{[ March 8, 102 A.A. ]}
{[ Holy Nation of Illyas, Colsi VIllage ]}
It had been a week since Athelei left Varis Village with the merchant caravan and about four days since the first beast attack they had experienced. They were now spending the night in the lively Adventurer's village.
On the way there, they experienced several more battles that they had to endure, but none were too threatening to the caravan itself. The survivors had grown a bit through their repeated injuries, but they were always the most bloodied at the end of each fight.
But the battles themselves always seemed to be controlled. After all, they were on the boring and beaten path. Quite a few Adventurers had even greeted their caravan before straying off the route that they had taken.
Nonetheless, Athelei enjoyed the environment that allowed a weak child like him to grow. He enjoyed it while he still could.
He had continued what he started and always made sure to observe how the adults fought. He analysed their movements, their strategies, as well as their subtly executed techniques and Cosmic Interface Skills.
And, whenever Athelei grasped or predicted an opportune moment, he would strike to kill. He was a battlefield assassin, and he had saved the reckless survivors a few times from their self-inflicted risky scenarios in the process.
Thallium Yan and Knight Harley had praised his keen insight and attempted to teach him more advanced techniques.
The only issue there was, these techniques were simply theories at the moment—Athelei had not yet met the physical requirements to achieve such things.
To add to all these, Athelei could feel his wings growing with every beast he slew. The residual consciousnesses had aided him, but the progress was slow. Unintelligent beasts could not provide the sustenance he desired.
And that was when Athelei spotted an opportunity.
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Illyas News:
- Varis Village has been attacked and occupied by the Exiled.
- The Illum Spiritualists are approaching our Holy Nation's borders.
- Whispers of an incoming war.
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It would take a bit more time before he could make use of the opportunity, but Athelei knew that he was not yet capable of navigating a war with just his own strength. While the Illum Spiritualists harassed Illyas' towns and villages, Athelei would grow in power.
His Inspect was already Level 2 with 8/10 experience. It was all thanks to his repeated analysis of the Unknown Mystical Badge which now had a name and detailed description,
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Nefarious Icon
- [Active Effect: Identification] The Nefarious Icon is used to align oneself with The Iniquitous.
- [Passive Effect: Consciousness Corruptor] Infects any consciousnesses that meddle with the energies generated by the Nefarious Icon. Causes moral depravity upon contact, and eventual sentience collapse. Spreads like a plague.
- [Bonus Effect: The Iniquitous] Once bound, can never be owned by another unless the owner is annihilated. Can hide in the owner's consciousness when not needed.
- [Title: Bane of the Starless] The Starless race lack stable physical bodies given their state as consciousness clouds. The incurable corruption caused by the Nefarious Icon has been feared by generations and generations of Starless.
- [Title: Genocidal Marker] The Nefarious Icon had been used to corrupt billions of a few different races.
- [Current Status: Incomplete] The Nefarious Icon had been lost for many years due to the last owner's own annihilation and it has sustained damage in the process.
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This was all the information that Athelei had gathered and documented when it came to the badge in his possession. If there were more secrets to it, he would find out eventually.
Looking at the Nefarious Icon's details, Athelei had even whistled, 'Now that's... insanity. I might have just bound a universally infamous criminal item to myself. I wonder how this thing even ended up here?'
Athelei was vaguely entertained by the notion of having an item such as this, but he then had to consider the risks that owning it would entail. The stars were watching him and he knew it. With every piece of power he gained, it was counteracted by stronger forces.
It felt like some rule of physics.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
But the issues that came with the Nefarious Icon would come later. For now, he kept himself focused on his baby steps.
When it came to his Mystical Patterns, Guide and Sway could finally be drawn 80% of the time. His Hunter pattern was getting better and his general studies were progressing swimmingly. His perfect memory and constant absorption of knowledge was an immense factor in this.
As for Lisa? She had chosen a purple Nebula Gem just as Athelei had guessed, but it seemed like Thallium Yan hadn't set her on the path of Mystical Patterns. Instead, Yan focused on Lisa's Battle Prowess.
On one night, Athelei had sat beside Lisa during dinner for a chat.
"Hey," Athelei sat on the grass as he held out his hands to be warmed near the flames.
"Hi, Orien. How's your training?" Lisa asked, after swallowing down the food she had been chewing.
"Decent. I should reach Tier 1 by the time we separate from Sister Yan and the others. How about you? Are you homesick?"
Lisa shook her head and gently ruffled Athelei's hair as she said, "Not really. My training is going well and I'm much happier here than in Varis Village." Athelei then felt Lisa's fingers tremble ever so slightly on his head as she continued, "My mother... wasn't someone I want to call that."
"Oh..." Athelei slowly nodded with his eyes still gazing at the fire. He then laid his head on Lisa's shoulder. It would still take a few years before their heights were reversed, thus making it very convenient and comfortable for him.
"Well, I'm glad you're happy here." Athelei giggled as he spoke, "Wouldn't want my partner to be sulking every day."
Lisa let a few dry chuckles when she heard this as she whispered to herself, still thinking Athelei wouldn't pay much attention to her words, "You're really such a good kid, Orien."
Unbeknownst to her, Athelei had always been present whenever she prayed alone. He watched as she shed tears in secret and when she would weep while her prayers caused changes in her surroundings.
He had yet to figure out exactly why Lisa could speak in a different language and say the prayers of a different religion, though Athelei knew he would not get answers anytime soon. For now, did his part as the person who smuggled her out of Varis. He made sure to talk to her regularly as he tried to emulate his father's comforting presence but in his own style.
Whenever Athelei looked back on his actions to see if he could've done something better, he felt a sense of familiarity in Lisa and it motivated him to do those things. It was a very neat part of humanity that Athelei enjoyed doing.
As for that familiarity, well... they were both children, yet they both had something different about them.
'She's not a former Denizen of Infinity, that's for sure,' thought Athelei as he laid down on his bed in one of Colsi's inns. 'But Lisa seems to have thrown away acting like a naive child the moment she escaped. It's a very subtle change, but whenever I compare the ways she had been acting, it becomes apparent.'
Athelei then glanced at the Information Network that hovered near him and sighed in satisfaction as he muttered, "Curious..."
He then fell into slumber once more, blanketing his surroundings with an invisible grey fog.
'Now, let's see if there's anything fun to do in this Adventurer hub.'
Colsi was one of the rare places in Oxhor where the nightlife was still active despite the absence of noble balls and parties.
Adventurers would come and go even in the dark night, looking for nocturnal beasts to hunt or special treasures to uncover. They would venture around the beast nests nearby or try their luck in the mountains where many ruins could be found.
It had been 102 years since the monster surge that brought about an apocalyptic sight to the lands of Oxhor. Many of the past countries that had been developing inland had been torn asunder and many, many lives were lost.
It had been a grim time as if the Gods had abandoned them all.
Thus, after such trying times, the survivors reset their calendars as they started at 1 A.A. or "1 year After Abandonment."
Nowadays, the valuables that those ruined countries had left behind still lay hidden in the depths of the continent. But those weren't the only places that Adventurers sought out. There were old cities inside the territories of the present countries that had been laid to waste as well.
Mysterious and mystical energies flowed throughout those old cities which gave people the belief that powerful treasures still resided there. And they believed that only the bravest could ever hope to retrieve them.
One of those cities was just a few hours of travel away from Colsi Village, and the Adventurers had even confirmed the presence of Mystic Artifacts there.
Athelei watched as a party of Adventurers returned from what looked to be a long trip. Their gear was tattered and worn, while their blades were either chipped or broken. Many of their wounds still bled through their bandages.
Yet their faces displayed joy and triumph.
When the party of four entered Colsi's gates, a wave of excitement consumed the Adventurers of Colsi as they began to form a crowd.
"The Ink Cats have returned!"
"They're alive!"
"Look at their bags! We're going to have another party!"
"Someone wake the merchants! Tear the inn down if you have to!"
Athelei smiled to himself, 'They're so unruly and energetic. I think I've found my people... Being an adventurer sounds delightful.'
The Ink Cats then proceeded to walk towards the Adventurer's Guild situated near the centre of the town. The rest of the Adventurers followed after the group as if they were participating in a procession.
All seemed well, but that was only until Athelei noticed a familiar flicker of shadows. He felt those shadows come into contact with the particles of his fog-body as they moved around with all the stealth they could muster.
They hid wherever darkness shrouded them.
'Nightwalkers,' Athelei licked his nonexistent lips in excitement, 'I'm starting to see a pattern here.'