Less than three weeks remained before the monthly field assessment held by the Association. The day of hunting the day before had helped Arden and Sya improve in leaps and bounds for one simple reason: experience.

  Vera taught them long ago that experience was critical to combat, and yesterday they had gained a lot of it. They were still in the learning stage, and they learned a lot yesterday, even if they didn't include the progress they made with their powers.

  Arden, Vera, and Sya were all unconscious in Arden’s place, and were all standing beneath the eclipse that was Sya’s soul cluster. It still radiated a dark majesty that left them speechless.

  Sya’s Status appeared in front of them, flaunting her progression to main sequence.

  Name: Sya

  Starborn Tier: Red

  Starborn Rank: Protostar

  Progress to next rank: 97/1000

  “So you can progress from recovering your poison, corrupting star cores, and eating the Blight from blighted,” Arden said. “And you don't have to progress twice as far like Vera.”

  “This is bullshit,” Vera said.

  “You guys have seen this before," Sya said, not bothering to hide her smug smile. “I don't know why you're getting upset now.”

  “That was before we learned that you could double up on your gains!” Vera fired back. “You'll get twice the progress for poisoning a Celestial, and you have an actual Satellite! Meanwhile, I need 2000 progress points because of my binary system, and my Satellite collection is a slingshot and a gaudy couch.”

  Arden gave Vera a hug from behind which calmed her down. He gently rocked with her and smiled smugly in turn at his sister who looked envious.

  “So what does this new Satellite actually do?”

  Sya looked like she wanted to say something rude, but she suppressed it. Instead, she summoned her new Satellite forward.

  Unlike a typical soul cluster, or even the soul cluster of Arden and Vera, there were no motes orbiting Sya’s core. Instead, shadows from the center of her eclipse-like core began to shift.

  Like the convection current of the planet's mantle layer, the shadows all naturally flowed towards the edge of the core before swirling around it. As they did, they left a stagnant black mote in the center of the core that flew out towards the group. As it did, the black shell around the mote disappeared, revealing the red mote that it contained.

  “That's needlessly cool,” Vera sullenly said, clasping a hand around Arden’s arm.

  A flickering flame that looked like it would be snuffed out in seconds appeared in Sya’s hand. To call it a flame would be an exaggeration. It was closer to dying embers than a flame, and even that was pushing it.

  The Status appeared in front of them all and they all read it in silence.

  Smoldering Ember

  Satellite Tier: Red

  Satellite Rank: Supergiant

  Satellite Type: Tool (Ember)

  Satellite Description: A flame that burns bright will fade quickly. An ember that only smolders will never die out.

  Satellite Aspects: Singe, Hearth, Smolder.

  Singe: When applied to offensive Satellites, this Satellite provides additional fire damage over time for a short period of time.

  Hearth: When applied to defensive Satellites, this Satellite provides additional recovery rate for a short period of time.

  Smolder: The effects provided by this Satellite grow stronger the longer the effects last.

  “Wow,” Arden said. “That is a real Satellite alright. That seems pretty busted.”

  “Any plans for it?” Vera asked.

  “I think I can lean into an affliction build with my poison. Double up on lingering damage.”

  “That’s not an easy role to play,” Vera advised.

  “Neither is being a Blight Walker or a Starborn, but I'm doing just fine.”

  “Against the stronger and stranger, afflictions will come in clutch, absolutely, but against the run of the mill stuff, you’ll just be a slower Starborn.”

  “I don’t think that’s true in this case,” Arden pointed out.

  “How so?”

  “Well, right now we don’t really have any showstopper abilities. Killing stuff is already slow for us. Even with Devour or your sword buff and ice ability, these Celestials still take a while to die. We don’t have the strength to easily kill the majority of the Celestials we come across. Hell, some of the protostars we fought yesterday took several minutes to kill.”

  “It’s our skills that kill Celestials, not our abilities,” Sya nodded. “At most, our abilities tell us how to kill. It tells Arden to get close and dig in, while it tells you to use a sword.”

  “What you said isn’t wrong,” Vera acknowledged. “And having an ability like poisonous blood is already telling you that you will likely be an affliction specialist in some shape or form, but it is still incredibly dangerous. You’ll have to constantly stick close to Celestials to keep pouring on more afflictions and reapplying old ones. Without any movement abilities, that’s going to make it a lot harder.”

  “Then it's a good thing you’ve been teaching us how to move for almost two weeks now.”

  Vera smiled.

  “It sure is.”

  *****

  Yuro's shop was located along on one of the main streets of Ring 4. If this was before the StarFall, getting here would be hell, given the population of the city and traffic, but with the advent of warp stations, all cities were walkable cities.

  Arden, Vera, and Sya already applied for the warp station's premium program on the return trip from hunting the day before, so once they used it enough, all future trips would be free.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  They now stood in front of the quaint storefront. It was by no means big, or even impressive, but it gave a comforting vibe, as all store owners adept in their craft would recommend doing to attract more guests.

  A cobbled flagstone path led from the sidewalk up to the set of double doors at the front of the store, beside which sat an assortment of potted plants soaking up the morning sun. Just above the door hung a sign displaying the name of the establishment.

  Yuro's Yearnful Yarnwork

  Arden inwardly questioned if yarnwork was actually tailoring or not, then decided he didn’t have enough experience or knowledge to question it. What he did question was the word “yearnful,” as he didn't believe it was a real word.

  They pushed open the doors and entered, and the bell above the door rang, signaling their arrival.

  “Now this is more like it,” Vera said with a nod.

  There were several people perusing through the small shop, and it was nearly immediately that they joined in the perusing themselves.

  It was a large open space filled with the type of clothing everyone shopping was looking for. There was no heavy armor here. Only the light kind made from a variety of cloths and leathers.

  Most of the outfits were covering mannequins, showing off the contours and the hang of them. Arden ran his finger across the silky smooth fabric of what looked like a ranger's hood with small bone fragments arranged in a pattern on the back of it.

  “This is high quality.”

  “Indeed it is, sir,” a voice cut in.

  The trio turned in the direction of the voice and saw the owner, Yuro, approach them. None of them had seen him before, but they knew who it was based on the details of his appearance being shared with his sister whose husband worked the forge. Parted black hair that almost reached his shoulders, soft features, and a warm smile.

  Yuro touched the hood that Arden felt up and spoke with knowledgeable tact.

  “This is a good one. Made with the leather of a streamer stag. Tough, but not very flexible. Hence, the antler fragments on the back. The antlers were used as soon as they were removed so that they wouldn't have a chance to go stiff. Because of that process, the leather hood is as flexible as cloth while maintaining some of its toughness. One of my better pieces if I do say so myself.”

  “Is there a way to make the antlers go soft again?” Sya asked.

  “Unfortunately not, ma'am. Unless someone has a localized time reversing power.”

  “So it's not impossible…”

  “Admittedly, nothing is impossible in this day and age. Just highly, highly improbable.” He held out a hand to Arden, who was closest to him. “I’m Yuro, the owner of Yuro's Yearnful Yarnwork. Happy to meet a new prospective guest.”

  “Likewise,” Arden said, shaking his hand. “I’m Arden, and these are Vera and Sya.”

  The girls looked up from inspecting the merchandise to greet the proprietor. Yuro looked the group up and down.

  “Its not often I get such fine specimens in my fine establishment. Judging by your outstanding appearances and appreciation for resilient attire, I can tell that you three are in fact, Starborn. I take it that you are here to purchase some of my yearnful yarnwork?”

  “That’s part of it, but we’re also here to have some custom, uh, tailor-made products.”

  Yuro smiled. He smelled a sale, and a sale from a Starborn no less.

  “My services cost a little extra, but I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the results.”

  “Our lives aren't something we can put a price tag on,” Vera said. “Better to splurge on armor now than regret it later.”

  “Immaculately put, ma’am. Will that be a set for each of you?”

  “Just the girls. For armor, anyway,” Arden said, pulling out Savish’s note. “I have a note from one of your regulars about some mundane garb I’d like to have made.”

  Arden handed the envelope to Yuro who opened it and gave it a read. He chuckled to himself and put the note in his back pocket.

  “A friend of Savish is a friend of mine as well. How is she these days?”

  “Head over heels for her husband,” Arden answered, noticing that Yuro had dropped the honorifics.

  “I didn’t expect Cayde to manage to pull a woman like her, I must admit. I know that the idea of being out of someone’s league has diminished severely over the years, but still. In his younger days, he was never one to make the first move, but something Savish changed that about him. Ever since then, it's just been one romantic sunset after another with those two.”

  Yuro coughed awkwardly then spoke again.

  “So you needed the Savish Special,” he turned to the girls. “While you two need armor. Typically, each armor set would run you two cores each while the dress would be a single core. But I’ll give you guys a discount. I’ll do everything for only four cores.”

  Yuro led the group to a small room across from the entrance and took their measurements. Arden felt a little suspicious that his measurements were also being taken despite not needing an outfit. He worried that there might have been a mention of his work as a waitress in Savish’s note.

  “It’s for the future,” Yuro explained. “You might not be needing my services right now, but there’s no saying you won’t need them. What if you need a fitted suit? My stuff is far better than the pieces you can mix together at any department store. Its like the difference between bread from a bakery and bread from the grocery store”

  Arden conceded that the tailor had a point. They had all done some rudimentary clothes shopping after saving the Blight Walkers, and while Arden did manage to get a simple suit, it was bland compared to everything for sale that was hand crafted by Yuro.

  Still, he felt anxious.

  They left the fitting room and browsed the store, Vera and Sya pointing out which type of armor they'd like the most. Vera wanted something spiritually akin to the worn leather armor she had when she finished her trial, but with more of it in a darker color, while Sya wanted battle robes to, as she put it, “vibe with the sexy poisoner aesthetic.” Yuro only nodded in response.

  “This is doable,” Yuro said, finishing up his notes. “Do you have your own materials, or do you need me to make some purchases? Bear in mind, that if you provide me with the materials, there won't be any additional cost.”

  “We have a few hides,” Arden said. “Streamer stag, lesser thagomizard, but nothing great.”

  Arden laid the processed hides on the table for Yuro to appraise.

  “This is remarkably well maintained,” he said, impressed by the quality. “Did you harvest them yourself?”

  “Satellite.”

  Yuro nodded in response.

  “The quality of these hides is truly impressive. With these, and a few other things I can buy from the broker, I should have all that I need to make you some damn good sets of armor. And a very special dress.”

  “Do we need to pay anymore for the other materials?” Sya asked.

  “Not this time. If I have any extra hide left over, I'll keep it for other products. Does that sound fair?”

  The loot from the Celestials had taken most of a day to collect. It would take another day to replenish their materials. But this was going to be their living. A single day was miniscule in comparison.

  “Yes it does,” Arden replied.

  “I’m assuming you want these done before the monthly field assessment?”

  “That's the plan.”

  Yuro put on a sheepish smile.

  “In that case, I regret to inform you that due to my backlog, I can only have one of your outfits ready by then.”

  They all frowned. They were upset, but not angry. They knew that it wasn't Yuro's fault. They should have realized that a lot of people would be interested in armor before the assessment.

  “And there's nothing you can do about it?” Sya asked.

  “Not without compromising quality,” Yuro shook his head. “And as an artisan, that is one thing I will never do. A poorly made piece is worse than no piece.”

  “I can respect that.”

  Sya swiveled her head to look at Arden and Vera.

  “Who should get the armor?”

  Arden and Vera shared a glance, then she turned to Sya.

  “You,” Vera said, with a nod from Arden. “You’re going to play dangerously as an affliction specialist. Best for you to have the extra protection. I'll be fine with the stuff from the armory during the assessment.”

  Sya didn't try to challenge her words. She knew that Vera was correct.

  “We'll be going with my armor first,” Sya said. “Then Vera's, and then the dress after both.”

  Yuro held out his hand.

  “That'll be four star cores please.”