There was a proper campground spread around the Law Area; they must've spotted him a ways off. By the time he got to the fence gates, a crowd had ballooned to either side of the mountain path.
They started cheering and waving at him and chanting—"Zane! Zane! Zane!"
"You got this, Savage Sage!"
"Go get 'em!"
These folk were mostly in the high Level 80s and 90s—almost all World Rankers. But it seemed they were just here as...fans? There was an air of excitement about it all. They'd brought stools, cold drinks, candies, what looked to be popcorn in big red bags. There were vendors with carts going around selling them.
"…"
The reporters were at it again. "Day Two of the Savage Sage's Elemental Electricity race begins! We may be about to catch the moment Zane Walker becomes the first man on earth to break through to three Elemental Laws. This is Becca Dwyer for World Ranker News, stay tuned!"
"We have a special guest today," said the male reporter. "Say hello!"
"Hi!"
Zane blinked—he recognized that voice. It was Evan, beaming and waving at their recording crystal camera.
…what?
"This is Evan Armstrong, a friend of Zane's and a top World Ranker in his own right. Welcome!"
"Thank you!" said Evan. "I'm really happy to be here!"
For a moment, Zane wondered how Evan got roped into this.
... They probably just asked him. It wasn't very hard to rope Evan into things now that Zane thought about it.
"Tell us a little about how the two of you met."
"Okay!" Evan started going on and on. Zane couldn't help but overhear him as he went on; the reporters asked him to describe Zane and Evan got so excited. By the way he told it Zane's strengths got blown way out of proportion. It sounded like he was describing some kind of superhero.
"...And that's why Zane's the best!" concluded Evan, nodding happily. "He inspires me every day."
It made for good PR, Zane supposed…?
He walked on by, befuddled.
***
He went straight for the peak. This time he hardly even felt the lightning. Even when he neared the top, it was little more than a nuisance. He could feel just how close he was.
He sat down, closed his eyes—and let the world come to him.
It flowed through in a rush. Murky, hazy visions flashed by—
He began to lucid dream.
He saw a graveyard in the dead of night; a vicious storm swirled high above. A bolt of lightning flashed down—lightning that bore a specific kind of Law. It struck the gravestone, raced into the ground, met the flesh beneath...
The dirt began to tremble. A rotten sore-ridden hand broke free of it, grasping for the sky... Lightning struck again and again. The whole graveyard began to tremble—
All through its grounds the dead lived again.
He saw the power of lightning as a life-giver. The power to resuscitate, bring soul to flesh...
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟
The scene shifted. What looked to be a battlefield; an army hundreds of thousands strong ranged out over an endless grassy plain; and a general at the head of it, raising an elegant crystal staff—
His eyes began to glow. Lightning-white.
Lightning rippled out from his staff. Struck every man there. They shook, froze—
And their eyes started glowing too. Lightning could stoke the soul, could wake it, shock it to a higher state of being—almost touching the astral realm…
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔 𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟
The scene shifted. A white-bearded Mage.
Before him loomed a behemoth of a thing; it looked like a three-horned rhinoceros—but it was the size of a pickup truck. And it was hidden behind layer upon layer of natural steely armor.
It lowered its horn, snorted in rage, began to charge—
Lightning struck out from the staff, met the rhino—
It keeled over. Slumped. Dead.
Its body didn't smoke nor twitch—that lightning had struck the soul.
Zane blinked at it.
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝔸𝕦𝕣𝕒 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘
That was everything; he brought it all together—the way Electricity struck the spiritual, the stuff of souls…
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕤
One Major Law down.
He didn't stop there; He plowed straight into the last Major Law.
He could feel Electricity tingling on the skin, buzzing all around him—he knew something a lot like this. The magnetic fields in Steel. The connections made things so much clearer.
He felt the tiny charges shivering in the air, colliding, attracting, repelling, spreading, making a frenetic, invisible dance… he paid special attention to the way they moved. Until he could see it clear in his mind, until he could close his eyes and feel it swirling around him, a jittery sea of energy…
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖 𝔻𝕪𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕔𝕤
Then he felt how they dragged and shoved at him, lay on his body like a thick coat, yanking this way and that as the currents turned; how they swirled the gravel about in mini-tornados, how those little charges exerted their powers—
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝔽𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕕 𝔼𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤
Then there was the way fields waxed and waned—brightened around those battery crystals, dimmed around stone and earth, the way they stacked atop one another and worked against one another…
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝔽𝕚𝕖𝕝𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘
And together he had it—the powers that governed an Electric Field.
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔 𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟
He was struck by a spell of strange fatigue; he was buzzing with energy but his thoughts started slowing, moving through mud. His soul felt dulled somehow. He was starting to feel the drain. Time to wrap things up.
He had everything he needed anyway.
The chaotic powers of Electricity in Storm's Fury. The way it touched the souls of the living and the dead in Ethereal Currents. The way it could move through everything just from a touch with Arcane Conduction. The powers of Electric Fields in Electric Dominion. And the first Law he'd gotten, way back when—the Major Law of Discharge.
It painted a full image; an Element that only knew one speed—full throttle. The liveliest, fiercest of the Elements. That cracked like a thunderbolt and hummed like a light bulb.
The next time Zane opened his eyes, lightning flashed. And for a second his dark pupils glowed white.
𝕃𝕒𝕨 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕙𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕕!
𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕝 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕪.
Zane smiled.
***
Cheers erupted as he came out of it; he even saw little fireworks go off over the crowd. There were folk there who'd pulled up mats—they seemed to be cultivating, trying to make the most of his Law aftershocks.
But a good chunk of them were just... here to be here, it seemed.
Like the reporters, who were now speaking into little necklace crystals—they seemed to act as microphones. Amplifying their voices, which rolled over the crowd—
"There it is, folks! Three Elemental Laws!" cried the male reporter. "And it's his fastest time yet! This time the breakthrough took a mere nine hours! Astounding!"
"Well, Tyler," said the female reporter. "This begs the question—does this make Zane Walker the definitive strongest human alive?"
"He's definitely got a very strong argument!" said Tyler, chuckling. "Becca, I'll say this—he may only be 7th in the World Rankings. Those are some speedy Levelers at the top, sure. But in terms of Law, the gap between him and the rest just continues to widen!"
"For sure," said Becca, nodding. "That said, You can't underestimate any of the top seven! Even Emeka Eze—he's been on a tear grinding that Inheritance of his lately. It's been rumored he'll challenge the Asura Hell Array in the next few days. He's said he won't be satisfied 'till he gets his top spot back! Our colleagues in film crew two are camped outside the Hell Array as we speak, ready to bring you the action as it happens."
"That's right," said Tyler. "And now, a word from our sponsors. For our friends in the Pacific—is your Faction surrounded by increasingly unstable Dungeons? Is there a B-rank dungeon in your area giving you trouble? If so, join the Pan-Pacific League today! For just ten high-grade essence stones a month, you'll have the protective services of a squad of Top-100 World Rankers..."
Around that point, Zane had gotten so far the voices faded out.
***
Zane spent the following day taking it easy, recovering. Getting ready to weave his new Law into Stormfire. He got antsy just thinking about it. He wanted to make his new-and-improved Stormfire, throw it into all his Skills, and give the Hell Array another go. He was confident he'd do a lot better than last time. And last time, he'd almost beaten the thing.
Soon, he told himself as he sweated it out in the Sauna. Soon. It was like getting some long-awaited prize but not being allowed to unbox it.
Reina also broke through that day. She was more relieved than excited; she put a lot of pressure on herself to keep up with him. She got her talent tested too—her Leveling was at A7, her comprehension A9. Pretty darn good. Zane was very happy for her.
Most of the Tomb King territory was fully integrated by now, Reina told him; it covered a good chunk of California and northern Mexico. They even had little regional fighting forces, going around stamping out dungeon breaks. The whole Faction was mobilizing full-time. Banding together in the face of the crisis…
***
The time finally came.
When he felt he was ready, he didn't even bother leaving the Sauna. He just sat there, closed his eyes, and started weaving in his new Elemental Law.
He already knew the shape of Stormfire. It was a simple matter of filling in the gaps. Right now his Stormfire was fire-dominant. But the more he merged them, the more white started flickering back through the red…
He saw it in his mind's eye. It burned at the core of him, a changing flame—until—
𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!
ℙ𝕤𝕖𝕦𝕕𝕠 𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖 (𝕄𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕔 -> 𝕄𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕔+)
Then the strangest thing happened.
The flame had been flickering red and white, in near-perfect balance—
It turned blue. A ghostly brilliant-blue flame, crackling as it burned.
In his mind's eye he liked the look of it. It felt mysterious. Powerful. But it was hard to say how it'd do until he actually tested it.
It was plug-and-play when it came to Stormfire. As soon as he powered his old Skills with his new Stormfire, they'd evolve.
And he'd see what he was capable of now.
He grinned. He couldn't wait.
***
He thought he'd try them with another Hell Array run. But as it happened, a chance came up quicker than he thought.
Reina gave him an errand to run.
He ended up going back to the Luminous Faction, taking the teleporter. Before, every time he visited home after a long adventure, he hardly recognized it. This time, though, things felt fairly similar—at least in style. The Luminous Faction had settled into its skin.
It was still medieval-feeling, quaint and cozy and pretty; the buildings were made of smoth stone and warmly colored wood. Trees and flowers lined the roadsides. The same watchtower fortress floated high above, anchored to the town square by the same massive chain.
It was just... everything felt bigger. Grander. Especially the town hall. It was a skyscraper of a thing now—It just kept going up floor after floor. All the buildings, really—he emerged in the middle of the town square, and it was just ringed with tall buildings. They were more spread out too; the roads were twice the size of what he remembered.
Reina had said Luminous Faction Headquarters had to become a proper city, a hub for all its Sub-Faction folk to pass through and mingle in. So it'd grown a lot. It'd come to encompass several Safe Zones around it too. It felt like standing at ground level of a medieval, magical, somewhat smaller New York City. He supposed the Safe Zones around it were like the tri-state area, ish.
The population had certainly grown a lot. A good-sized crowd milled about the city square, wearing all kinds of different things; tunics and dresses and battle-robes of all colors—from all their various sub-Factions, spread out over a continent. The only thing they had in common was the Moon Fruit insignia pinned to their lapels. It meant Luminous Faction.
Zane looked around, taking it all in. It was like dropping a boulder in a pond; the moment he stepped out they started looking, whispering, crying out—crowd parted easily before him.
"Is that..?"
"No way…"
"It's really him! It's the Savage Sage!"
He kept walking. He wouldn't be here long. He was headed for one of the smaller teleporters—a silver hoop at the edge of the square.
He was off to the San Diego regional hub. A B+-ranked dungeon had broken there recently. Though the Luminous Faction had absorbed a few World Rankers, it was still too dangerous to clear on their own.
There was a team down there waiting for him—a team of the Luminous Faction's best, one of their elite strike teams—full of young ambitious World Rankers, supposedly. Reina wanted them to shadow him as he went about clearing it. She said it'd be a good learning opportunity.