Chapter 108

Lykan

Moving On

  There was the feeling of breathing dirt, of tasting dirt with every languid breath. Lykan awoke to find that he had collapsed face first into a sandy shore. He awoke to the feeling of a dying sun slowly burning its way out above him. The land he was on was dying. The Qi in the air was no longer circulating properly. The runes that had been powered by unknown means were shut down and only running on residual motion. All this was to say that Lykan, despite passing out for an unknown amount of time, was seemingly at all times fully aware of his surroundings, even in his sleep.

  Even though he had killed all forms of life on the land and the air, there was still a problem. Sea life still clung on desperately for a chance to live. This is not to say that Lykan was some obsessed killer, but rather he was a man who understood the importance of protecting his world from being completely corrupted. Qi was dangerous and powerful, that much was apparent at the way he was so easily thrown about by the dying Titan. Qi saturation also would likely kill most mana wielders, at least until some understanding of how both forms of energy; Qi and Mana could learn to coexist.

  There was a chill in the air. The once nearly tropical biome now had a cold chill that seemed to permeate from behind Lykan. With a force of will Lykan moved his overtaxed body up to then turn around and look at the source of the cold. There in the open expanse of water was a giant iceberg. An iceberg made of three, no four shark-topusses. There were the three that Lykan was aware of battling, at least tangentially. Then somewhere in the struggles a fourth, a baby of the species, had also tried to join the battle only to also be frozen in place.

  Looking at the massive block of ice, Lykan finally noticed the blessing from the Gods that expressed their immense pleasure at his accomplishment.

  Blessing Bestowed: Defiler Slayer, (Matriarch)

  Defiler Slayer, (Matriarch): You managed to slay a monster of unknown evil. As a reward the gods have blessed you with a permanent +7 bonus to all attributes that can take you beyond the normal maximum assigned to your race.

  Blessing Bestowed: Defiler Slayer, (Patriarch)

  Defiler Slayer, (Patriarch): You managed to slay a monster of unknown evil. As a reward the gods have blessed you with a permanent +5 bonus to all attributes that can take you beyond the normal maximum assigned to your race.

  Blessing Bestowed: Defiler Slayer, (Patriarch)

  Defiler Slayer, (Patriarch): You managed to slay a monster of unknown evil. As a reward the gods have blessed you with a permanent +5 bonus to all attributes that can take you beyond the normal maximum assigned to your race.

  Blessing Bestowed: Defiler Slayer, (Child)

  Defiler Slayer, (Child): You managed to slay a monster of unknown evil. As a reward the gods have blessed you with a permanent +3 bonus to all attributes that can take you beyond the normal maximum assigned to your race.

  Blessing Bestowed: Defiler Slayer (All)

  Defiler Slayer, (All): You managed to slay an entire species of monster before they could be released upon the world. As a reward the gods have blessed you with a permanent +7 bonus to all attributes that can take you beyond the normal maximum assigned to your race.

  A permanent increase of +27 to all attributes. No wonder Lykan felt so out of it, even now he could feel the changes of his body. With this rapid increase to power most of his Attributes had reached the fifth echelon. During this time he wondered how much of the ability of the Gods to now be able to reach him was due to his shutting down of the facility. He knew he had received bonuses for his core creations, but that somehow had a different feel. Rather than the crisp flows of mana that he was now feeling, the blessings from his cores felt musky, like cinnamon and ginger root biting and refreshing if one could handle the initial flavoring.

  Then an odd thought hit Lykan as he wondered if others could taste magical energies the way he could? He had never heard others describe power in such a way, sure others spoke of the lights and energy emitted by the different powers being used, but none had ever described the various tastes. Then again for the most part Mana in its purest form tasted like crisp refreshing water. Then when different aspects were pulled from the mana, it began to take on a flavor related to that transition, but it was always such a short experience. He wondered if anyone even had a chance to feel

  Lykan breathed in, only faintly realizing that he was breathing in Qi. The only problem was that the Qi around him was slowly dwindling away, like sparks from a firework that were slowly tapering out before they hit the ground. Lykan breathed in the Qi, but felt stymied by his gains. There was almost nothing to take in. He thought about the amount present versus what had previously been here and realized this was the amount of ambient Qi that had been in his training room. This of course brought up a whole slew of other questions, such as was the Qi up there intentionally light to make training that much tougher? Was that a sign that this facility was already dying before he even arrived? Also how could he find the next facility to go to?

  So many questions, but first he made it a plan to kill off the creatures here. Even with the apex predators taken care of there were many creatures who had and easily used Qi. Lykan remembered the way he could make out the invisible creatures that easily hid from the Defilers as the gods called the weird Shark-topusses. Thinking about it, one name was just as good as another. Whether Defiler or Shark-Topus the end result was the same, it was a monster that should never be allowed to grow and populate in the world. By killing not only it, but the animals that fed and hid from it, the world would be better. So Lykan decided that he would focus on killing the creatures of this biome to the root, harvest their cores and then leave.

  There was a practical purpose to this course of action too, Lykan was out of Qi. He still had his cores that he assumed he could easily break apart for resources, but that was to be the final actions of a desperate man. Those cores represented his hard work and understanding of Qi. Admittedly he was still in the infantile state of understanding, as was noted by the names of his cores: Intermediate Spherical Core, and Basic Spherical Core. He had multiple of both, but only gained bonuses from the first of each. The multiples was partly why he had the idea that he could use the spare cores for Qi, but again that would be the work of a desperate man. The purpose for having multiples was easy, it was his only way that he could balance out his flying vortex formation. But that need for balance was negated when he regained access to his mana, allowing him to fly by circulating mana through his body.

  While he didn’t plan on doing anything drastic, it was still good to know what he was capable of, especially with him likely being away from the next Qi facility for quite some time. This meant that he would no longer be able to sustain himself on Qi alone. In a way he wondered if Qi wasn’t entirely a bad thing? If he could sustain himself off of Qi alone, surely others could as well. If that was the case, then couldn’t that mean there was a way to end world hunger? If everyone was trained in Qi and Meditation techniques, couldn’t there be great advantages from this power and its use? Especially given that most people can’t access mana in the first place?

  These were questions that Lykan had, though he decided the first thing was to stop the Titan’s facilities, then slowly let the planet take on Qi, if it could still sustain itself once the shift happened. With the world already being over sixty percent Qi, that meant that it likely wasn’t too dangerous for mana and Qi to mix. That or the world was already working on a way to blend the two energies together to make it so they could coexist. He Idly thought back to the dark pillars that came out, remembering from his conversation how they were conduits designed by the Titans to do just that, to merge Qi and Mana together so that native species could take on the strains and be able to survive the transition of the planet. Of course only a few humanoids were able to make the transition, most monsters who interacted with the pillars became wildly dangerous. Still there was at least a method that could be used. Also from Lykan’s understanding wherever an outcropping of dark pillars appeared a facility just like this one would surely be nearby. This was good in that Lykan could use the recent sightings to identify active facilities, but it also meant he would likely need to search for a long time. But before he could move on to the next facility, he still had work to do here.

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  Willing his aching body to rise he stood, sand sliding off of his body as he made his way to the freshwater. Drinking in a mouthful of the liquid it still felt refreshing, still had Qi in it, but nowhere near as much as it had when he first arrived.

  Nodding to himself Lykan took in a deep breath, then dove into the water.

  ***

  Three months had passed, at least that was the best estimate that Lykan could come up with as to how long he spent diving deep and killing every creature of the water. He had spent so much time swimming that he was surprised he didn’t receive the skill. Of course that wasn’t how Skills were noted. Anyone could do a skill, even without it being recognized. But once it was recognized by the Gods, then bonuses would be applied to the use of the Skill. Still Lykan had more than enough attributes to make up for the lack of a noted skill.

  He killed every monster in the biome. Every once in a while he would make trips out and around to see the rest of the facility, to see if he could find any more of those red-eyed rodents. There was a next that he eliminated. He even went to all the little side rooms, apparently there were eight different koi-ponds that likely served as feeder cells for the larger biome. Lykan particularly enjoyed the koi ponds as they were easy meals and easier cores to assemble. Every fish Lykan killed, he would rip out the core and go through the process of drying and preserving the meat. He planned to be on a long trip when he left. He even managed to piece together a water skin from different fish skins that were particularly resilient and durable. While tailoring hadn’t been what he had been using his Master Crafting skill for to this point, the skill still helped with his hand eye coordination for these delicate tasks.

  In all the time after shutting down the facility was just as productive as the time before shutting it down. Lykan learned a lot, not only about the worlds that the Titan’s wished to bring in, but about his own world in comparison. Things that he had taken for granted or not quite noticed now made sense given that he had the comparison of the biome that the Titans called home.

  For a moment he wondered if there could have been a union between the two worlds, if the Titans could have in fact been welcomed here under different circumstances. Parts of the worlds that they wished to bring were beautiful, but then he remembered the dragons and how much trouble they have caused the world. If the Titans truly were the cause for the dragons being unleashed upon the world, then they needed to be stopped. Even the shark-topusses, or Defilers as the Gods called them were enough to shift the balance of the whole world. If they had been released, then traveling the oceans would be an even more perilous journey. Though could these monsters truly compete against the mighty Kraken?

  At that thought, Lykan wondered if the kraken too were part of the Titan’s terraforming plan? No such speculation will only lead to ruin. Truly what is the point of laying the blame of every monstrous creature at the feet of the Titan? Even if they did release them, so what? They are here now and we must learn to deal with them.

  Still stopping more violent creatures from being released from these biomes was a must, as was preventing the Titans from calling out to the heavens to call forth more of their ilk. These were the thoughts that kept Lykan focused on his goal of killing off all life from the facility.

  It wasn’t until he killed one stray red-eyed rodent that the Gods told him his task was complete.

  Blessing Bestowed: Titan Eradicator

  Titan Eradicator: You managed to kill off every form of alien life from a Titan stronghold. As a reward you have been blessed with the dual meridian blocker.

  Dual Meridian Blocker: This legendary construct will allow you to block off leakage from your Qi and Mana meridians either independently or simultaneously.

  With the blessing Lykan felt a slight tingling sensation in his stomach, one that he felt the need to itch. Looking inwardly he found that his Qi now had a valve set up on it like his Mana Meridians did. Though looking closely it was clear knew how to raise and lower the valve set in place over his Qi meridians. A feeling he quickly tested by raising it and absorbing ambient Qi from a core he had on hand. The Qi as expected entered his open meridian. Then out of trial, he closed the valve and tried the same experiment. This time the Qi slid off and was close to sliding out of his body before he opened up the valve and absorbed the Qi.

  He was momentarily stopped by the need for such a blocker, but then realized that this would likely be necessary for when he left this facility. A shutter ran down his spine as he wondered what would have happened had he left early? Would he have exploded as was often the case when Qi met Mana? Or would it had been something just as painful, but different? Either way Lykan was glad he had waited. Also the blessing from the Gods confirmed that this place was now cleansed.

  Still there were many different artifacts that others likely would find interesting. So Lykan gave a last sweep of the place. On his personage he only held a new set of clothes, made from scales that stank and covered just the lower half of his body, a sac that held his core and a waterskin filled with the delicious fresh water. As a precaution Lykan already absorbed all the ambient Qi from the water in his sac, just to make sure there were not any problems.

  Then he found the body of the Titan. This made sense as his expedition had been to eliminate all the fiend mice, or whatever the Gods would call the red-eyed rodents. This of course meant that he would need to go down to the old hunting grounds, and eventually to the spot where the Titan had collapsed. The power of Qi was still intense within the body of the Titan. While Lykan didn’t think he could reach past the different strands of densely woven Qi that made up the monster’s body. There was another way Lykan felt he could gain the ambient Qi of the slain Titan.

  Focusing his mind, he sat down next to the fallen Titan and began meditating. Slowly, ever so slowly the Qi began to rise and enter Lykan’s core. At first there was nothing, then there was a rush, as energy that was so dense and pure flooded Lykan’s body. He felt dizzy at the sudden rush of energy, but held on focusing on the energy and condensing it as tightly as he could. He could feel the shape and size of the object within the fallen Titan, and he tried to create a core in that exact shape and size. There was of course loss, not all the energy could be pulled away from the Titan. Even in death it held onto its power. Then what power he could pull would also be dissipated into the air, the ground, and surrounding area. Still Lykan pulled what he could, pulling the dense energy and realizing that while it was the same Qi, the potency was different. The amount of force the Titan had been able to apply to his core caused the energy to tighten into a denser ball. Thinking on this revelation, Lykan realized why he was just an Intermediate Core creator, the amount of skill and precision that this Titan wielded was supreme. Or at least far greater than what Lykan was capable of now. He had so much to learn, so much to grow. Especially if his journey took him past another Titan. And he was certain that his journeys would.

  There were still Titans out there, of which Lykan was certain. While they had all been driven deep underground by the Gods, their plan to corrupt the world was still in effect. Worse, he was one of the few who knew. No sooner had he had this thought, then he laughed.

  Hahaha.

  I will be the old man at the bar speaking of how the world is ending and no one cares. Lykan mused to himself, though it was true. If he came out and spoke of his findings and theories, he would at best be laughed at. No this was a task Lykan would have to carry for some time. All he could hope was that the Gods had plans and contingencies in place. That the Gods had others like him, those who felt they were alone in this fight.

  Finally after time the flow of energy from the Titan stopped. A quick glance showed that there was still more Qi within the creature, especially in its muscles and bones that had dense threads of Qi woven throughout. Those weaves of Qi made Lykan wonder if the more lines of Qi in its body allowed it to create additional forces to bind its cores tighter, to gain better control over how to create a densely compacted core. Such thoughts were not so unbelievable. With that Lykan had much to ponder. He had only taken his first step in a path that would likely take Lykan a lifetime to accomplish. Yet, he was more resolved than ever to make his goal a reality.

  Rising to his feet, he found the nearest escape hatches and left the facility. He arose from the secret passage that the Library had been built over top of. A sense of sad nostalgia hit Lykan as he looked at the still burnt ruins of his home. Though even though it had been a few months lots had changed. The first thing he noticed was the lush vegetation. When he had gone down the fields were burnt to ash and the soldiers were laying out salt, yet the land had not just recovered but flourished in the time he had been gone.

  Was this an event of shutting down the facility? Just shutting down one would cause nature to flourish?

  Seeing the result first hand Lykan was more resolved than ever to find the next Titan stronghold and destroy it, one way or another. He doubted he would be able to break in as easily as he had last time, though he still remembered his username and password from this facility, as a just in case.

  There were still so many questions that Lykan needed to answer, but he always felt he did his best when he moved and thought at the same time. Taking one last look at the lush forest that had seemingly grown up out of nowhere to cover his home he turned to find his next destination. His body immediately turned south-east and he took one step forward before realizing where that led to. If he went that direction, he would go directly to the Great Forest, to the known converted lair of the high wood elves. A sigh escaped his lips, he knew he would eventually need to shut down their home, but the thought of seeing Octavia so soon after everything hurt. Worse, if he arrived now and did what he intended it might come across as petty-vengeance. No, he chickened out. With a sigh he spun about and used his newly enhanced Qi senses to find the next nearest location. A quick scan showed that to the east was a large gathering of Qi, not as much as to the south and east, but a large deposit none-the-less. With his new direction in place Lykan began walking.

  Had he stayed a moment longer he would have seen a set of glowing golden eyes that came to life at the presence of a new person in her woods. A presence that Lykan would have noted immediately from her intense energy signature. A presence that even now his soul was tied to. Despite the fact that their connection had been severed, the newly awakened meridians reached out and attached themselves to her. While Lykan had moved on and long since forgotten the pact of the heavens, the Gods were not so short sighted. They saw all and remembered far more than mere mortals could understand. They understood the power of words. The power of commitment. It was that same duty to commitment that caused them to reignite the bonds that bound both Lykan and her.

  “Wait?” A cry of a voice that had not spoken in so long spoke out. Though her voice was too raspy to carry more than a few paces on the wind. Swallowing quickly she saw the figure, the figure that she was now clearly once again bound to emerge like a phoenix from the ashes of his homeland. Just as she was going to cry out for him once more he was off. Legs moved and turned quickly for a second. Then she saw something wondrous, he flew. Then like the first time she laid eyes upon him, he flew into the night sky with a look of determination on his face. It was only for a moment before he was too far away to make out any longer. Yet, the look and figure was unmistakable, it had been her Lykan.