Ray pushed the notifications away for now. With the battle more or less over, he didn’t need his growth just then. It could wait. Especially since he couldn’t feel the excitement he was supposed to, the one that always coursed through him whenever Ray gained something new.
Maybe it was because of the corpse he was carrying.
He reached the keep in short order, and he couldn’t help but take in the fact that the mood wasn’t triumphant. Relieved yes, fatigued greatly, and largely sombre as well. But not victorious.
“Another one?” A woman grimaced as Ray landed near the Base’s main entrance. She noticed Ray’s wings, then his face before straightening a little. Her expression never changed from the morose cast, though. “We’re putting them to the left of the keep for now, if you want to take him there yourself.”
Ray nodded his thanks, then took Randall’s body to the appropriate location.
The dead were all laid out in a respectful fashion. Each body had been placed on their own small sheet, separated by a few feet.
Surprisingly, not just bodies of Insurge Faction members and their allies. The big majority still had their red armbands on, likely to help distinguish them better. Ray even spotted some Feathered Imp bodies. That last one did nothing to help his mood.
Ray had a feeling the Wild Tides wouldn’t have been this respectful to any of their enemies’ bodies.
The living were there too. Most were Insurge Faction members mourning their departed loved ones, but a few were there just for lookout or other duties.
Ray was approached by Joaquin. “A friend of yours?” The cleric muttered something other his breath. It almost sounded like a prayer. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Where should I put him?” Ray asked.
Joaquin guided him to a location near the end of the line of bodies. Ray deposited Randall on a sheet as gently as he could. He didn’t know what to say, wasn’t even sure what he was feeling apart from a constricting hollowness inside.
Maya: Ray! Sorry I couldn’t check on you earlier. I’ve been busy with so much. Everything alright?
Ray: I couldn’t reach the last group in time. They had already been captured.
Maya didn’t reply for a moment, likely letting the implication of that settle in.
Maya: Randall’s group?
Ray: Yeah. I’m sorry, Maya.
Another pause.
Maya: No, no. I’m sure you did everything you could. I’m sorry too.
----------------------------------------
Unsurprisingly, after everything that had happened, there was going to be a meeting. Ray had been asked to attend as well. There was some time before it started, though.
He asked about the others. About Dory, who was quite alright thankfully, and about Gritty too. Joaquin informed him that Gritty had run off as soon as she was able to do so. The cleric wasn’t even certain if her wound had been fully healed, but at least she wasn’t on death’s door.
“Typical,” Ray said. “Already running after the Wild Tides. She’ll get herself actually killed one of these days.”
It was good to note that Maya’s family was fine too. Gritty had performed her job remarkably well. Both her husband and her son had come out fully unscathed.
Interested as he was to learn their story and how they could have ended up in Derrick Orden’s clutches, Ray decided to peek at the rewards he had received for his latest level up. Maybe that would take his mind off the hollowness for good.
With only two points needed for his Vitality to hit the new Tier benchmark, Ray put two of his free stats into Spirit and raised Vitality to exactly 50 with the remainder.
[Stat Tier]
Your Vitality has advanced to Tier 2. Your Path can now affect your stats.
Life cannot function without sufficient vitality. Path of Lifeblood Chaos allows the propensity of chaos of your life to flourish. You can now use some of your Recovery to imbue life into your constructs, summons, and any other creations.
Ray stared at that for a while. Okay, that was a good distraction.
Imbuing life… what did that even mean? So far, for his constructs, he had always had control. The level of control allowed was dictated by his Intellect Tier. At the same time, the fact that he retained control suggested his constructs weren’t really living. Just fancy, magical puppets.
But with his new Vitality Tier… could he actually make them living? To some extent, at least?
He wasn’t sure what the difference would be from his current way of doing things, nor was he certain he would even want it. Except, there had been that instinctive spell combination he had used against those last Wild Tides members he had fought against. Something Ray barely remembered using consciously.
A combination of the True Mana variants of Shatterclaw and the Greater Windbane Maw called up with Primal Summons. He hadn’t even known he could do that. Wild.
The wilder bit was that the arm had become alive. Ray hadn’t given it any direct commands, hadn’t actively tasked with any orders. His focus had been on Randall. But he had felt a part of him seep into it. A part of his being, his life, his—
His Vitality?
Was this what the new Tier of Vitality would allow him? Just with more precise control of the overall act, instead of something instinctive?
But how had he done that before hitting the Vitality Tier? There had been that warning. Something to do with his Mana Core acting up and taking advantage of Mana Imbuing. He was calling it “acting up”, but truth be told, it had sounded more like a response to an unsaid command.
Like with all else, Ray would need to test.
He plugged the Tier point into Lifeblood Crucible to raise it to Tier 7. Couldn’t hurt to store more Soul Aspects, especially since he still didn’t hold everything he really needed to complete his ascension off the First Floor.
Interesting how he had received the Tier Point from his achievement instead of a level up.
Speaking of which, he had received a Talisman choice again. A good thing because the way Ray’s fighting style had evolved with him acquiring new spells, he could be better off with a Talisman that suited him better. He wasn’t really taking full advantage of either of his current Talismans’ bonuses.
[Talisman Selection]
Talisman of Life [Tier 5]
A Tier 5 catalyst that boosts primal spells by 15%. Summons, constructs, and other associated creations by the caster that approximate life are boosted by 25% in power and efficacy. So long as this Talisman is employed, the caster will retain a mental link to up to 5 creations. Use your primal aura to manipulate life itself.
Talisman of Greater Scourge [Tier 5]
A Tier 5 catalyst that boosts primal spells by 20%. Attacks deal additional pain, worsening all status afflictions by 25%. Enemies are easier to afflict with mental afflictions. Channel the primal forces of the world to become a scourge of all those who would oppose you.
Ray didn’t need to actually pick. With Dual Wield, he was allowed to obtain both options in any armament selection. Good thing he remembered, because it had been a while since the last one.
The two new Talismans dropped next to where he was sitting on the ground. The Talisman of Greater Scourge even looked like the one he already had, just clearly a better version of it.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Instead of reddish-brown, its constituent metal was more reddish-gold. At the centre of its image of twisted vines, there was a dark blot.
The Talisman of Life was also made of the same reddish-gold metal, but it depicted a very different image. The flat, octagonal catalyst had the image of some kind of pitted sphere on it. Maybe a strange egg. Or perhaps a planet. Ray wasn’t totally sure.
“You’ve served me well,” Ray said, looking down at his hands and the Talismans already there. “But it’s time I move on.”
He willed both his Tier 3 Talismans to let go of his hand. The chains connecting them to his grip dissipated, and they fell to the ground.
In their place, Ray attached the new Talismans to his palm. Like with the old ones, ethereal red chains snaked out of their sides to wrap around the back of his hand. They shimmered and blinked before fading to a near-transparent state, only visible if Ray really looked.
Not bad.
Ray wasn’t sure what to do with the old Talismans. He didn’t want to waste space in his Bag of Holding with them, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to call in Virko just then and sell them for a few meagre Mana crystals.
Maybe there was someone who could find a use for them. Had to be. The Faction had grown a lot over the last few days.
Lastly, Ray checked his Status. It had been a while.
[Status]
Raymond Dominick
Race: Human
Class: Arcanist [Common] [Tier 2]
Vocation: Tower Conqueror [Epic]
Path: Lifeblood Chaos [Legendary]
Level: 17 [3,380/16,500]
Mana: 982
Recovery: 626
Perks: Riotous Life
Gear
Raiment: Gold-Chased Shaper Raiment
Footwear: Drakescale Boots
Headwear: Gold Wyvern’s Helm
Handwear: Supple Gloves
Accessory: Mana Infuser Ring
Accessory: Silver True Mana Bracelet
Armament: Valorous Back Shield
Armament: Talisman of Greater Scourge [Tier 5]
Armament: Talisman of Life [Tier 5]
Stats
Vitality: 50 [+15] [Tier 2]
Resilience: 4 [+40] [Tier 1]
Strength: 4 [Tier 1]
Agility: 8 [Tier 1]
Intellect: 73 [+55] [Tier 2]
Spirit: 61 [+37] [Tier 2]
Reputation
Knowledgeable: 451 [Intellect boost: +40]
Chaotic: 120 [12% Insanity (Tier 3) buildup]
Tenacious: 45 [Vitality boost: +5]
Indomitable: 55 [Resilience boost: +10]
Cunning: 70 [7% critical chance]
Thorough: 35 [Pierce Tier 1 defences]
Benevolent: 60 [Refunds 15th spell Mana cost]
Heroic: 60 [+10 to all stats when foe stronger]
Ruthlessness: 85 [10% bonus damage]
Cooperative: 60 [+10 to all stats in a party]
Hallow: 30 [Removes first True Mana cost in an encounter]
Spells
Shatterclaw [Offensive] [Tier 2]
Presence of the Primordial [Passive] [Tier 4]
Chaos Chymify [Offensive] [Utility] [Tier 2]
Lifeblood Crucible [Passive] [Tier 7]
Primal Summons [Summoning] [Tier 2]
Mottling Membrane [Barrier] [Tier 1]
Occultic Apparition [Utility] [Tier 3]
Lifeblood Construct [Summoning] [Tier 4]
Sphereguard of Chaos [Tier 1]
Skills
Goliath Eater [Buff] [Tier 2]
Dual Wield [Tier3]
Killer Instinct [Passive] [Tier 2]
Mana Imbuing [Passive] [Tier 3]
Adaptive Breath [Passive] [Tier 3]
True Mana Spell
True Enhancement [Utility] [Tier 1]
True Mana Skill
Vengeful Plunder [Utility] [Tier 1]
Hoo. Okay. Aside from being a good refresher on everything he had improved and how he had grown, Ray also got a good reminder why he didn’t check his full status so often.
Maybe he ought to just check specific instances more regularly, like just his spells or something.
There was nothing in his Status about his Mana Core, even though Mana Imbuing showed up as a clear skill. Hmm.
Ray was satisfied, though. Constant growth. He had to wonder how much of all that was going to change when he finally reached his damn class evolution. Just a few more levels, and he’d be there. For the first time since the end of the battle, he smiled. He couldn’t wait.
----------------------------------------
The meeting was being held high up in the keep. Maya had decided to hold it in her office. Ray felt like a somewhat more open space would have been preferable, but she had her reasons.
Apparently, having less space was ideal in preventing everyone from eavesdropping.
“I suppose it is an important meeting,” Joaquin said.
The blonde-haired leader of the Ascenders, Mary Felds, was looking out through the thin window. “Important or not, we need to conclude this as fast as possible.”
“Why?” Maya asked. “We have them beaten. Things are looking up. It’s time for us to regroup, recover, and strengthen our position while consolidating our gains.”
Ray wasn’t sure what they had gained save some time before the Wild Tides showed up again. Mary seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
“You understand this isn’t over, right?” She turned around to face Maya. “Some of the Ascender scouts spotted more Sylvans farther out, most likely waiting to see if they ought to step in.” She nodded at Ray. “It was good to retreat once their commander had stepped in. Killing him would have made things a lot worse.”
Ray winced. She made it sound like he could have killed Lastiel or whatever Kredevel had called that Sylvan. Ray wasn’t so certain.
But that was the thing, wasn’t it? He wanted to be certain. He wanted to be strong enough that no one and nothing on this Floor would be a threat to him. That went for the entire Tower.
“Kredevel said they all retreated for the time being,” Ray said. He had spoken briefly with his Sylvan friend, who had tailed Lastiel all the way back to their headquarters. “He says the Sylvans are mobilizing.”
“I understand,” Maya said. “But despite their gambit of letting the Wild Tides take us out failing, they can’t attack us just yet.” She spread her hands. “Not when we’re involved with so many other people. That’s why we need to consolidate our position further. Unity is how we’re going to beat them all.”
“We wouldn’t need to beat them all if you all decided to simply advance.”
“And how possible is that now?”
Mary didn’t have an answer to that. Instead, she turned back around to watch the outside world through the window.
Another thing Ray had learned during his last short talk with Kredevel was that the Sylvans were recalling their Brighthorns. Most of the monster hounds had been taken back to the Sylvan headquarters.
In other words, Mary and her Faction’s plan of getting as many people as they could to capture a Brighthorn, complete the challenge, and climb to the Second Floor had taken a hit.
“They realized you’re working against the Wild Tides,” Ray said. “And they realized you were the one who was helping a disproportionate number of people complete the First Floor challenge.”
Mary grunted in dissatisfaction.
“Are you starting to regret helping us?” Maya asked.
The leader of the Ascenders sighed. “No. Derrick Orden and his Wild Tides need to be stopped. I just wish things could have been smoother.”
“So, what’s our plan going forward?” Ray asked. “Or, I guess, what’s your plan? I know what I’m doing.” When they all stared at him questioningly, he slapped a fist into a palm. “I’m going to be clearing more dungeons and getting myself some more levels.”
“That’s what we need to do as well, ultimately,” Mary Felds said, looking at each of them in turn. “All of us. You can’t rest on your laurels. Even if it looks like you beat the Wild Tides, the Sylvans are a whole different level of threat.”
Maya looked troubled. Ray understood her. She had hoped that she could relax, that her whole Faction could take a break, now that they had passed a major test and survived. They deserved it.
But with the threat of the Sylvans looming on the horizon, they really couldn’t sit on their asses before something happened.
“How long do we have left?” Maya asked.
Once again, Ray was the subject of all their scrutiny. He shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I will know when they make a move, so there is that.”
“One day,” Maya said. “I understand where you all are coming from. I really do. But you need to understand that not everyone is like you. We can’t be, even if we wanted to. We’re all different people here.” She took a deep breath that she sighed out pretty quickly. “But you’ve got the right plan, so we’ll make sure to follow it as soon as we can.”
Another good point. Ray was different from others. But that could be said for most people too. They were all individuals with their own limits, proclivities, and tolerances. Not many other people shared his same drive to get stronger as quickly as possible. Not everybody wanted to reach higher up the Tower of Forging.
And that ought to be valid. They just had to realize that their circumstances demanded a different approach, one that was more in line with Ray and the Ascenders.
“Why were you helping everyone go higher?” Ray asked Mary. “Was it really out of the goodness of your heart?”
Her answering smile was small and sharp, like a little penknife. “Do I look like someone doing it out of the goodness of my heart?”
Ray turned to Joaquin, who was carefully avoiding Ray’s eyes. He turned back to the leader of the Ascenders. “Uh, maybe? You tell me.”
“No, Raymond—”
“You can just call me Ray.”
“I’d prefer not to. And no, I wasn’t helping anyone out of the goodness of my heart. If you really look into it, you could say I’m not that different from Derrick Orden. That’s probably why he hates me so much.”
Ray was forcefully reminded of Derrick’s absolutely stupid speech of Ray himself not being that different from the Wild Tides’ leader. “What are you talking about?”
“For every person I help raise to the next Floor, I get a share of their Essence reward. And since they get a ton of Essence as a reward for climbing to the Second Floor, well…”
She shrugged.
Ray raised an eyebrow. Then he let Presence of the Primordial tell her about the woman before him.
[Presence of the Primordial]
Mary Felds [Denizen]
Path: Path of Blinding Ice [Rare]
Class: Duellist [Common] [Tier 1] at Level 19
Skills:
Frost Touch [Tier 3]: Once activated, every touch, by you or on you, will leave a coating of frost on your opponent. Build up frost to cause Frostbite that lasts 30 seconds at Tier 3.
Deflection [Tier 2]: Your skill as a duellist graces you with the ability to push aside your foes’ blows at or below this skill’s Tier.
Killer Instinct [Tier 2]: Wounding a foe increases your damage against that enemy. At Tier 2, damage is increased by 10%.
Winter Aura [Tier 3]: A passive skill that enhances Frostbite proc and slows down anyone with ill intensions in your vicinity. At Tier 2, movement speed is reduced by 4%.
Frozen Suppression [Tier 4]: Unleash a blizzard in a radius of 12 meters around you. Enhances Frostbite and slows down foes by 4%.
Flowing Dominion [Tier 5]: For a short time, your evasion is greatly increased. At Tier 5, movement speed when evading raised by 10% and lasts 1 minute.
Prism [Tier 3]: Distort reality with a prism of ice.
Mirrored Gain [Tier 4]: Inflicting Frostbite on a foe causes all stat boosts gained by the foes to be mirrored onto you as well.
There was nothing in that list that indicated what she had said. Was it some sort of item, then? Perhaps even a Tower Node? Ray couldn’t tell from her expression.
At least it explained why she was at such a high level.
“I know some in our group are interested in ascending to the next Floor too,” Maya said. She took another deep breath, but she didn’t let it out as a sigh this time. “And I agree with your plan. We’ll need to take the fight to the Sylvans if we really want to be free.”