“Let me tell all of you something before we start,” Aiden started, raising his sword and pointing it at all of them—even his most loyal follower, Josh. “What comes next will not be easy. At this moment, I don’t want to take any of you with me. I don’t trust that you’re strong enough to not be a liability, and for some of you, I say that with the utmost respect. Others,” he eyed Adam and Madison, “less so. So here’s what we’ll do. We will all fight. You will see the gulf of power that exists between us, not because I am a tyrannical leader, but because I want you to be vividly aware of the dangers involved.” His eyes shifted to Arkayan as he spoke, seeing genuine mirth.
“Just shut up. Get off your high horse and get ready to have your ass kicked,” Adam said, spitting at Aiden’s foot and holding up his hand to summon a spear of blackflame. Two flaming horns erupted from his head and looped back to rest under his ears by his neck.
“Oh, look at that. Right on time to see all the fun and games. You think I can play too?” a familiar voice called playfully. Aiden turned to see James and Arkayan slowly approaching, sparks of black lightning jumping across James’ skin.
“Why not?” Aiden said with a shrug. The power vibrating from James felt almost as great as what Aiden currently possessed, which was saying a lot. “But you have to wait your turn.”
“After I beat you bloody, I’ll take care of that jackass too,” Adam said, pointing his spear at Aiden and James. “Enough talking, let’s fight.”
“Anna, make sure he doesn’t die,” Aiden called, his patience broken and a need to vent some frustration a call to a part of him he’d not released since fighting in the Valkyr’s gauntlet.
Even with the plethora of notifications still blinking in the corner of his vision, Aiden knew he didn’t need to be any stronger to win this fight. Intuitively, he could feel the gulf of power between himself and Adam.
This fight would be a test for himself to see his capabilities, despite handicaps, as would be the fights against all the others. His total combat power felt lesser than when he had three Disciplines to wield, less versatile, but his sturdiness, the raw power at his beck and call if he so chose to use it, had increased in quality rather than quantity.
Aiden needed to know his limitations before embarking, and what better way than actual combat?
“I’ll give you the first strike, just to show you how screwed you are,” he called out Adam.
With the spear in one hand, blackflame ignited on Adam’s other fist as he lunged forward, the ground cratering from the power of his charge. As promised, Aiden didn’t budge from his spot, two feet planted and hands by his side as Adam’s punch arrived.
If it weren’t for witnessing the strike landing, Aiden wouldn’t have thought Adam had made any effort. He grinned. “My turn.”
In retaliation, he slammed his fist into Adam’s gut before the other man could react. The flaming horns and spear both dissipated from the single strike as Adam fell to his knees clutching his stomach and doubled over.
“Don’t throw up on my boots!” Aiden said and kicked Adam in his exposed ribs. Something definitely broke under the power of the attack. So boastful and arrogant was he, but the way his body tumbled away left a bitter taste in Aiden’s mouth. “Pathetic. All that talk, and for this to be all you have?”
If Adam hadn’t already been retching before, he was now.
“Oh damn,” Josh called, wincing, “Aiden’s pissed.” Then he smiled, his eyes alight with battlelust. “Me next!”
“Anna,” Aiden prompted as he ignored Josh.
“On it.” Her emerald energy washed over Adam’s prone form. Once finished, she warily eyed Aiden. If she had an issue with Adan’s treatment, she didn’t say anything.
Once Adam’s form stopped shaking violently, Aiden barked, “Now get up!”
Adam struggled, and as he did, curiosity piqued, Aiden opened his status for the first time in a long time.
Name: Aiden Pearce
Race: Human (Grade D)
(M)Power: 1
(S)Durability: 1
(M)Alacrity: 1
(P)Arcana: 1(+20)
(M)Spirit: 1(+20)
Boosts: Essence Channel XXXI, +20 Arcana and Spirit, Weapon Proficiency XVI, Inscription VI, Mastery Augmentation VI, Needle Storm
Discipline: Blizzard - Epic IV
Paths: Versatility, the Truth of Adaptation, Truth of Crystallization, Inheritor of the Nebulus, The Absolute, Khione’s Authority
Abilities: None
“Interesting,” he muttered to himself. His attributes said one, but they didn’t reflect the strength. He sifted through his notifications to find the one he’d seen but glossed over before.
Race Grades
Ascension unlocks a race’s hidden potential.
The amount of power the soul can harness increases tenfold through each Grade.
It was similar to Blizzy’s monstrous attribute, though appeared to require an active process of ascending through the grades rather than being an inherent property. If what he understood was right, one of his current attributes equaled a hundred of his previous.
He flexed, his knuckles cracking from the power. The strength he felt was even greater than his previous, confirming the quality enhancement that came with ascension. He felt nearly twice as strong as before.
No wonder the Arcana rampaging through him felt so dominant. Silver still applied a whole twenty additional points to both his Arcana and Spirit. However, the big difference was in the fact Arcana was his primary attribute.
All in all, he felt amazing. For a brief moment, he wondered how he’d fare against the Serian Prowler if they were to fight again.
Stolen novel; please report.
“You ever going to get up?” he goaded Adam as the other man’s shaking arms struggled to hold him. Aiden knew Anna’s ability to heal was good for its worth, but to be so handily defeated after his show of arrogance? “Your pride must be taking a serious beating right now. Too bad I don’t care. I’ll give you fifteen seconds, then I'll come to you.”
Clenching his teeth hard enough everyone around heard, Adam slammed a fist into the ground and shook like a leaf as he rose to his feet. From the way the ground cracked, Aiden could tell Adam’s power attribute was either a primary or secondary—likely the latter, given how weak the punch was.
After ten seconds, Adam returned to his feet, seething with hatred in his eyes. “This is all your fault! You took the fighters and left us behind!”
“The time for talk is over. Now prepare yourself. I won’t let you rest as much as just now, so give it your all. Impress me with the power you possess that gives you the confidence to bark so much.” Aiden leaned forward, both of his fists raised.
“I command you to kneel!” Adam shouted.
A strange energy tickled against Aiden’s mind, but a small flair of Apex Predator resisted the attempt. However, a quick look around showed the others in different states of acquiescence.
Ian and Isaac bowed dutifully, Josh looked mildly uncomfortable, while James and Anna looked wholly unaffected.
Leyla’s bemused smirk was betrayed by her twitchy fingers that kept habitually reaching for her scythe.
“You’re not doing a good job of impressing me.”
Now, Adam looked a little more uncertain of himself. If the thrashing he’d gotten before hadn’t done it, resisting this command magic started shaking some of his arrogance. Aiden didn’t care.
As he closed the distance, Adam reached up a hand and bellowed, “Varothgar of the Savage, I summon thee! Hear my call and answer your master!” His hands shot forward, and a blackflame portal burned a hole in the ground at his feet.
Aiden stopped, watched, and wondered what power Adam kept in his back pocket. He crossed his arms and waited. An impatient huff escaped his lips. “You better hope this is worth the delay.”
Out came a gray-skinned demon with those same blackflames burning atop its head as hair. Similar to Adam, it had those same horns that protruded from its forehead and wrapped over the flaming hair to rest under its ears and next to its neck. Red runic language blanketed its bare chest. Spiked pauldrons covered its shoulders, and simple blacksteel greaves covered its lower half to keep modesty alive.
Its eyes met Aiden’s, an odd pattern of layered black and white, then the creature turned around to address Adam. “This doesn’t look like a battleground, nor are there enemies to slay. What have you summoned me for?”
“Fight him,” Adam said, pointing a finger at Aiden, “at my side. Be wary, he’s stronger than he looks.”
This was an interesting development. Aiden wondered if this strange creature was the source of Adam’s blackflames or if it was something else entirely. Either way, he would crush them both. The power wafting off this Varothgar still felt lacking, though it carried itself like V’Yenya.
Confidence oozed off its entire being, a rawness of brutality promised to those who engaged in combat with it.
Varothgar turned to analyze Aiden. “We won’t win with your paltry strength. My summoned power is not enough to aid you.”
“I don’t care! We fight!” Adam shouted.
The gray-skinned demon bowed its head slightly and then turned to Aiden. “I’m sure you will make this interesting. Shall we begin?”
“Let’s.”
While they’d talked, a thin layer of ice had spread across the ground in a large circle around Aiden. The rest of them had started to backtrack away from the fight.
Now that the stage was set, Varothgar stomped to shake off the infringing ice and grunted. The blackflame spread across his whole body, condensing heavily on his fists. “Let’s do this like real men.”
Beside the demonic creature, the spear reappeared in Adam’s hand and his horn started burning again. His form looked more muscular now. Even through his shirt, red runes shined beneath in the same pattern seen on Varothgar’s chest.
Now things were getting serious, Aiden thought to amp up the challenge even more. “Madison, care to join?”
Without deigning to give him a verbal response, Madison stepped across the layers of ice to join Adam by his side. Her twin serpents of red lightning hissed at Aiden, wrapping her with their bodies like a magical shield as they stared him down.
“Now the odds should be a bit more even,” Aiden called and nodded. “Begin!”
The twin serpents opened their mouths wide and blasted a constant barrage. Adam rushed forward, but his demonic summon simply walked after, unhurried. His black and white layered eyes watched Adien’s every movement.
Then Aiden moved, repeating the forward charge, and punched toward Adam’s charging chest. Instead of being thrown away, Adam raised the spear to block with the shaft, sliding back several feet under the strength of the attack.
Aiden didn’t have time to appreciate Adam’s sudden increase in durability or speed. The barrage of lightning took his attention, and he danced through the attacks nimbly. Even if Alacrity wasn’t his main attribute, he never slacked in training for his miscellaneous attributes.
Adam only advanced when Aiden’s attention turned to Madison, but he used the spear to deflect and hold his ground from Aiden’s single strikes, keeping himself positioned in front of Madison as her twin serpents arced over his head and shoulders.
Once Adam began to get comfortable with the attack pattern, Aiden grinned and changed things up. He struck with the single fist, and Adam reacted accordingly. He’d raise the spear to block, slide back, and then reset his stance.
But Aiden wasn’t done.
He stepped forward and threw a second punch, followed by a quick kick to Adam’s calf. His leg buckled under the strike.
Aiden’s knee smashed into Adam’s face. The back of Adam’s head hit the earthy ground, blood gushing from his nose. He groaned in pain as emerald light flashed over him, but Aiden pressed past to Madison.
His path was short. One step covered a quarter of the distance, a second covered half. Her eyes widened as he approached, the serpents letting out great hisses, buzzed angrily, flashed even brighter, and launched forward.
Varothgar decided then would be a good time to intercept Aiden.
Confident and curious about his durability, Aiden punched one of the charging serpents and jumped back away from the demon. The second serpent slammed into his chest mid-air and coiled around him.
It buzzed an unholy sound. The colorful sky with nary a cloud in sight began raining down one bolt after another.
To Aiden, the onslaught tickled, though his body reacted a bit slower than he wanted. A layer of ice covered his skin and exploded outward, forcing the serpent off and away.
Varothgar’s blackflame-clad fist impacted Aiden’s side.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt pain.
An eruption of heat scorched through his ribs, midriff, and out his other side. Aiden backpedaled away from the demon, his mind clouded from the surprise and suddenness of the pain that assaulted him. A cursory glance showed no wound, no impact, no mark at all.
“What the…?” he muttered as he tracked the demon that still walked with a confident swagger. He bit down the surprise and acknowledged the demon as a potential threat.
Before Aiden could fully process, he was dodging more bolts. Those serpents didn’t hurt him much, but they made his body move oddly, unresponsive and slow. “I feel like this should be some kind of training opportunity, but it’s just annoying at the moment. Time to get serious.”