Plato stared at the moon while he stood atop the Eastern wall. Commanders Aldorf and Thompson stood on either side of him, joining his vigil to await the imminent return of Micah Carvalho. The last report the man had sent placed him deep into goblin territory, scouting out major tribes that would oppose their upcoming settlement. New Chicago’s expansion over the years had seen the city grow increasingly towards the South and the East, the walls were now only a few miles from a relatively weak tribe.
The trio were discussing the events of the night professionally. Alice Stirling had given a full report to three Defense Forces commanders, Dean, and Plato himself when she returned to the city, prompting a great deal of worried discussion and very little action. It wasn’t like anything could be done to further improve the city’s defenses, and the need for greater defenses was a full century away.
Plato felt uneasy upon hearing the news. He was happy to provide his knowledge to the commanders as they started to work on planning for the future. No important decisions would be made tonight, but it was easier than contemplating the story Alice had told them.
Plato would not judge his sworn brother before he heard the story from the man himself. No matter how upsetting the details.
One of Plato’s most powerful Abilities was an Aura infused with his second mana type, Learn. The combination gave him near-omniscience of the area surrounding him, letting him Learn everything that happened within what would soon be his Domain. Micah Carvalho was an example of why his senses could only be considered a parody of omniscience, as the man appeared in front of him with no forewarning.
Part of it might’ve been speed, but the man’s stealth was certainly good enough to elude Plato’s Ability.
“Do we know what caused the world upgrade?” He asked, not even letting the three Attuned react to his presence before he spoke.
Commander Thompson snapped off a salute that was unnecessary according to any official rules. She received a glare for the teasing action.
“Really, Elle?” Micah asked. The man had accepted his role as the head of the Adventurer’s Guild mainly to avoid overly respectful subordinates, only to learn that hero worship was universal for the Imprinted. Elle Thompson was a former adventurer and protege, who was quite happy to push his buttons now that she wasn’t technically his subordinate after Dale poached her.
“You haven’t heard anything about the Academy’s upcoming plans to alter their emplacement rituals, have you?” Commander Aldorf asked. Unlike his colleague, he was too professional to salute a man outside of his chain of command.
“I’ve been a bit busy,” Micah responded, “Trying to track down the most powerful goblins is tiring work.”
If the Commander was upset by the snark, he didn’t show it. The man quickly explained the recent discovery of their planet’s main loophole and the plan to abuse it. He then repeated the story they’d heard from Alice hardly an hour earlier.
Micah didn’t seem particularly fazed by the news, although that might have been because Aldorf gave a sanitized version of events compared to Alice’s descriptions.
“Do we know how the kid’s doing?” Micah asked, “Sounds like I’ll have an exceptional adventurer to train soon.”
“He’s friends with Alice’s kid,” Commander Thompson snorted, “I’ll be shocked if she doesn’t take this opportunity to conscript them so she can keep a closer eye on her son.”
Micah shrugged, “Well, as long as he’s prepared to become a powerhouse. We’re going to need it.”
“Bad news?” Thompson asked.
“The lightning mage is almost certainly a nobility candidate,” Micah replied, “She’s moved further into goblin lands and is probably awakening the potential by taking over one of the large tribes beyond my grasp.”
Micah had conducted an ongoing campaign against any exceptional Imprinted goblins to arise anywhere near New Chicago in the past century. It kept their borders quiet, as assassinations didn’t prompt the same kind of reprisal that their upcoming invasion might.
The goblins were surprisingly unified, evidence that somewhere deep in either Indiana or Ohio one of the creatures had fully awakened a noble bloodline. The threat of such a creature growing obstreperous had kept them from settling to the East before, but they were now left with little choice for several reasons.
The land to the North would require significant rehabilitation before it could be settled. The Liches were individually no match for Plato’s sworn brother and they would struggle to defeat him even if they were grouped together, but that was only true on neutral ground. Their defensive array work was some of the best in the continent. For now, it was best to leave them be. Who knew if New Chicago’s Defense Forces would be up to inheriting their struggle against their own, more expansionist, Northern neighbor?
To the south, one of the kobolds had somehow evolved into a Royal Dragonoid. The specifics were unclear, but they had little choice but to be happy that the creature was content to rule over the Appalachian mountains. It was one of only four beasts they knew about that David wasn’t confident in his ability to defeat. While it wasn’t as powerful as the other three, the specifics of its bloodline gave it the potential to actually contest his Domain.
As a Domain specialist whose main mana type didn’t have direct combat applications, it was a terrible matchup for David. Discovering proof of the evolution a few months ago had prompted the end of their journey.
The West would’ve been the safest direction to expand, but they were forced to push East anyway. The Ooze was not as frightening as the Dragonoid, but every month it was left to its own devices increased its power. Starting to expand towards it would allow them to start destroying it sooner.
The increasing number of nobility candidates among the goblins was worrying. It signaled the approach of a potential royalty candidate among their tribes. A Goblin King couldn’t be considered anywhere near as great a threat as a Royal Dragonoid, but monsters that evolved once tended to push themselves even further. It seemed that their Eastward expansion was growing even more pressing.
What was happening with this planet, that so many extraordinary talents were emerging? Plato sent the question through his link to his mother, Scholar’s Interface, and was surprised to receive a verbal response instead of a quoted price.
“That answer’s out of your price range, I’m afraid,” Her voice was mirthful, which implied that it wasn’t something he should worry about.
Or it meant that he should be even more worried. While Plato was a golden retriever, he was descended from the Lunar Pack, a group of wolves that grew to be the size of celestial objects. His mother had been one of the realm’s most accomplished killers before the pack had raised a Saint who was more interested in running a library than hunting.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
The things that his mother considered amusing might not be very conducive to Plato’s health.
“How is it that expensive?” Plato asked. His current balance was several times greater than it had ever been before, and his Scholar Points had produced the schematics David used for the city’s mana siphoning and storage rituals.
“I can’t answer that, either.”
“So it’s the non-interference agreements?” Plato asked. His mother liked to claim that she couldn’t do things because interfering in a planet still in the Arrival period triggered a backlash, but she tended to help him out anyway if he figured enough out for himself.
“I really won’t say, this time,” The amused tone was back, “You’ll just have to figure out what you can and do what you must to stay alive.”
That was a leading statement, and Plato knew what his mother was hinting at.
Earth was going to become a Tier 3 planet a few hundred years faster than what the Realm considered a safe trajectory. The planet had already reached Tier 2 too quickly, with disastrous results. Plato still didn’t even know what had caused that tier-up.
The Dean’s plan of raising a team of Ascenders had involved waiting dozens of years for new talents to arise. It was a stretch to expect three of the city’s current Imprinted to reach Tier 4. With only a century to work with, David was the only guarantee while Alice would need to push very hard and take plenty of risks.
If New Chicago was to survive the years to come, Plato would need to finally push into Tier 3. He might need to make several more extreme changes as well.
Plato stared at the moon. What would he do, to save his brother’s people from impending doom?
Anything.
*****
72 years, 1 month, 3 days after the beginning of the Arrival. Exactly 10 years before the first Tier 3 trial overflow.
Dancer awoke to find a long-awaited prompt shining in front of her. The bold words chased away any morning grogginess.
Do you wish to begin the Trialbringer’s Path?
She was out of bed and dressed in hardly a minute, humming an excited tune as she moved. Another minute found her down in the kitchen, which she was disappointed to find empty. Her adoptive parents weren’t home, but she’d hoped that she’d find Amari already awake.
Amari had turned eighteen a few months before, but he’d been waiting for Dancer to catch up before he accepted the prompt. She called him stupid whenever the topic came up, but privately appreciated the gesture. The prospect of entering the path together appealed to her, only making her more excited.
Amari had been Dancer’s closest friend since they were young, and he tended to stay over the nights that her parents were off delving. They were quite a bit closer than just friends at this point but kept separate bedrooms because there was no telling just what Dancer’s old-fashioned mother would be able to figure out with her magical senses. They had plans for their own journey as Pathwalkers now that they were both adults, and Dancer couldn’t wait.
Which was why she headed straight back up to his room instead of waiting for him to get up. He’d understand.
“Wake up!” She pounded on his door slightly harder than necessary as she called out, but that could easily be explained as excitement.
“What’s going on,” Amari shouted back. She heard him scrambling to get out of bed while he spoke, “Is it an emergency?”
“My prompt appeared!”
She heard a groan before he spoke, “I’ve been waiting for months, Dani. I’m sure you can wait for a few minutes.”
“But I don’t want to wait for a few minutes,” She called back, “I want you to get up now.”
A few seconds later, he opened the door in a pair of sweatpants. Dancer quickly decided against complaining about his lack of shirt, even though it was a bit unfair.
Distracting her with the sight of his well-muscled chest was cheating. They had things to do!
Amari definitely noticed her failure to maintain eye contact, but just grinned at her, “Are you sure it can’t wait a few minutes?”
“Yep!” Dancer wouldn’t be beaten that easily, “Now, come downstairs.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him laughing down the hall. The pair of them quickly settled facing each other in a pair of chairs in the kitchen.
“Isn’t it two days early?” Amari asked. Dancer’s birthday was always celebrated on the anniversary of the day her parents had found her as a newborn in the boss chamber of a Tier 2 trial. It seemed that their assumption had been wrong, she was actually born a few days before.
The mystery of her birth wasn’t one she expected to solve particularly soon, although it was a long-term goal for her as she ascended on the path. Her origins in a trial hadn’t manifested beyond a series of nicknames as she grew up and Amari’s recent habit of calling her inhumanly beautiful.
“You go first,” Amari declared, making Dancer frown.
“I thought we were going to do it together?” She asked. What was the point of waiting if he didn’t want to do it together?
“Well I decided I want to watch you,” Amari grinned at her, “After you woke me up, it’s only fair.”
Dancer opened her mouth to complain but was cut off when he leaned over to kiss her. That proved a more effective argument and when he pulled back after a few seconds she glared at him, “Fine! But you’re making breakfast.”
She accepted the prompt, and nearly immediately regretted it as her entire world changed.
Everything she’d heard about entering the path was that it was unobtrusive. The Trialbringer connected your soul and body, but the real changes came steadily as you leveled.
Dancer’s experience was nowhere near so easy. Entering the path connected her body and soul, which triggered the awakening of her bloodline.
Dancer was, without a doubt, the single most dangerous monster to have ever been placed in one of Earth’s Tier 2 trials. The power promised to her by right of birth wouldn’t show itself immediately, but now that her bloodline was unlocked she would steadily progress to the peak of Tier 2 within only a few weeks. Reaching Tier 3 would be achievable soon after if she managed to effectively synchronize with her bloodline.
Of course, she didn’t realize this immediately. She was too busy dealing with a cacophony of new experiences brought on by the first beat of her siren’s heart. When she entered the path, every beat began to alter the blood that flowed through it. Each second Attuned her body further and further. Power surged through her, and she struggled to adapt to the change using her newfound instincts.
Her reliance on these instincts quickly grew, as the talent provided by her heritage proved the only way to remain sane while she gained the power it provided. This proved a disaster, as the instincts of a siren went beyond understanding her new power.
Dancer had always loved music. Growing up her parents had always argued that she should become a musician, even as she insisted on following in their footsteps. Now, as she started to learn what she truly was, she realized that she could be both. Music was in her blood, and she would use it to conquer the world before her.
There was a prey animal before her. The realization was jarring, and it didn’t feel quite right. Sirens didn’t eat their prey, or at least, Dancer wouldn’t eat this man. He seemed the ideal candidate for a greater honor. He would hear her first true song.
The blood of a siren was constantly singing, as it ran through her veins. A melody that gathered power inside of them, awaiting the day when it would be released. Stronger members of her species could’ve enthralled the entire town, but Dancer was singleminded in her focus. She needed this man. He would be hers.
The siren’s song was one of dominance. Dancer opened her mouth and began to sing of chains. It was surely the most beautiful sound the man before her had ever heard.
It wasn’t until nearly an hour later that the euphoria began to fade. Dancer came down from her power high to see Amari kneeling face down before her, and she realized exactly what she had done.
She had just used her voice to enslave her closest friend. She’d turned him into a thrall, and her memories told her that he hadn’t even fought back.
The horror was impossible to corral, and she had to fight back waves of nausea as she stared down at his naked back, “Please, stand up.” She begged.
Amari stood, and she saw the reality of her sin in his eyes. There was none of the attraction or love she’d seen just earlier that morning. All that was left was Devotion.
She had a Trialbringer notification awaiting her review and opened it hoping that it offered a solution. Instead, all she found was further damnation.
Amari had somehow gained a Unique Achievement in the process of becoming a thrall. The world would soon upgrade to Tier 2. Tier 3 trials would be seeded throughout the world. Promising great rewards and greater dangers.
Trials that no one could clear since there weren’t any Tier 3 mages on such a young planet.
Dancer hadn’t just destroyed her partner. She’d doomed the world.