Drake climbed up the mountain. The path was long and arduous, but she was thankful to the previous owner of her body, as she could tell they were in decent shape.
The only strain on her new body was the weight she held on her back. Vanish slept peacefully, his restful breathing both motivating Drake and putting a smile on her face.
Her stomach began to hurt from hunger, but she was far to high to turn back, deciding to focus on her breathing. Every step a trial of its own.
Drake’s focus narrowed, becoming a catalyst for the triggering of aspects of her new body. Her mind began to thrum with energy that overflowed, overwhelming the frame that formed her blood, bones, muscles and skin.
She began to jog. Then run. Until before she knew what she was doing and sped up to an all out sprint.
Each breath she took felt like lightning. The normal stimulating pains that came with overworked muscles only fueled her, Drake experiencing only exhilaration.
The hunger she’d felt, disappeared. The pain in her ankles, gone. All she could feel was her heartbeat and a sensation filling her chest that made her feel like she was meditating.
Notifications filled the corner of her vision, all unnoticed. The only details breaking through to her mind as she sprinted, the changes in the direction of the winding path she sped up. Her chest vibrated with power as she unknowingly drank mana from the air itself.
This did not feed the growing hunger in her body, but instead began to extract toxins from her blood, bone marrow, and even her muscles, pushing years of gathered sludge and even parasites out of her pores.
Still she did not stop. In fact she sped up even further, now feeling a growing sense of stamina and flexibility. Her bones popped and cracked as mana pulled unnecessary liquid from her joints and ligaments, reducing unnatural inflammation gained from an exorbitant diet.
Which only made her that much hungrier. Drake still missing every notification as she raced up the mountain with a smile on her face.
*Notifications* - Updates -
Moving Meditation Unlocked - you have awakened a new Technique. With your understanding of anatomy, and the strength of your mind, you have begun to power your soul through motion.
Toxin Purge Unlocked - New innate ability gained. You have uncovered how to remove unhealthy materials from your body. The continued use of this ability will cause a natural refinement of your physique and mana systems.
Status effect - Ravenous -
You are now running on fumes. This state will further increase your state of heightened senses to your bodies current limit. However you can no longer tell friend from foe. Until you are fed, your every action will only further the unraveling of your conscious mind.*
…
Aurora couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Drake had cleared the bottom third of the mountain at a speed that made Aurora realize that she had to be right about her original assumptions.
Our current beliefs in stats is wrong…
Aurora didn’t know the exact speed her body was being pulled up the mountain at, but her charge was closing in on 45 kilometers per hour, or 25mph, Drake now running as fast as Aurora had seen her older brother Scepter move, and she knew the 15 season cycle old prince was at least Beginner rank.
I wish I could see her stats.
As she had the thought Drakes status page was pulled up and Aurora gaped mentally at the sight of the changes shown.
*Notifications* - Updates -
All aspects of the Traveler’s status page held after a / are the Sunlight Guardian’s own information and will not be viewable by the Traveler until an agreement is made between the Traveler and Guardian.*
*Status* - -
Name: Aurora “Drake” Imperial.
Rank: Unranked
Age: 13
Race: Cultivator
Bloodline: Vampiric Sovereign of Dragons/ Sunlight Guardian of Travelers.*
Class: Locked
Innate Abilities: Limit Breaker. Toxin Purge.
Techniques: Moving Meditation
Skills: Drinker of Skills. / Matter Manipulation..*
/System Secrets Unlocked: Celestial Language
Current Attributes =
Offense: 0.1
Defense: 0.1
Systems: 0.1
Available points: 0.3
Achievements: First kill before skill.
Unranked Slayer of Monsters - Epic.
/ Tongues of Celestials - Legendary.*
By the maiden, she’s already gained 2 Innate abilities and a Technique….
Aurora marveled at Drake’s growth, clicking on the unfamiliar abilities and technique and knew that she was looking at lost arts. Fabled uses of mana long lost to the realm of Imperial.
The powerful long ago started to fear the strength being uncovered by Cultivators using the System, deciding that secrets of these abilities must be locked away in vaults inside dungeons seen as unconquerable. The location of these vaults were given to the Ancients of royal families throughout the realms, and Aurora now believed she knew how to find them.
I wonder if each kingdom of Imperial’s ritual sites lead into this dungeon or one similar. For all I know this dungeon could hold one of the Vaults of Imperial, or all of them. Only my eldest brother would have ever learned anything about this place for all I know. Or was I just told less than my siblings for being without skills.
The number of vaults was lost to time, and further more so were the Ancient ranked Cultivators that were said to be entombed within them to protect the secrets for all eternity.
Aurora believed their to be 21 capitols in the realm of Imperial, with her family being the highest ranked royal family of them all. Which made her wonder if their were 21 Vaults of Imperial.
Her ancestor had chosen the name Imperial for their capitol before conquering the other continents throughout the realm. Every other Noble ruler at the time of the realms formation had also named their continents after various ideals of Sovereignty, but it wasn’t until the head of her family conquered the realm as a whole that the name Imperial was given to the entirety of their plane of existence.
These vaults held secrets that supposedly could lead a Cultivator to heaven and beyond, and Aurora thought this to be nothing more than fairytales, until now.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Drakes entrance into the realm made Aurora begin to look at everything she was taught as a child through new eyes. What was before myth, now felt more like history made more tangible by the power being displayed by the Traveler currently.
If Drake could achieve these things at level 1. What could she achieve at higher levels and ranks beyond Beginner?
More time passed and the sky began to darken, yet Drake didn’t stop running. The Traveler was committed, and Aurora was stunned by her progress.
It wasn’t until Drake nearly crested the top of the mountain that Aurora realized that Sunset would bring challenges. Aurora watched Drake blur passed the abandoned skeletons of those who for reasons unknown to her weren’t able to ascend the mountain , died on their way up, or potentially even while fleeing from what may be at the summit.
Night moved like a looming shadow, slowly swallowing the mountain inch by inch, from one side to another.
The path Drake ran up wrapped around the mountain in a spiral that lead to the apex, and Aurora saw her worst fear come to life. As Drake turned the corner of the last section of path on the now darkened side of the mountain, a Skeleton lurched, sitting completely upright the instant Drake ran passed. Aurora able to see the monster reanimate, bones jerking with uncoordinated movements in the expanded edges of the sensory dome around her. Her mind now incapable of missing anything moving or magical near to Drake, giving Aurora a different vantage in perspective to analyze everything held within her all encompassing range of sight.
Her attention on the monster triggered a scan, the notification popping up in her mind’s eye.
There must be a way for me to alert Drake to these kind of things, maybe even indicate an enemies location, thought Aurora as she read over the scan results.
*Scan* - Monster -
Name: Bane of Bones
Rank: unranked
Age: ???
Class: Locked/ Former brawler
Average Attribute Level: 0.3
Scan Results - This former Cultivator has been long reduced to nothing but a pile of bones. Regardless, the bones of this foe still resonates with the abilities and skills that once were trained into the body of this long dead Cultivator.
Threat level: 5 out of 13 stars.*
Aurora mentally went through the journey, counting the number of skeletal frames that Drake passed on her way up, shuttering at the few hundred decomposed bodies that may be rising behind Drake. The realization that Drake was more than likely trapping herself atop a mountain with monsters that could easily trample her with overwhelming odds, made Aurora once again panic. Aurora now once again screaming unheard in the depths of their shared mind.
No Drake, turn back!
…
The sound of rushing water touched Drake’s ears and knocked her out of her trance. She slowed, cresting the top of the mountain to find a place only describable as eden. A luscious garden with countless types of different fruits was planted between a uniform series of trees, perfectly arranged around a lake with a large manor at its center.
The home seemed to be that of a small castle, approachable by multiple stone paths made from stationary pillars that seemed to float atop the surface of the lake. Each step higher than the last, forming curving staircases that lead up to the elevated foundation of the manor.
The sound of water that had struck Drake was one of the spatial tares she’d seen above the jungle city below the mountain, crystalline liquid gushing down onto a glass room in the shape of a pyramid that was centered atop the manor. The water expelled from the portal mouth formed wall like waterfalls that covered the manor on all sides, flooding the rooftop to make the entire home look like a beautiful fountain.
The view from where Drake stood was a picture of blissful solitude. Before she could truly explore any of the area, a quickly sharpening anguish lanced its way through her torso. Her vision began to fade, and she was finally able to notice a gnawing pain in her mouth.
She dropped to her knees, untying the cloths that connected her to Vanish and tried to climb to her feet, but couldn’t rise.
A new sound filled her ears, flooding through to the core of her mind, making her turn toward Vanish.
The sound of his heartbeat was louder than even the water’s bustle at the center of the lake, and Drake found herself licking her lips as she saw the veins running down Vanish’s neck light up golden in her vision; her tongue flicking across her newly sharpened fangs.
Without a single thought Drake crawled pitifully toward Vanish’s neck, pulling herself along with only her offhand.
she eventually managed to reach his neck, moving completely by pure force of will as hunger pushed her to act. Drake had never truly given any thought to her statuses claim at her vampirism, and was now seized by a hunger that she couldn’t fight even if she tried.
Her teeth sunk into Vanish’s neck and she began to drink. Slow at first, but as the ambrosia filled her stomach with life-force, she begun to drink deeply.
Vanish’s eyes shot open, and he hollered in agony. His eyes flitted around, taking in his surroundings, it wasn’t until he saw Drake drinking that he stopped screaming.
A moment of silence passed and Vanish spoke. The words affecting Drake more than anything she’d ever heard spoken by another in her entire life; the young woman saddened by her actions, but even more by her sanities subtle return in the moment before he began to speak.
“Drink every drop if you need, my life is yours to wield as you need, for saving me from my end, I am yours, may I be nothing more than food, or even your greatest weapon, I am yours until my dying day…”
Vanish’s words struck Drake as if she’d just heard a vow, her mind sharpening, and she stopped feeding, snapping upward and pushing herself away horrified at what she’d been doing.
She was unsettled by the words that had been spoken, and even more disgusted with herself when she couldn’t meet his eyes as they stared at her with absolute empathy.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” muttered Drake, staring at Vanish’s neck as the twin holes closed before her very eyes.
“It is okay, as I said, I am yours, and truly don’t mind, I only ask that you feed me some of that fruit, as my Overlay says I will need sustenance to recover my available blood, your feeding has somehow increased my recovery rate, but I will need food and water,” said Vanish. Drake nodded, taring her eyes from his neck and looking toward the garden, noting silently to herself that the system status pages must be called an Overlay.
I’m going to have to remember that, and anything Else I learn from Vanish for that matter.
“Is there anything you would like specifically,” asked Drake, looking around at the abundant fruits of all shapes and sizes. Most of which she’d never seen before, while only a handful seemed to even be slightly familiar.
“I enjoy Premier,” said Vanish, Drake having to look at him to see what fruit he spoke of. She followed his line of sight to see what seemed to be an all white apple.
She then quickly made her way toward the tree and gestured, looking to Vanish for his approval. She had no idea what a Premier was, and didn’t want to bring the wrong item back to Vanish after what she’d just done to him.
“Yes, that one looks amazing.”
Drake yanked the fruit from the tree and returned to Vanish’s side, placing the apple down on the grass before she withdrew the broken spear she’d kept from the folds of her tunic, slicing into the fruit.
She fed him the entire apple, before dragging him toward the waterside, knowing it would be easier for her to feed him handfuls of water at the edge of the lake, rather than having to walk meager amounts back and forward.
They didn’t speak while she fed him and dripped water into his mouth slowly, Drake feeling awkward and embarrassed at what had happened, only gaining the courage after Vanish spoke up first.
“Thank you.”
“No problem it is the least I can do, without your help I wouldn’t even be alive kid.”
Vanish smiled, looking around again, his eyes twinkling at their new environment.
“Where are we by the way, the last thing I remember is the Cavern?”
“We are in some place called Vivarium, I guess it is some sort of growing dungeon, did you not get the notifications once we entered?”
“Oh wow, I didn’t think to check, I’ve never received notifications before the one I read once I woke up in the cavern about my bloodline, hold on let me check.”
Drake nodded, interested if his notifications held more information than she’d received. She was also interested in whatever power he’d used to freeze the Denizen, that was until she looked over her own notifications.
Notifications* - Updates - Condensed due to being in imminent danger.
Bloodline Unlocked - Bloodline of the Necromantic BaneBorn -
You have gained access to the magic of the rulers of the dead.
Skill Unlocked - Dread Beam: This skill uses a Cultivators own fear or the fear of their foes, condensing the emotion into a physical beam able to freeze the bones of their targets. Activate fear meter, Yes / No.
Skill Unlocked - Bone manipulation - This manipulation skill allows a Cultivator to control the movements of bones. Controlling the dead is far easier than the living, as an enemy’s will can overcome the Cultivator’s own and stop the manipulation being directed at their own bodies.
Skill Unlocked - Reanimate the Dead - This skill allows a Cultivator to use the bones of defeated foes to make minions of the damned. To raise a minion the necromancer must sacrifice an entire level, which equals, but is not limited to 0.1 attribute points in Offense, Defense & System. Levels can also be used to upgrade the levels of minions, and or give them new skills and abilities.*
Holy fuck…
Her mind went blank, and Drake didn’t even hear as Vanish started speaking to her.
“Hey are you okay?”
Drake finally looked at Vanish, her brow furrowing at the question.
“Yeah, but can I ask you something?”
Drake felt she knew the answer even before she opened her mouth to ask, but needed to confirm her suspicions.
“Of course, what is it?”
“Do you have a skill named Dread Beam, its okay if that is personal, you don’t have to answer, I’m not to sure the etiquette involve with how personal the information on someone’s status page is?”
Vanish’s brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing in confusion, but he answered regardless.
“Yes, I do, but how did you know, do you have some sort of skill that allows you to read another’s Overlay, I mean it wouldn’t surprise me from someone of the royal lineage, but you would still be the first I’d ever heard of with the capability,” said Vanish trailing off as he realized he was beginning to ramble.
“Royal lineage, do you mean to say I’m like some sort of princess or something?”
Drake frowned.
“Is everything okay princess Aurora, did the fall into the abyss effect your memory?”
Drake shook her head.
“I’m sorry to break this to you kid, but I’m not princess Aurora, my name is Drake, I was reborn in your world just before our escape, I’m just a normal 17 year old girl from a place called Earth.”
Vanish’s eyes went wide in shock.
“So you are not the princess, that must be why my scan of you reads that way,” stated Vanish; his gaze drifting away as he thought to himself.
Drake once more shook her head, wondering what he saw when he scanned her, but simply decided to answer his questio.
“No,” answered Drake, wanting to ask a question of her own, but Vanish beat her to it.
“And you say you are from Earth, like the slave planet our realm uses as a diamond mind, that Earth?”
It was Drake’s turn to appear shocked.
“Slave planet, what do you mean by that?”
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” responded Vanish, hearing the distain enter Drakes tone.
“The only Earth I know of is owned by the royal family of Imperial and is used to farm diamonds used to create mana tools,” explained Vanish.
Drake went silent, digesting what she’d been told.
That would explain much of why our economy’s were centered around the value of diamonds and other resources, thought Drake wondering if gold was also instrumental in the creation of mana based tools, Drake feeling forced to ask Vanish as the question began to bother her.
“What about gold?”
“What about it,” responded Vanish.
“Is it also used in the creation of mana tools?”
“Yes, of course, gold dust is needed for nearly every type of rune working.”
“I can’t believe it, my entire home is nothing more than a fucking mine…”
“You really aren’t the princess Aurora are you?”
“No, I’m sorry to disappoint you, were you two close?”
“No, I mean she was my first kiss, but that was more than likely because we stood before the gates of death in the moment before she told me her families secret.”
Family secret huh, I wonder what she told him… Maybe I should ask later though, he seems a little sad, thought Drake as she contemplated briefly on how to respond.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to choose where I was placed, or to what circumstance.”
“Don’t be sorry, you saved my life, I wouldn’t have it any other way, well maybe without my back being broken, but I think I may be able to work around that if I can figure out how to use my—“
Vanish stopped talking at the sound of footfalls that came from the path that lead them to the apex of the mountain.
“Oh by the maiden, not again,” said Vanish panic filling his voice as a dozen skeletons could be seen walking toward them.
Drake sighed, rising to her feet, and stepping over Vanish, feeling a sense of deja vu as she pulled the broken spear from the folds of her tunic.
“I guess this is just my life now,” mumbled Drake in annoyance, widening her stance, and preparing herself.
“Lets get this over with!”