The gryphon has come to symbolize the raw military might of the Empire. While many nations can field a few units of these majestic beasts, only the Empire can deploy entire wings—veritable legions of these winged creatures. The advantages are undeniable: soaring high above the battlefield, out of range of archers, they can scout, harass, and make a mockery of even the highest walls.
Yet, why do other nations not utilize them in greater numbers, or at all in the case of smaller states? The answer lies in their nature. Gryphons are intractable, violent monsters, challenging to care for and control. The Empire's ability to field them in such numbers is a testament to their logisticae’s prowess and ruthless efficiency.
Herein lies the callous heart of the Empire’s war machine, unburdened by the moral qualms that restrain others. No other nation is as exploitative in its relentless pursuit of efficiency. The Empire’s riders are almost exclusively children—chosen for their lightness, which grants their steeds greater endurance and speed. This is the cold calculus of the Empire: to harness the innocent for war.
Fortunately, the Empire is currently entangled in another internecine power struggle, compounded by increasing raids from the North. But should their gaze shift toward us, their close neighbors, then Aranthia would be in peril indeed.
- From the journals of Duke Ademar de Aserac.
All was darkness.
“You fool! What are you doing!? He still needs more time!” came a cry filled to the brim with frustration. A male voice.
My body was heavy, as if made of solid stone. Trapped within my own flesh prison, I struggled to open my eyes but it felt like trying to move mountains.
System messages pushed against my consciousness, incessant and demanding. Disorientated, I could only wildly glance at them, letting them flow over me in a rapid stream.
A cacophony of crashing and struggling echoed around me, accompanied by the acrid stench of burnt ozone. And then, a new voice cut through the chaos just as the last of the messages ended.
The notifications continued to flow, stacking upon each other in endless repetition. You have gained… You have gained… repeated again and again a maddening sequence. Was I in some sort of game? Was I still dreaming?
“No, don’t you dare! Lies, all of it. I know too the truth of the Deep Dreams… and your true intent!” answered another voice in rebuke. It was a female voice defiant and familiar, sounding like an old friend from another life. “We… No, I need him now!”
Now there was arcane chanting… two voices vying with each other for supremacy.
Then, there was a wet sensation across my lips, and warmth spread into my parched mouth. It tasted of sweetness and life. Reflexively, I began to drink from this most welcome ambrosia. Though some of it spilled across my face, seeping into the pores of my skin, I could still feel it working upon me.
The slow warmth was eroding away the chains of my paralysis.
“Fool of a girl! Just because you know of a few scraps of knowledge, you think you can… You have perhaps doomed man for millennia of subjugation under false… and terrible gods!” the man’s voice declared.
“No! You are the fool for you would have him trapped in a dream for a hundred or more years? For what!? To learn how to swing a sword or poke someone with a spear? You would have Gil wake up to a world where everyone he knows has… He didn’t know anything about that!” the female voice shouted back.
Gil… it was a name. Not quite my name, not even a full name, but a name nonetheless that was a part of me.
“He never asked, you say!? To learn from one of the greatest and most powerful beings that has ever walked upon Gesthe, second only to the Dragonslayer and Hero? An opportunity and gift that thousands would beg for on their knees! Hah! I was once like you… doubting those who did not possess the Giftspark…” the male voice continued in a tone changing from anger to exasperation.
There, at the tips of my fingers, I imagined that sensation and control were slowly returning to me. With a monumental effort of will, I found that I could even move my tongue…
"Stupid half-blood fool! That was the best way to give him a chance! Do you have any idea of the expense and resources it took to create an artificial dungeon? One has trespassed into the realm of the so-called Divines! Do you have any idea of the raw difficulty of hiding such a place in the Deep Dream? The genius and effort of several lifetimes wasted by your hasty act… all lost," the male voice sounded, clearer and closer now.
Despite my current predicament, the voice was so laced with defeat that I found myself feeling a pang of sympathy for its owner.
My eyes opened like old creaky shutters, revealing a blurry view that was not much better than the darkness. As they slowly adjusted, a shape hovered into view. Gradually, it came into focus, revealing a young blonde girl.
“He’s awake!” she exclaimed, her eyes widening into twin jade moons of excitement and joy.
The girl had the strangest shape of ears… A memory, engraved onto a dark part of my heart clamored to be heard, fought for control, and won. Adrenaline, the river that carried my rage, burst its bank and flooded across my body.
I tried to get up, but something held me down tight. It would be of little matter. I strained against my bonds until they snapped and I exploded up from wherever it was I was lying down upon. My hand quested for her long neck, a need to crush the life out of her the strongest of desires.
To answer for an event in my distant, or perhaps not so distant, past.
Her eyes widened even further, horror and fear staining that which was once hopeful and bright. Taken completely off-guard, all she could do was weakly struggle as I lifted her above the ground. Her limbs flailed in protest, striking me repeatedly, but it would just be a little more until I got more of the system messages…
“Much as one has found the girl to be a nuisance over the years, one would appreciate it if you would put her down,” came the voice… No, a man said…
An acquaintance’s name I was forced to dredge up from memory, for the magic would never let me forget.
I focused completely on the man.
“Vincenzio,” I rasped, my voice sounding unfamiliar to me.
With this name came the sense of here and now, jolting me back to the present reality. Dawning wakefulness came to me as the last scales of sleep and dreams fell from my eyes.
Against my better judgment, I released the girl and she fell coughing and spluttering in a pathetic bundle. For no real reason, I had to fight the urge to kick her while she was down.
“You must be of course, confused and perhaps disoriented. This is, however, the first time I have seen someone waking up in such a violent manner. Perhaps it was due to the forced waking process… But, I digress. I would suggest that you sit for a few moments to gather yourself,” the pale Necromancer rambled on.
Sinking into the dream… training for what seemed years and years, these memories rushed back to me, stacking up on one another. Had I come home… no… I was still stuck in this world. There was only one way to check.
Giving Vincenzio an annoyed frown, I took a breath and mentally summoned up my Status.
[STATUS] Calling: Gilgamesh lvl.22 Paladin/Reaver
Strength: 39
Dexterity: 38
Constitution: 51
Intelligence: 29
Wisdom: 32
Charisma: 18
Luck: 28
Entropic Mimic [Creature of Entropy - lvl.26]
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Health: 630/630
Stamina: 73/73
Mana: 1/1
Adaptive Defense (lvl.5)
Shield Form (lvl.4)
Absorb (lvl.3)
Perception (lvl.2)
SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES
Improved Pain Nullification (lvl.1)
Improved Power Strike (lvl.5) 10
Improved Endure (lvl.5)
Stealth (lvl.3)
Advanced Rest (lvl.1)
Backstab (lvl.2)
Improved Dodge (lvl.3)
Advanced Polearms (lvl.2)
Improved Dual Wield (lvl.2)
Improved Critical Hit Mastery (lvl.3)
Advanced Unarmed Combat (lvl.4)
Improved Hammers (lvl.5)
Improved Flails (lvl.3)
Improved Maces (lvl.2)
Advanced Shields (lvl.1)
Improved Medium Armour (lvl.2)
Improved Heavy Armour (lvl.5)
Improved Axes (lvl.3)
Improved Daggers (lvl.5)
Throwing Weapons (lvl.5)
Double Throw (lvl.4) 5
Improved Shield Bash (lvl.3) 10
Riding (lvl.4)
Improved Dash (lvl.4) 10
Advanced Swords (lvl.3)
Crossbows (lvl.5)
Blind-Fighting (lvl.3)
Improved Rush Strike (lvl.4) 20
Tracking (lvl.1)
Trap Detection (lvl.2)
Improved Frenzied Strikes (lvl.3) 30
Monster Taming (lvl.2)
SPELLS & MAGIC
Heal (lvl.5) 5
Rust (lvl.5) 2
Identify (lvl.5) 1
Silent Casting (lvl.3)
Improved Mana Regeneration (lvl.1)
Purify (lvl.3) 3
Greater Heal (lvl.4) 10
Holy Aura (lvl.3) 2
Decay (lvl.3) 1
Greater Drain (lvl.3) 2
Improved Entropic Aura (lvl.1) 2
Inferno Bolts (lvl.3) 2
Sage’s Sight (lvl.2) 2
Freezing Aura (lvl.2) 2
GIFTS
Curse of Entropy: -20% to all starting attributes.
Mark of the Paladin: 10% resistance to Dark/Holy magic. 5% resistance to Physical.
Embrace of the Void: 15% reduced resistance to Holy/Fire magic, 35% resistance to Mental Effects, 25% immunity to Mental Effects.
Mark of the Adaptive Helix: 10% resistance to Physical, Lesser Regeneration.
Mark of the Mantis: 15% greater affinity with all weapons.
Experience to next level 5312/5520
Health: 775/775
Stamina: 88/89
Mana: 22/22
I could not help but give a wicked smile as my I roamed over the information. The list was long, but took my time drinking deeply of their meaning. General improvements across the board to my attributes with my Health almost doubled. Though somewhat random, my skills and attributes had truly grown by leaps and bounds.
Indeed, some of the skills I had no idea how I had improved them in the dream. Take for instance crossbow, I had no recollection of ever using one with Fen. Had just wishing for a crossbow before my final trial Fen been the reason it had improved? And what of Monster Taming?
To add to this, despite the focus being on physical combat, my magical skills had also gone up by a considerable margin. Brilliant use of arcane spells had garnered me two whole new spells, Freezing Aura and Sage’s Sight. I knew what Freezing Aura was, but despite everything, I could not wait to try out Sage’s Sight. I laughed inwardly at my own childish reaction.
On closer inspection, I noticed something else. Something rather significant that I had thought up until this point impossible. My gifts had improved namely that my Touch of the Void had changed into Embrace of the Void giving me improved defenses against mental attacks at the cost of giving me a greater weakness to fire.
Useless, but who knows? It might come in handy against... psychic monsters, maybe? Not that it mattered, since I hadn't encountered any so far. However, on a closer read-through, I noticed that my Minor Regeneration from Iasis' Mark of the Adaptive Helix had developed into Lesser Regeneration. As an added bonus, I had received the Mark of the Mantis, granting me a greater affinity with all weapons—whatever that meant. Overall, something actually good for a change.
Though I was only a bit over two hundred point away from level twenty-three, it would take an inordinate amount to reach twenty-four. But, that being said, this was one of those ‘good’ problems in life to have.
My smile grew wider until I realized something—I had no free attribute or skill points to allocate. Damn, this unfair game! During my training, the system must have automatically assigned my attributes and skill points as I leveled up. What a horrible waste! This also explained the random nature of the improvements to my skills and magic.
"...Well, good afternoon to you, too. And your thanks was very welcome," half-spat the young blonde girl, her eyes burning with accusation and confusion.
"And who are you supposed to be?" I asked, focusing intently on her.
"Don't you..." she started to answer, but I interrupted her with a raised hand, silencing her.
From the stigma of her sharp ears, she seemed to be a hateful elf, if my eyes were not mistaken. But the specimen in front of me lacked their Fae features and appeared more natural. To put it crudely, it was as if a human were mimicking one of the First Children, or however the elves liked to call themselves.
I spun out a spell and it took up my hand like a new partner at a dance. It wrapped around the girl, inquisitive tendrils probing this way and that. Sage’s Sight.
Larynda - Chaos Water Mage [Human/Elf lvl.18]
Health: 153/175
Stamina: 22/31
Mana: 12/25
Chaotic Water Lance (lvl.1) 8
Chaotic Water Shield (lvl.2) 5
My eyes lit up in disbelief. There was only one person I knew to have such a rare combination of classes. It was simply an impossibility.
“Larynda…” I said, more in question than a statement. “It can not be…”