Where is he?" She drawled, her head languidly resting on the palm of her hand.
A red robed figure lifted her head.
"My lady. We scoured the entire province of Cilim as you commanded and found no signs of the thief. Our disciples have monitored every fresh corpse in every city and town we have a presence in, and none resurrected. Every Warrior in the Society flew to even the smallest towns and villages, and there weren't any rumors of the dead rising."
"Hmpf. As expected of you useless weaklings." The throne evaporated as her wings stretched out behind her. "The thief is on one of these islands, and until he is caught no one will leave, or travel between them."
"My lady, that's…" The red robed woman trailed off as Arke suddenly appeared in front of her.
"That's. What?" She cocked her head.
"This lowly Warrior seeks only to serve and aid you in finding this terrible thief, and none of us dare defy your will, or that of Olympus… but Atlantis claims dominion over the seas, and this island."
Arke blinked, and then blinked again. "Do you think I'm unaware of Atlantis?"
"Of course not, this one will never presume to fathom the extent of your wisdom and knowledge. It is only that if Carim were to suddenly cease all exports, the Atlantians would seek to punish us. Many of us still remember her fury. Even centuries later, we mourn the loss of our Hero and pay the price of our arrogance. If Atlantis does not get her tithe, they will call us traitors. Her armies will destroy us."
"If the thief is not found." Arke loomed over her. "Then it will not be Atlantis you need to worry about."
"My lady… I'm afraid finding this thief will be impossible. What if his soul already dissipated, or he allowed himself to be pulled into the Aether. Or if…"
"Enough!" She shrieked, rattling the world with her voice alone. "I will not abide by your excuses. See that my will be done. As for the Atlantians, do not concern yourself with them."
"How do we find this thief, my lady? If he has already possessed a body, then how do we know who he is?
She didn't answer. Disappearing with a single beat of her wings. The nine warriors shared nervous glances, before flying back to their respective mountains, leaving only Nefkha and Irila, the woman who had spoken to her, floating in the air.
"What a bitch." Said Nefkha, stroking his beard.
"Indeed. She should know that no ones going to find this thief of hers. He's probably dead, and even if he isn't, how are we meant to find him among billions of people? If he isn't dead already, he could be anyone, anywhere."
"Hah. We don't, that's how." Nefkha lied effortlessly. "She's strong-arming us right now, but the archipelago is too useful for trade, and not just to the Atlantians. Maybe if she knew what island the thief was on, things would be different, but as it is, there's no chance. Besides, Carim is weak and we're weak. We have no choice but to obey whatever law she lays down. The other islands don't necessarily have the same restriction."
"You mean Sylcra?"
"Mhm. There's rumors that the Hero ascended to the next tier."
Her eyes widened, before shaking her head lightly. "Even then, angering Olympus isn't worth it."
"Maybe so… but Olympus isn't the only faction helmed by gods, and if the rumor is true, the damage that someone at that tier could do…"
"He'll be slaughtered. The gods don't look favorably on those who threaten them."
"You're right." Nefkha turned to the direction where Arke had flown off to. His eyes hardened in hate. "But, their cruelty breeds enmity, and there are many who would seek to destroy them, regardless of the cost. To themselves or to the world."
"Is this about…"
He put a fake smile on his face. "That's enough of that. Dealing with her stressed me out. I have some bottles of Nepthian Beer if you would care to join me?"
She raised her eyebrows, "I didn't know you had such expensive tastes."
On the ground outside the forest, Luke and his companions knelt on the ground.
"I think she's gone." Said Spiros a minute or two after she had left.
The Seed sent Luke a message.
Threat averted.
He sighed in relief, as he stood up. "Does she come here often?"
"Second time actually. She came here a week ago, and the Society was in scrambles. Apparently some thief got away from her, and she's searching for him." Said June.
"That's crazy. She seemed so strong." Luke did his best not to give anything away.
"Yeah, the Society went crazy, and all the Elders even went searching for him… Is that when Elder Nefkha found you?" Asked Mykonos, squatting down and gripping the snake's tail.
My timing really is suspicious.
"Yeah. I was lost in a forest outside my town, and he must have felt bad for me or something, because he offered to let me join the Society." Luke also gripped the snake.
"That was nice of him. Isn't your family worried about you though?" June frowned.
"No… they uh." Luke recounted Max's sad tale, as they dragged the carcass back to the city. Omitting anything to do with the Seed and how he wasn't actually Max.
Thankfully, Nefkha didn't turn me in. Arke seemed to have healed from whatever damage Aeolus did to her and as fast as she moves, I don't even know if I could have used a Charge fast enough to get away. At least I know she can't sense the Seed inside me now though. She really has no idea who I am. It's surprising that she's still lurking around though. What's her plan?
Luke shook the thoughts out of his head. It didn't matter why she was around. Nefkha hadn't turned him in, and she couldn't recognize him even when he was standing right under her nose. He was safe for the time being.
"Hmm." An Inner Disciple inspected their snake, walking around it with his arms crossed. Poking and prodding it as he went. Prying its mouth open, he peeked inside, unbothered by the blood dripping onto his robes. "Thirteen hundred merits."
"What! Come on." Mykonos protested. "You might as well rob us for that price. Look at this." He reached into his robe, and pulled out a handbook. "It says right here. One-fifty for each vial of the venom. In a snake this big, there's at least ten vials of it!"
The Inner Disciple started at Mykonos. "It seems you know your stuff, kid."
"How about you give us a fair price?" Mykonos crossed his arms. The Inner Diciple grinned at him.
"I like you. Let me see. You have both fangs, so that's two hundred, it's thirty feet long, and let's say three feet thick," he cupped his chin thoughtfully, "that's basically three-hundred square feet of skin, which amounts to another six-hundred merits. Two hundred for the heart, fifty for each kidney, and two hundred for everything else. All together, that's two-thousand-eight-hundred."
"That's bet…"
"Minus two hundred for the butchering fee, minus another one-fifty for the poor shape of its skin, and another four-fifty for the lack of freshness, altogether that'll be two-thousand merits. Better?"
"Deal!" Mykonos shook his hand. Beside him, both June and Spiros cheered.
"We're rich! We're rich Luke!" Spiros slung his arms around Luke's shoulder.
"Tsk. Don't get too excited you little brats. Lucky breaks like this don't come too often. If I were you, use the merits to buy lessons. Exploding talismans worked on the snake, but to most monsters those papers might as well be pebbles. Same with anyone beyond the mid-stage of the mortal tier. I could have one of those tiny papers burst off in my mouth, and I'd still be fine." He boasted, puffing out his chest. "Now let me see your wristbands. We're doing an even spread right?" He asked.
"Yup!" Spiros nodded.
Later, Luke after submitting his portion of the Blue Wildflowers, and with an excess of merits walked into the Armory.
Something he had been looking forward to since he realized it existed. Entering the building, he was amazed to see it littered with an assortment of swords, shields, spears, halberds, knives, and even knuckle-dusters. Each and every one of them polished to a shine, and gleaming in the light of the gas lamps that were common to Carim.
His eyes raked over the walls, and to his surprise a sword lit up in his vision.
Bellerophon's Blade
The words appeared in front of it.
Is it that easy? He asked himself, staring dumbly at the sword. It was a beautiful thing. A three foot long blade, lacking a crossguard unlike most of the other swords in the room. It was forged from pure gold, and lacked any seams. As if it were forged from a single bar of the metal. A pommel, encrusted with a large blue gem and a tassel, narrowed into a leather wrapped grip, which flattened into a wicked double edged blade, forming a lethal point.
"An eye for the fancy!" A voice echoed through the room. "Can't say I blame ya. Who wouldn't want a golden sword, and a xiphos at that. If nothing else, the Olympians make some fine looking weapons. What can I get for ya lad?"
"How much for that one?" Luke asked him. Slightly surprised by his massive frame, and bulging muscles, barely hidden beneath his blue robes.
"Hmm. That one is-three hundred merits." He looked at Luke. A wry smile on his face, that just screamed his doubt at Luke being able to afford it.
"I'll take it!" Luke answered as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Sliding his bracelet off his wrist, he held it out to him.
"You're quite decisive." He looked surprised, but pulled the sword free of its mount nonetheless. "Are you sure you want this one though? Don't let the gold fool you, it's not the best sword we have here. Actually the price is so high, precisely because it's gold. Whoever made it possessed more vanity than sense in my opinion."
"I'm sure. I uh, I always wanted a gold sword." Luke answered lamely. Remembering that the Society didn't know its history, and he didn't want to clue them into its true value either. Whatever that was.
"Are you sure I can't convince you otherwise? The artificer who made it, enchanted it with increased durability just to make use of the gold. Most of the other swords I have in that price range are made from sturdier stuff, and have better enchantments. I got swords that shock people, swords that are sharper than they should be, swords that vibrate… all for a similar price."
"Thank you, but I'm sure."
"Alright. They're your merits." He shrugged, and took the wristband. Dropping it on a paper, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "No wonder you're so eager to waste your money. I thought those vipers went extinct." He muttered as his eyes raked over the paper. After deducting the merits, he slid the sword over to Luke. "You'll want a sheath with that too. Three merits."
"I'll take one." Said Luke, gingerly placing his hand on the hilt, he felt the Seed stir in the recesses of his soul. A tendril of energy traveled from it, down to his arm, and into the blade.
Quest complete.
Bonding.
Connection formed with item: Xiphos
That was way easier than I thought it would be.
Sitting on the mat in his meditation room, Luke withdrew the sword from its sheath. Then with a mental command, added it to his inventory.
Status | Quests | Inventory
Capacity: 4.5 kg of 140 kg
Items:
Xiphos (Bound)
Tier - Mortal (Upgradable)
A Xiphos gifted to Bellerophon. Although not his primary weapon, after centuries of exposure to mana of a higher tier, it has gained abilities atypical of a mortal weapon. The blade will repair any damage when provided with sufficient mana. The blade will siphon mana from those it cuts. Strengthening its wielder every time blood is drawn.
Upgrade - Weakened by its wielder's battle against Zeus and from the centuries of disuse that followed, the mana in the sword has dwindled away, resulting in its decline to the Mortal Tier. It can be returned to its previous glory, and perhaps even beyond.
To advance the sword to the next tier, it must feast on the blood of a hundred Warrior Tier entities. (0/100)
Hmm. Not bad, although I'm a long ways away from killing a hundred warriors. Hell, I only know nine that exist. If I'm reading it right though, the sword will take mana from those I cut with it, and make it available to me. Essentially, free Stat Points for killing stuff. I sense some murder-hoboing in the future.
Luke called the sword back from his inventory, and stared at the blade. It really was beautiful.
Returning it to its sheath, he put it beside his bed. His inventory, while useful, wasn't something he could explain.
I should probably fill it up on some food and other camping supplies though. Some talismans too. Those were useful.
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Status | Quests | Inventory
Name: Lukas King
Tier: Mortal
Mana: 144
Rate: 10% per hour
Strength: 10 > 22
Agility: 10 > 16
Constitution: 14 > 21
Arcana: 2 > 16
Stat Points: 0
Bloodline: Locked. Conditions not met. (1/10 000)
Charges: 7/10
Luke inspected his Status. Satisfied with his progress over the past two weeks. An exhausting two weeks. With merits to spare, he had spent every moment exercising or sparring. On average, gaining three points a day. All his free Stat Points with the exception of one, which had gone to his bloodline to see what happened (nothing), had gone to the Arcana stat.
Something he was considering to be a bit of a waste the more he invested in it. It was the only Stat that hadn't grown naturally, and he still couldn't feel his mana, nor did he have a way to use it. Something he hoped would change after he crossed into triple digits.
Dismissing it, he got ready for the day. Breathing in the fresh air, he made his way to the Mission Hall. For the first time since his unexpected windfall. Idly scanning the missions on the board for something that might catch his eye.
"How can I help you today?"
"I would like to go on a hunt. An easier one, if that's okay."
"Very well. Can I see your wristband please?" He extended his hand.
Luke slid it over, and watched with amusement as the man's polite smile slipped from his face. He looked between Luke and the paper, and then at Luke again.
"Is there a problem?"
The clerk's mouth opened and closed, not unlike that of a fish. "There is no problem. It's just that… A hunt is dangerous."
"I'm aware." Luke crossed his arms.
"There are other considerations."
Luke lifted an eyebrow, wondering what the man was getting at.
"You see, a standard monster extermination mission groups five people together. Most that participate in them are seasoned members of the Society. While I can add you to a team, not many will be happy with the addition of a fresh recruit."
Luke nodded as he mulled over the words. "I see."
"Might I suggest a guard posting instead?" He offered with a strained smile.
"Hmm. No, I'll stick with a monster hunt."
Pursing his lips, he nodded. "Very well." He pulled out a binder, and began flipping through it. "Alright, I've added you to a team. You'll be exterminating a flock of harpies down south. They've been harassing a town, stealing food and abducting men. Your team is scheduled to depart at noon, from the South gate. Please ensure you have enough supplies to last you for the three days it will take you to get there, and the three it will take you to return. The pay is twenty merits, and the Society purchases their wing's at ten merits a pair. If you fail at the mission, and it is determined upon investigation that it was due to lack of professionalism and or poor conduct on your behalf, you will be docked five merits."
"Thank you." Said Luke, nodding politely while collecting his wristband, amused by the situation. Just two weeks ago a clerk had been commending him for taking it easy and gathering herbs, and now one was looking down on him for hunting monsters.
Not that it could be helped, Luke would have liked to keep gathering herb's and he likely could, except, he had a sword. One that he very much wanted to use. If siphoning mana, actually translated into Stat Points, then sitting around the Society was a massive waste of his time. At least until he learned how much mana, in terms of Stat Points, the sword actually siphoned from the things he killed. If it eclipsed what he earned in safety by a substantial margin, then it was worth the risk.
Ideally, he'd want to make it to the Warrior Tier, and fast before hightailing it out of the island. He'd also need to work something out with Nefkha. The fact that he knew that Luke was the one Arke was looking for, felt uncomfortably like a sword dangling over his head.
A single hint from Arke about what it was that he possessed could change their relationship in a heartbeat, and Luke couldn't take the risk that Nefkha wouldn't kill him for the Seed.
What are Charges? Luke directed his thoughts to the Seed. A question he had asked it days before, and it was one of the few it had answered. Ignoring the rest.
A charge is a unit of Primordial Energy. The God Seed generates ten instances of this energy every time it transfers to a new host. A Charge can be consumed to perform a wide array of tasks, depending on the user's needs. Past user's have often used the Charges to escape death.
Warning. Use of a Charge is detectable by beings sensitive to Primordial Energies within a certain radius.
The first part was great, and Luke was happy to know he had seven aces stored up his sleeve. The last part, however, had bothered him since he learnt of it. It hadn't come as a surprise that Arke had a way to track him. She had known he was on the archipelago afterall. It was the knowledge that using his aces would tell her exactly where he was that was unnerving.
Using a Charge, then, was tantamount to a death sentence so long as she was around. Even then, there was no telling who or what could detect Primordial Energy. The last thing Luke wanted was to get another monstrous being hunting him.
Suddenly, it made a lot of sense why the God Seed was still in circulation. Whoever had it, just ended up dead before they got strong enough to protect it from people who wanted it more. Luke could already envision them using a charge to escape from a monster, only to end up face to face with someone of Arke's caliber or maybe even stronger.
Shaking the thoughts free from his head, Luke went from shop to shop, and grabbed a host of supplies. Enough food and water to last him a couple of weeks. A decent number of the Society's black robes. A decent shield to go with his sword. A handful of talismans, and even some potions. The Society's more arcane goods being of great interest to Luke.
He'd found that talismans weren't limited to just the explodey kind. There were other, more expensive ones, that acted as makeshift shields. According to the Inner Disciple that had sold them to him, they could block one good hit from basically any monster that he was likely to run into. The caveat being that they were hard to use. Just like the ones he'd used before, they had a perforated tab that needed to be ripped to activate them. A tab that was hard to rip when you had something trying to kill you.
Potions were also handy, although Luke wasn't convinced of their efficacy. Supposedly, spilling them on a wound would help it heal faster, but he hadn't had the opportunity to try it.
Walking home with his hands full of food, pockets full of talismans, and a newly purchased shield on his back he settled onto a chair before loading it all, with the exception of his shield and some food that he planned to carry for the sake of appearances, into his inventory.
Status | Quests | Inventory
Capacity: 84.6 kg of 462 kg
He'd dropped a banana in it a week ago, and was pleasantly surprised to see it hadn't spoiled at all during that time.
Since then, he had slowly been filling it with food, about an extra meal or two worth every day. The Society gave him three meals a day, delivered to his house at regular intervals, but those who wanted to eat more were free to buy as much food as they pleased.
Everything purchased in the Society was bought by merits, and every merit was tracked. That in mind, he had been careful and perhaps a bit paranoid with what he bought and when he bought it. Paranoia, that he felt was justified. It wouldn't end well if Nefkha was keeping an eye on his purchases, and decided that he didn't like Luke buying more food than was reasonable for him to eat and called Arke down on him.
Sitting on a chair, at a loss for how to spend the last two hours before he left to meet his monster hunting team, Luke had an idea. Fishing out a protective talisman, Luke ripped off the perforated edge, and a moment later, just as a bubble of blue energy surrounded him, he moved the talisman into his inventory.
Smiling, he brought it back out thirty seconds later. Twenty-five seconds after it should have fizzled out.
Now this is nice. Thought Luke, grinning at the protective bubble around him. With this, I won't have to fumble around with it mid-fight. Instant energy shield, a thought away.
With the initial success, he tore the perforated edge off of three three of his remaining five talismans and moved them to his inventory. Keeping two on his person, in case someone else needed to use them.
Watching a clock tick by. He stripped out of his outer clothes, and started doing push ups.
Might as well get a workout in while I wait. What I wouldn't do for a phone right now though. I never thought I would miss doom scrolling this much.
Arriving at the city's gate, it didn't take him long to find his group. Four people, sitting on a large carriage tied to two bipedal raptor-like lizards called raphta. Each of which was the size of a horse, and covered in dark blue and purple scales.
Once he got closer, Luke was surprised to see he actually recognized two of the people on it. One of them being Arya, except she had swapped out her black robes for blue ones. The other was Ethan, his hulking frame easily recognizable. Both of them he hadn't seen since his first days in the Society.
"Hi. You guys are hunting the harpies right?" He asked, approaching the carriage from behind, not scared of the lizards, but not wanting to get close to them either.
"Luke?" Said Arya, her face setting into a frown. Clearly unhappy to see him.
"Hi Arya. Congratulations on becoming an Inner Disciple." He answered, ignoring the look on her face, he could already guess why she wasn't happy to see him.
"What are you doing going on a hunt?" She asked. "I specifically told Xander to warn you against them."
"You know this kid Arya?" Asked the other Inner Disciple, leaning in curiously,
"I've met him before. He joined the Society a little over two weeks ago."
"That's fine, right? If he was recruited off season, he should be decently strong." He shrugged his shoulders, and looked between Luke and Arya. Not seeing the big deal.
"And he hadn't started cultivating until then either."
"So let me get this straight. You've been cultivating for two weeks?"
"Basically."
"You're going to die." He leaned back and crossed his arms, a smile playing across his lips.
"Laxas!" Arya looked at the other Inner Disciple disapprovingly. "You're not going to die." She turned to Luke
"Is it really that dangerous?"
"It's not as bad as Laxas is making it out to be. Harpies are pretty stupid. If we play our cards right, we can get rid of them fairly easily. Normally, we just fill them with arrows from a distance with those." Ethan pointed to a large pile of wooden arrows with metal heads and an assortment of bows on the back of the carriage.
"What Ethan isn't telling you is that there are usually hundreds of harpies in a single nest, and if they spot you, they will rip you apart." The other outer disciple chimed in.
Ethan glared at him. "Don't worry too much about that. What Arn isn't telling you," He jabbed his thumb in Arn's direction, "is that harpies are basically blind. They never see where the arrows are coming from. Just stick with Arya or Laxas, and you'll be okay. Isn't that right guys?"
"You think I haven't seen that happen before?" Arn got to his feet, and glared at Ethan.
"That's enough. Luke, get on, we're wasting time. And you two," Arya glanced between Ethan and Arn, "If we're careful, then the harpies won't even know we're there because we hunt them while they sleep, and if they do see us." She reached behind her, and pulled out a wire net, with gaps big enough that Luke was confident he could poke his neck through them. "We have these. We'll set them up before we attack, and fire our arrows through them. If they crowd around us, we'll still be fine."
"Yeah don't stress too much about it. Like Ethan said, just stick with me or Arya, and we'll be alright. I was joking about the dying thing. Mostly." Said Laxas, climbing to the front of the carriage, and taking the reins.
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That's an awfully fancy sword you have there." Ethan eyed Luke's shiny golden blade. "That's the one that was hanging in the Armory right?
"Mhm." Luke grunted, holding it parallel to his nose. Inspecting the blade for what must have been the hundredth time since he'd bought it.
Arya looked at the blade curiously. "How did you get the merits for it so fast? I wanted to buy it myself, but wasting three-hundred merits to satisfy my vanity wasn't something that I could do."
"I went herb picking and we ran into a Black-Scaled King Viper. Bit of an unexpected windfall."
"Explosive talismans?" Said Laxas, from the front of the carriage, his eyes focused on the road as the lizards pulled the carriage along at blistering speeds under his guidance. A task that he seemed to enjoy, almost unreasonably so.
"Yup."
He nodded approvingly. "Not a bad strategy. Anyway, we're almost to the town. Luke, since this is your first time, there are some ground rules. One, don't mess with the locals. I'd go so far as to say don't even talk to them. If you do run into them, they will ask you how to cultivate. Do. Not. Tell. Them." Laxas looked over his shoulder and straight into Luke's eyes. "That's rule two."
Luke frowned. "How come?"
"It's… not wise." Arya chipped in. "If everyone is aware that all you need to do to surpass the limits of mortality is exercise, at least to get to the middle of the mortal-tier. It makes people harder to control."
"Why is that a bad thing?" Luke asked, not understanding where she was coming from.
"Well, everytime some town or village figures out the 'big secret'," said Ethan, "it always ends in bloodshed."
"Huh?"
"Some lunatics always end up thinking that because they're strong enough to do something, they have the right to do it. After all, if they get stronger than everyone around them, then who's going to stop them?" he elaborated.
"But how is that different from cultivating in the Society?" Asked Luke.
"It's not. You saw the Winged-Woman earlier, strolled right in, and the Elders had no choice but to kneel at the foot of her throne. Really there's just less chaos, the fewer of us there are. Besides, between you and me, all those people who don't walk the path aren't exactly losing out on much. Out of a thousand, maybe ten people can get past the mid-stage boundary, and the number of people who ascend to the warrior-tier is even smaller than that."
"Right." Luke nodded along. Not really satisfied with the reasoning, but at the same time not wanting to argue the pros and cons of the masses cultivating mana. If doing so got him in trouble with the Luminous Sky, it wasn't worth it. He could explore the subject once he wasn't worried about Arke cracking his soul apart like he had a toy inside him.
"Rule three is also pretty simple." Said Laxas, pulling the carriage over and stopping just outside of a town's gates. "Don't sell anything from the Society to those not in the Society. Not talismans, not weapons, not potions, nothing. Not all mortals know that becoming a god is possible, and of those that do, we keep the number small, and we maintain an aura of mystery. Selling our stuff to mortals breaks that illusion. As far as they know, everything they can offer us is worthless. Which is true anyway, so don't bother."
"I will not."
"Good. I'd hate to kill you." He looked Luke dead in the eye, before bursting out laughing, "I'm just joking. Mostly. Anyway," he climbed out of the carriage, "you four wait here, I'll go talk to the leader of the place, and we can figure out our game plan." Laxas said, walking off. "Someone wake Arn up too."
"So Luke, you know how to use a bow right?" Ethan asked, pulling one free from the pile, and loading a quiver with arrows.
"I know the general gist of it, yeah."
"Let's see what you got." He knocked an arrow on a bow, and handed it to Luke. "Hmmm. Aim for the knot on that tree." He pointed to a leafy tree twenty paces away from where they were standing.
Luke accepted the bow, taking a moment to get used to its weight. Turning towards the tree, he was surprised by the amount of force required to actually draw the arrow. Wincing in pain as the string dug uncomfortably deep into his fingers, he only managed to draw it back a quarter of the way before loosing the arrow.
It missed the tree he was aiming at completely, and sunk a quarter of the way in on a tree to the left of it. He frowned in annoyance.
Am I really that weak? That I can't even draw a bow.
"Try this one instead." Ethan handed him another bow, an arrow already knocked.
Eyebrows furrowed, Luke did just that. Squinting with one eye, he drew the string back and aimed it at the knot, and thankfully, while still not easy, he was able to pull it all the way back. Adjusting his aim, he let the string go, and this time managed to hit the right tree, the arrow sinking in a quarter of the way through with a satisfying thunk, although still not where he was aiming for.
"This one is better. Thank-you." Said Luke. Reaching for another arrow, and taking an equally inaccurate shot.
"You're welcome, just make sure you don't shoot any of us. That bow should be powerful enough to kill the weaker harpies, so aim for the small skinny ones. Don't waste arrows on the bigger ones."
"Luke." Arya called out. "Are you going to be able to handle killing them?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well they look like women with wings for arms, and talons for feet, they're not, but they do look like people. You're not going to freak out when you see them die right?"
Luke frowned as he thought about her question. He knew they looked like people, having flipped through a bestiary after killing the snake. Even that had made him queasy, at least watching it suffer had. Would this be worse because they looked more human.
A few weeks ago, he knew the answer would have been yes. He hated blood. Even in movies, it bothered him. Except, he had changed. Dying, witnessing souls being eaten by a dying god. Coming to this world. Possessing Max's body, and inheriting his memories. Memories he was just now realizing may have had an effect on who he was. Because while Luke wasn't fond of blood, Max had been gutting fish, and chopping heads off of chicken for as long as he could remember.
Would this be the same?
"I'll be fine." He answered after a moment. He'd have to be fine, it wasn't like he had a choice. If not now then in the future, he'd have to be. Otherwise, he might as well have rejected the Seed, and left himself to the whims of fate.
The Seed which had guided him towards the Bellerophon's Sword. It had probably even picked this island, and Max's body just to give Luke access to it. A sword that just so happened to siphon mana from those it cut. The message was fairly clear.
Besides, he thought to himself, these harpies are kidnapping men, and killing people. They need to go anyway. This is a public service.
"That's good. I know killing can be rough for some people." Said Arn, yawning as he hopped off the carriage. "I'll be back." He walked into the forest.
"I swear that man relieves himself every hour. I've seen him piss more in three days, than I have in three weeks." Ethan grumbled, sorting through the arrows.
Arya crinked her nose in disgust as she tied her dark hair in a bun. "Gross."
"It's weird." Ethan grinned at her.
"It's not that weird. He just drinks a lot of water. Stays hydrated." Luke defended him, suddenly conscious about the fact that he too drank a lot of water, and had joined Arn on his pit stops more often than not.
"Oh look. Laxas is back." Arya pointed out, eager to change the subject.
"Okay! So here's the situation. There's a nest on the other side of the town. They said it's easy to see if we just stick to the river. The birds sleep during the day, and it's getting kind of late. I say we camp out here tonight, and attack the nest tomorrow afternoon." Said Laxas. "Are we all okay with that?"
"Work's for me." Luke ran his fingers over the bow's sinewy string. Planning to practice his skills with the weapon.
"Same. Why don't we just sleep at an inn in the town though?" Asked Ethan.
"Well, I wanted to give our newest member here a taste of what he can expect tomorrow. We're far enough away from the nest that we'll only attract a handful of strays. It should be good practice for him."
Night fell over their makeshift campsite not long after. They sat around a roaring campfire, which Laxas claimed, would draw the harpies right to them.
Luke kept his hand on the pommel of his sword in preparation. His eyes constantly darting through the darkness in search of there would be foe.
"Take it easy Luke." Said Arn, laying on back and watching the star-filled sky. "You'll hear them come. They make these loud clicking noises when they move."
"He's right. They're not stealthy. It's also not good to be so tense before a battle, that's how you make mistakes. Take some deep breaths and relax." Ethan roasted a rabbit he had caught earlier over the flame. "How's fighting in the ring going? I've seen you going there pretty regularly over the past week or two. Second ring now right?"
"It's going well. The first ring was getting too easy. I would get weird looks after winning five or six fights in a row."
"That's good." He took a bite out of the rabbit, before spitting it out. "Awgh. It's raw. The first ring is all the people who're gonna get the boot."
"That's not true. Stop filling the newbie's mind with nonsense."
"You still fight in the first ring Arn?" Ethan turned toward his prone figure.
"No, I stopped after my first two or three weeks, but," he climbed onto his elbow's, "I know people who made it to the mid-rank without ever fighting someone at the Arena."
"And how many others did you know that never fought in the Arena, that ended up in white robes, or worse, got expelled from the Society?. What even happens to those people anyway."
"They get sent to the mines." Said Laxas.
"Fuck. Really?" Ethan stared at him horrified.
"It's not that bad."
"The mines?" Luke glanced between the two, not having heard of the term before.
"Mana-crystal mines." Ethan answered. "The Society manages a few, but it's dangerous work. A lot of the people who work there end up dead."
"He's exaggerating. I got sent to the mines myself. It's hard work but it pays well, and if you can reach the mid-stage or higher, they let you return to the Society."
"I've done guard duty there, it's miserable." Ethan argued.
"I suppose." Laxas shrugged his shoulders. "It's not as fun as being in the Society, but it's the same premise. You work, they feed you, and you cultivate. Besides, if you ever end up there, it's because you pissed away three years in the Society, living in the lap of luxury and not giving anything back."
"Do you hear that?" Asked Arya, reaching for her bow, and knocking an arrow.
Luke jumped to his feet, and strapped his shield to his arm, before drawing his sword. Its blade shining dimly under the light of the fire. Straining his eyes in the dark. He felt his heart beat in anticipation as he heard them come. A wet clicking sound reverberated through the night.
Arya fired two arrows in quick succession. A moment later, Luke heard two heavy thuds, as two harpies dropped to the ground. Dead.
"Nice shot." Laxas praised.
"You two can see them?" Arn asked, drawing his own sword with a swish.
"Perks of being in the late stage." He answered smugly. "Luke. Arya left one for you. Be ready. The rest of you, don't interfere." He warned.
Luke tensed his grip on his sword.
It came into view seconds later. A hideous creature. Every surface of its vaguely feminine body was covered in dirty black fuzz. A humanoid torso, with large feathered wings for arms, and human-like thighs that turned to bird legs at the knees. Instead of feet, the creature had wicked talons. Its face lacked ears, a nose, and a mouth, instead possessing a large pointy beak. Above which were two small and beady eyes. Meeting Luke's gaze with animalistic frenzy.
She circled the air above Luke and swiped at him with her talons. Warding her off with a swipe of his sword, she screeched in pain as the golden blade bit into the flesh of her leg. Beating her wings rapidly, she flew back. Climbing higher and higher. Seemingly having decided that her target wasn't prey afterall.
Thwip. Thwip. An arrow pierced each her shoulders, and with the limbs immobilized, she fell to the ground.
"Kill it." Laxas said, a bow in his hand.
Luke raised his shield as he approached her. Realizing that stranded as she was on the ground, that she lacked means of attacking him, her wings making ineffectual weapons.
She watched in fear as Luke approached her, blindly lashing out with her wings as she limped away from him. Luke's prior slash had cut deeper than he expected.
Fuck this. Fuck this. Fuck this.
Luke closed the distance, and with a powerful lunge, stabbed his sword through her chest. Watching miserably as life faded from the creature's eyes.
+2 Stat Points
Luke dismissed the message as soon as it came.
Guess this is my life now.
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Mar 4, 2023Report
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Luke killed three more harpies that night, gaining a total of eight points from his kills. Even when he worked himself to collapse, he hadn't gained that many. Except, he preferred working himself to exhaustion, than killing the downed creature.
Opening his status, he agonized over where to put his points, before dropping half of them into the Strength Stat, and the other half in Agility. Tempted as he was to unlock the secrets of Arcana, the Stat was a void. Recalling the difficulty with which he pulled the bow, it was better, at least for now, if he increased a Stat that he could actually use.
Status | Quests | Inventory
Name: Lukas King
Tier: Mortal
Mana: 144
Rate: 10% per hour
Strength: 22 > 26
Agility: 16 > 20
Constitution: 21
Arcana: 16
Stat Points: 0
Bloodline: Locked. Conditions not met. (1/10 000)
Charges: 7/10
He felt the difference immediately. Feeling both more limber, and stronger. Rolling out of his sleeping bag, he put both fists on the ground with his elbows tight on his body, and pushed himself up. Not feeling any pressure, he put his entire weight on one fist, and put his other hand behind his back. Lowering himself as slowly as he could, and then pushing himself back up.
Too easy.
He unfurled his fist, so that the weight was on his fingers alone. He pushed himself back up, marveling at the ease of the movement.
So this is what it feels like to be strong huh.
"Look at you go!"
Quickly climbing to his feet, he turned and saw Laxas. Watching him from the cart.
"Good morning." He nodded to the older Inner Disciple.
"Are you ready for today?" He asked, his tone growing flatter. "You hid it well, but I noticed you weren't doing too well last night. I get the feeling. Killing isn't fun. But it needs to be done. I've seen what happens to places like these, when monsters come knocking. They'll strip this town bare."
"I get it. It's just… It feels cruel." Luke ran his hands through his hair. Wincing in disgust as he felt the dried and crusty harpy blood caked against his skin. One of his kills had been extra bloody.
"That's because it is." Laxas said, picking an arrow from the carriage and slapping it against the palm of his hand. "The work we do is ugly, but it needs to be done. It's the price we pay. We hide the truth, and in doing so, make all these people vulnerable, as such it becomes our duty to protect them."
"You mention you worked in the mines. What was that like?"
"Hmm. I liked it. A lot of the people still working there will probably stab me if they heard me say that, but it's true. I wasted my time in the Society, but when I got to the mines, I understood what I had to do. I had a purpose. To leave. They didn't make it a secret that all we had to do to get out of the mines was reach the mid-stage of the mortal tier, and they even gave us tools to exercise with to achieve that goal. Most people didn't bother with them. I could never understand why that was. Even now it bothers me. Those people chose indenture, and then they whine about it when their bodies become too frail with age, and they become too weak to progress. It made me not want to stay there. Being surrounded with such sloth."
Luke's eyebrows furrowed, as he mulled over his words. "People are dumb."
"Truer words have never been spoken." He glanced at the morning sky, the suns just beginning their ascent. "Wake the others, we should get going."
"How far away is the nest?" Arn asked, only for Arya to tap his shoulder. A finger held over her mouth, telling him to shut up.
Taking the cue, the group of five walked in silence upstream along the river. Careful not to rattle their equipment.
A few minutes later, the harpies became visible. They had built a giant malformed nest on the ground, spanning across the bases of at least a dozen trees. Men, presumably from the town, could be seen nailed to the trunks of the trees the nest was built around, naked.
Luke winced at the sight. Harpies were all female, and regularly abducted men to breed with. It was a gruesome fate. The Bestiary claimed that their bodily fluids would put the captured men into a state 'conductive to procreation', for as long as their bodies could withstand. Draining them of their vitality, until they died. After which they would feed the men's corpses to the children that emerged from the union.
It was easy to forget with how peaceful life had been the last two weeks that Theos was dangerous, and that there were threats other than Arke that he had to be wary of. Thankfully, the Society itself was fairly insulated from them, letting those that resided in it, accumulate strength in relative peace.
He watched in silence, as Arya and Laxas handed both Ethan and Arn some metal posts and a roll of the wire net that they had brought with them. Splitting up in three groups, with Laxas setting off on his own, each of them chose a spot along the river and set up their defenses. Wrapping the wire net firmly around three trees in a tent like formation. One that was hopefully strong enough to give them some breathing room in case the birds crowded them.
Once they were all set up, Arya fired an arrow into the sky near the harpies. Moments later, both Laxas and Ethan fired an arrow from their vantage points. They were ready.
Luke readied an arrow, but didn't fire. His aim wasn't good enough to kill them in a single hit. The initial volley instead would be just Arya and Laxas, with the goal of picking off enough of them silently while they slept.
Him and the other two Outer Disciples would join in when an inevitable non-lethal arrow would rouse its victim with it the rest of the flock.
It happened after they killed around thirty of them. An arrow glanced off a bird's head, and waking up to the smell of her dead sisters, she shrieked.
Within moments, the human-bird hybrids took to the sky. They were even uglier in the day. Their battered wings, mottled fuzz, wrinkled skin, and spotted beaks, speaking to the harsh lives they lived.
Luke took aim, and loosed a arrow, watching its trajectory as it managed to pierce one of them in the shoulder. It fell out of the sky, its flight interrupted, and into the river where it was carried away by the current.
Under their coordinated attacks it didn't take long to thin their numbers. From hundreds to dozens. With a good number of them managing to escape the range of their arrows, and fly away.
"It's impossible to get all of them. They always scatter. They'll fly around, attack small villages, and travelers, until they build their numbers high enough, before camping out at a town this size again." Said Arya. "When that happens, the Society will organize another hunting party, and the cycle will repeat."
"On and on huh."
"Mhm. Our work isn't done though. A lot of the ones we shot down should still be alive. We'll have to finish them off. Will you be fine on your own, or do you want to come with me?"
Luke frowned as he considered her words. On one hand, the idea that he needed to be babysat was emasculating, but at the same time, it was also justified. Swallowing his pride, "I'd appreciate it if you tagged along. Maybe I can practice with my sword more?"
"Very well."
"The guy who gave me the mission also said something about their wings being worth good money. Do we cut them off?"
Her face crinkled in disgust. "No, we have an agreement with the town. We just kill all of them, and their butchers will prepare the wings for us."
"Convenient."
"Very." She agreed.
"I remember hearing something about freshness and mana draining away, won't that be a problem if it takes us three days to get back to the Society?"
"We have preservation talismans."
"Oh. That's convenient."
"Very. There's a harpy behind the tree." She raised her bow. Gesturing for him to get on with it.
Drawing his sword, he did just that.
+2 Stat Points
Dismissing the message, he moved on. Not wanting to look at the fruits of his foul deeds. The role of an executioner, while rewarding in terms of strength, was decidedly not something that he enjoyed.
As the Points racked up though, Luke couldn't help but notice how much progress he was making. How much power he was gaining. All at the expense of life.
"It's good that you don't enjoy this." Arya said, after studying his expression. "I've known people who find joy in such acts. It's unpleasant to observe."
"I just wish I didn't have to do it."
"Then why did you?"
Luke stayed silent. It wasn't like he could tell her that his sword made him stronger after every enemy he killed, and that he knew that because he was the thief Arke was searching for. One who had made off with an incredible prize that was guiding him towards godhood.
"It felt like the right thing to do. If you're not advancing, you're regressing and all that. Staying in the Society and picking flowers for chump change was a waste of my time." He answered eventually, mixing elements of the truth with lies.
"It's not a waste of time. When you learn to sense you're mana, a lot of doors open up. A lot of the Society's easier tasks are meant to give you a foundation in higher fields of study. The skills and knowledge you gain by picking herbs for example, are useful when refining them into pills and potions. There's a familiarity that's needed with nature, and the environments that the plants grow in, that translates into combining those plants for the purpose of alchemy. An understanding that you can't gain just by flipping through books. There's so much information and nuance to nature, that only a small fraction can be learned through study. The smells, how they face the sun, what the light looks like when it reflects off of their petals, what the soil feels like, and not just what it's composed of. There's so much that books can't tell you. Or if they do, they only give you a small glimpse of what's actually there."
"So you're an alchemist then?"
"I am." She said, her face turning slightly red.
"How come you're out here hunting harpies then?"
"Plants aren't the only things that an Alchemist works with. Mana refined by the bodies of different animals, gains certain properties that can be harnessed. Just like plants, you can learn a lot by directly observing the environment they live in."
"Huh. I guess I was just being narrow minded."
"Wisdom comes from experience. When I was an Outer Disciple, I thought that what I was doing was a waste of time too."
"So… two weeks ago?" Luke teased.
"I'm very good with a bow, you know." She pulled the string back, the arrow pointing at Luke menacingly. He looked at it cross eyed. "There's another one harpy over there."
Suddenly Luke was back to reality. A smile that he didn't even know he was wearing, slipping off his face.
Right. We're here to kill stuff. Not talk to pretty girls. It's weird that the two aren't mutually exclusive though.
After all the harpies were dead, they returned to their makeshift shelter and disassembled it, before meeting up with the rest of the team.
"How many?" Ethan asked.
"I counted eighty-nine bodies." Said Laxas.
"Eight hundred and ninety merits then. Not bad. How are we doing the split? Even or standard?" Arn leaned in.
Laxas and Arya's eyes met, as they had a silent conversation.
"Standard." He replied slowly. Both Arn and Ethan deflated slightly at the news.
"What's the difference?" Luke asked.
"Even, we all take an equal share. Standard, it gets sorted by rank. Let's see." Ethan cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Five people, one low, two mid, and two high. Luke, you get ten-percent, so eighty-nine merits. Me and Arn, will take fifteen percent each, and those two will split the remaining sixty." He looked at the two Inner Diciples.
"Not bad, sounds good." Luke nodded, never having expected to get an even share of the merits in any case. Not when he'd shot down a fraction of the birds the other four of them had. If he was being honest, just Laxas or Arya alone were probably capable of taking out the entire nest. Except for the part where they woke up, and scattered. Having more people shooting them down had been useful there.
Besides, he thought to himself, the real reason I came here was for the mana.
Status | Quests | Inventory
Stat Points: 32
He had earned a frankly astounding amount of Stat Points, in a very small window of time. If he counted the ones from killing four harpies the night before, then he had gained more points in one day than he had in two weeks of ruthless grinding.
Quest Alert: Escape the Island of Carim
He blinked at the sudden appearance of the quest.
Well look at that, a solution to all my problems.
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Mar 7, 2023Report
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Status | Quests | Inventory
Escape the Island of Carim:
Join the Expedition to the Hero's Tomb. Activate the portal. Walk through it.
Sub-Quest: A Hero's Disguise
Among the Hero's treasure there is an artifact called the Mask of a Thousand Faces. It gives whoever wears it a disguise undetectable by the gods themselves.
Luke scratched his chin as he read over the quest. It gave him a way out of his current predicament, and the sub-quest was promising. If he could get off of Carim, and disguise what he looked like, then he was home free. Hopefully.
Depending on where the portal took him. Or if anyone followed him to where he went. Since the quest was coming from the Seed though, Luke was confident that it wouldn't guide him astray. Mostly confident, it was hard to forget what happened to Aeolus.
If there was one thing to learn from the dead gods example, it was that the Seed wasn't infallible. So far the path it had laid out had been okay, but Luke wasn't blind to the fact that the Seed was willing to toe the line and put him in danger for the sake of progress.
Just the fact that it had put him in Max's body was a risk. It would have been safer, much safer, if he had possessed a body no one knew was possessed. Not that the gambit hadn't paid off. Bellerophon's Blade was a game changer, and it seemed that Nefkha had no intention of turning him in. A win-win scenario.
Honestly, at this point it's been long enough that even if he does turn me into Arke, he would have to answer some uncomfortable questions.
"Are you thinking about how you're going to spend all those merits? What is it, a hundred and nine of them all together?" Arn asked, while they were sitting in a circle around the campfire. Having retreated there while Laxas went back into the town to get the harpy wings sorted out.
"No, just life in general." Said Luke.
"You're a lucky kid. When I was a newbie, I barely had two pebbles to rub together. At the rate you're earning merits, you'll practically be swimming in them."
"Earning merits seems to be pretty easy so far."
Ethan and Arn shared amused glances.
"Nah, you're just lucky. You should kiss the person who put you on this mission, two Inner Disciple, and one as prepared as Laxas. It's rare. Most of the time we go on these hunts, we scratch our asses the first day, just figuring out all the details. Laxas had everything ready though. The wire fence, the arrows, the carriage, it couldn't have been a smoother trip. And no one got hurt… or worse. There's always a chance of that happening" Arn said, tossing another log into the flame.
Luke nodded. It had been smooth sailing for the most part.
"I'm going to turn in." Ethan covered his yawn.
"Me too." Said Arya, walking over to the carriage and grabbing a sleeping bag, and tossing one to Ethan.
"I'll take one too." Luke said, catching her eye. He had points to spend, and he needed to think about what he needed to spend them on.
With thirty-two points burning a hole in his pocket, he could practically double one his stats. Not that he would. Maximizing one attribute at the expense of another may work in games, but with his life on the line it was better to have a more even spread.
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. Especially when I don't know what I need to be better at. Saving the points is a no go as well, no point in being weaker than I need to be at any given moment.
Status | Quests | Inventory
Name: Lukas King
Tier: Mortal
Mana: 375
Rate: 10% per hour
Strength: 26 > 30
Agility: 20 > 30
Constitution: 21 > 30
Arcana: 16 > 25
Stat Points: 0
Bloodline: Locked. Conditions not met. (1/10 000)
Charges: 7/10
Hesitating over his choices, he finalized his decision. Enjoying the feeling of his muscles becoming both stronger and more limber. This time with a new heady feeling of his entire body becoming more robust that came with increasing his constitution.
Still nothing with the mana though, but I can't let it lag behind either. It would really suck if I finally start to sense it, only to find out that I don't have enough to do anything with it.
I should probably start working on the bloodline stuff too. It's got to be amazing if it needs a whole ten-thousand Points just to activate it. I wish it would tell me more about it though. Not that anyones ever mentioned anything about bloodlines for as long as I've been here.
Bellerophon was the son of a god if I'm remembering his myth right. A son of Poseidon. Max was found at sea, and the Seed led me to Bellerophon's Blade. Is it a coincidence?
Luke got comfortable in his sleeping bag. Knowing that he would have to wait, and wait quite a while to find out the truth of the matter.
Laxas returned to the camp early the next morning with a massive bundle of harpy wings secured firmly to a cart. Having stayed at the town overnight to watch over the work. The group packed up and began the three day long journey back to the Society, arriving in the middle of the night. Separating once everyone had received their merits.
The next day saw Luke once again lined up at the mission hall. This time, scanning it for expeditions leading to Hero's Tomb. Surprisingly, he found it on the top right corner of the board, printed in bold text.
"Hi, how can I help you today?"
"I'd like to sign up for Elder Irila's expedition."
"Of course." The clerk held out her hand. Luke stared at it confused before realizing that she was asking for his wristband. Handing it to her, she dropped it on the magic paper, before handing it back to him.
"I've added you to it. The Elder is holding a meeting a week from now at her palace, the expedition will depart then. Please ensure you bring suitable rations. Keep in mind, Elder Irila has final say in who joins her expedition, and if she decides that you don't meet her criteria she can and will leave without you. However, she explicitly left applications open to all disciples of the Society. Anything else I can do for you today?" The clerk smiled at him sliding a pamphlet across the desk.
"No, that would be everything. Thank you." Luke walked out of the building. Flipping through the pamphlet. It contained basic information that all those going on the trip were expected to know.
It provided information on what they needed to bring with them, a small list of formal robes and their weapons. That was it. Apparently, they would be given enough provisions at Arlym, the Island's Capital, to last them the duration of the expedition. What was surprising to Luke, was that it gave them a brief rundown of the Islands history.
In the past, Carim had been ruled by an Emperor. A cultivator at the Hero tier. She had apparently offended the Atlantians, who in their fury had threatened to sink the island. Appalled and horrified, she instead bargained with them. In exchange for her life, and a tribute to be paid every year for three-hundred years, the Atlantians would forgive her offense. Before her execution, she had created her own tomb, and filled it with her treasures, to be opened a year before the debt was paid. Which was a few days from the present.
Reading it, Luke was horrified.
Does everyone here just live at the mercy of those stronger than them? What did she even do to piss off someone that powerful. Luke shook his head. Sorely missing civilized society, rather than the paper thin visage of it that was present in this world. Is this what life was like in the Cold War? Just living with the knowledge that at any moment the world could turn to ash, at the whim of some dumbass with a button who lacked the sense not to press it. Except. He felt the presence of the Seed in his soul. I have a way to become a player in this Game of Gods.
Stowing the pamphlet away in his pocket, he made his way to the Arena. He sorely needed to alleviate some stress. Having it beat out of him in the ring had proven to be a good method to do so, and a way to get stronger at the same time. Punching people was also surprisingly fun.
I should also spend all my merits. If everything works out, I won't need to save up anymore. Some more protective talismans are a must. I should also stock up on anything I might need to survive out in the wilderness. Who knows where the portal is going to take me.
He walked up the wooden steps leading to the Elder's palace atop the artificially flattened mountain peak, just one body in a vast throng of people. He had underestimated the buzz the event had generated. Usually expeditions were led by Inner Diciples, and most of them didn't pan out, ultimately wasting the time of whoever was hopeful enough to join.
One organized by an Elder however, came with a degree of confidence among those attending, that it wouldn't be a waste of everyone's time.
Reaching the plateau, he took in the sight of the grecian palace right in the middle. He had seen it before, from a distance when Nefkha flew him to the society, but it was a lot more impressive up close. Even if it did feel lacking compared to the golden splendor and easy grace of Aeolus's castle.
Joining the other disciples, he stood among the crowd, in front a stage, and waited for the Elder to kick off the campaign. Idly looking through the crowd for any familiar faces. A futile effort considering there were hundreds of people. Most of the Society's disciples shared the same brown or black hair, a lightly tanned complexion, and they all dressed the same too, making finding faces in the crowd a doomed effort. For a moment, Luke thought he saw Spiros milling around, but when he looked for him again, he wasn't to be seen. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved closer to the stage. If he was here, then Luke would see him eventually.
She arrived exactly at noon, her long black hair braided in a complex pattern, falling almost artistically down her face, down the front of her red robes.
She's… hot. Luke thought, poorly masking the look of surprise on his face. He'd assumed, incorrectly, that all the Elder's would look like Nefkha. Old and sturdy.
"Thank you all for joining this expedition. As most of you know, I'm Elder Irila. I'll be the one leading you to the tomb. I'm sure all of you read the pamphlet before coming here, so I'll keep this brief. The Hero's tomb is opening, and in it resides her inheritance. In her will, she wrote that all mortals are welcome to test themselves, and if they succeed at the trials within, earn her treasures. Treasures that can take you to past the limits of Mortality. The Luminous Sky Society will not be the only organization attempting the trials within. So will the Crimson Night Sect, and the Brotherhood of Dawn. For those of you who are unaware, they respectively manage the provinces of Castor and Crevin, similar to how the Luminous Sky presides over Cilin. Due to the restrictions placed over the tomb, no Warriors are able to enter. What this means for those of you that chose to participate, is that you will be in a tomb, competing for priceless treasures, with people desperate for them. Some of which are standing at the peak of Mortality. You will not be safe. There will be no laws to protect you, and if you lack the ability to protect yourself, you may be killed. There will be no justice for you if you die. Not from us. Or from anyone."
Luke mulled over her speech.
Basically, anyone can go, but at our own risk. The Warriors can't enter, so there's no one to ensure our safety. If anyone dies, it's their fault for being weak, and attempting something they weren't ready for. What she's not saying, but implying, is that we too are free to act however we want. There won't be any consequences for what we do, just like there won't be any consequences for what's done to us. Serious Purge vibes.
The crowd broke into chatter, but as Luke looked around, he spotted more than one greedy expression. A chill ran down his spine, as he realized that he wouldn't just be competing with the other two organizations, but with his own allies as well.
There was no predicting the kind of treasures that were present in the tomb, but they belonged to a Hero. Someone an entire realm above the strongest people in the Society. Putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, Luke realized that with the right treasure, some of these people who had been stuck at the middle stage, or perhaps even the peak of the late stage, could perhaps break through and become Warriors. Tangible, tempting power, awaited them in the tomb.
"For those of you who are unwilling to risk your life, you may leave now. Those of you who are, step forward."
Without hesitation, Luke did just that.
Getting off the Island is worth a little risk.
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The ones who stayed watched the ones who left, with mixed emotions. Some brief whispered arguments broke out as cliques broke apart. The prevailing emotions, however, were a strange mix of derision, relief, and surprisingly, envy. Simultaneously looking down on the people leaving, happy at the lack of competition, and jealous that the people leaving were able to walk away from the opportunity. After all, how could those leaving be content with remaining as weak as they were, or were they confident enough in their ability, that they didn't feel the need to risk their lives in the tomb?
Luke winced as he took in the sight of those that remained. Many of them looked to be in their late teens to mid their twenties, and a quarter of them were wearing blue robes. He wasn't quite sure how strong Inner Disciples were, but he remembered the ease with which Laxas and Arya had culled the harpies. Their arrows flew both true, and with power as they struck down one bird-woman after the other. Now he was their competition, if not their enemy.
"Alright." Irila waved her hand, and with a flash of a finger on her ring, a large red carpet appeared on the stage behind her. "I'll carry everyone on this." She looked over at the crowd. "Try not to fall off."
Alright. Aladdin style. I kinda like it.
Luke ambled onto it with the rest of the crowd, slightly enjoying the looks of confusion on their faces. For once, he knew what was going on and they didn't. Settling into a spot near the middle, he sat down, crossing his legs as he did so. Idly adjusting his sack full of supplies as he did so.
"Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Turning around, he was surprised to see Arya.
"I'm not sure." He looked at her strangely, as she sat down next to him. "Are you looking forward to the Tomb?"
"Not particularly. I didn't plan on joining the expedition. These kinds of things tend to pay off, but not many return from them."
"These kinds of things?"
"Inheritances." She clarified. "Cultivators tend to die without families, so they leave their belongings trapped within tombs."
"And that's common?" Luke raised his eyebrow.
"More than you'd think. Normally it's a Warrior's tomb. There are hundreds of them scattered around just in the province, and some disciples make it their mission to find them and get their hands on the treasures within. There's always some buzz about one every year or so, although I've never participated.
"Why now then?"
"A Hero's tomb is much, much more tempting than a Warriors' tomb. Besides, I'm strong enough now that I feel I won't be cannon fodder." She looked at him disapprovingly.
Luke shrugged his shoulders. "No risk, no reward."
"Well, for what it's worth, I hope you don't die."
"Me too." Luke frowned. "This might sound dumb, but what would you say to teaming up? Having someone watch your back has got to be worth something, even if it's me."
"I'm not against it, but…" She trailed off.
"Am I too weak?"
"It's not just that. How would we split what we find?"
Luke rubbed his chin. He only really needed one thing, and that was the mask, but he couldn't say that to her, at least not without cluing her into the knowledge that he knew more about what was coming than he should. Even if it was barely more than she herself did.
"I'm mostly here for the experience. If there's anything useful to developing my mana-sense faster, then I would like to have that, but aside from that you can have first pick on anything we find… but I get first call on one thing. If there's any monsters, I wanna fight them too." He added hastily. "Like we did the harpies. Unless they're too strong for me."
She looked surprised.
"And you would trust me to keep to these terms. I'm stronger than you, so if I decide to rob you or worse, what will you do?"
"We're both still in the mortal-tier. I don't believe that you can kill me that easily." Luke hedged. "... and I don't think you're that kind of person."
"You're underestimating the difference between us. Maybe you could take on someone at the mid-stage, and win, if you don't make any mistakes. At my level, I might even be too durable for you to cut."
"I guess it's just a risk I'll have to take then won't I?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Very well. Consider our alliance forged."
Luke grinned at her. "How much more durable are Inner Disciples anyway?"
"It's hard to say." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "We're not really supposed to talk about it, but it depends what you focus on more. Toughness, strength, speed… There's a threshold. Once you cross it on any one of those things, you advance past the mortal tier. Depending on what you focus on."
That sounds a lot like the attributes I have. Minus the Arcana stat.
"So everyone just focuses on that one thing then. To get past the limit as fast as they can?"
"Kind of. It's not like any of them exist in a vacuum. You need to improve all of them, but one needs to be the focus."
Luke frowned. "Why not improve all of them equally?"
"Time. You need to be young. It's different for different people, but the general rule is that if you don't become a Warrior before you turn thirty, you never will. After thirty, it becomes much harder to even grow a little bit stronger. It's also a lot quicker going from nothing to the mid-stage, than it is going from the mid-stage to late stage. So it's better to focus on one thing to get you past the threshold. Besides, it's not like you can't improve the other aspects once you become a Warrior." She explained, looking uncertain at the last part.
"Is that why all the Inner Disciples here look so young? The older ones know they don't have a chance."
"That's right. A lot of the Society's Inner Disciples have already passed the age where they can improve."
Before Luke could respond, the carpet gently lifted off the air and before they could say anything, it was cutting through the wind. He gasped and stared enviously at the red-robed elder. Who, unlike the rest of them, was unbothered by the wind.
I forgot how much it sucks flying like this.
"We're moving so fast." Said Arya from beside him. Luke opened his mouth to respond, only for the wind to steal his breath the next moment.
Avoiding the impulse to gasp, Luke adjusted his posture, and looked at her. Ignoring the wind biting his rapidly drying eyes.
"How… are… you… able… to…talk?" He struggled to get each word out.
"My lungs are just stronger than yours." She grinned at him.
He gave her an angry thumbs up. Luckily for him, the flight this time around went by a lot quicker. An hour after they departed, and the Capital was in sight.
Floating above the city, Irila turned towards them. Stopping the rug mid-air.
"While we will stay in the city overnight, and our accommodations have been secured, limit contact with mortals as much as you are able. Do not, under any circumstance, divulge the details of cultivation to them. Am I understood?"
A chorus of yes's rang out from the crowd.
"Good. Once you are settled in, get dressed in your formal attire. We will be introducing ourselves to the others shortly." She said, directing the carpet onto the roof of a large multistory building.
"It feels so good to be on land again." Luke stretched his arms as he stood up.
"Speak for yourself, I quite enjoyed it. The freedom of the air…" Arya looked to the sky and sighed.
"I'll enjoy it a lot more once I can fly under my own power."
"When?" She lifted an eyebrow.
"When."
"Haha. Little outer disciple wants to fly?" Luke felt someone put an arm around him. Wincing in pain as fingers dug uncomfortably into his skin. He tried to shift out of the grip, only to find that he couldn't. It was iron. Turning around, he came face to face with a bearded Inner Disciple. An unpleasant smile was stretched across his face, as he stared intently at Arya.
"Yjarn." Arya stepped forward. "Now isn't the time for your games."
"It isn't?" He looked surprised. "Of course that's totally my fault."
He stared at her a moment longer, before Luke felt him slide his arm off his shoulder. Luke tracked his footsteps as he walked away without saying anything.
"A friend of yours?" Luke massaged his aching shoulder, relieved that whatever that was, was over, and over quickly.
"In a way. We joined the Society at the same time, but he's been an Inner Disciple a few months longer than I have. He was the first from our group to get there."
"Let me guess. He has a crush on you or something?"
She frowned at the question. "No. Nothing like that."
"Should we be concerned about him when we go to the Tomb?"
"His brother died on a hunt. I was the only survivor." She watched him walk into the building. "It's unlikely, but not impossible."
"Fun. Any other enemies I should know about?" Luke started walking inside.
"No. And Yjarn isn't an enemy. He just hasn't dealt with his brother's death." She looked unconvinced.
"We'll see. If he does try anything, you can take him, right?"
She nodded slowly. "If he does try something, he won't find us to be easy prey."
"That's reassuring" Luke said, holding the door open for her as they entered the building. "So what do you know about these other… organizations?"
"Not much. I've heard that some of our disciples have run into them on occasion. Not much more than that though."
They walked down the stairs together, before an attendant led them to their own rooms, with instructions to gather at the lobby in half an hour.
Luke stood in front of the mirror, and got dressed in his formal robes, still predominantly black, but embroidered with patterns and red accents. The Society really took rank seriously.
They look nice, but what a waste of merits. I could have bought some more talismans. Those would be useful at least.
Running a comb through his hair, he slicked it all to the back, and tied it with a loose string in an attempt to stop it from scattering.
I think it's long enough that I could grow a man bun… He shuddered. This world is changing me. To think I contemplated that. Ew.
Still having ten minutes before he needed to show up at the meeting, he brought up his status.
Status | Quests | Inventory
Name: Lukas King
Tier: Mortal
Mana: 528
Rate: 10% per hour
Strength: 30 > 37
Agility: 30 > 34
Constitution: 30 > 33
Arcana: 25 > 32
Stat Points: 0
Bloodline: Locked. Conditions not met. (1/10 000)
Charges: 7/10
He sighed as he read over it. He had gained twenty-one points in seven days. It was solid progress, but the work involved in it when weighed against the return, felt too low. Seven days of waking up at dawn, and pushing his body well past his ever increasing limits, for less points than he'd gained in a single night of hunting harpies.
Clenching his fist, he felt powerful. He was easily stronger and faster than even the best athletes on Earth, but he felt weaker than ever. Remembering the Yjarn's fingers digging into him, he felt anger and rage boil inside of him, begging to be released. His knuckles turned white, and the comb crumbled in his grip.
I can't believe I just stood there and let him do that to me. Even with all the work I've put in, a random guy just casually reminds me how weak I am. For fucks sake, some dude, I don't even know, just grabbed me to make a point to someone else.
How strong is Arke? Or even a hero? How strong is a god? Does their strength give them the freedom to do anything they want to me? Am I that powerless? So weak, that I have no choice but to suffer in silence? I was like an ant in his hands.
Luke fell down onto a chair, and watched the townsfolk mill about their lives outside of his window. Forcefully calming himself down. Knowing that mindless anger wasn't useful to him. It had never been.
It's fine. It's fine. I have the Seed. I'll keep getting stronger, until no one can walk over me like that again. Until Arke is the one scared at the mere thought of what she will do if I find her. I won't need to rely on Arya to keep me safe on a hunt. I won't need to make alliances to ward off greater threats. I won't stop until there's no one in this world strong enough to make me bend.
Suddenly he felt it. The world grew dim and quiet. Something was asking him to choose. Choose if he really wanted to be the strongest. It promised strength, but it demanded a price. To see it through, or to lose it all.
Quest Alert: A Paragon's Path
Luke blinked in confusion.
This is new. Since when do quests do this?
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Mar 9, 2023Report
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