A world of chrome can still have depth and style, it seemed. By burnishing some areas, removing the shine in others, coupled with a lot of filigree or interesting textures, the metal world around me was starting to look beautiful. It didn’t compare to a fresh natural field with rolling hills in my opinion, but I didn’t hate it so much. Just like it would be a tragedy to lose those vistas I loved so much, it would also be a shame to lose this strange new place, too.
“An invasion?” I didn’t want to let my mind wander before I had more information. I still had doubts about whether Steel itself was reliable, but until proven otherwise I would try to trust my new familiar. The bond between us was staying slammed shut, however. I took the time to send confidence and faith through my other connection. Naea returned the gesture with impatience and I smiled.
“Excitement?” Steel asked. It waited and I wondered how to answer. It seemed to genuinely want to understand the emotion on show. A part of me wanted to be petulant, but if I ever wanted to actually trust this creature, I could start with honesty from my end.
“Private conversation,” I answered curtly. The metallic creature nodded as though this was a completely obvious answer. A silence came into existence between us, the only sound the noise of the wind chimes and pipes all around us. The discomfort was likely only mine, and I bet if I said nothing, we’d sit here for hours. I rolled my eyes and prompted Steel to continue. “You were talking about the invasion?”
“Ah. Yes, as the barrier weakens.” Even over the course of our conversation, Steel’s voice was becoming more natural. With each sentence, the eldritch orchestra of its speech adjusted. From sounding like a scary movie soundtrack given voice to simply the villain from a horror movie instead. It was progress, at least.
“I haven’t heard anything about a barrier, or what it would be doing. Is it just a time situation?”
“No, absolutely not. It’s a you thing. Most planets get centuries in the dark without becoming interesting, but not this one. I’m still fresh to the world, but I am from the source of all things, so while I know some things about the System, I don’t know this planet’s intimate history. Do you know what a Nomad is?”
I doubted he was talking about the practice of moving around to live which cultures often took part in. Unbidden, the memory of bright purple eyes from the very beginning of all this printed itself on the inside of my eyelids. My lip twitched. “Yes,” I nodded, my eyes widening. Not only had Naeboroseax started me on this path, jump started my power, I had a more recent meeting that still sent shivers down my spine.
The staggeringly powerful elf-like creature. Unlike the mysterious dragon which had been pretending to be an old woman, that thing was still out there somewhere. I shuddered, remembering the power it held within. Just its presence had made the world felt like a previously unknown season had taken hold. It had been like a force of nature in the realest sense. If more of those are coming…
“Perfect.” Steel clapped its hands together and I jumped. It was like two ingots clashing. “As the barrier weakens, it becomes easier and easier for forces to find this world. It is still not easy, but once something is possible, it will be done. What this means is the factions upon Yggdrasil will send their weaker forces here in attempts to pillage and colonise the land.”
“Amazing. So, a worse version of the Vikings are showing up. They even call the Tree Yggdrasil.” I put my hand on my face. Were the myths from Earth just people gaining glimpses into the System? That wasn’t the question I was interested in right now. I could find that out in volume six of Introduction to The System. “Why their weakest specifically?”
“The simplest reason is down to the costs. Sending someone stronger into a new universe is massively more expensive. Though even the least of the warriors in these factions is likely to be as strong as yourself.” My stomach nearly dropped from my body at these words but I regained composure quickly. I would just become stronger than any threat I might face, as I had already decided. Simple.
“The expense of a dimensional vessel will be the biggest barrier for most factions. While the System itself will assist some invasion forces, none of the lowest tier factions would be able to field an assault force.” I begrudgingly admitted to myself that I appreciated the succinct and informative way Steel gave information. It was easier than needling Naea for the secrets of the universe while she cheekily kept them from me as a game. “For the factions who do come, claiming a place on the frontier of a new universe is valuable enough to take this risk. Treasures and possibilities exist here which have never come before, another reason the Great Tree seeds these once mundane lands.”
“What about the individuals? Why are people so happy to jump to a new world?” I remembered the wording in the books - a playground of wonders. I hoped there was more to it than wanton violence, but the System seemed to enjoy random brutality. “Do they just want to come and kill the population for levels or is there something more?”
A creepy smile appeared on Steel’s face once more. “There are some who will come from the bloodshed, yes. It is not the main draw, however. That, of course, is the Aspects which appear in a new world like rain.”
“Aspects are that valuable?” That didn’t surprise me, but I wondered if they were worth even more than I had assumed.
“Human. They are literally crystalized pieces of ultimate knowledge and understanding, allowing one to start on the path of cultivation.” It seemed like I had actually annoyed Steel by not knowing this, so I just shrugged as though it didn’t matter to rub it in further. “Your planet is seeded with them, and for the foreseeable future, Aspects will form here at a much greater rate than they do upon the rest of the Tree.”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I think I understand.” If I hadn’t had the Aspect of the Dragon within the dungeon, I would have died from the acid of the first boss monster I faced. With just two Aspects, which had become full-blown Dao, I was approaching truly fantastical levels of strength. “I could probably fight Spider-man and win, so I get why people want Aspects…”
I hoped to get a rise, and I considered Steel creating an eyebrow just to raise it a win. “Picture a world with trillions of lives on it, all of them hoping to take that true first step. Aspects are that first step, and thus one of the more valuable things in the universe. And you need to get two more before you can even consider yourself a true member of the greater universe.”
I always assumed there would be more dangers from the System coming eventually. This was a lot, but it was good information and mostly seemed natural. “You said this was a me thing. Did that mean me specifically, or the planet?”
Steel paused and a tooting hum came from them. “Difficult to say. Do you expect there to be stronger humans than yourself on the planet as it stands?” Being honest, I shook my head. It would be pretty unlikely for people to have had the same opportunities as me.
“Indeed. You enjoy multipliers on your attribute strength from the achievements of a forerunner. This is another benefit of a new integration. However, for each level you gain, the imbalance of your strength presses against the barrier.”
“If I understand correctly, Steel, because I’m overpowered, my levels were worth more in the eyes of the System?” Steel nodded. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to that. “So what am I supposed to do..?”
“Get stronger.” There was surprising amount of fire in Steel’s voice. Like I had come to appreciate the strange habitat Steel enjoyed, I didn’t hate its fervour. “Nothing else can be done. The barrier will fall eventually anyway, so don’t hamstring yourself. Sprint to power. Find Aspects to finish your set and get a class evolution.”
“Class evolution…?” I was feeling awkward that I had come into the conversation apparently lacking a lot of basic information. Well, Steel could be intentionally keeping me on the backfoot by bringing up things it knew I wouldn’t have understood, but its stunned silence for a second was too genuine.
I could swear the metal creature sighed before I started speaking this time. “When two Aspects become Dao, a conflux skill can be created. Another Dao and you might get another pair of conflux skills or another way for them to merge powers. However, four Aspects creates a Class. The stronger the Dao when it happens, the better the class. All skills will become synergistic to a point, and more powerful.”
I followed that explanation, at least. “So it’s just another layer of power that most will get? A strong one, clearly.”
Clearly picking up on my gestures, Steel actually scoffed at me. “Did you not hear how valuable they are? A classed warrior is as close to a demi-god as a mortal is likely to get. You are Grade One, and could likely battle a fresh Grade Two like myself. You could not face a Grade One with a class, under any circumstance.”
I frowned, but didn’t argue. I was proud of my strength, but there was much I didn’t know. A lack of information can kill as quickly as poison, after all. “Why have I not met one yet? There’s enough Aspects going around. I could easily have created a class by accident.” I had handled at least twenty different Aspects since leaving the dungeon, for one.
“But could you? How do you feel about the idea of using, say, this Aspect?” Steel raised a hand, palm facing upwards. Within it, a bubble of magic started to form. Within the bubble, mana boiled like a furnace was contained within. Steel Sovereign held out what was a genuine Aspect Of Steel, which shouldn’t have been a surprise but it was.
Aspect - Steel (Rare)
Aspects are formed when ambient mana in an area becomes charged with a specific type of energy. If you have unbound attributes, you may permanently bind an Aspect to an unbound attribute.
Would you like to use the Aspect of Steel to bind an unbound attribute?
Potentially powerful, but revulsion filled me, not just because Steel was looking at me like a science experiment. “No, I don’t want it.”
The smile on Steel’s face became as wide as I had seen it, and it nodded with ferocious speed, as though this was the only correct answer. “As you add Aspects, and more so as they become your Dao, you will naturally become more picky about what you add to your soul.”
Well, when you put it that way… “Food for thought. So, keep getting stronger? That was the plan anyway.”
“But now you know why, and that’s powerful.”
“I suppose. What now?”
“We ignore each other. The area around the Metallurgic Metamorph will cease expanding at around five kilometres.” Returning the Aspect to their own inventory, Steel gestured behind them as they spoke. At the mention of the Grade Two resource, the heavy Dao in the air increased. “I would ask that it not be disturbed until the process is completed for the first time.”
“First time?” I stood, not asking, and walked towards the ‘abode’. The pill-shaped building was around forty square feet in size, and it was from its belly the dense, sharp and potent Dao of Metal pulsed. Steel made no attempt to stop me, though I expected it could. Instead, the side of the building opened like a door had always been there. The inside was and empty space with stairs into a basement area. I didn’t hesitate, even as I walked into the literal belly of the beast.
I could swear I sensed amusement from Steel’s side of our connection.
The staircase wound downwards in a spiral for some distance. I imagined this was what walking on the inside of a drill or screw would feel like. After an uncomfortably long descent, the stairs stopped and a small room waited. Within, the natural treasure floated and remade the world around it into its image.
Natural Treasure - Metallurgic Metamorph - Grade Two
“This specific natural treasure can be used to turn the world around it into the perfect metals you see around you. I am governing its growth, and it mine, until the first cycle is complete.” Steel spoke with a reverence which felt surprisingly genuine. The Metallurgic Metamorph itself was a fairly nondescript orb of what appeared to be polished steel. The real show were the mana and Dao which were being released at a steady rate. Glyphs formed directly into the mana in a way I had never seen, nor understood.
I shrugged. I didn’t have any idea what I might do with this orb in the future, but I supposed it was fine where it was. There was a temptation to study these glyphs, but I didn’t want to spend any more time here than I already had. I didn’t have much more to say. “Okay, you won’t be disturbed, so long as you aren’t disturbing. That means staying in your metal garden and leaving the humans alone. Understood?”
“Yes, master,” Steel agreed with intentional malice in their voice. I fixed it with a hard glare but if it cared, I couldn’t tell.
I wanted to leave. Yet, before I did, I took another deep breath to calm myself. In such close proximity to the orb, it was like choking on a razor blade, but I smiled anyway. “...Thank you.” If I had surprised Steel at any point so far, this was the most clear. It’s mouth actually opened in a wide ‘O’ as it looked at me. “Thank you for not attacking immediately, and thank you for being… civil. Let’s keep it that way, and maybe we’ll stay alive to become more than forced allies.”
I didn’t wait for an answer, leaving quickly. I wanted to clear my head, and I found Naea as quickly as I could. After a quick hug where I explained everything Steel had told me, I started walking. “Where are we going?” Naea asked, confused.
I flashed her a smile. I wanted to clear my mind, and the idea I had made the dragon within my soul very excited. “There’s still one resource we haven’t seen, and I bet this one will be fun. Let’s go find that big bird’s volcano.”