Cara was struck with a paralyzing horror, her mind spinning in disbelief at the irreversible act she witnessed. The Pathfinder ruthlessly annihilated the innocent soul of the Tenarian, leaving Cara to grapple with the enormity of the act. "Has she truly obliterated the blight host's soul for eternity?" The thought sent a chilling shiver down Cara's spine, but a more chilling realization dawned on her: “How is it possible for her to handle a soul core if she isn’t a blight?”
Cara knew of soul cores from her time in the church. That knowledge also came with the added benefit of knowing that soul cores were intangible magical constructs until the physical body of the person or creature died. Upon death, a person's core would form a physical husk containing a fragment of the soul's original power. Even then, so far as Cara knew, the only way to harvest it was using the mana cutters from a blight. It was because the husk of the core was so delicate that a single accidental touch could cause it to shatter and dissolve the core it protected. Knowing this, the church used the blights to carefully sever the mana channels connecting the core to the body, which, if done correctly, would harden the outer husk, allowing the blight to remove it from the body without damaging the small core housed within. After that, cutting away the husk to harvest the powerful little core was a simple act.
The controversial practice of harvesting soul cores was a dark stain on the reputation of the Church of the Light, one of the primary reasons it was feared and despised by many of the planet's other factions. The uncertainty of whether draining someone's core after death would destroy or weaken their true soul, coupled with the fact the church did it frequently and without considering the eternal consequences, made them the moral enemy of anyone with a conscience. With this understanding, Cara's fear of the black-haired woman standing before her intensified.
Sam, oblivious to Cara’s opinion of her, was still infusing herself with void energy as she carefully scanned her surroundings with a new ability, Void Sight. She reread the description.
Congratulations! You created a new ability, Void Sight [Level 1]. By infusing your eyes with pure Void energy, you gain the ability to see through Void. Reality itself will no longer hide anything from you. As your ability to harness and bend the Void to your will grows, you will become more capable of discerning the true nature of all things. Leveling this ability will increase its effectiveness and range.
The ability was still only level one, which meant it had a limited range. However, Sam wasn't looking for something far in the distance; she was looking for the blight's soul after realizing she only destroyed the Tenarian's. Using Void Sight was nothing like Mana Sight; it was instead like looking through a kaleidoscope of rich colors. Everywhere she looked, vibrant living colors reflected back to her, constantly pulsing and flowing through everything. It was the true nature of her perception of reality or, as she knew it, Void's cognitive synapses. The neon green of the torn-up grass mixed naturally with the bright brown of the churned dirt from their battle. Sam could see where the grass and soil were already trying to heal themselves together using powerful magic, the color of burnt orange that seeped from the ground like thick molasses. “Is that the planet's magic?” Sam thought as she watched the interaction for a few seconds before continuing her search for the blight.
Still unable to locate the blight parasite, Sam asked Lupie, “Where did you last see the soul projection after I dove through the portal with the real body?”
“Over there, Mistress,” Lupie said, pointing at an area a few meters away.
Sam looked at Lupie when she asked the question, staring at the thick cord of violet and crimson that flared into being between them when she queried the Bloodmorph. She ignored Lupie’s answer and reached out to touch the thick magical tether, tapping it lightly with a mana cutter. When the cutter touched the cord, it sank into the magic with slight resistance. Lupie cried and fell to her knees, panting as soon as Sam cut into the magic connecting them.
That snapped Sam out of the slight daze caused by her worries over what she had just done and her fascination with using her Void Sight for the first time. “Oh shit! I’m so sorry, Lupie!” Sam said quickly, jerking her hand away while admonishing herself for being so careless. She apologized, “I am so sorry, girl! Please tell me you are okay! I thought I might be able to free you with these,” she held up one hand, indicating the long void claws extending from her fingers.
“It is okay, Mistress, but please warn me next time,” Lupie grunted as she stood back up. She stretched and popped her neck before adding, "I am fine now; it was more a surprise prickling sensation than actual pain. It caught me off guard, is all."
Sam wasn’t sure she bought Lupie’s answer, but she didn’t have time to argue. One soul was still trapped in this reality and needed to be freed. Without being asked, Lupie pointed to the area she had indicated before. Sam strode in that direction, scanning the ground carefully, not exactly knowing what she was looking for.
As she searched, Sam noted what was even more interesting than the colorful energy pulsing around her was the occasional grey zone at the corner of her vision that would burst into color as soon as she focused on it. The grey areas held no substance until viewed; instead, it was like looking at the static screen on an old T.V. “Is this me creating my own reality by thinking it into existence?” That thought was interesting, and Sam wanted to explore it further when she had more time.
But she spotted what she was searching for before she could dive into that proverbial rabbit hole of reality and how it was formed.
"Hey there, little fella," Sam soothingly spoke as she knelt over the squirming, spider-like creature writhing in the grass. All the colorful magic surrounding it was being pulled into the small parasite as it struggled to stay alive in this reality. Due to the inherent darkness of the void the creature was made of, Sam could not see its core; her sight was too weak or incapable of penetrating the shadowy depths of the little creature's hide.
It didn’t matter, though, and Sam, again speaking words that came unbidden to her lips, said, “Ancient favored soul of the Void. I, Samantha Alecto Moura, creation of the Draconic Voidgod Ica and child of The Collective, release you from your torment and return you to the peace of Void’s eternal embrace.” With that, she drove all her mana cutters into the small body of the blight. Instantly, it felt as though she had stabbed frozen ice picks into her hands everywhere her skin contacted the creature's black blood. The pain was over quickly, and as Sam watched, the blight’s corporeal form disintegrated into black mist, and its soul was sucked back into the Void realms.
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Turning off her Void Sight, Sam looked down at her mangled hands, noting absently that her Rebuild skill wasn't working. A message notification sounded in her head before she could think about why she wasn’t healing. Unlike the annoying chime of the System, she tried to keep muted in her interface; this message was preceded by a deep gong sound, and the corners of her vision lit up briefly with a shimmering platinum light.
Gong!
Attention: Administrator Message!
Hybrid mortal designation S.A.M.:
You assisted in the return of a favored soul to the Void. For your participation, you are rewarded with a gift. Please choose one line item from the options below.
Sam groaned inwardly, thinking, “Not another laundry list of things I want that makes me choose!” Still, she looked at the list and started reading, figuring she would have to choose before getting her experience and, hopefully, levels from the fight. She groaned again when she saw how many items there were, “There have to be ten thousand options,” she mumbled as she scrolled through the long, tightly spaced list of rewards. She read a few of the names at random.
Hyperlite Droid Attack Squad with multiple loadout options and recharge/repair pods; Level 60
Hyperlite Droid Defensive Squad with multiple loadout options and recharge/repair pods; Level 60
Hyperlite Drone Squadron with multiple loadout options and recharge/repair pods; Level 60
Sam skipped the descriptions and continued flicking through the menu, reading random names.
ArCaster Sword of Demented Shock (Enchanted Short Sword); Level 60
Dual Fangs of Dread Viper (Poison Daggers); Level 60
Class 2 Ship Mounted Turret x 2 with ballistic or energy loadouts; Level 60
Spatial Choker of Replication; Level Growth
Sam stopped scrolling at the Spatial Choker and selected the item; she read the description:
Spatial Choker of Replication [Growth]
Classification: Spatial Storage
Quality: Epic
Magical: Yes
Enchantments: Immortal; Soul Bound; Replication
Description: This spatial choker comes equipped with 1000 slots, each of which can hold up to 9999 items. Place a single item in a slot, and the choker will begin replicating the item up to 9998 times. Components that can be replicated include all basic non-magical materials (organic and inorganic) and some select magical materials. The reproduced material's complexity, density, and magical concentration will determine the replication rate. The original item will always be retrieved last when removing contents from slots. Replicated items will remain viable for up to ten days after removal. Note: Oversized items may take multiple slots; replication may be slowed if a large quantity of items is present.
Sam thought about the potential uses of the choker, mumbling to herself, “If I chose this for Lupie, she could put my blood in several slots and have a virtually limitless supply! Or what about the mana crystals I create? I bet Naris and Nara would love that, assuming it would replicate them!”
Mentally highlighting the Spatial Choker on the menu so she could find it again easily, Sam continued perusing the list.
Nanofiber Loom of Creation; Level 60
Spatial Tannery of Swift Completion; Level 60
Bellows of Dragon Fire; Level 60
Riot Fist Gloves of Pugilism; Level Growth
“At least some of these options are growth items,” Sam mused to herself. At the rate she leveled, having anything that wasn’t a growth item was more of a waste of time than helpful. Sam started skipping weapons since she was not trained in armed combat. “Come to think of it, I haven’t received any skills relating to any of the weapons I use,” Sam thought, stopping her scrolling momentarily. She remembered Nara had an archery ability, so it was obviously a thing, but why hadn't she received a skill or ability? Sam used almost anything she could think of to fight, ranging from spears to daggers. Hell, she was even fighting with mana rifles now. “I guess flailing around like a toddler with a stick doesn’t count toward weapon mastery,” She concluded with a quiet chuckle.
Sam returned to the list of options, vaguely aware that Lupie was standing next to her protectively. She was flipping back to look at the choker again when a black-bannered message filled her vision.
This is an Administrator message:
Due to your place in The Collective, you have been offered voidling specific options. Note: closing this screen will constitute rejection of the offer. Please select from the following:
Sam eagerly looked at the void-specific rewards and couldn’t help but shake her head in mild annoyance when the list popped up. Of course, there was only one option; why had she thought there might be something that wasn't explicitly curated for her? Then she read the offered item description. Sam's eyes dilated; this was a game-changer! She immediately selected it and read the description:
Shop Access Node
Classification: Ability
Magic type: NA
Mana cost: Extreme
Uses: Unlimited
Activation Time: Instant
Description: The Shop Access Node ability is an innate hidden ability of all voidlings across The Collective that typically unlocks between the first and second evolution. Due to the specifics of your origin, you were born without this hidden ability. This is a one-time offer to permanently etch the node into your soul, allowing you access to the System shop network in any System-controlled region of space. More information will be provided upon selection. Choose this option: Yes/No?
Sam wished for another chance to access the System Shop since the raid event, so there was no way she would pass up the opportunity now. In her mind, it was a no-brainer; it didn't matter how many neat or unique options the System gave her for completing this quest if she could eventually buy them all through her personal shopping network. Sure, it might take a thousand cycles before she could afford something like the Spatial Choker, but then again, it could be just as long before she could access the System shop without this ability. And nothing was saying the choker would even be useful by then.
Sam knew choosing the Shop Access Node was a gamble. Maybe her reasoning wasn't entirely sound, but the ability to shop for specific needs to help in any situation was too much like online shopping for her to pass up.
Her mind was made up. Sam selected ‘Yes,’ and the menu screens disappeared. Then the pain started. Sam crumpled to the ground in a boneless heap as the massively uncomfortable sensation of etching into her soul filled her with agony.