After his trial, Athelei found himself at an entrance to the [First Kingdom]. His path consisted of a waterfall, pouring from the reservoirs in the earth and into the darkness below. The sound of rushing water hammered in Athelei's ears.
'Irene is busy with the little camp they're building up. Her devotion towards balance and her friendship with Sister Yan is what allowed her to slow her own footsteps temporarily...' The angel thought to himself, stepping over the edge.
As he entered free fall, his eyes scanned the spots of light that were littered throughout the darkness like a starry sky. Bioluminescence and magma brought cold and warm lights despite the Baneful Shroud.
'...I have about a month before Irene's greed pulls her into deeper depths and starts summoning me again...' Athelei's eyes flashed, 'As for Hilvar, he should be on his way to the next kingdom-city he was tasked to take.'
The angel licked his lips as he spread his wings of grey.
'It is a good day to go to war.'
The map of the labyrinth inside his library morphed into the landscape of the underground. A gleaming blue staff was now in his grasp, allowing his white Tangible Will to flow out at greater amounts.
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Mystical Shaman Staff
[ "Sapphire on a Stick" ]
- [Active Effect: Hypnotic Light] Beings with a [Will] attribute below half of the owner's [Charisma] attribute are drawn into a state of hypnosis.
- [Passive Effect: Mystic Energy Regeneration] Grants increased natural [Mana] regeneration.
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Grey wings were clad in white light, allowing the angel to fly with haste.
Athelei's destination?
The Orc Army moving behind enemy lines.
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Hilvar was leading his army through the Baneful Shroud, hiding under Cloaks of Tranquility and decimating any lone beasts for food and drink.
After two days of marching, Hilvar watched as his scouts returned with weird expressions.
"Speak. What did you see?" Hilvar commanded.
The scouts all glanced at each other before their leader stepped up. "An Emerald Tree is about to bear fruit. The beasts have flocked towards it in droves."
"An Emerald Tree?" Hilvar was surprised. A ripple of commotion passed over his men as his expression crumpled in doubt. "Are you sure?"
The leader of the scouts solemnly nodded after a pause. "I've seen an old Emerald Tree when I was young. I am sure that we really saw one. If it isn't, then I have no idea why all those beasts have been attracted to it."
Hilvar's eyes flashed and he then roared to the hundreds of Orcs behind him. The look in their own eyes spoke of the allure of the Emerald Tree's fruit. "You heard him. We march to treasure! This opportunity only comes once in our lifetimes, so let's make good use of it. Onwards!"
An army of Orcs suddenly shifted their planned out routes as Hilvar barked out orders and sent the fastest of them ahead. They rushed forward, following the herds of beasts who hungered for gemstone fruit as well.
It was an Emerald Tree! First, it was the appearance of humans and now, this? Hilvar's thoughts were complicated when he was about to witness another myth seemingly come to life before his eyes.
He had heard stories of such a tree from his Elders. An Emerald Tree, especially one that had yet to bear fruit, were quite legendary or so those stories claimed.
The tree granted those who ate its crystalline fruit a pair of eyes that could see through any darkness. Wounds would forever heal at a faster pace, and even rebirth was said to be possible.
Moreover, the Emerald Tree only bore fruit once during its entire lifespan. Exactly one-hundred beautiful pears would manifest and ripen on its branches, to fall into the mouths of beasts.
But these stories were the ones they had found in books written by an ancient species they knew nothing about. Those might have been the effects that they themselves had experienced, differing greatly from what occurred to the green-skinned monsters. Only the language they spoke in was the same, it seemed.
To Orcs, these Emerald-Essence Peaches were a gift of evolution, and one bite was all it took. They did not have to eat the entire fruit to gain its benefits. With a single bite, they would become High Orcs, capable of beating any regular Ogre in hand-to-hand frontal combat.
It was also said that the Greater Goblins of today had all spawned from a group of goblins who had unknowingly cultivated an Emerald Tree in their puny little camp.
On the other hand, what was most frightening of all was that an Ogre would have the ability to become a Magus after consuming one whole fruit.
Akin to, but vastly superior to the Goblin Shamans, Ogre Magi had both strength and mystical prowess. They could fight using the abilities brought about by their advancement, because different Emerald-Essence Peaches would bestow upon them different powers through chains of Mystic Patterns.
Hilvar was wary of the latter occurring, as that would ruin all his that king had planned. He needed to take the benefits for the Orcs.
As a leader, he needed to be strong to lead his troops.
And his troops needed to be strong to execute his commands.
All for the glory of the Orcs.
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.
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Athelei was following behind the Orcs, wrapped in a Cloak of Tranquility he had long stolen from Lioxus. He had been surviving off of the Information Network, grabbing both food and drink from its global arms.
Wisps of grey fog lingered around the Orc army, allowing Athelei to keep track of every action they took while he hid in the Baneful Shroud. He had heard about the Emerald Tree loud and clear.
If only The Enlightened monsters were fond of literature and writing things down, Athelei might've figured out what exactly the Emerald Tree was... Unfortunately for the angel, they passed down knowledge through word of mouth. Stories and songs were common tools to do exactly that, and thus, it was hard for an outsider to make contact with all their knowledge right away.
Athelei could only follow the swift Orc scouts, taking to the skies as he glided after them. He would find out what the Emerald Tree was himself.
And thus, after enough effort spent trailing the excited Orc scouts, he encountered the beast horde.
The various beasts looked like a river of stars as they barrelled forward, thundering on their path like stampeding animals. Heavy, earth-attributed beasts weighed in the realm of tons, bringing about miniature earthquakes with every step they took.
Dust was kicked up, but in the Baneful Shroud, it was impeded by the weight of the darkness itself.
Athelei then went ahead of the Orc scouts and followed the great migration of underground beasts.
'It's like the beast tide all over again,' Athelei's memories of seeing a sea filled with beasts and not water were so incredibly vivid given the gifts of Appraisal and his own mental growth.
After a good while of flying, Athelei finally made it to the end.
Like a deserted island surrounded by rivers of both bioluminescent beasts and flowing magma, the Emerald Tree grew up to a kilometre high.
"Good Libra..." Athelei choked when he saw the size of the tree.
With leaves glowing in magnificent and vibrant hues of green, the Emerald Tree was akin to a gigantic chestnut tree. Its brown bark was awfully similar to the pillars that held up the ceiling, but it shone in a warm, red light. The magma around it was reflected on its mirror-like surface.
Among the thousands of leaves, were a hundred fruits shining like bonfires. They looked like uncut emeralds in the shape of a peach, with a miniature sun in the place of its pit.
Inspect was executed.
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Emerald-Essence Peach
- Grants [Dark Vision].
- Contains genes of the Crystalline. When one hundred (100) Emerald-Essence Peaches are consumed for the purpose of evolution, grants a single chance at revival through special circumstances.
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'Revival...!' Athelei's eyes glistened as he reviewed the Mystic Patterns that built up the ram tattoo on his wrist. He noticed something.
No, it was the absence that he noticed as he thought to himself, '...Hm? Did Ai'sklr not integrate such a powerful fruit into his plan of rebirth? I can't guess whether or not he simply did not know...'
The angel's eyes narrowed as he read through the Mystic Pattern circles, trying to figure out the pattern in them and make conjectures. Unfortunately, too many Mystic Patterns were unknown to him, and Inspect did not function on memories.
Athelei really wanted to pull apart the tattoo itself, but even if he could crack the cellular scale and even use Inspect on the organelles inside cells themselves, things didn't work the same way for the tattoo. Going into cellular perspectives only led him to see his own flesh and blood mixed with the liquid darkness.
The Mystic Patterns were rather incorporeal entities in the first place. And, as a peak Rank 0 Artist, Athelei currently lacked the appropriate tools to pick apart the tattoo without sacrificing anything he currently valued. Challenging the skills of a Rank 3 elite went in the way one would expect.
'Patience,' Athelei chanted to himself as he inched closer to the Emerald Tree. 'I need to be patient.'