A few days after observing the first armed flying platforms being tested outside of Rathos, Sotarr returned to assess their progress. The Body Enchantment manuals he had left for Alistair and Riseth were incredibly detailed and advanced, far surpassing the structures they had initially devised on their own. These manuals included partial Arcane Substrate structures integrated into their bodies and the outer layers of their souls, significantly enhancing their physical strength and overall abilities. Alistair's capacity to absorb energy, convert it into kinetic energy, and store it in his body had progressed to the point where he no longer needed to dodge any of Riseth's attacks, except for her most powerful strikes, even when she tried to manipulate his energy conversion rate. Beyond the benefits of Body Enchantment, much of this improvement came from his relentless work on refining his Kinetic Combat skill, which he had been honing alongside his physical training for months.
Riseth, in turn, had honed her ability to pass through most attacks, making her nearly untouchable. Despite Alistair's significant improvements with telekinesis, he still couldn't fully grasp her, though his now ridiculously powerful kinetic blasts could partially hit her. Meanwhile, Riseth had developed the ability to interfere with the arcane processes within his body, albeit only on a surface level. Her skill in manipulating her opponents and surroundings had become something to be feared. Their sparring matches against other clan members and high-grade beasts highlighted just how much they had progressed in the months since becoming Sotarr's students.
A lot of the power Alistair could now display came from his relatively new Kinetic Combat skill, which he had initially improved from his Kinetic Wave skill. He still had not managed to convert the Death From Above skill, but he felt it was close as it had upgraded to include a line on how to attack with Telekinesis after he used telekinesis to tackle a wild Lisaross into the ground, splattering part of its body in the process.
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SKILLS:
Tier: [Legendary]
Name: Kinetic Combat
Description: Greatly increases all relevant stats when using Kinetic skills and reduces both energy expenditure and maintenance. Utilizing the user's Augmented Physiology, such as Kinetic Skin and Kinetic Ribcage Storage. Due to the user's affinity, the conversion and storage of any type of energy into Kinetic Energy are enhanced at an abnormally high rate based on the user's Grade. When the user attacks with Kinetic energy, whether through waves, blasts, body strikes, or weapons, the power is further amplified based on the user's Kinetic Affinity.
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Tier: [Legendary]
Name: Kinetic Grappler
Description: The user robs opponents of their momentum by utilizing and siphoning [KE] at the cost of a minuscule amount of [Qi] [MP] or [KE]. If possible, the stolen [KE] will automatically be used to fuel the skill and empower the user with a burst of [Power] based on the amount of stolen kinetic energy or harm opponents if connected either magically or physically to the user by violently unleashing the [KE] in their body. The user may repurpose the stolen [KE] or store it in spheres provided by the [Kinetic Skinguard] skill or in the user's other augmented body parts. This skill has very high resistance against outside interference by using the user's augmented skin and body and inherent resistance. The skill provides a very large bonus in [Power] and [Control] against opponents attempting to resist, disperse, or avoid the effects of this skill; the user is able to grapple ethereal opponents.
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Alistair's Kinetic Blast had retained its name despite a significant increase in power, now capable of causing more devastation than his explosive blasts ever could and effortlessly tearing apart small hillsides even with minimal energy input. Most of his other blasts were now helplessly outmatched. Alistair believed this enhancement stemmed from the combined boosts of his Blast Master and Kinetic Combat skills coupled with the benefits of his Kinetic Combat Gloves and his refined manipulation of the arcane structure of the force sphere that used to contain his kinetic energy. This refinement not only amplified the blast's power but also made it effective against both ethereal and corporeal targets. Even Riseth, with her ability to turn ethereal and use her Veil of Space to redirect attacks, couldn't fully evade it. Instead of being redirected, the blast would often violently unleash its energy unless Alistair carefully adjusted the arcane structure before firing. He was currently working on an even more powerful variant of Kinetic Blast he dubbed Kinetic Strike, with the intent to create a skill not tied to the Blast Master skill as a compound blast.
His Kinetic Grappler skill also eventually upgraded when he finally managed to grapple Riseth by utilizing his linked force concept. The skill now immediately paid for itself and empowered him for a longer period of time. Maintaining the kinetic energy to empower himself was one of the first things he tried once he finally was able to grasp Riseth, who in turn constantly got better at avoiding being grasped by him. They had earned two levels each in those months, most of which came from their skill training and occasional hunts, though further refining their bodies and essences through their Dual Cultivation had also greatly helped.
However, the strain from their Master-Disciple agreement was unmistakable, almost like sharing their records with an entire set of new summons. After Sotarr inspected their 'Body Enchantment,' a term he insisted on using instead of 'Body Cultivation,' likely due to some past grievances with cultivators that he preferred not to dwell on—he had them spar again. Alistair could relate to this sentiment, having only encountered a handful of cultivators in his life, all of whom were either insufferably arrogant or outright hostile from the moment they met. Judging by Sotarr’s sly, draconic smile during their sparring session, it was clear he was satisfied with their progress as he finally called them over.
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"I'm glad to see the two of you advancing at such a healthy rate," Sotarr said, his tone warm and fatherly. "If this continues, I won’t have to worry about you dying in an accident or from overconfidence anymore." He paused, his expression softening even further. "But I sense some unease. If something is bothering you, I’m here to listen."
They hesitated, the concern gnawing at them ever since they had received the body cultivation manuals. The knowledge gap between the old universes and this new one felt insurmountable. Developing techniques that could even begin to rival those they had been given would take years, if not decades. The time they simply didn’t have, with the first bridges to their universe soon to open, allowing the initial wave of Grade 10 individuals to cross over in their spacecrafts. Though they had been led to believe they were exceptionally powerful for their grade within the Trial, the techniques Sotarr had provided revealed a stark reality. Even low-grade invaders, with access to the ancient and sophisticated knowledge of the old universes, would advance quickly and pose a significant threat. When they finally voiced their concerns to Sotarr, however, he merely laughed good-naturedly.
“The two of you are under my direct tutelage,” Sotarr said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I’m a Grade 2 dragon and part of an ancient faction. The techniques I’ve developed for you are leagues beyond what your universe can currently produce.”
He paused, watching their reactions with his sharp, draconic eyes and a knowing smile. “It should be obvious, but most factions won’t go to the trouble of creating such advanced techniques for their regular followers, much less the bottom-of-the-barrel individuals at Grade 10. You’re my direct disciples, and that puts you in a different league.”
His eyes twinkled as he added, “I doubt any faction looking to expand into your universe would be foolish enough to send their scions or direct disciples in the first three bridge expansions. It would be wasteful and reckless. Who would send a high-potential Grade 10 infant into a new universe guarded only by Grade 10 servants or slaves? Many species don't even birth children of such a low grade.”
Hearing his words, they relaxed a little. Unless the AC, who took it upon themselves to guard the bridges connecting them to the other universes, utterly failed, they should be able to manage the first few waves unless they were utterly overwhelmed with numbers or tricked somehow.
Sotarr chuckled softly, the sound more like a deep rumble. “But don’t get too comfortable. There are millions of individuals in your universe who are getting special attention from powerful factions and individuals looking to either find suitable disciples or expand in a less hostile way into your new universe or for a myriad of other reasons."
What he said made sense. They were aware that there had been many more receptionists overseeing the trial subspaces than just Mitania or Isku, who had been responsible for the arena and study dungeons in their section of the universe. They had also heard of many factions and gods reaching out to individuals as the Trial was nearing its end, so they weren't the only ones being scouted for an outside faction or individual.
Sensing that their worries had eased, Sotarr pressed on with his plans. “It wasn’t easy finding and convincing some of my colleagues to share the fundamentals of their techniques so I could modify and tailor them for your needs. I had to make a few concessions,” he added with a hint of amusement.
Neither of them wanted to imagine what kind of concessions a dragon of his stature would have to make. After a quick exchange of glances, they bowed in gratitude. “We’ll do our best to live up to your expectations,” Alistair said, trying to sound confident.
Sotarr waved them off with a dismissive gesture. “I’ve told you before, keep it casual. The best way to repay my efforts is by staying alive and continuing to advance. That alone will repay my time and efforts manyfold.”
Sotarr stretched out his massive arms, holding two highly enchanted manuals delicately between his large claws. When they took them, he said, "Don’t bother trying to integrate these with your current skills. You’ll have to learn them from scratch, practice until you get the forms right, and shed the unnecessary movements and bad habits you’ve picked up while training without proper guidance."
"Riseth," Sotarr continued, "yours is a blend of combat stances, dances, and techniques designed to keep distance, manipulate your opponents, and exploit openings. It complements Alistair’s technique well. I’ve named it the Serpent’s Waltz." Turning to Alistair, he added, "Yours is more steadfast, compelling your enemies to play by your rules. It maximizes your kinetic concept and its branches, rendering your opponents' attacks futile as you overpower them with relentless force and exceptional mobility. I’ve named it Aegis Stride."
Alistair gazed at the manual in his hands with reverence. This marked the end of his days muddling through and wasting his potential. While they still had to master most skills and body enchantments on their own, this new foundation and the insights it provided would make their progress much smoother. Their fighting techniques, which had been a patchwork of improvisation and intuition, would now evolve into something refined and purposeful. He listened intently as Sotarr outlined which skills they should use alongside Serpent’s Waltz and Aegis Stride and which ones would best support different aspects of these techniques.
They began with the initial stances and forms, the manuals imprinting visions of shadowy figures executing fluid and precise movements across a variety of weapons and scenarios. Alistair suspected that whoever had shared their insights for his manual had wanted to remain anonymous. This was particularly evident when compared to Riseth's manual, where the dance-like movements were demonstrated by a well-dressed elven woman in a flowing gown, her face perpetually adorned with a sly, satisfied smile.
As Alistair studied his own manual, he realized that Sotarr had planned for him to use a linked concept he had largely neglected until now: the concept of mass. There were several techniques that required not just force but also mass, making him even harder to move and adding significant weight to his attacks. Though he had experimented with the concept before, he found it slightly less intuitive than his other linked concepts, likely because his inherent affinity for it was somewhat lower, only elevated by his core concept. Recognizing this, Alistair knew he would need to dedicate time and effort to mastering the concept, increasing his familiarity with it, which shouldn't be too hard as it was a linked concept after all.
Sotarr had also informed him that none of his current skills would suffice for Aegis Stride, meaning he would need to train diligently to acquire the skill, or at least lay the groundwork for it, by the time he reached his next skill selection in eight levels. Alistair regretted having wasted many of his human benefits, with several of his skill slots being either too specific or ultimately useless, making them difficult to transform into long-term usefull skills. Others, like his melee proficiency, were too valuable to change into something he needed more urgently, like the Aegis Stride technique. However, rather than letting this discourage him, Alistair threw himself into training with renewed vigor, just as eager to master Aegis Stride as Riseth was to learn Serpent’s Waltz.
During their practice, they often exchanged smiles, both deeply committed to their training. Sotarr frequently paused their movements to correct their stances, his sharp draconic eyes catching even the slightest missteps and body turns. Each adjustment was another step closer to mastering the powerful techniques that would define their future combat style.