The best part of being mostly made of chaos energy, was the ability to fly that came with it. Owen was whooping as his body floated on the wind. As it took his full control and will to keep his body in a solid form, he was easily able to release some of the control. The flying effect didn't last forever, as eventually the chaos would erode any of the other energies that kept him in the air, but it was fun to point and brag and Malik would shook his head in disgust.
"You know, flying isn't supposed to be something, so, well easy." Malik started and Owen swooped through the air by his head. "It also isn't supposed to be as easy as you're making it look." Malik said as Owen flew by again. He unceremoniously crashed into the ground as the energy in the area had now fully been eroded away. Cursing, Owen climbed back up to his feet and cursed again when he remembered how hard it was.
His body wanted to be in more of a liquid state than a physical body, so he constantly needed to apply pressure with his will, to keep his normal shape. Whenever the pressure wasn't equal, such as climbing to his feet, it was an ever greater exercise in control, as he needed to account for his feet acting almost like jell-o. By the time he had actually regained his balance, he pretended not to hear the snickering around him.
"So, do any of you have a plan as to how we are supposed to reach this island area?" Owen asked. Malik wavered his hand back and forth in the air. "I was thinking that we would try to find the method currently being used to get out there. The sins and their initiates need some way of coming and going." He said, kicking a rock as they walked. They were already approaching the coastline closest to the island, but still hadn't decided on a specific course of action to actually cross the water.
Owen liked the idea of commandeering the sins method, but was also confident they didn't need to. One of the great things about magic in general, was now they were almost over burdened with how many ways they could cross the waters. Myra interrupted his thoughts with her idea. "We could pretty easily freeze the surface layer of water and walk to the island. I don't have the best control over my affinities, but I think even I could freeze some water."
Peggy shook her head. "I don't think it would be that easy. We would easily be spotted and make for great target practice for anyone that saw us." Malik added his own concern. "I also think it wouldn't be as easy to freeze the water as you think it would be. If there are constant ripples or even waves, the water you freeze will quickly be pushed away from anywhere you want to walk, if water that violent would even freeze to begin with." That made everyone start thinking in silence again.
Owen had considered trying to use air to create a bubble or cocoon that they could move underwater to the island, but it felt a little too like spy thriller movie plan for him to consider it a real possibility. He also certainly didn't have the control over his affinities to actually create something like an air cocoon. He wished he could fly them over there, but his mind flashed to the damage he had caused Myra in less than a second of contact and discarded the thought.
"I think trying to steal their boat, or whatever method they are using is probably the best idea. they will probably expect it though." Owen said, a concerned expression on his face, which caused Malik to laugh. "Owen, why would it matter if they expect us, anyone of us could steamroll them." Owen nodded his agreement slowly, but something inside him told him not to underestimate the people waiting at this last domain.
"Yeah," he said cautiously. The rest of them agreed, so Owen flew high into the sky to scout, while his friends started looking for any method to cross the water. They spotted a lighthouse after a couple hours. It looked like any other kind of lighthouse he had seen in media. A large with red and white tower, with a single door on the front. At the top of the tower was a metal walkway that circled around the light that was currently off.
Scanning the surrounding area, they caught sight of several dinghies laying on the sand close to the water. None of them looked fit to use in the water as moss and decayed wood seemed to be more than half of what made up each dinghy. "I don't think we can use these." Owen started and Myra let out a laugh. "Hmm, I don't know, I bet these would float." She said teasingly. "You could even be the captain." She said laughing again and Owen couldn't help but smile as well.
It was good to see her laugh, it felt like it had been forever. Continuing the bit, he said. "Well, if I'm the captain I guess I'd have to go with Captain Obvious." Poking a little fun at himself was good from time to time and the smile that grew on Myra's face made it all worth it. He could practically hear Peggy's eyeroll as they made eye contact. "That was bad and you should feel bad," She said jokingly, before pointing back at the boats. "I think we could use these, but it will take us a little bit of time to fix them up using magic."
Malik nodded and the conversation turned more serious. "I think I could flash us over, but the distance is hard to gauge. For all I know we might end up dropping into the ocean, before we make it to the island." "What if we run across?" Owen offered and continued before anyone could interrupt. "Malik, you're fast enough that you could probably use your skill to go faster than most of us. If we hook you up to the boat, Peggy can buff you and you could run us across."
Silence followed for a couple seconds before Peggy nodded. "I can buff someone's agility by almost 50% now, but I am not able to buff anyone else during that time, so if we run into a fight, it'll take me a couple seconds to switch my buffs around." Owen grinned as he saw the excitement building on Malik's face. "I think with a 50% buff I could do it, though it would be borderline swimming pretty quickly!"
"Alright, let's do this then!" Malik said as every else agreed with the plan. It was decided that Owen would have to try and fly alongside them, since if he actually sat in the boat, it would slowly crumble into pieces. Peggy used one of her affinities to help recreate sections of the boat, though it didn't work how he thought it would. He had almost expected her to create wooden planks, but instead an enormous root network began to grow from the hull of the boat. It wrapped around the bottom, creating a shell of tightly interwoven roots.
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The whole boat looked like it was from a fantasy novel, as the roots that hugged the bottom of the boat, made it look like a tree had grown the boat itself. They only gave themselves a minute or so to truly appreciate Peggy's work, before they were getting ready to push off towards the island. Myra sat cozied up against Peggy, who faced towards Malik and cast her buff on him. Owen used his boosting skill and the four looked towards the island with excitement written all over their faces.
For the first time this trip, the four of them weren't focusing on the past or future as the boat sped off towards the island in the distance. They just enjoyed the feeling of adventure as they sped towards their last destination. Owen wasn't able to shake the gut feeling that things were going to get tougher from here, but he just smiled and focused on the wind flowing through his hair.
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Lucas stood in a large hall that was finely decorated. Each wall was decorated in paintings that fuzzed the closer he looked at them. It all felt too gaudy for him and he felt the urge to spit. "What the hell is this place the system cooked up." Lucas said to himself as he looked around. His eyes landed on the door at the end of the hall and smiled. The door was the only plain thing he could see in the entire hall and he immediately began moving towards it.
He had entered to get his secondary class, but hadn't expected the lavish hall and its over the top decorations. Opening the simple looking door, he smiled to himself when he saw a clone of himself looking back at him. "Excellent timing, it's time we got to know each other," the clone said. Lucas nodded seriously. "Yes, it is time we talked." His clone's smile broadened.
Before Lucas could have his mind taken over with a flood of memories of things that could've been. He stared at his clone, before shaking his head. "I'm not so easy to trick. When you try the same ploy on everyone, it becomes really easy to ignore." Lucas said gesturing at the room. "So, tell me what you really want, and don't waste my time."
Lucas had found out about Owen's difficulty with the secondary class room and how it had been odd. So, he was already well aware that the clone was something that the sins had done to him. He wasn't sure how or when, but they had messed with the wrong person. He could hardly hold back the smile as he stared down the clone of himself. He felt faint memories flash through his mind of things that didn't happen. "I already told you, that won't work." Lucas interrupted. "I want to know what you want with me, otherwise, I'll destroy you here and now."
The clone finally let out a laugh. "I see, so I suppose my trick did go on for a little too long. I have sensed your desire though. The wish to be the main character, women falling for you, or even a hero to save the day. All three would be best for you probably, I mean you did earn it." His clone said, though it's figure slowly changed into one that was a horrid mutation of flesh and gore. Its body seemed like it was made out of hundreds of different body parts.
"I'm Envy, it's great to meet you." It said, extending a hand that had dozens of fingers, each a different shape, size or from differing creatures. Even so, Lucas extended the hand out and gripped Envy's hand hard. That seemed to amuse the sin, but it pulled its hand back and sat down again. "So, tell me, why aren't you the main character of this story?" Envy asked, an evil glint in its eye. "You have done the same for this city a hero would, you saved countless lives, and you are even an inheritor set to become a demigod. Yet even still, some random shmuck rans around parading himself as the hero, a woman in each arm and a regressor as a follower."
Envy shook their head as if it were the biggest shame. Lucas was surprised for the first time, Owen had a regressor friend? What the hell had happened since he had left their group. He felt a bit of irritation build, but envy seemed to think it was their provocation. "See, even you know it isn't how things should be." Envy said, their voice trying to lull him into agreement. Curious as to where the conversation would lead, he nodded along. "What I am offering is the chance to become the main character. That monkey will sooner choose the other boy than you, why else would be pay the boy so much attention. but if you join me, you can become my inheritor and take up my mantle in only a couple days."
Lucas sighed internally, it was what he expected, so he pretended to think it over. "You know, that is tempting. If you had asked me a couple weeks ago, I don't think I would've even hesitated, but over the past couple weeks, a lot of good has happened to me. I have friends and even an alien friend." Lucas said smiling to himself as Briar appeared in his mind.
Envy moved to interrupt, but Lucas kept talking. "But while I was trying to push my way back into my old home, I realized I didn't want to be a hero. Sure, I wanted things a hero might have, but I didn't have the right mindset and I still don't. I'm pretty sure my friends are heroes. They put everyone else above themselves and sacrificed everything for this city, even though it fell." his voice fell at that. He still didn't know if everyone involved was okay, he was confident Owen, Myra and Peggy would be fine, but he had several friends that hadn't tried to get stronger and he hoped they were okay.
"Even now, I'm sure they are fighting something to try and protect people, even if I wish they would do something for themselves. Briar is really smart and gave me a lot of good advice will I was struggling with not being a main character." Envy was silent and Lucas fought back a grin, when he saw it had been starting to get mad. "What Briar and my time fighting monsters alone taught me, was that I don't need to be a hero to become a main character. I can still make each of my choices and live my life the way I want to and that makes me a main character in its own right."
"I see, so you've given up, how pathetic." Envy sneered. Its body began growing and it gained a slightly more bestial appearance, but Lucas still didn't move. "I will tear apart you and your aspiration and then see how you feel about your nonsense as a main character." Each word dripped with hatred and vitriol as Envy threw them at him, as if they were weapons. Lucas just shrugged. "I just figure some stuff out while fighting on my own, it made me wonder why I even wanted to be a member of the Zodiac. I wanted so badly to be special and the strongest."
An enormous fist crashed towards him, but the attack was frozen in place the instant before it landed. Lucas hadn't moved yet and he could see the lack of understanding in Envy's eyes. "Being selected as an inheritor had felt like things were finally going my way." He didn't even need to move, as a furious flurry of attacks were thrown at him, but not even the strewn about papers in the office like space were effected.
"it took me a while, but I just don't have the drive to push to the top. I don't want to be a hero and I'm sad it took me so long to figure it out. I just want to spend my time with friends and goof off, I can let others save the world." Lucas said smiling and he moved for the first time in the fight. He simply raised a hand and clenched his fist. The piece of Envy that had clung to his core shattered in the same moment, and he was flung outside of the room. He was still disappointed by the overly gaudy display of grandeur, but smiled when he saw the system prompt appear.
*Separate test of character has been passed. Will forego the planned test and continue with the combat portion of the test.*