"We will part ways here," Asterius said as he spoke to Bruchts, "Enjoy the evening, boy. I hope that we see you come back."

With the oddly phrased words Bruchts and Centurion Felusian marched stoically from the road and started walking up into the hills above the city.

"What did you mean by that?" Seline asked Asterius.

"His Trial will be a short one." The tribune responded cryptically, "he will be faced with a choice to return to his people."

"I don't think he has much love for his heritage," Seline speculated. "But he is also no fan of the Erulean Empire…"

"We make our home with the people we choose." Asterius replied softly.

They walked together in contemplation for a while, enjoying the cooler air of the evening.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To check in on your wayward charges of course."

"So you already know…"

"Of course we know where your team is," He laughed again gleefully, enjoying the look on Seline's face. "Easier said than done, but rest your concerns."

"They're-" she started to fabricate an excuse for them, "They're like herding cats."

"Bhahaha," Asterius burst out laughing again, "Yes, an apt analogy! They are people with complex needs, desires and ways of being… they will not be directed or let you make a choice for them which makes them like cats. But then, their choices are what makes them more than cats."

"You mentioned a Trial. Is that what the team is doing?" Seline asked, the nod of confirmation she got in response making her consider the situation more deeply. "What is my Trial?"

"Oh yes, I forgot." Asterius pulled out a tablet and began to ask her some questions about her ars, while they talked he directed her to do a series of tasks like try to punch him as hard as she could, then as fast as she could, then shoot an arrow at a tree, then try to land the next arrow in the same place.

Seline had been Tier II for quite a while and was unsurprised as she was able to pull off superhuman accuracy with her bow. She knew her Mastery stat was well beyond what a normal human was capable of and she enjoyed testing her limits.

Details

Name

Seline

Attunement

XIII, CLXXX, LV

Aspect

Spring

Tier

II

Physical Statistics

Strength

I

Resistance

I

Vitality

II

Essential Statistics

Area

I

Force

III

Power

I

Mastery

Mastery

VI

They both got excited as he asked her to show him her new ars and tested its limitations. She hesitated to agree to shoot him with it, but he reassured her by showing off the shielding ars he had.

Archer

Verdant Druid?

Woodsman

Ars

Aimed Shot

Root

Rapid Fire

Attunement

nil

nil

Cooldown

n/a

2 Minutes 58 Seconds

1 minute 29 Seconds

Compatibility

n/a

Very High

n/a

Skill Type

Targeted Attack

Targeted Control, Area Debuff

Enhancement

Slot

Wrist, Fist, Arm, Hand

[+Shoulder]

[Hand, Arm]

Slot Bonus

n/a

Increase the size of the area OR the length of the root by [50%]

n/a

Description

Stand still and charge an attack for at least [1.5] seconds that cannot miss it deals an additional [41]% physical damage. Additional charge time increases damage by [15]% per second.

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

Target a minion, creep or avatar summon roots to lock them in place for up to [10] Seconds. Apply [Slow]. OR Target an area to summon a field of roots [21] meters wide which attempts to lock enemy minions, creeps or avatars in place for [3] seconds. Applies [Slow}.

Increase speed of fire by [53]% for [20] seconds.

Ars

Poisoned Arrow

Seeded Arrows

Camoflage

Attunement

nil

nil

Cooldown

n/a

20 seconds

n/a

Compatibility

n/a

Perfect

n/a

Skill Type

Enhancement

Enhancement

Buff, Concealment

Slot

Wrist, Fist, Arm, Back, Chest,Hip

Any

Chest, Back, Leg, Waist

Slot Bonus

n/a

Borrows attunement and slot bonus from upstream ars: Increase the range of the seed OR the up time of the seed by [50%]

n/a

Description

Arrows that deal damage inflict [Poison].

Empower an attack to deliver a seed to the target which sprouts after [2.5] seconds. The seed will either: attack nearby enemies whenever the host of the seed is struck, applies any on hit effects. OR The seed will latch onto the nearest enemy slowing both and causing both the host and the nearest enemy to be pulled together.

When standing within [3] Meters of brush or a wall blend in with the scenery and become [Invisible] for as long as you remain stationary. Any movement or damage will end the effect

Ars

Multi Strike

Poison Cloud

Hidden Dagger

Attunement

nil

nil

nil

Cooldown

n/a

n/a

45 Seconds

Compatibility

n/a

n/a

n/a

Skill Type

Enhancement

Area

Targeted Attack

Slot

Wrist, ankle

Wrist, Leg, Chest, Shoulder

Wrist, ankle

Slot Bonus

n/a

n/a

n/a

Description

Each strike applies effects twice.

Conjur a cloud [20] meters wide for 5 seconds that damages enemies within dealing [50] poison damage and applying [Poisoned]

Throw a hidden blade at the target dealing [102] Physical damage and apply [Bleed]

"I think your class will have changed with the new ars," Arterius said, deep in thought. "I guess you will see next rift!"

He handed her the tablet and let her read through her information. It was interesting, but nothing new to her.

"Is that it?"

"Sorry?"

"Is that my trial?"

"Well sort of." Asterius said, "It is just admin work really, but it is something of a tradition."

"Do I get a trial?" Seline asked, getting frustrated at the distractible man.

"We have been watching you," He said simply. "And we see your capability and competence and we know you will lead your team to success, but first we need to find out if you will have a team left to lead! Bruchts will be given a simple choice, but in a way each of them must choose to come together. They must each make the choice to be more than cats and become more than their own individual abilities: a true Rift Team."

The time Seline spent with Asterius was a revelation. Through the stories he told and the back and forth conversation she came to understand herself and her role as a leader. While they wandered the city they talked about the team, their challenges and personalities.

They visited the arena to watch Palinus find his confidence and win the duel. She couldn't believe the change in her friend as he fought, he was in complete control of himself and the fight.

Walking up the road they checked in on Vesuvia who was so in the zone she didn't notice them watching her. They watched as she learnt how to apply her ars in the overworld and turned her feelings of inadequacy and rage for her place in the world into healing.

Finally they peeked through the window of a dingy taverna and saw Rufian sitting about drinking.

She sighed as they watched him.

"I can't make them do what I need them to," she complained, "I can't even make them get out of their own way."

"They are group of individuals with their own goals and personalities." Asterius replied gently, "There was no leader who could bend a group like that to their will."

He went on to explain why she wouldn't want to.

"You will find that if you can line their goals up together they will pull together in such a way that they will exceed expectations. They could be an exceptionally high performing team, they don't need mothering, they need someone to smooth their rough edges and remind them what their goals are." Tribune Asterius explained. "Other than that… just let them do what they do best and nudge them to where that might be!"

The words made so much sense to Seline, but they also stabbed at a part of her that couldn't accept the lack of control.

"That makes sense." She replied as she rubbed her head.

"You will understand in time," Tribune Asterius said, instantly seeing the girls warring emotions. "You don't make big changes overnight… Well, except this one!"

As they talked they had been walking together into the Tremona Fortress. They finally stopped in an antechamber to the main reception hall. It was a room filled with legion iconography, dozens of flags and standards hung up about the room. A rack stood against the wall holding the emblematic aquila,the famous eagle standards of the first empire.

"Wow," Seline said, the room was full of fascinating history. She could see banners from all of the famous legions and a row of cabinets showed off insignia from famous rift teams and individuals. Walking into the room she found herself drawn to the signum, the small flags that identified individual decios or teams within a legion.

"Pick one!" Asterius said with a beaming smile. "You get to pick out the signum and your team's designation."

"We don't have numerical designations?" She asked, confused.

"Well, yes, you do. The teams are listed in order of their ranking, so you are technically team 2… So 1st Legion, 1s Cohort, 3rd Century, 2nd Team but 1132 is a bit bland and who knows? You'll probably take the first spot soon." Asterius explained. "The over-legion loves to have its nicely lined up soldiers, but the under-legion… we love a good story."

He pulled out a signum with a charging boar on it, he held it up to Seline and shook his head.

"... and a story about a team needs a good name!"

They rummaged through the piles of small flags. They were mostly square and tended to have an animal or mythical theme, some simpler than others.

"We are too diverse." Seline complained, "This would be easy for a more traditional team, but we are just so - different."

"I have never seen or heard of a team failing to find a signum. You will find something that unifies you, I have no doubt." He was holding a signum that looked old and was burnt on one corner. "When I did this for my own team I did not take it quite as seriously as you are."

He laughed as he reminisced.

"But we were a very different group of people! Our signum was an inside joke… and it made us laugh whenever we were announced! I know you will find something, and it will be perfect. Something that will represent your journey and your goals, beyond even the Rift Trials."

It took what felt like hours, but eventually Seline pulled out a square of cloth and clasped it to her chest.

"You were right." She said softly to Tribune Asterius, "It is perfect."

Seline waited in their tent, lit by the torchstone she still carried from her aborted time on watch. She stroked the square of cloth she held, it had felt so right when she found the signum and she imagined the team wearing it with pride as they claimed victory.

The iconography was from a story she connected with so personally and it had elements of all of their heritages. Even more importantly, it was a story about transformation, something she knew spoke to each of the team in their own way. But a gnawing doubt filled her as she almost heard Rufian mocking it, or Vesuvia saying something scathing.

What if they thought it was silly?

Sitting alone in the tent while she waited for them to return from what she could only imagine as misadventure, the feeling of belonging and pride felt far away and her anxieties began to reappear. Asterius had said that they would all face a choice and a trial, what if they failed?

What if they chose not to return?

A noise startled her from the fittings of the tent and she quickly hid the signum beneath her bedroll. Someone was opening the tent flap, and from the skill of their stealth she knew who it was.

The words from tribune Asterius echoed in her head as she held her breath:

"Now we just need to wait to see who will stand together beneath it."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.