1
It was a cycle. A direct system through which growth could be manifested, power could be obtained.
He would start with cultivation, first, due to its peculiarity. Such a beneficial thing, one which granted him enhanced strength, speed, endurance. And wisdom. That was the focal point of it all, the thing that gave him a chance, small as it was.
He had sought a way to enhance it somehow through the Book, only to be met with yet another restriction. Location, this time. Stupid. The more that he attempted to use his newly gained powers the more frustrated he became with the System. For all its benefits it seemed to fight him every step of the way. He would have to fix that, assuming he lived.
The first hours of the first day were spent cultivating, pulling in the energy of the world and reinforcing the shell of his core with the fluid energy of the soul.
There was nothing quite like cultivation as a physical sensation, Alden found. The gentle breathing, the absolute focus on the hard, rock-like energy of the world, and the strain it brought about on his body despite remaining entirely still.
Through Cultivation Wisdom has grown.
Reward: 13 bonus points to Wisdom.
Through Cultivation all physical Stats have grown.
Reward: 15 bonus points to all physical Stats.
Skill Up
The Soul Arts Cultivation Skill has advanced to Rank D.
Reward: 50xp.
Skill Up
The Body Arts Cultivation Skill has advanced to Rank D.
Reward: 50xp.
Good progress. Great, even, though not nearly enough. And, with it, a danger to match the speed of his growth. Tribulation.
A hurricane of power began to rampage from within, expanding endlessly against the core of his self, threatening to crack it open and unleash itself upon the world. Pouring soul energy over his core, Alden reinforced it at every turn, hoping it would hold, praying. Yet the power within him grew more forceful than he could handle and, slowly, cracks began to form.
And with them a solution.
The inner portion of his self, the spherical core that contained the energy of the world and the energy of the soul, sat like a glass orb, smooth to the touch (he imagined) and filled with a multitude of twisting, whirling colors. With soul energy he would reinforce the outer shell, thicken it, and, simultaneously, pull in the energy of the world and bid it to do the same.
There was some trick to it, he felt, something Amice hadn’t known, hadn’t tried. A dangerous trick, if he were wrong. But with the cracks forming across his core, and no Amice to help…
With tender care, Alden focused his soul energy, slowly forming a small, bulbous nodule on the sphere's side. Like a cancerous growth it swelled in size, its shell reinforced over and over again as Alden painstakingly eroded the inner shell beneath it. The new space would grant the energy within him new space to dwell in, and thus act as a way to relieve the pressure on his core.
All at once the rampaging energy flooded the new nodule, squeezing itself against its walls as more and more energy poured from deeper within his core.
It did not break.
Congratulations!
You have achieved the Second Step of the Divine Steps Realm.
Reward: 15 bonus points to all physical Stats.
He almost didn’t believe it, at first. He had half expected the energy to erupt forth from the new bulbous formation, its newly formed surface too weak to hold. That it did not brought a wave of relief.
Breathing deep, Alden focused himself and set about doing it all over again.
Through Cultivation Wisdom has grown.
Reward: 30 bonus points to Wisdom.
Through Cultivation all physical Stats have grown.
Reward: 20 bonus points to all physical Stats.
Skill Up
The Soul Arts Cultivation Skill has advanced to Rank C.
Reward: 50xp.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Skill Up
The Soul Arts Cultivation Skill has advanced to Rank B.
Reward: 50xp.
Skill Up
The Body Arts Cultivation Skill has advanced to Rank C.
Reward: 50xp.
Congratulations!
You have achieved the Third Step of the Divine Steps Realm.
Reward: 25 bonus points to all physical Stats.
Exhausted and shaking, Alden let out his breath and lay back against the stone floor. Shirtless, the stone was pleasantly cold against the skin of his back, sapping away the excess heat. His muscles trembled and ached as he rested, sweat pouring from every pore, his body glistening slightly in the light. His body was visibly changed; his muscles were more prominent beneath his skin, his veins bulging from his forearms.
When his breathing slowed Alden sat up and brought forth a series of screens. There was no more time to rest.
Through research and study Intelligence has grown.
Reward: 10 bonus points to Intelligence.
Skill Up
Through research and study the Magic Control Skill has advanced to Rank A.
Reward: 500xp, 10 bonus points to Intelligence.
He smirked at the screen, wishing he had the time to celebrate the achievement. But his time was limited. He had days, maybe less. When they would come for him he didn’t know.
With uncertainty looming over his head like a dark cloud, Alden set about making use of his studies, limited as they were. He had devoted himself to magic and biology, hoping to utilize them in tandem, use one to enhance the other. There was a specific image in mind, a grand ability no enemy of his could ever be prepared for. It was merely possibility, he thought, though one that would grant him an immense edge in battle. He needed only to practice.
And so he began the first tests. Body enhancements. Simple, yet effective. The perfect gauge for his current level, as well as the perfect method to increase his skill.
Through muscular development Strength has grown.
Reward: 15 bonus points to Strength.
Through muscular development Agility has grown.
Reward: 15 bonus points to Agility.
Through muscular development & changes to blood flow Endurance has grown.
Reward: 32 bonus points to Endurance.
Through changes in musculature Dexterity has grown.
Reward: 15 bonus points to Dexterity.
Skill Up
The Body Reconfigurement Skill has advanced to Rank B.
Reward: 50xp.
Skill Up
The Body Reconfigurement Skill has advanced to Rank A.
Reward: 500xp, 10 bonus points to all physical Stats.
Skill Up
The Internal Mana Control Skill has advanced to Rank B.
Reward: 50xp.
Tears welled up in his eyes as the screens fell away, his body aflame with searing, tearing pain that receded slowly. The tears were as much from the pain as they were from joy. Progress. Such profound progress! And in so little time! An hour had passed, at the most, his mana resting comfortably at the halfway point. It would be possible, he thought. The image held firmly in his mind’s eye was as clear as the room before him. He needed only to practice.
2
Men and women stared as the two hobbled their way through the streets, muttering and gasping and screaming as they passed. Violently, Gosfrid threw open the inn doors, throwing his head back and forth like a bewildered animal, searching.
“Uhtric!” he called. “Uhtric, come down here!”
A moment later Uhtric came hopping down the stairs, sword in hand and three men in tow. By then Caldwell’s eyes had begun to adjust to the dim inn interior, still blurry from blood loss, though good enough to make out some of the faces. The bottom floor of the inn doubled as a tavern, and its seats were filled with patrons familiar and unfamiliar both, all of them soldiers. Alden’s men, he could tell, even the ones he didn’t recognize. Not a normal citizen among them.
“What the hell happened?” Uhtric asked. He motioned his men forward to help. Among them were Aerin and Elric, the mage twins, who shuffled forward and took hold of Caldwell with firm grips and brought him deeper into the inn as the others barred the door.
“Found a lead, but the fuckers got there before we did. Had some help, too, but I didn’t stick around long enough to see if they made it.”
“Were you followed?”
Gosfrid nodded. “I’ve no doubt on that. Didn’t have much elsewhere to go, and the kid probably bled a trail all the way here.”
“Shit,” Uhtric muttered.
The twins set about Caldwell, propping against the far wall as they cast healing magic on his leg. They were not unskilled, Caldwell thought, but he could not help but compare them to their leader’s magic, and the simple truth was that they fell short.
“Is Alden back yet?” he asked, surprised by the weakness of his own voice.
“Not yet,” Elric said.
In the commotion he had not had time to fear, nor to think on his own mortality. Yet laying sprawled against the wall of an inn as blood leaked from his leg, his limbs growing cold and vision hazy, and with their best healer nowhere to be seen, Caldwell could not help but feel the cold chill of terror rising through his spine.
“How many of’em were there?” he heard Uhtric ask.
“Twelve to our eight. All of’em well armed and used to fighting.”
He could not see their faces from where he was, the twins blocking his view and the light of their magic obscuring what little else he could make out. It didn’t matter, he supposed. He was tired, deathly tired, and every blink seemed to get longer than the last.
“Stay awake,” Elric said. Gently, Aerin reached out a hand, so small it must have been only half the size of his own, and pushed against his shoulder. He didn’t feel it. Had he not seen it with his own eyes he wouldn’t have even known.
“Tell me true,” he said, the effort straining him. “Am I going to die?”
Elric did not answer. Neither did Aerin, though that was to be expected. The girl never spoke.
That always irritated him, for some reason. Even now it made his blood boil, at least as much as could be expected of a dying man. Caldwell had no notion as to why; perhaps, he thought, due to his history with women in general. From a young age they treated him kindly, more kindly than the other boys. And, as he grew older, their kindness took a delightful turn, for which he was certainly grateful.
Caldwell was nothing special to her like he was to the others, he realized, and he supposed he hated that fact.
So he would live, he decided, at least until that changed.
“Men outside,” Uhtric said. “A whole lot of them.” The twins stopped their magic and turned. Everyone turned, he saw, and kept their silence, waiting.
“It’s them. I recognize one of’em” Gosfrid said.
Maybe I won’t live after all, Caldwell thought.