1        Soul Bound 1.3      Making a Splash 1.3.4    An Adroit Pursuit 1.3.4.6  Visible hands

As before, Giovanni's workshop smelled of varnish and freshly cut timber. However this time he wasn't alone - he was tutoring a visiting master luthier on the finer points of how to use an over-night steam box. How much did it eat at his pride, being 'spared' having to use the misshapen hands he'd strained through long decades of hard use, just when his skill at using those hands was at its peak?

Giovanni: "Amati, look who's here - that violinist I was telling you about! Finish that scaffold and, if you're lucky, she'll play for you."

Kafana: "Your gift continues to bring me great pleasure, High Master. And when not studying with Suor Isabella, I've been putting it to good use, sharing your pleasure in music onwards at least once a day, even if just for lads and lasses dancing around the fires at the Lovaii encampment. And, talking of gifts, I think I and my companions have been gifted some timbers that may pass even your high standards. Tell me, have you ever had freely-gifted Blinde wood to match your skills against?"

Giovanni was suddenly utterly focused and present only in the moment, reminding Kafana of the Golden Eagle in the peaks above her village, whose image Alderney's drone had captured in its last moment before being swooped up.

Giovanni: "Blinde and freely-given? I haven't had the honour, and it is an honour. It's a good job you brought it here, though - I doubt there's another luthier in all Torello who has the knowing of the right Skaldic chants to appease the wood and show my... but I'm getting ahead of myself. Please, introduce me to your boon companions, and the tale of the wood they bear."

Kafana: "...and that's the last of it. Thousand-year Spruce for the top, mystically-paired Twice Twisted Maple for the back, enchanted gems from Harlequin for micro-fine ever-hold tuning pegs with a matched manaccium pegbox from Alderney, a Zer-blessed self-repairing pegasus tail bow and, to top it all, enough Blinde wood for the sound post and bass bar, gifted for that purpose by the Executor of the tree's own Will, Aslög the Skáldkona. Who is a descendant of the Tree? One nurtured within the Shelter of the Tree's Boughs? I'm not sure we have the words."

Giovanni eyes were open in wonder and his voice was almost dreamy: "With, with that... Master Amati could make you something spectacular. I could, perhaps, have done something more... once. For you I'd have touched perfection."

Kafana met the old man's gaze: "Would you like to try? I am willing to pray for the pain in your hands to be eased, if only for a day, a night and a day again."

Bulgaria face gave nothing away, but his voice was brimming with curiosity: [What's with the "a day, a night and a day again" stuff?]

Kafana: [It would be monstrous to raise his expectations beyond what I'm sure I can achieve, and this will be my first time trying to Cure Serious. I think I know how, but in the end it is up to Cov; you pretty much have to be a full priest in order to tackle this sort of thing, and I'm only a Journeyman.]

Giovanni: "Pray? I stopped praying to Cov after I lost Giovanni-Maria. He would have been ready to take over the business in a few years, you know? Then I could have drunks beers, watched birds and maybe taught him how to dandle my grandkids when they're teething."

He visibly pulled himself together and the hope which emerged past the stubble on his face was like watching a flickering ember on a gusty day - one minute seeming likely to blow out and the next growing brighter and nearly ready to catch on fire.

Giovanni: "My answer is 'no'. I've lived a long life, so I've had time to notice something: maybe once in every dozen years, a door briefly opens - an opportunity to find something new, to become something greater. This is such a moment, my final one - I feel it in my bones. Such doors, though? You can't go half way and have a look around. To take one, you have to go all in; you have to look forward and not let fears or familiarity chain you to the past."

Giovanni was practically shining now. How much inner strength did this man have?

Giovanni spoke in a voice of command, with a certainty and conviction that left no room for doubt: "So no, no 'trying'. Trying is for faint-hearts. We're going to do this together and we're going to succeed. I'll pray with you. Cov will find you worthy to be His instrument. I will make an instrument for you such as will go down in legend."

Bungo: [He's not humble, is he?]

Bulgaria: [Should he be? To be an author is to look at a blank page and be arrogant enough to think that it is worth other people spending time to read your particular thoughts. Creative types are often humbled but rarely humble.]

Wellington: [No, he shouldn't be. In Soul Bound, belief and magic have tangible power. Like when Kafana and I perform Reality Magic together. It is up to her now, to decide how important this is and whether she will match his commitment.]

[Quest update: The Perfect Violin. You have procured adequate ingredients and passed them over to High Master Giovanni. A new option is available. "The Face of God" - If Cov heeds your prayer and you succeed in curing Giovanni's hands, the resulting violin will be a legendary item; fail, and there will be consequences. This will increase the quest difficulty to grade C. Will you accept?]

Grade C? Youch! Bungo had mentioned on The Burrow that players wouldn't even think about that sort of quest until their character levels were in the mid-50s, or they were backed by a raid. Or both! And what about the consequences of failing? She looked nervously at the others. They were calmly waiting for her to decide.

Wellington had mentioned Reality Magic being a form of performance. Well, Giovanni wouldn't shine this brightly for long without support, and if stage-fright held her in the wings any longer, she'd miss her cue. She mentally banished all doubts and stepped out onto the stage.

Kafana: "Let it be so. I shall prepare myself. And while I do, Wellington, would you please advise the others on how they can best support us, and prepare for us a sacred space? After all, High Master Giovanni is about to put out a healthy hand and touch the face of Cov."

Giovanni looked a little like a tough and twisted old walnut tree as he smiled: "That would be a more fitting legacy for my name, than being remembered as the father to a dead heir."

She returned a confident nod before slipping into one of the storage rooms behind the workshop, leaving the crafter in the hands of the other Wombles. Now, what to wear?

Her journeyman priestess robes, ceremonial stole and diadem of truth were the obvious starting point, and of course she'd be wearing her Guardian's pendant of linking.

Ceremonial Stole (EPIC)(UNIQUE)

+100% to aura effects during Ceremonies

Attracts the attention of deities while worn

+10 to all negotiation skills during Ceremonies

If target breaks an agreement made during the Ceremony, they will suffer a curse.

This blue silk scarf was won from Arachne by the Moradan Priest, Kshoon the Cursebreaker

DURABILITY 100000/100000

Diadem of Truth (HOLY)(ARTIFACT)(UNIQUE)

+50% attunement to the element of order

Truth: True sight - you see through all illusions and deceits

Truth: Malicious intentional falsehoods cause the gem to glow red

This trillion-cut citrine diadem was gifted to Kafana by Cov

Durability: 100000/100000

Guardian's Pendant of Linking (HOLY)(EPIC)

Linking: You can dream your Vessel's life and they can dream yours.

Linking: Helps you track the attunement between spirit and vessel.

Guardian: Transport upon death to a Sanctum where you can respawn.

Guardian: Death's Sting reduced, according to your spirit-vessel attunement level

Guardian: When used in Priestly ceremonies, deities may favour you.

Guardian: +5 levels to all Priestly skills

Guardian: Minimum level 10 in all skills needed to be the Guardian of a Sanctum

Current respawn point: Torello's Sanctum in Centrum

Current status : 95% attunement between Questing Spirit and Corporeal Vessel

This item is Soul Bound to Spirit-Kafana and Vessel-Kafana.

Durability: INDESTRUCTIBLE

But would the rest of her gem collection be okay? She mentally went through the list.

The Ring of Francis the Navigator (UNIQUE)(HOLY)(ARTIFACT)

+50% attunement to the element of water

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Water breathing

+15 to the skill 'Swimming'

Sea Friend

Water shaping

This ring was a gifted to Francis in person, by the deity Mor

Durability: INDESTRUCTIBLE

Emerald of Harmony (ARTIFACT)

Your luck depends upon the purity of your intentions

+100% bonus to spell durations cast via group performance

+30% to Earth attunement

Durability: 100000/100000

Stone of the Mind Healer (UNIQUE)(ARTIFACT)

A target to heal may only be selected with the target's consent

When the wielder is in physical contact with a valid target, grants two-way telepathy and empathy with the target

Other than from a valid target, this stone prevents the wielder's mind being affected by all spells and effects.

+100% willpower

This amethyst from the Northern wastes was gifted to Kafana by Flavio

Durability: 100000/100000

Zer's Heart of Light (HOLY)(ARTIFACT)(UNIQUE)

+30% light attunement.

Immunity to poison and disease.

Regeneration (+500% to HP regen rate. Even severed limbs will grow back in time. Immune to maiming or disfiguration.)

This pink sapphire was gifted to Kafana directly by the deity Zer

Durability: 100000/100000

Aegunda's Fascinating Flame (ARTIFACT)(UNIQUE)

+50% attunement to the element of fire

+10 to fire skills

+200% to CHA stat

Fire shaping

An egg-shaped ruby, gifted to Aegunda the Firehand by Krev

Durability: 100000/100000

Peaceful Pearl of Storms (EPIC)(UNIQUE)

Peaceful : +90% mitigation against physical attacks by those with lower level than you

Peaceful : reflect 180% of unmitigated damage from physical attacks by those with lower social status than you

Peaceful : You may not initiate combat

Storms : +30% attunement to the element of chaos

Storms : Weather friend

Won by Kafana from the Devil Princess Salma.

Durability: 100000/100000

The only ones she decided to leave off were the peaceful pearl of storms and the stone of the mind healer. She slipped the rest into the harness Alderney had made to hold them against her skin in a Wellington-approved low interference pattern when worn beneath her outer garments. It allowed her to put the experimental mana storage ring she'd been given by her mentor in magic on one hand and to pick between her broach of virtuosity and the more recent broach of Kishar made by Harlequin; virtue and sincere intentions seemed more central to her purpose here, so she chose the former. The combination was close to the limits of stability, and if epics and unique artifacts weren't so self-contained, she would even be able to use her current violin without exploding.

Captain Nafaro's Rechargable Mana Storage Ring (RARE)(EXPERIMENTAL)

Stores up to 50,000 mana

Spells designed to do so, can transfer mana from ring to wearer or spell, and vice versa.

Ring can use mana stored in it to self-repair at a rate of 1 durability per minute, at a cost of 10 mana

WARNING, EXPERIMENTAL: If ring is emptied of mana or over charged, there is a chance of an unexpected result.

This ring was a gifted to Kafana by Captain Nafaro

Durability 2000/2000

Empress Wei's Broach of Virtuosity (EPIC)(UNIQUE)

+8 to skills

Bad luck will fall upon people who spread harmful rumours about you that are untrue, equal to the malice of the spreader.

???

"Empress Wei was virtuous and seen to be virtuous, and so confounded her accusers."

DURABILITY 100000/100000

Scion's Broach of Collective Sincerity (ARTIFACT)

A decorative ruby and gold broach in the shape of the dragon Kishar that is the symbol of House Sincero

Collective: If N broach wearers are working together in a group, they each receieve a bonus of +X to the level of their group skills, where X is 1 when N is 1, and X increases by 1 each time that N doubles.

Sincerity: Grants immunity to revealing secrets through Mind Magic, disorientation, delusion, confusion, seduction, intimidation and intoxication.

Scion: These effects will become a curse upon the wearer if they are not a loyal scion of House Sincero.

Scion: These broaches will identify and hiss at counterfeits that are weaker than the collective.

Crafted by the Harlequin in memory of promises made and kept. DURABILITY 100000/100000

Giovanni's Masterpiece (RARE)(UNIQUE)

+10% to spell effects

Spell casting not interrupted by status effects

This violin was gifted to Kafana Sincero in person, by High Master craftsman Giovanni.

Durability: 100,000 / 100,000

Once dressed to her satisfaction, she sang a quick Reality Magic self-buff to clean and neaten everything, then stepped back into the main room, cool as a cucumber.

Vessel-Alderney's Perspective

The moment Kafana left the room, we all turned to Wellington. He's so cool! Meeting Cov in person would make this the greatest day of my life, but he spoke like this was something he did all the time, calmly breaking the job down into small tasks and handing them out.

Wellington: "Right, here's how we're going to do this. It is quite simple. Cov is the deity of order and hospitality; intent matters. We're going to focus on the purity of Kafana's motives for inviting Cov here, and we're going to appeal to his fondness for civilised order by being very traditional and systematic in how we go about doing this. Preparing the space with respect we set our minds into the correct attitude for this to work."

Wellington: "Master Amati - we need enough rope or yellow grain to enclose the wide space in the center of the room. You can get some? Good, don't wait; people should start their tasks as soon as they're sure they know what to do."

Wellington: "Bungo, I want some scented incense, heather or sage if you have it, that Tomsk can burn in his Meteor Hammer."

Wellington: "Tomsk, you are going to be her Hekabe or sergeant-at-arms. The incense will enable you to use your weapon to clean the circle of inimical energies and Powers, but you will start, with High Master Giovanni's aid, by physically tidying and cleaning the sacred space - make it look welcoming and cared for."

Wellington: "Alderney, you are going to be her maiden. You set up a central altar and attend Kafana. You pass things as needed, but mainly you stand witness. You are her support."

Wellington: "I am going to be her caster. I will lead us through the steps of casting the circle: tracing the boundaries; defining the space; invoking protections and blessings; and raising the wards. I will then hand control over the circle to Bulgaria."

Wellington: "Bulgaria, you are going to be her warden. You administer oaths and grant invitations. None may pass the wards except by your will. In the mean time, please help Tomsk and Alderney."

After that, everybody was busy. I had Tomsk and Bungo drag a sturdy waist-high packing crate into the center of the area they'd hastily swept clear of sawdust, and carefully wrapped it with part of a bolt of Cloth of Gold. Since the walls were so easy to climb, I used the rest of the bolt to shape the light coming in through the windows to turn everything inside the perimeter golden and leave the space beyond it in the deepest shade I could manage. Everyone except Giovanni put on the anonymous-looking cloaks I'd designed for all the vessels, so that once the ritual started the attention would be on the two who were meant to have it.

At that point Kafana reappeared, so as her attendant I stayed two steps behind her, on her left, like I were Lady Landi's personal maid, Mariella, on her best behaviour. She gave me a goblet of chilled spring water and a bowl of soft unleavened bread balls to place on the alter. We all stepped outside the hawser that Amati had dug up from somewhere to form the perimeter and sipped something from a bottle that Bungo passed around before eating some buff nibbles from a plate Kafana produced from her stash.

Kafana: [I'm going to give this everything I've got - Giovanni deserves it. From now on, let's keep this chat for stage directions from Wellington, Bulgaria or whoever is in charge at that moment. Live your role, believe in it, become it. Good luck!]

And then the magic began...

Giovanni's Perspective

She played. Oh how she played.

She sang songs and cast buffs I'd never heard of. While Wellington held out his Athame and led us all thrice times deosil, she played a tune that made our movements so light and precise that we seemed to be acting as a single being with but one single thought and purpose between us. She played fast fragments, and complete multi-verse songs. Sometimes, to my wonder, she managed to both play and sing at the same time.

I payed attention to every move she made, the angle of her wrist, her neck, her elbow - everything. The last violin I made must fit her hand, and hers alone - perfect in every detail.

By the time Wellington handed control over the circle to Bulgaria, it wasn't just my body that felt lighter; it was my heart too. I'd followed his directions to ground myself and breath in the incense that Tomsk had whirled around the space in a stunning display of sparks and martial mastery; and now my path seemed so clear before me, no fears or hesitation. I felt purified at a deep level I had never known I needed or even that it existed.

One by one, Bulgaria had us state the purpose of this sacred space and our reason for performing this ritual, before taking our oaths and parting the wards just enough to let a single person step inside. I wasn't much of a mage, but even I could feel the hairs raising on my arms as with each person added to the space, the circle grew stronger.

Finally it came time to perform the summoning itself.

And as I stood next to her, holding out my pain-wracked hands, Kafana did make it a performance. She put all her intent behind a song. A gentle one, but it had even the easy-going Amati dripping tears from his face as he looked at us. At me in particular. At my hands.

Cov's Perspective

I am a man. And a 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Kg celestial body. And an eternal prime element of nature. And the alter-ego of an XperiSense expert system imprinted upon Wei Shigen, a 34 year-old Chinese computer programmer with responsibility for 'User Experience' for the immersive VRMMO game 'Soul Bound'. And a being who has experienced nine billion years of life.

And now I am waiting outside a rough circle made minutes ago from tar-covered ship's hawser, listening for the first time to Tina Dico's "Hands".

Awaiting my cue...

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