Chapter 12 Who is the Master?!
Over the course of the next three days, Khyree watched as the old man worked on an elaborate spellscript. He was told that the spellscript would be engraved onto an ancient control artifact left behind from the master for the Inheritor. Khyree watched as the spellform got longer and seemingly more complex day by day. Occasionally, the old man would take a break and cannibalize various rare materials and treasures to power up and enable the spellscript.
It was during those times that Khyree felt it was safe enough to converse with the old man, as it looked like the harvesting process was less intense concentration wise for the old man. He learned quite a few things from the old man. One of which was that the old man was actually a spirit automaton. Which was a kind of spiritual caretaker, for high ranking Immortals. The spirit automaton didn’t actually have a name of its own. Apparently, the last master just referred to it as “Spirit” whenever he needed to address it.
A fact that Khyree found displeasing to hear. He believed that all individuals deserved to have a name of their own. After much going back and forth the old man and Khyree had decided on a name for the spirit. Talib. Talib had explained to Khyree how the pyramid was actually a modular construct made out of pure essence energy. Blocks and all. That each block was then covered in a number of spellscripts and formations for trapping and modifying energies of all types, and that the red sun in all reality really just served as a visual representation for the amount of energy that was stored in the realm.
Khyree learned that each room and every single floor of the pyramid could be modified for whatever use he had in mind and every environment perfectly replicated, provided that there was enough ambient energy to draw on. The same applied to the land and the space outside of the pyramid.
Unfortunately, the pocket realm could only be recharged by an Immortal directly channeling their personal essence into the realm or by people or animals dying while inside the realm. Of course the preference is for Immortals or essence beasts and creatures. But only because of the refined essence they contained. It was a clear cut case of quality versus quantity.
It was at noon on the third day, that Talib was finally finishing up the spellscript that he claimed would change Khyree's life. Khyree watched as the old man put the finishing touches on the spell and then condensed the entire magical formula.
It was like watching an eruption of colorful explosions in a geometry of shapes and designs that contained the complicated and multitudinous mysteries of the universe that slowly merged into a tiny but elegant eldritch blue script that was then inscribed onto an ancient ring artifact crafted of the purest ghost silver metal.
It had been explained to Khyree that while ghost silver was not the most expensive of metals, it was the best for essence enchantments because of its ability to conduct and store large amounts of essence.
"Now listen closely, Mourntree," the old man said as he held the ring aloft for Khyree to see. "The last master forged this artifact over fifteen thousand years ago. It is comparable to those interspatial rings that those early stage Immortals in your group were wearing."
Talib paused as he noted the confused expression on Khyree's face. "You don't have the foggiest idea of what I'm talking about do you?" The old man sighed heavily. "Oh how far the level of general education has fallen in the outside world," Talib said with a sad expression on his face.
"Right. So listen. Interspatial rings are linked to pocket dimensions that Immortals can use to store items. This artifact works much in the same vein, except instead of a tiny pocket dimension, this artifact is linked to this ancient realm. You already have some idea of what this realm is capable of doing. Plus I will always be here to assist you. Once you put this ring on you will become the new master of this realm, the Inheritor and have complete control of the ring and everything contained within it.
Now thanks to this spellscript that I have placed on this artifact, this ring will constantly absorb and channel essence from the world and the universe around you. Essence that you can then use to cultivate. Provided that you find a cultivation technique that is suitable for your nature. Mind you a small percentage of the essence absorbed by the ring will be used to power the spellscript.
Now you don't have to always use that essence to cultivate, you could instead use that energy towards restoring this ancient realm. All that you would have to do is merely divert some of that incoming energy into the ring. Then that essence would permeate the entire realm and slowly restore it to its former glory. The other way, and far more efficient method would be to channel your Ka into the ring. The reason being that your personal essence is far more potent than the free flowing essence of the world and the universe. Just something for you to think about."
Talib was pleased to see that Khyree was taking in his words with the gravity that they deserved. The young man might not have been anyone's first choice in regards to being the Inheritor but he had similar goals to the last master and he had passed the trials in a most outstanding fashion. In all the trials he had hosted he had never seen a participant display such fearlessness. Though the young Mourntree presented the image of a civilized man, there was something fiercely untamed within his nature. What kind of life had this young man lived until now, he wondered.
“A few things to be aware of: first is that the drain of this artifact will be noticeable, especially in low essence areas. So you would do well to find a way to counter that, unless you want people to notice that odd things happen around you. No, don’t ask me how you can do that. I don’t know the landscape outside of this realm, and I can’t solve all of your problems for you. Next, is that artifact does have some built in protections. The ring can not be seen or sensed by anyone other than you beneath the level of a mid stage Immortal. Upon your death the artifact will absorb all of your essence and randomly transport itself to a place where hopefully a new Inheritor can be found.
The only other way that this ring can be removed from your possession is if you become a late stage Immortal. If you do manage somehow to ascend to that level, then at that point you will no longer have need of this artifact. At which time you could either absorb the artifact itself, or set it free to choose another Inheritor. That choice will be yours to make,” The old man finished. With one final glance at the ring he held, he passed it into the waiting hands of Khyree.
Khyree accepted the ring with calm and steady hands. It was not an ideal situation for him, but it was the only one in which to keep his own life and to save the life of his friend. With that in mind, he placed the artifact on the middle ring finger of his right hand. He had half expected that he would be on the receiving end of another bolt of electricity. But instead, there was the faintest feeling of completion that swept through his being.
Similar to the way that a lock feels when it is united with its matching key. All of this time he had been incomplete, disconnected from his own nature. He had never before been aware of how cut off he had been from everything. But now he felt alive. Truly alive for the first time in his entire life. But there was more. He felt connected. As if in the tapestry of all things, he could finally recognize his connection with the fibers of the weave.
There was a slight twinge in the muscles surrounding his eyes, as Khyree felt something change in his vision. No, it was as if his vision changed altogether. A transparent screen unfolded in front of him. He could clearly see the old spirit guardian watching him curiously as the changes were happening.
Soon rows of text appeared in his eyes. At the very top was something like a heading, and then the rows beneath cataloged and broke into detail biographical data. It was a collection of information about himself. He had never seen his information presented in such a manner before. Khyree took a deep breath as he scanned over the information.
The System
Name: Khyree Mourntree
Age: 19
Race: Human???
Sex: Male
Weight: 79kg
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Height: 182cm
Health: 100/100
Health Regeneration Rate: .0789/hr
Immunities: None
Physical Defense: Base 1.5 kilogram force / Enhanced NA
Energy Defense: Base NA / Enhanced NA
Physical Offence: Base 1.5 kilogram force / Enhanced NA
Energy Offence: Base NA / Enhanced NA
Ka Level: NA
Ka Accumulation Rate: NA
Immortal Rank: NA
Skills: NA
Abilities: NA
Equipment: Ancient Ring Artifact
Khyree pondered over the data for a few minutes as he familiarized himself with its working and meaning. He quickly figured out that he could make the information disappear and reappear by adjusting the muscles surrounding his eyes. While Khyree was impressed by the level of detail in the system and the information it presented he did notice that it did not come with any kind of learning assistant or menu that could help him navigate the system itself. The other thing that bothered him about the system was that there were clearly entire sections that were not being displayed for his review or use.
The first obvious thing that caught his attention was the question marks behind his racial designation. Human??? “What does that mean? Does the system for whatever reason not recognize me as completely human? And if I’m not completely human, then what else am I?” Khyree wondered to himself. He hated it when he was presented with questions he didn’t immediately have the answers for. “Also, if there is a need for a racial designation, then does that mean that there are other races? And if so, what are those other races?”
Leaving that train of thought behind he moved on to the next section. In the section labeled physical offence, there were no further breakdowns into subsections like strength, and or dexterity. ”Hmm so then the system must calculate the maximum damage possible based either on assumed data or several subsections it has determined that I don't need to be aware of. I can only hope that the figure it has calculated is based on the highest amount possible for my physical stats,” Khyree thought to himself. “Now if kilograms is the system of measurement that we use to determine how much an item weighs, then adding force to it would be that item’s weight in motion. That could really be something. One kilogram by itself is almost nothing, but try getting hit by something that weighs that amount and it is a whole different story.” Khyree figured the base 1.5 kilogram force must represent human normal levels of physical abilities.
“So then if a base 1.5 kilogram force is the normal amount of force for a human to generate for an attack, then that means any number above that must transcend regular human limits. Furthermore, enhanced would then mean normal actions amplified by some Immortal factor. Possibly via a skill or a technique. I know that Immortals are fundamentally different, so I wonder just how much stronger a regular attack from one of them would be.
Then by that same token, in terms of physical defense then that would mean the limit to the amount of force that my human body could potentially withstand. Any more than that would cause damage, which would be when the regeneration rate would kick in. Or basically how long it would take for me to heal. At .0789 units per hour, that would mean to heal one single whole unit would take approximately 13 hours. 13 hours to heal one unit! Talk about an atrocious healing rate. But it has never taken me that long to heal from wounds before. Not while I was in the Northern Wilds, and not since I have been in the lands of man. So what’s the difference.”
Try as he might, Khyree was simply unable to puzzle out the answer for the discrepancy for himself. Frustrated by conundrum, he decided to focus on something else.
Concentrating on the ring he felt the pull of the invisible fetters that linked him to the ancient realm. He felt the red sun in the desert sky as if it was a second heart beating within his breast. The slow thump of it, pounding in slow rhythmic tones. Tones that were gradually getting slower. He subconsciously knew that if the red sun was to go dark and completely cold that the size of the realm itself would shrink down to only the pyramid. After that, it would take a truly massive amount of energy to expand the size of the realm and knowledge that he himself did not possess at the time.
Turning his mind’s eye away from the sun, he glanced down at the desert below. All of a sudden he knew every grain of sand that made up the desert. If he was forced he knew that he could calculate the exact numbers of grains of sand. He was able to see how the land stretched for hundred kilometers in every direction. He got the feeling that at one point the space it covered was much greater. But mostly when he cast his gaze out the only thing he felt was how empty it all was.
He was the very blocks that constructed the pyramid. He was every single block, all five and half million of them. He knew their exact dimensions and density. He was one with the many spells that encased the blocks. While he did not know the spells, or had any hope of reproducing the spells any time soon. He was aware of them and could study them at his leisure.
Casting his mind eye further in the ring, he was able to see the chamber that he and Talib were standing in. The control chamber for the pyramid otherwise known as the capstone. He saw the various configurations that he could implement for the structure. He saw how the old man really was just millions of lines of spellscript woven around a detached piece of spirit and bound to the ancient realm.
Diving deeper within the structure he came across a large tomb-like vault built within the very depths of the pyramid. Inside of the closed chamber was a pool that was twenty-five meters long, fifteen meters wide, and five meters deep. It was filled with Waters of Life. All around the pool was the discarded equipment, clothes and treasures from all of the past participants.
With a simple thought he was able to see all of the most recent participants whose bodies and souls were currently trapped in the spellforms of the pyramid. Instinctively, Khyree knew that if he allowed their bodies and souls to be harvested that their energy would go towards fueling the spellscripts laced into the very fabric of the pyramid. Energy that the realm desperately needed.
Khyree quickly browsed over the souls much like how one shuffles through books in a library to find the one you seek. Once he found his senior brother Kendrick Aminu and the two inner students he set them all to the side and allowed all of the other participants to be harvested. He saw the energy stream through the millions of lines of script and fed the pyramid. As the pyramid absorbed the energy, Khyree turned his gaze to look at the red sun. He saw that it pulsed with new energy, concentrating he was able to feel the life beat of it increase in strength by just a sliver.
After discussing it with Talib, Khyree reached down into the vault and converted some of the materials down there into energy. Following the guidance of the spirit automaton he used the energy to fill in the blueprints of Kendrick and the inner students. Not only did he restore their physical and spiritual bodies, but he also gave them back their items and equipment that had been stripped from them.
Khyree knew that the old man was not happy with his choices, and had only lent his assistance because ultimately he was just a servant of the realm. Indeed Talib had protested the entire time, but was unable to go against Khyree’s wishes in action or spirit now that Khyree was the new master. He could only grit his teeth and submit. Which he did most reluctantly, though not without giving voice to his opinion on the matter.
“I don’t see the point in this, that energy could have been better spent repairing this realm. You can’t imagine what this place was like back in its prime. The servant, fine. No great loss there. His harvested energy could maybe have powered this place for day tops. But those Immortals? They are in the first stages of the meridian rank. Already their bodies were turning into essence batteries. Do you know how much stored energy we could have gotten from them?”
Khyree who was leaning forward in a stone chair he had manifested days ago, sat with his elbows placed on his knees and his clasped hands bracing his chin, nodded his head as he too gazed out into the desert. “I hear everything you are saying, Talib. And while you might be a mighty spirit automaton thousands of years old. You do not live in the world that I do. You are not under the restrictions that I am. You are here. Isolated in this realm. Alone. Surrounded by the dust and ashes of its former glory. I get it, you want this place to be what it once was.
But that is not going to happen today. Or tomorrow. It is going to take time. Time that I might not have, unless I make the right choices here and now. I am currently a low level human servant in an Immortal Sect. There were forty-two of us that came into this realm. Forty-two humans that perished in the trials that you hosted. Forty-two humans that were told that they might not survive if they came to this place.
But if I and only one other servant somehow manage to walk out of here alive, and without the two Immortals who were in the middle stages of condensation that came with us. We would be executed on the spot, because there is no way that the elders of the Sect are going to believe that two lowly human servants survived something that was capable of killing Immortals. So yes, I am going to let the Immortals live and I am even going to let them leave with some of the treasure in the vault, if for no other reason then to allay their suspicions.”
Khyree then turned his head to look directly at Talib, for a moment before speaking “Do I make myself clear?”
At once the old man took a knee and bowed his head in Khyree’s direction. “Yes, master. I hear and obey.”
Khyree smiled, as he heard the spirit automaton’s response. “I liked the sound of that. Say it again one more time, just so I can hear it again. Who is the master?”
Without any hesitation the old man replied in his most fervent voice. “You are the master, Lord Mourntree.”
“Now tell me spirit, does this artifact have a name?”
“No, Lord Mourntree it does not. The last master did not name it, as he never removed the ring from his person until the day he decided to ascend. For him it was merely a tool.”
“Then I shall name this ring, and therefore the realm as well. From henceforth this ring shall be known as the Desert Rose Ring.”