A level up had come with the death of the Scorpion King but I couldn’t look at it now. I could only be grateful as the automatic attributes fell into place. There were more notifications, suggesting I had gained an achievement or something. Without the Spirit Well’s attention, it was hard to know but I couldn’t spare the moment. I had to focus. The threads were already disappearing.
No. I wasn’t finished with them, so I wouldn’t allow it. I had told myself not to mess with these powers without understanding them, but I didn’t feel like this was hypocrisy. Everything was aligned and the magic worked through me as much as for me. As the charcoal mana tried to fade away, I reached out my hand while using Dragonburn to give my mana power and Spirit Well to give my intent form. With all of the righteous avarice within me which I was still learning to accept, I took hold of the energy.
Mine, I growled. Much like the mana from the scorpion’s sting I had used to melt one of the Princes, I knew what I was doing as I hauled the energy from the ground. It was useless to me, but the small ocean of experience which came with it was not. You were a cruel taskmaster, big guy. The Scorpion King had not been a kind ruler. Whatever else this mana did, it made the creatures using it subsistent on the power. If the energy was left to dissipate on its own, the scorpions may have survived. I hadn’t been so gentle.
I wanted nothing to do with the smoky black mana in my grasp, but I wasn’t done with it yet. A rope of quickly fading mana still remained. Following the thread, a huge beacon ignited my senses. Far off and unmoving. Despite the tiredness which ran down to my bones, I wanted to head in that direction immediately. Better heads prevailed, and I moved to find Merownis.
“Got you now.” A thought occurred to me and I had to laugh. I activated Dragonburn and used it on the corrosive mana in my grasp. The remaining Spirit at my disposal went towards one intent. Pain. Sending my words through the connection along with a whiplash of force, I threatened the second Claimant. A warning to whatever awful scorpion thing was waiting out there that it had made an enemy of me and I was coming.
I finally had a chance to look at the System messages that piled up in the larger battle with the Princes and their lord as I moved to loot the Scorpion King. I almost stumbled into the sand as a wave of Spirit crashed into me the moment I opened the prompts. It had apparently been waiting for my attention. Not quite able to believe what I was reading, I dazedly placed two of my free points into Power and another wave of Spirit followed as a third achievement arrived.
Achievement Unlocked - Specialist (Command)
Specialisation is a tool. By focusing your talents, time and rewards down a single path, you have forgone others. Yet without those who chase power, all would fade. This example of refined growth before reaching Grade One has added weight to your soul.
Effect: +1 Command per level, +1 free attribute points per level
Achievement Unlocked - Specialist (Regeneration)
Effect: +1 Regeneration per level, +1 free attribute points per level
Achievement Unlocked - Specialist (Power)
Effect: +1 Power per level, +1 free attribute points per level
“...Fuck yeah,” I nodded. While the wording made it sound nearly impossible to get this achievement, I had it three times over. Three free attributes per level and an additional point in Command, Power and Regeneration just from allocating some points. I could even get another one, if I placed some of my free points around. If this were a video game, and not a horrific nightmare that happened to come with some interesting benefits, I would have shied away from hunting these achievements. Instead, I was doing some mathematics in my head. A glaring question was being asked and I couldn’t help thinking that the answer was yes.
Was it possible for me to get one of these for each attribute?
A single level up would see me gain fifteen free attribute points. With five more levels before I arrived at the bottleneck, that was seventy five. Ninety eight then, when adding the twenty three I currently had. My Strength and Recovery Attributes would reach fifty would any input from me at this point. A few more calculations had me grinning like a kid in a candy store. Even If I didn’t gain any more achievements, and it wasn’t safe to assume I would, I would still hit fifty points in each attribute. Beaming a wide smile, I went to find Merownis.
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The chaotic battle with the giant scorpions had only been raging for ten minutes, but Merownis was flagging. He wouldn’t stop though. He could feel Grant fighting. Their connection wasn’t deep or intricate, so no words could be shared. Just general ideas. So when Grant’s side became nothing but excitement and exhilaration after a few shaky seconds of pain and fear, Merownis was uplifted himself. The achievement he had earned helped his mood, too. Whatever tiredness he was feeling could be ignored until Grant came to help him.
The admission he needed the assist was almost a defeat in itself. He had wanted to destroy the scorpions here and then go to help Grant, of course, but the tide was never ending. Thankfully, the scorpions all seemed happy to mindlessly chase the speedy Sundercat over the sand while he picked them off one by one. Maybe if he had an hour and unlimited mana, he would have been able to clear them all. Or another hundred or so of Grant’s.
The strange mana his ally wielded was mighty indeed. An entire array of Magic Missiles could be created from a single unit of the powerful mana and those same missiles burst forth with shocking power and unerring accuracy. Overall, Merownis was impressed and more than a little jealous. The mana was clearly Aspected, and the energy felt ancient and regal. Now it was spent, he found himself wishing he had more.
There was a loud snapping sound, and all of the scorpions froze as one. The still blowing wind and the sound of their struggles was now the only proof that time had not stood still.
Merownis could only shake his head as the scorpions began simply falling to the ground, dead. He was going to remain as competitive as he had been, but whatever that human was made of was special stuff. Although he was an ally, some of Grant’s actions terrified Merownis because of their implications. Just how strong were Grant’s attributes if he could use their gifted mana to shatter the scorpion’s cores?
Due to his position as their enemy, Merownis received a large amount of the experience this small army gave when they died. Grant would take a lion’s share, to be sure, but there was more than enough to go around in this case. The lower level meant each individual was worth less, but when there were this many…
With a soft thud, the man himself landed in the sand next to Merownis. Something had changed within him in the tunnels, and that same change had blossomed into greatness over the battle. It was pouring off of Grant alongside his easy smile, as though Merownis hadn’t left him alone against four powerful enemies. Looking out over the bodies, he spoke. “Everything okay over here?”
The concern was like a dagger in Merownis’ jealous heart. He wanted power like that, but even as the thought tried to fester into a grudge, he cast it aside. It was a childish and useless desire. There would always be someone stronger. Such was the nature of the System. The Sundercat had been saved by the human, and he was already tied to the wagon. Their strength was bound.
“Yeah,” Merownis answered, though he found it hard to meet Grant’s eyes. The sun was setting on the other side of them, yet he was blazing brighter. “What are we going to do now? Thanks for the level by the way.” He didn’t mean for it to sound petty but to his ears it did. Grant either didn’t notice or didn’t mind.
“Oh, right!” Drawn by curiosity, the Sundercat looked over and could only gulp. A visible swirl of Spirit was shimmering in the air around Grant as his eyes moved quickly. The expression on his face said he was reading his System windows, and each one seemed to make him glow just a little brighter. Grant laughed, mirthful and yet disbelieving at the same time.
“What?” What is the secret to this strength? The full question didn’t come out, but Grant wouldn’t have been able to answer it. Merownis knew if he asked for the secret, the young man wouldn’t know it. An impossible combination of intelligence, luck and tenacity had been required to get him this far, and much more of each would be required to go further. Merownis believed he would, especially as the confident smile turned on him. Grant’s eyes were gleaming, capturing even the sun in their glow.
“We’re going to get some rest, then go kill the second Claimant.” With a nod, Grant stepped forward and began tapping the falling scorpions. No sense in wasting the loot, even if he was a little stunned with the announcement, Merownis began to help.
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Alonyx was chagrined to be awoken from his sleep. Time awake was time away from draining Naeboroseax’s Spirit from the bindings on the dungeon, after all. Still, it was interesting that something could rouse him from slumber, so he shifted his massive head to watch as the potent little soul flitted about.
It was doing something in the desert, which was likely what stirred Alonyx in the first place. He was tempted to smell the air, but the expense of energy would be pointless. His awakening was not all useless, however. A small hint of System Spirit appeared and disappeared quickly. The source was this strange soul, and a slighter one next to it. After a few minutes, they began moving away, over to the forest area. Alonyx mentally shrugged, once again unwilling to spend actual stamina to perform the gesture.
It was likely the human. Objectively the two were enemies, and knowing where the human was meant he could destroy them. Alonyx was a Claimant, and as such would benefit greatly from such an act. However, it would be rushed to do it now. The world outside the dungeon was brand new and gaining strength here was of paramount importance. Anyway, it was the human’s path to arrive at Alonyx’s feet, so he needn’t make any moves himself.
Serendipitously, a level ticked over as the vestiges of Spirit from the dungeon’s barrier trickled into his soul and the grey dragon squirmed with the comfort it gave. He had been so diminished when the System spat him out that he had even felt fear for a short while. Now he was closing in on the barrier of Grade One, he could finally take a full breath. His lungs hadn’t been strong enough to lift his weight before. Now he was, at long last, able to rest.
The woven Spirit of the dungeon, the System’s attempt to contain Naeboroseax’s immense soul, shivered as the Storm Dragon once more began to take from its power. Stretching out atop the tower he had casually raised, Alonyx curled up and slept, forgetting about the human completely. The System would regret using its image like this, trapping Alonyx like a bird in a cage. A cage made from dragon bones. It was only a matter of figuring out how.