We made our way through the exotic floor more cautiously, and therefore more slowly, this time.
This time, too, we strayed well away from what few corpse piles we happened upon. The jungle remained as silent as ever during our traversal, and the only manner of living creature we encountered as we crept across its breadth were more of the mechanical monkeys.
Five more times before dusk fell the ape-like machines attempted to ambush us, but we picked them out with Rover’s help, and five more times we slaughtered them. Even so, the creatures fought frighteningly well in concert, coordinating without any apparent communication and demonstrating zero fear of death. Had they not been so individually weak, we might not all have made it through. And, I noticed worryingly, the frequent ambushes were beginning to take their toll on my group, both physically and mentally.
I, myself, was fine. Honestly, I didn’t have much to fear from the creatures. Despite their smarts, they couldn’t really deal damage to me; Draconic Blood was strong enough by now that the few hits they’d managed to land hadn’t so much as pierced my skin. It and Fang were my most efficient Blessings, and I’d used them so sparingly that, in terms of Entropy, I was still effectively full up.
I was in such good condition that, even without my teammates’ help, I suspected I’d be able to survive the jungle without trouble. In fact, if anything, the past day had mainly served to convince me just how much more powerful I, and by extension any Trump, was compared to normal Blessed. Having access to multiple different Blessings with complementing strengths and contrasting weaknesses allowed me to become something of an army of one, a well-rounded delving party all on my own.
Glare was the only one currently giving my condition a run for its money.
Unsurprising, considering both the heat and our assailants’ main method of attack did little more than feed his Photo Emission. In terms of skill and experience, years of brutal battle with the Spawn had made him the most advanced of us all. And mentally, I had to assume that whatever toll the apes’ ambushes exacted on us was nothing compared to the trauma inflicted by those unholy children of the Birth Titan.
But besides from the two of us, everyone else had begun to flag.
Rover had taken multiple hits over the last couple of engagements, and despite his thick coat of fur, seemed more impacted by them than me. Perhaps his regeneration wasn’t quite as potent as mine, or perhaps his Entropy reserves weren’t as developed. Or more likely, due to that same heavy coat of fur in combination with constant scouting back and forth, he’d finally started to feel the effects of the place’s sweltering heat.
Unlike the wolfman, Vox hadn’t displayed any measure of increasing weakness in combat. But he, too, had become exhausted, pace slower than ever, eloquent rejoinders scarcer and scarcer, suit plastered to his body in dark swathes of sweat.
As per usual, though, none had suffered more than Thaum and Quarrel.
Being the lowest-level Blessed in the party without a Brute rating to speak of, they’d only conventional means of combating the torridity and humidity. Wounds they incurred at the hands of the cybernetic monkeys didn’t lessen–they stuck around. Thaum hadn’t suffered any so far, but Quarrel had, her runic leathers bearing the energized plasma well enough, though the Blessed herself grimaced with each new burn.
Regardless, it was for their sakes that we finally elected to set up camp for the night.
A shame to lose time, particularly as our onyx bracelets informed us that over fourteen hours had passed in the outside world. But already our odyssey through the oppressive wilderness had spanned miles, and we’d no idea how much further remained before its conclusion.
For now, we’d make camp, and plan to set off first thing the following morning.
So we carved ourselves out a small clearing in the otherwise dense foliage, and set to settling in for the night. It was an interesting opportunity for me to examine the various methods of storage made use of by a wide range of Blessed, as my party certainly ran the gamut from rugged mercenaries to polished Aristocrats.
Quarrel had, in short order, proven herself the most experienced delver among us, and her gear did well to demonstrate that fact. She’d brought with her what I assumed was typical fare for those plumbing the depths of the World Titan; namely, a bag of holding.
From it, she withdrew not only dried meat and drink, but also a modest tent that in many ways exemplified her expertise; it was triangular in shape, large enough to fit one, and took little time to set up and disassemble. Cheap, light, effective.
Rover, despite lacking the archer’s delving know-how, sported much the same gear; simple foodstuffs and a humble tent. Glare brought with him no belongings at all, save for the clothes he wore, which must have been enchanted given they seemed no dirtier than when we’d begun the delve. He demonstrated no need to eat and seemed content to hover in the air above us, keeping watch whilst the rest of us set up.
The Inquisitor had finally won out over Vox’s air of unflappability, the latter pulling a tent not much larger than those of Rover and Quarrel, about the same size as my own, and digging in daintily to similar provisions.
And so, Thaum had us all beat.
As was only appropriate, I supposed, given her pedigree. The heiress of Nycta wore on her left hand what I could only guess was a ring of holding. It, like the rest of her belongings, no doubt cost a fortune, and must have enjoyed the same temporal stasis as my own Personal Storage, as she withdrew from it steaming hot plates of finely made meals that drove my mouth to thickly salivate. Dozens of shadowy servants darted about her, speedily setting up a large, luxurious, spacious personal pavilion that glowed with enchanted inseams, and otherwise tending to her every need.
I had to admit, the more I saw of the woman’s Blessing, the more enticing it became.
The utility of her shades really seemed to be boundless. Scouting, attacking, defending, even tending to mundane tasks. Summoning Masters enjoyed an infamous reputation of being both rare and powerful, and Thaum certainly lived up to their renown.
There was only one thing that temporarily stayed my hand, or Shard, from adding her Blessing to my collection. Thaum made controlling the shades seem easy, but I’d no idea how long she’d trained to do so. Perhaps they followed directions quickly and intuitively, or perhaps it’d take me decades to master their use. Still, an army of shadows at my command was a tantalizing prospect indeed.
As a matter of fact, hers and Glare’s were the only two that interested me.
I currently had one save slot open, and could theoretically dismiss others, though I was loath to do so, being so close to evolving Flash Step. Quarrel’s power didn’t interest me. As for Rover, well, no matter how cute he sometimes looked, I wasn’t exactly in love with the idea of being forcibly mutated into a werewolf just in order to have an arguably weaker version of Draconic Blood.
And, of course, Vox’s I effectively already possessed.
As we each took our seats about the fire Glare had started, I took a moment to consider the man and his Shard. While I couldn’t copy the Immolator’s Gifts, his Photo Emission seemed plenty powerful without it. High speed flight, power storage, and a top-tier Blaster ability. It wasn’t a Major Shard, I could tell that much, but damn if it wasn’t close.
But…did I need it?
I already had access to both a high speed movement Blessing and flight. My ability to shape Entropy was second to none I’d encountered, thanks to my primary Blessing, so storing the sun’s power didn’t particularly appeal to me, either.
Therefore, the only thing that really drew me to it was…a suspicion I harbored.
Mentally, I’d more or less committed to following the path dedicated to evolving Draconic Blood into the earth-shattering, reality-warping power my saved Shards had promised me it would one day become. And in order to do so, I knew what I’d need to gain; Affinities.
I needed to collect and merge powerful affinity-granting Shards into Draconic Blood. I already had Fire, Blood, and Lightning, and I’d a strong feeling that Photo Emission would grant me access to a fourth.
Light.
I couldn’t be sure, and I wasn’t ready to start merging into the Shard yet. I’d tried the night before the Agoge to merge Soulbound Weapon and Personal Storage together, as Fang suggested, and hadn’t been able to.
My ability to manipulate the forms and functions of Minor Shards had grown in leaps and bounds over the past two months, thanks to the increase in my primary Blessing’s Attunement. However, I still wasn’t experienced enough to combine or evolve them. Likely, I wouldn’t be capable of such a thing until I reached the Marble stage.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
And besides, if Glare’s Photo Emission would grant me a light affinity, then would Thaum’s not also grant me one for shadow? Or darkness? She did control the shadows, but…not literally. She was a Master, not a Shaker.
Would Quarrel’s grant me an affinity to sound? Echolocation wasn’t really sound control, but then neither did Draconic Blood’s name do anything more than hint at its granted affinity to Fire and Blood.
Come to think of it, why didn’t I have a sound affinity already? Was the Shardsong not responding to sound, but something else entirely?
Rubbing my tired eyes, I gave up pondering questions I wasn’t ready for the answers to, turning my attention back to the stunted, quiet conversation of my teammates around the fire. The atmosphere was hardly positive, the morbid events of the day combined with the jungle’s oppressive climate doing well to hamper our spirits.
So we ate in silence, all of us save for Thaum gnawing softly on dried meat and washing the rather tasteless bites down with equally bland water.
The fire in the clearing’s center popped and crackled, casting small sparks that succinctly disappeared in the hot, wet air. It cast our faces in burnished copper and red gold, haunting our expressions as we contemplated what awaited us come the morrow.
“So,” Thaum said, at last breaking the peace. She brushed the remaining crumbs of her delicious-looking meal off her onyx leathers.
“The watch,” she finished simply.
“We should take it in twos,” Quarrel said. She smiled sarcastically at us, though with less energy than usual.
“Not that I don’t trust you all, of course, but I’d rather not have any one,” she said, glaring at Thaum, “watching over me alone.” For her part, the sorceress didn’t rise to her antagonism, at this point likely too tired to care.
“So, groups of twos,” our supposed leader said, yawning. “Fine. Six of us, three groups. Fine,” she repeated, yawning again.
“I’m not watching with you,” she scowled at Quarrel, who smiled sweetly back at her.
“No, you’re watching with Glare,” the archer commanded. Rover pouted, ears flattening once more in that adorable way.
“Fine by me,” the levitating Inquisitor quickly cut in, perhaps merely in an attempt to stymie another fight before it started. Thaum just nodded, looking as if poised to collapse on the spot.
“And I want first watch,” Quarrel demanded. “I’m not a Brute, and I’m not ashamed to admit it–I need actual, uninterrupted sleep.” She looked around, daring any of us to question her.
“As you wish,” Vox whispered, turning to face me. “In that case, may I suggest lord Hero and I take the second? He is a Brute–and I have need of little rest.” It was as much a statement as a question.
I examined him neutrally, but Vox’s expression was impassive as ever. Once again, I didn’t like letting the potentially malicious Master set the agenda for us, but once again, his proposal suited me well enough. After all, I trusted none more than myself to withstand whatever manipulations he might attempt.
So I nodded, stretching and retreating to my makeshift lodgings, watching the others, save for Quarrel and Rover, do the same.
Only, I didn’t actually intend to sleep.
One of the things I’d learned in my months of travel, after many weeks plagued by nightmares, was that I didn’t actually need that much sleep. Draconic Blood took just as good care of my mind as it did my body, and little more than one or two hours a day was plenty sufficient to keep me well-rested and refreshed. I’d decided instead to make use of nights spent in the Dungeon by training in the only way I could without revealing my true capabilities.
Meditation.
So I settled into a somewhat comfortable, cross-legged position on the misshapen ground of my tent and took a moment to examine my Grimoire.
~~~
Hero
Attunement: ADMINISTRATION 9. The High Queen, ADMINISTRATION is the paramount Noble Shard, representing the Entity’s brain, to which all other Shards are subservient. Though the Host does not immediately have access to all of the Shard’s reality-warping capabilities, as they lack both the gestalt infrastructure and the Entropy stores to do so, they will unlock them as they gain Attunement.
At its most basic, ADMINISTRATION allows the Host to create full copies of the Shards they encounter. Copied Shards do not gain gifts, and must always start at Attunement 1. Copied Shards may grow in Attunement in the same manner as ADMINISTRATION, becoming stronger over time, though they may never reach higher Attunement than ADMINISTRATION itself.
The Host has five slots in which copied Shards may be inserted, becoming “Active.” Once active, Shards may not be removed. Additionally, the Host has five slots in which Shards may be “saved” for future use. The Host does not receive power from saved Shards, nor will they grow in Attunement. Saved Shards may be dismissed and re-saved as desired.
The true power of ADMINISTRATION is the capability to both combine and evolve copied Shards according to Shard affinity and Host understanding, creating powerful gestalts in the same manner as the Entities. Merged Shards will assume the Attunement that the higher Shard possessed prior to combining. Active Shards may be combined, or saved Shards may be merged into active Shards.
Due to ADMINISTRATION’s involvement in the creation of the Blessed System, the Host’s Grimoire is upgraded. These upgrades grant access to some features originally intended to be standard in each Blessed, which Akashic did not have time to implement. The Host may gain more upgrades over time.
Current upgrades include: Detailed descriptions, full status observation, and glossary.
Grain: Shard Broadcast Attunement. The Host is able to comprehend the Shardsong, the language of Shards and Entities.
Active Slots:
* Draconic Blood 8. The Host’s blood takes on the properties of an ancient dragon, granting increased strength, resilience, and greatly increased healing. The Host gains an affinity to fire and blood.
* Flash Step 9. The Host gains the ability to move any distance in a single step, at the cost of damaging their body. Entropy spent and bodily damage scales with distance traveled. This ability does not enhance the Host’s senses whilst in motion. The Host may not change their body position during a Flash Step. The Host gains an affinity to lightning.
* Soulbound Weapon 8. The Host is granted a personalized weapon, chosen to fit the Host’s subconscious. In this case the weapon is Fang, The Boneblade. This weapon will grow with the Host as they gain Attunement, displaying more esoteric effects as it does so. This weapon may always be recalled to the Host, regardless of location. This weapon may be dismissed and summoned by the Host at will. If this weapon is destroyed, it may be regenerated at the cost of Entropy.
* Personal Storage 2. The Host gains access to a personal storage vault of 40x40x40 feet. Objects of any size or weight may be stored within this area upon manual contact, so long as they can physically fit inside it. These objects may be retrieved at any point in time provided manual contact with a suitable empty space outside of the vault for them to occupy. Retrieval/storage duration and Entropy cost for a given object scales along with corresponding size, weight, and complexity. All stored objects are temporally locked until retrieval. This Shard does not affect living creatures.
* Empty.
Save Slots:
* Haemokinetic Enhancement.
* Bullet Time.
* Prestidigitation.
* Discretionary Mutation.
* Empty.
Good luck, Hero. The survival of both our races depends on you.
~~~
Draconic Blood had increased by one thanks to its usage over the past day in the jungle, weathering everything from vicious vegetation to sweltering humidity, from plasmic tech-guns to novel airborne pathogens. Soulbound Weapon had increased by two, due likely to the time I’d spent interacting ‘personally’ with it in the depths of my soulsea. Fang’s intelligence and agency continued to grow stronger with each passing day, and I’d no doubt that soon enough it, too, would reach Attunement nine.
For its part, Personal Storage hadn’t increased much, but that didn’t bother me. I was planning to merge it with Fang as soon as possible anyway, at which point the resulting Shard, according to my own Grimoire, would ‘assume the Attunement that the higher Shard possessed prior to combining.’
As far as I was concerned, that meant attempts to raise it on its own would be something of a waste, an endeavor made redundant. Better to expend my efforts elsewhere. Blinking once, I re-read a sentence that I hadn’t considered for quite some time.
Current upgrades include: Detailed descriptions, full status observation, and glossary.
I now had a good understanding of the first two; the descriptions given to me concerning each of my active Shards, and their precise mechanics, were indeed about as detailed as could be. According to Gerbold’s Primer, most Blessed got ones that were, at best, highly interpretive and, at worst, absolutely useless.
Mine, on the other hand, left nothing ambiguous, saving me hours, days, or perhaps even years squandered on experimentation. Likewise, full status observation had proven a massive boon, allowing me to observe not only a fellow Blessed’s title, but their powers and Gifts themselves. These ‘upgrades,’ as my Grimoire referred to them, were indispensable.
Except, of course, for the third one.
Last I’d checked, the ‘glossary’ had been nothing more than a blank list. A glitch. Useless. But then, last I’d checked had been the very first time I’d delved, and much had changed since then. My primary Blessing had grown, and so too had I. On a whim, I mentally selected it, and watched my Grimoire’s infinite pages flip.
And when they stopped, I beheld a list that was no longer empty at all.