So far, both pieces of equipment were incredibly powerful, and their abilities were game changing. In addition, the stat bonuses were substantially larger than his previous sets. Then again, they hardly made a difference at his level of power. Finally, the ring was all that was left.
Ring of the Wastelands
Tier 2 Magical Item
The Ring of the Wastelands is the last remaining relic of the old Ash Heaps, created to commemorate the endless ash and desolation that existed under the rule of Granath. Now, there is a chance for a new order to rise from the ashes of the old, one that might make a Heaven of Hell.
Special Ability: Ashstorm
Summon choking clouds of midnight ash, moving at speeds sufficient to cut low Tier 2s in half with ease.
With all of his new equipment on, Jonathan finally had time to analyze the current state of his body. He was in rough shape, fractures lining his bones. It was better than how he had been before falling unconscious, but the injuries that he had taken would require significant time to heal. He left the portal behind, ignoring the strange tugging that he felt from it. He suspected that his body wanted to Tier up, but he managed to suppress it. It was time to cement his rule upon the Ash Heaps.
Over the next week, the Ashen Citadel was completely freed from the last tendrils of Granath’s influence. Many of the soldiers simply gave up upon realizing that their leader had died, and Jonathan’s allies had killed all of the fighters that could have replaced him. Armies of the Dread Legion came in from the ash every few hours, but they were single handedly dealt with by Edgar’s elemental magic. He was able to erase thousands of Tier 1s from existence with ease.
The vast majority of the citizens rejoiced in their freedom, finally allowed to live freely. Jonathan abolished all of the laws that Granath had placed into effect, ranging from annual soul tithes from the poorer parts of the city to compulsory oaths of binding for the citizens. More importantly, he found a glowing crystal at the back of Granath’s treasury, which was a conduit to some other place that Jonathan could not fully understand. Granath had blocked it, preventing the souls that had been broken by their descent from passing on to the true afterlife. Jonathan had used his Void abilities to remove the blockages, and a tide of souls had begun to flow into it, transporting them to a better place. At least, Jonathan hoped it was a better place.
At the end of the week, Jonathan was itching to leave this realm, his body and soul nagging at him to ascend. He wanted to reach Tier 3 with every fiber of his being, and it was getting harder and harder to stop himself. Before he could do so however, he had a few loose ends to tie up in Tartarus, as well as his quest to eradicate the last remnants of the Dread Legion. Only his supreme willpower allowed him to remain for long enough to do so.
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On the dawn of the seventh day of the Ash Heaps’ freedom, he strode out into a courtyard of the palace, and greeted Edgar. It was time to get the wind mage to a level that would allow him to ascend as well.
Clutching the transport token in one gauntleted hand, he held it out to Edgar, allowing the man to be transported to Tartarus. As Edgar touched it, there was a sudden flare of red light, and a message appeared.
Your current strength is too high to support bringing another to the current Tier of Tartarus at this time. You must ascend to the next plane to ease this restriction.
Jonathan sighed, and Edgar sensed his disappointment.
“What is it?”
“The token says I am too strong to bring you with me to Tartarus. I wanted to get you to the peak of this Tier before I ascended, but it seems that will not be the case. I cannot remain here for much longer though. I have something to pass onto you.”
Not sure if this would work, Jonathan extended his will to his status sheet, and tried to transfer his quest for the destruction of the Dread Legion to Edgar. To his surprise, a notification appeared.
Do you wish to give up on this quest?
Y/N
Seeing as there were vastly larger amounts of money in the treasury than in the quest reward, Jonathan was happy to do so. As for the skill upgrade, it was too vague to put much stock in. He hardly needed it. A moment later, Edgar received the quest.
“When you are ready, come through the portal and ascend to Mire. I will be waiting for you there.”
Edgar nodded, reading through the interface. Jonathan used the token by himself, appearing outside of the spawning grounds of Tartarus. He was eager to test out his new gear, and what better way to do so than on the Uthraki who had tried to kill him?
The Uthraki capital loomed ahead, visible for dozens of miles in every direction. The various watchtowers that dotted the volcanic plains were everywhere, and as soon as Jonathan appeared, he was beset by a storm of projectiles. The Uthraki remembered him from last time, and they were not eager to let him wreak havoc on their world again.
Jonathan laughed as the stone spears and other elemental attacks glanced off his armor. He barely felt the impacts. Clad in such an imposing suit, he must have appeared like a nightmare to the Uthraki guards. He let his aura billow outwards for hundreds of feet in every direction, striking fear into the hearts of his foes. Although the visible part of the aura only reached out for about three hundred feet, its mental effect ranged for far longer.
He strode forwards, ignoring the paltry attacks of the Uthraki. He only had one target in mind. The purple flames of the Void swirled around him as he walked, coating his body in his elemental power. He summoned elemental energy to his right hand as he walked, creating a miniature black hole there. He flicked it towards the nearest tower, watching as his runically empowered skill slammed into the rock. Rock and Uthraki alike were sucked into the skill, compressed into a pinprick in an instant. Then the attack imploded, blasting apart the tower.
Chunks of rubble fell like rain upon the surrounding landscape, and Jonathan walked through them, smiling faintly. The Uthraki all around him stopped attacking, fearful that they might be next. Monsters raced across the land, but all of them kept a wide berth from Jonathan, sensing that he was far beyond them. In this realm, he was the apex predator now. The monsters instead headed towards the much more appealing Uthraki watchers, piling up around the towers in a desperate attempt to climb them. Jonathan ignored them, instead picking up the pace towards the city.