“The sixth option?” As Jasper glanced back at the box, he noticed a scroll bar he could have sworn wasn’t there before, and dragging it down, he saw there was indeed another spell.

  Soul Sear - Summons a swarm of twelve fiery orbs that explode on contact. In addition to the damage inflicted by fire, a portion of the essence possessed by enemies will be harvested for use. Moderate upgraded fire damage. Cost: 500 essence.

  While the spell seemed okay, Jasper wasn't certain why Kas?dael had suggested it over the others he'd been considering. The upgraded fire damage was nice, but the difference between a merely ‘moderate’ upgrade and a ‘severe’ upgrade seemed like a sizable dropoff. The number of orbs also remained essentially unchanged, and since it could not dedicate all of them to a single individual, it was noticeably less flexible than the other choices as well.

  The only unique aspect of the spell was its ability to harvest essence. In theory, that could be useful, allowing him to cast more spells in a single battle, but, in practice, Jasper knew that, with the mages on the decline, there were relatively few people with meaningful amounts of essence - the spell’s extra effect would do nothing against most foes he fought.

  “I didn’t see it before,” Jasper admitted, “But I’m not sure why you're recommending it either. Lunar Light or S?ams?a’s Lance seem more powerful.”

  “There are two reasons I pointed the spell out to you,” Kas?dael replied. “The first is that it is unique. While I know of a few spells that can do something similar, I have never seen Soul Sear offered before. I suspect it has been generated by your unique heritage, as the only Dayya?mut Djinn currently alive, and I am quite curious to see what it evolves into.”

  “That's not a good reason to pick a spell," Jasper objected. "I’m not your guinea pig.”

  “BUT,” Kas?dael frowned at his interruption, “I would recommend it regardless. Tell me, Jasper - who have your toughest fights been against?”

  “Well, Lord Sargani?l was pretty tough,” he replied, thinking of the most recent first, “and Yas?gah, the dead gods, that captain from Du?r-Ekal and the weird stone golem thing, the-”

  “That's enough to make my point,” Kas?dael cut him off. "Think about what those enemies had in common.”

  Jasper made the connection quickly. “Most of them used magic?"

  “Yes," Kas?dael agreed. "While there are a few warriors who can stand on even ground with a mage, the most dangerous foes you will face will almost always be those who can wield magic, and Soul Sear, more than any of the other options, is uniquely suited to deal with them.”

  If only it had ‘severely upgraded damage.’ That was the one sticking point for Jasper, but, in the end, it wasn’t the battles he'd fought against hundreds of soldiers, no matter how chaotic they had been, but those against Yas?gah and the dead gods that haunted his dreams. Deciding to trust in Kas?dael’s wisdom, he selected Soul Sear and moved on to the last box, the reward from Be?let-Imtu.

  “Damn,” Jasper whistled lowly, “that’s more than I expected. I wonder what the class is,” he added as he clicked on the box, not noticing the thunderclouds forming on Kas?dael’s brow.

  Jasper didn’t have the chance to read the rest of the description as Kas?dael exploded. “How dare she? I was willing to overlook her brazen disregard for my claim over you, but this? She’s trying to steal you away. I forbid you to accept this class.”

  Truthfully, Jasper wasn’t very interested in the class, which struck him as a rather boring, edgelord variant. Let me guess, it’s going to offer me ‘void spells’ and teleportation. Nevertheless, he bristled as Kas?dael ranted in his ear. While Jasper was generally happy to listen to her advice, he did not appreciate being forbidden to do anything. “Why not?” he demanded. “Didn’t you tell me that more classes are a good thing? Won't it let me accumulate even more stats and spells than someone else of a similar level?”

  “You can only have one secondary class. If you accept that class, you will lose access to mine. You will cease to be…my Hand,” Kas?dael paused in her anger long enough to explain.

  Oh.

  “That’s why she wanted to be one to deliver the reward,” she spat. “She wanted to trick you into accepting the class and steal you away from me.”

  While Jasper wouldn’t have originally chosen Kas?dael as his patron if he’d had the choice, he had no desire to switch patrons now. Aside from her unfortunate tendency to rip out his heart, she’d been nothing but kind and helpful, so before she could continue her rant, he clicked ‘N.”

  “Snakes creep me out anyway,” he said lightly.

  “I-” Kas?dael struggled for words as the box closed. “They are creepy, aren’t they?” she finally settled.

  “Can’t say I’m happy with her,” Jasper frowned. “Everytime I turn around, she’s screwing me over.”

  “Good,” she replied firmly. “Marat-As?nugallu is not evil, but you must always be careful with her. Deceit and trickery are in her blood.”

  “So are the rewards safe?” Jasper asked, and the goddess nodded. “I will let you know if she tries any more trickery.”

  Closing the box with the class offer, he opened the next one, praying that the spells offered would actually be useful. Please choose a spell.

  The list that followed was surprisingly expansive. The description had said he’d be able to choose a spell from one of the goddess’ champions, but Jasper had expected to have only a few options. Instead, he had a selection of nearly thirty spells to sort through, and it took some time for him to whittle it down to the final contenders.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  The first was Scales of Us?umgallu:

  Cover yourself in a layer of protective scales similar to those of the great serpents. While initially fairly weak, this spell has the ability to upgrade over time if used regularly. Cost: 500 Spirit

  Jasper had lost his former protective spell, the Bramble Crown, when his race had changed, so Scales of Us?umgallu seemed like a reasonable replacement, and the ability for the spell to upgrade without needing a reward point seemed undeniably useful. Admittedly, he wasn't keen on the idea of covering himself in scales, but that wasn't a good reason to overlook something so useful.

  The second was Breath of Bas?mu:

  Summons a ten-foot by ten-foot area of poisonous mist for ten seconds. Poison deals damage of up to 2% of health per second. Damage is doubled if opponents are unable to move. Cost: 500 essence.

  While it was obvious that the spell had been designed to work with another one he found in Lady Tahanat’s repertoire that induced temporary paralysis, Jasper was pretty sure it would synthesize quite nicely with his two binding spells, Fiery Shackles and Punishing Hand. If he could trap an enemy in the mist for all ten seconds, it could potentially drain 40% of their health, though he didn’t miss the ambiguousness of the language - ‘up to 2%’ was not the same thing as ‘2%.’ It’s probably less effective against more powerful enemies, he guessed.

  The last one, Shatter, was more utilitarian:

  Will break a binding or paralyzing effects from someone of equal or lower level. If effect is cast by someone of higher level, Shatter can be recast multiple times to break free. Can be cast on self or others. Cost: 500 essence.

  This was the choice he was least certain about. Though Jasper had two binding spells, he had yet to encounter another mage who used something similar, so he wasn’t sure how common the spells really were. Shatter could prove to be either extremely useful or, if binding spells were rarer than he realized, a wasted choice, and he wasn't inclined to gamble.

  After some debate, he decided on Breath of Bas?mu and moved on to the final box. Please choose a relic. (Note: To receive this relic, you must complete the final stage of the quest by delivering the statue of Be?let-Imtu to a temple).

  While Jasper was a bit disappointed he wouldn’t immediately receive the relic, he supposed it was reasonable since they hadn't technically completed the quest yet. Half up front, and half after the job.

  He’d been unprepared, though, for the sheer breadth of options available. Flasks of water that would never run out. Bags of holding by the dozen. Weapons enchanted with everything from common elements such as fire and wind to more esoteric concepts like gravity.

  But there were more unique items, too. He lingered over a pair of iron wings that claimed to only need the light of the sun to fly; though he didn’t need them for himself, the more members of his party that could fly, the better. Another item that caught his eye was the Bow of Aya?llu, which applied lunar damage to each arrow it fired and claimed to charge by moonlight. His choice, though, became clear as soon as he found the Torc of Clarity, which promised to resist all mental attacks by mortal or god and could be applied not only to himself but also to a chosen partner. The limits of the Fey amulet had been made clear after their struggle at the ritual site, and Jasper would feel uncomfortable until he was certain that his mind couldn't be tampered with.

  Selecting the Torc of Clarity, he closed the last box and finally turned his attention to assigning his points. Hoping that reaching 200 would give him another reward, he dumped all 25 points into Inspiration, bringing him to 196 and providing another 1000 essence.

  Then, with everything assigned, he closed the menus and braced for impact. “I guess I’m done.”

  “Before you go…” Jasper looked up curiously as Kas?dael hesitated to finish the sentence.

  “Yes?”

  “You should know I sent someone to look for your sister.”

  “And?” Jasper asked shakily, struggling to keep his voice under control.

  “I believe she’s found her.”

  “Is she okay? Can I see her? Does she know about me?” The questions tumbled out one after another, and Kas?dael waited silently until he had finished.

  “Are you done?”

  “Sorry, I just…” Jasper choked back the tears that threatened to fall. “I want to see her so badly.”

  “Jasper,” Kas?dael took his hand softly. “I promised to find her, and I have, and I’ll do my best to help you see her again, but I need you to be prepared for the possibility that won’t happen.”

  “Why not?” He asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

  “She’s in another realm, Jasper, one that even you have never been to. Travel between the realms is usually a one-way ticket. I may be able to bring her here, but I will not do so unless she wants to come. I won’t force her,” Kas?dael said gently.

  “I wouldn’t want you to,” Jasper sighed. “I just…I’d never thought I’d see her again. You don’t know how happy it makes me to know that she's alive and yet, to know that she’s still out of reach,” he shook his head. “It’s torture. Is there any way I could go to her?”

  The turmoil in Kas?dael’s face was plain to see, but she answered honestly. “Your friend Barbartu offered to return you to Earth, didn’t she? I suspect she would be willing to take you to Arallu? instead; it’s her home realm, after all.”

  “But I’d be stuck there,” he said simply.

  She seemed surprised by his words. “Do you want to come back?”

  “I…I think so. I miss Jenny more than anything, but…I’m happier here than I ever was on Earth,” Jasper admitted. “I’d miss Ihra. I’d miss the magic. I’d miss the adventure. Hell, I didn’t even want to help Be?let-Imtu, but exploring that city was…awesome. I don’t ever want to go back to a desk job.”

  “I might be able to help you make a round-trip,” Kas?dael said after a moment’s silence. “But it will cost me a great deal of energy. In exchange, I would require a service.”

  “Do I have to decide now?”

  “There’s no rush, Jasper, and there may be no need to ever discuss it. Give Barbartu time to learn more about your sister; perhaps she’ll choose to come here herself once she knows the truth.”

  "Do you think so?" He shook his head as soon as he asked the question. "I know you don't know and I know better than to get my hopes up, but...thanks. Thanks for finding her; at least I know she's okay."

  “There’s nothing to be thankful for - I take care of my own,” Kas?dael replied as she pulled him into her arms and thrust her hand through his heart.