your worthiness?”

  I gave a very quick summary of our fight with the bandits, ensuring Lithia got the true credit for scaring them off. She waved from the crowd. I should have brought her on stage with me.

  “I commend the effort both you and your friend put in to protecting such majestic creatures. I am sure the feather will serve you well.” Before I could respond, [Score: 95] appeared above my head, glowing a bright green. The highest score seen yet today.

  The crowd cheered and I bowed slightly, not sure what else to do. For a moment, me and the prince locked eyes, and my heart fluttered a bit. I had no idea he was such a tender heart. There was something fascinating about it, the son of a father famous for his annual royal hunts and commonly adorned in rare leathers.

  I walked off the stage in a daze. Lithia was waiting, giving me a high five and saying something about how impressed everyone was, but I hardly heard her. Did I actually have a chance at winning this? I pictured my father’s face when my sister had told him about her professor profession. She was the youngest to be accepted to teach at the academy in a century. Would he look at me with that kind of pride? Would I finally live up to my family’s name? I wondered if my name would be in the papers tonight.

  As I turned my attention back to the stage to see the rest of the scoring, my whole body felt lighter. The tension from stressing about the speech was gone, replaced by only curiosity if anyone would outrank me. I hadn’t expected to get so close to 100, focusing on passing only.

  No one else scored above me - only one other competitor even broke 90 with a beautiful glowing gemstone that provided protection from fire when mixed with the right fabrics.

  I also noticed, however silly it might have been to note, that no one else made the prince smile.