Strength has risen to 18!
…
Strength has risen to 20!
Dexterity has risen to 12!
…
Dexterity has risen to 14!
Endurance has risen to 13!
…
Endurance has risen to 16!
Pain Tolerance is now Level 6!
…
Pain Tolerance is now Level 8!
Aurelian panted as he collapsed onto the ground, lying on his back and staring up at the shattered ceiling of his hideaway while his stamina slowly recovered. He had been pushing himself hard for hours, enough so that the light coming through the shaft above had started to take on the golden brightness of the mid afternoon. His entire body was sore, from the calluses on his hands to the sore muscles in his arms and legs.
He had dramatically increased his strength, dexterity, and endurance in a relatively short — as far as hours went — amount of time, and his Pain Tolerance had risen spectacularly in tandem with his riskier and riskier means of training, especially when he’d rolled his ankle horribly during a particularly ill-advised attempt at a move he once saw in a film with laser swords and space wizards.
The rub though was the fact that his Longsword Mastery had not changed a whit.
Aurelian stink-eyed it in his vision, staring at the unflinching 9 beside the skill with vehement anger. It seemed as if he could train his body into better shape, as evidenced by the now visible reduction of weight in his hips and stomach… but his weapon skill stubbornly refused to advance. “I guess it requires more than just throwing slices at thin air.” He grouched to himself, before looking toward the sealed door to the room.
The temptation to explore had hit him more than a few times during his Katas, and if not for the frankly addictive dopamine rush he received from constant attribute levels, he’d likely have succumbed to the temptation — and the boredom — many hours earlier. It wasn’t as if he had much of a choice anyway. He’d need to explore if only to find a way to feed himself. He hadn’t been too bothered by hunger as of yet, but it was less a lack of need and more of a matter of timing.
He had a feeling his body could be sustained on less food, but it still needed food.
Not to mention water. He definitely needed water.
Aurelian huffed a sigh and pushed himself up to a sitting position, laying his sword across his knees and then glancing back to the door again. “Well, if I’m gonna do this—” he looked back to the sword “—then losing you would really suck.” He frowned. “And every time people wait to do important things in books, it always backfires…” Another grunt left his lips and he eyed the blade. “I hope this doesn’t give me tetanus.”
Then before he could think better of it, he wrapped his hand around the blade near to the tang and crossguard and pushed his palm along the sword.
An immediate lance of agony rippled from his lacerated palm, and Aurelian bit his lip to avoid shouting out his displeasure. It was not an easy feat.
Pain Tolerance is now Level 9!
“Oh fuck you.” He swore at the System as the chime of a level up echoed in his mind and the alert populated his vision. He was unable to shake the feeling it was quietly mocking him with the notification. It was just his luck that he earned a solid level in a skill by doing something he could have done earlier. A flash in his HUD also told him that his health bar had depleted by 32 points, and another alert under his status conditions showed a flashing red droplet, with text beneath it.
Condition: Bleeding (Minor)
“Huh.” He said idly as he waited for his hand to stop bleeding, and throbbing. “That’s neat.” It was a relatively shallow cut, and he could already feel the blood flow starting to slow. His regeneration in the Realms was, in a word, miraculous. He could imagine earth’s medical experts losing their minds at what was possible within the confines of the System. It wasn’t as if his hand would heal over in moments, but he had an inkling that after the bleeding stopped, it would be quick to scab over and begin the healing process at an accelerated level.
“That’s gonna be—Woah!” Before he could even finish his thought, the blade in his lap reacted. The runic inscriptions leading up the fuller from the cruciform crossguard lit up a brilliant scarlet, and the blade seemed to ripple for lack of a better term. It was like a wave of alteration starting from the pommel all the way up the weapon. Pommel itself was suddenly rounded, and bore a very small ruby within the centre of its formation.
Meanwhile the hilt widened slightly and lengthened a little more, creating a perfect amount of space for both his hands to grip it comfortably. It had always been just a little off before, and now it seemed to have altered to suit Aurelian perfectly. The wrappings on the hilt also changed, becoming more full in appearance and possessing alternating black and red lines along the length of the material.
The crossguard altered as well, broadening the arms of the cruciform shape and adding runic whorls along their surface in silver text.
Additionally the blade itself shifted colours, going from a kind of enigmatic steel-ish grey to a dark shade close to obsidian. The edges of the blade altered slightly as well, with a bright scarlet at the outermost edges, ‘bleeding’ — ironically enough — back into a darker crimson toward the blade proper. The gradient was a little over a centimetre from the start of the crimson to the scarlet of the edge, and angled down and inward along the entire length of the blade in some vague assertion towards running blood or, if he looked at it carefully, sharpened fangs.
The fuller was the last piece to change, with a brilliant silver reaching up along the weapon from the crossguard and stopping at a tapered point a third of the way up the blade.
When it was done, Aurelian stared at the sword in stunned silence. It was ostentatious at best, and ludicrously impractical at worst. It was edgy, colour clashed, and even appeared slightly too wide to be properly wielded by anyone that wasn’t named after granite. The entire weapon gave off a vibe of something dark, wicked, and generally untrustworthy.
“I love it.” He said in an awed voice, before blinking at a new System prompt.
His eyes widened.
You have successfully bound Elys3̷̂̆͂4̸̦͈̇͘ñ̸̰̖̫̌̒ ̸̺̯̫̀̈́͛S̶̢͚̀͜#̶̯̱͜͠ù̸̲́̉1̷̣͖̐̌̅r̵̡͍̿3̸͓̇͋'̷̡͇͂͂$̴͉̏ ̸̠̄͐B̸̠̩͍̃7̷͓͍̪̐́4̴̮̈͒͌d̵̖̍̈́͋3̶̧͔͚̀
BLOODLINE DETECTED: ELYSEAN
TITLE DETECTED: ELYSEAN RECLAIMER
BLOODLINE SUPERSEDES OTHER BLOODLINES
TITLE SUPERSEDES ALL
SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS
STANDBY
. . .
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
Your Elysean Squire’s Blade has been Tempered into an Elysean Reclaimer’s Crest!
Your Elysean Reclaimer’s Crest has been bound to your Bloodline and Soulforce!
Your Elysean Reclaimer’s Crest has been upgraded to Epic!
Hidden Conditions met!
You have taken an important step along the path to Reclamation!
Achievement: An Ember Among Ashes
For successfully completing a milestone in your journey, you have been awarded the following:
1 x Soulforce Ignition Draught
1 x Skill Evolution Point
Your tale has deepened, Reclaimer!
Aurelian stared at the final lines of the massive wall of System prompting until he felt a weight in his right hand, and a transparent bottle appeared within it. The bottle itself was in line with the classic idea of a potion, with a flared out bottom and narrowed neck, though its material was far superior. It felt like a large piece of crystal in his hand, durable as much as it was beautiful, and etched with golden writing in a language he couldn’t hope to understand, though one that seemed somehow familiar. Without hesitating, and even with his new and improved weapon lying in his lap almost begging to be examined, he used Revelate on the item.
Name: Soulforce Ignition Draught
Type: Essence Draught
Rarity: Epic
Description: A draught used to awaken Soulforce within a denizen of the Prime Material. Made from highly concentrated and potent mana, this draught is a fundamental part of any would-be hero’s journey.
Revelate is now Level 2!
Aurelian’s eyes widened both at the level up and with the more he read, prompting him to let loose a low “wow” of surprise. That was… a big deal. He’d played enough games to recognise a ‘story quest’ reward when he saw one, and the most alarming thing of all was that it was not the first time said quest had been mentioned, indirectly or not. He had not failed to catch the previous instances of it, and something in his mind was telling him he was missing some fundamental pieces to the proverbial puzzle.
Someone had been interceding in his actualisation and development, but how they were doing it and to what end was… less clear. It was obvious he was being tasked with reviving or liberating something, and the ominous name of the Achievement he’d earned also made it seem quite likely that it had something to do with the ancient and forgotten Elysean race. What that involved, however, and what that meant… That was entirely something else.
Something he needed to solve sooner rather than later.
“I guess I should swill this draught, but first…”
His eyes turned immediately to his sword.
Revelate!
Name: Elysean Reclaimer’s Crest
Type: Elysean Runesword
Rarity: Epic
Tier: Aspirant
Description: A weapon of ancient myth and legend, the Elysean Runeswords were wielded by the most powerful Patricians of their society. Imbued with the Elysean mastery of runic choirs, and gifted with preternatural durability and sharpness; this weapon will regenerate even from being shattered so long as its wielder lives.
Effects: This blade can never be lost or stolen, and may be summoned back to your hand at the cost of 50 mana over the course of ten heartbeats.
Special Effects: Leech 10% of the damage you deal to enemies as Health, Mana, or Stamina. Preference may be configured once every 72 hours.
Revelate is now Level 3!
“Now that is an upgrade.” He said in an awed voice, trailing his eyes down along the lethal-looking weapon’s surface, and barely acknowledging the Revelate level up. The new effect was like a free health, mana, or stamina regeneration boost so long as he was effectively hitting things. He had no concept of what combat would be like outside of his own imagination, of course, but he knew an overpowered or absolutely broken weapon when he saw one, and his new runesword definitely qualified.
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The only thing he didn’t understand was why it was called a ‘crest’, but that was a mystery he could solve at another time. What occupied his immediate focus was the Soulforce elixir clutched in his right hand. Not only would it give him some sort of boost, but it would additionally grant him a container within which he could store water. Judging by what he felt of the bottle, it was also incredibly durable. Even on Earth crystal had been difficult to break. He could only imagine how strong it was in the Realms.
“Well then, I’ll just…” He stood up and carried his blade over to where the sheath still lay on the floor, delicately — even while knowing it was durable, he was scared to risk it — setting down the Soulforce elixir and picking up the sheath to slide his blade home. It went in without an issue, and as it did, the sheath itself changed; widening and lengthening to fit, and developing a pattern of inward facing red fangs from the top to the bottom of the sheath, facing toward the sword’s cruciform hilt.
“Well that’s cool, and not ominous at all.” He said with a shake of the head. The elixir was collected a moment later and he turned back to the bedroll, walking toward it and laying the sword down on the floor. “I have a feeling standing up is the opposite of what I want to do here.” He said wryly as he sank down and unrolled the bedroll, seating himself on top of it and lifting the stoppered elixir up to examine it.
Upon closer inspection of the bottle, he could see that the golden symbols appeared to be some sort of flowing script, circling around and twining across the bottle. It was difficult to parse what exactly it was saying, though he felt as if he should have had an inkling. It was like an itch in his mind the more he stared at it, begging him to remember something he didn’t realise he’d forgotten. A needle in his mind, stabbing down continuously—
A chime echoed within his mind, and then another.
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
You have met the requirements to unlock the skill Linguistics (UC)!
Linguistics allows you to study and learn new languages, interpreting and investigating the formulation and patterns inherent to their written and spoken forms, and building a more solid understanding of them through such action.
Read on, Reclaimer!
The moment he dismissed the notification for the unlocked skill, a second one imprinted itself on his vision. Two for one was… not bad. The skills themselves were also actually quite interesting, if he did say so himself.
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
You have met the requirements to unlock the skill Philology (R)!
Philology allows you to study ancient languages and scripts, interpreting and investigating the formulation and patterns inherent to their written and spoken forms, and building a more solid understanding of them through such action.
Time to find an Ancient Ruin, Reclaimer!
“...Huh.” He said quietly, dismissing the alerts and looking back at the bottle. “I guess I’ll have a crack at you after all is said and done then.”
Grinning at the bottle happily — he was actually enjoying the new skills, despite his distraction — while lowering it, Aurelian reached up and twisted the crystal stopper attached to the top, turning it on a thread and then pulling it out with a low pop of released pressure. For once he didn’t hesitate, and didn’t waste time with quips that soothed his anxiety. He tilted his head back, and drank down the entire shimmering liquid inside the bottle.
To his shock, it tasted like… cinnamon, chocolate, milk, strawberries, vanilla, and a host of other delicious things both all at once and distinctly one at a time. It was a kaleidoscope of flavours that almost gave him a sense of synesthesia in that he felt like he was tasting colours in the place of flavours. The same ones he’d seen for but a momentary flash in the lighting bolt — spear? Maybe it was a spear? — that brought him to the System.
Then it was done, and he lowered his head slowly in confusion.
“Huh… Did it not wor—?”
Aurelian fell backwards with a gurgle, his eyes rolling and body convulsing as liquid ice and fire roared abruptly through every vein of his body. He felt himself as if from far away, panicked and aware of his own seizure and helpless to do anything to stop it. The distilled mana traversed his body and every inch that it passed radiated the same feeling of ice and fire. It was as if his nerves were dying and being rekindled in the span of seconds.
He felt as if he was going through pins and needles across every inch of his skin from total lack of feeling to full sensation, all in a frozen tableau of pinioned agony that lifted his chest bodily from the ground. His heart thundered in his chest, his blood pumped audibly in his ears, and he feared for one awful and terrifying moment that surely, surely his organs would burst and his body would explode under the strain. Under the pressure.
It was like a giant hand gripping in its hold, pushing him down, squeezing him, and pulling him apart all at once. It was what he imagined the vacuum of space must surely feel like, with its endless pull, push, crush, and expand as it sought to obliterate all that was not hardy enough to resist the endless void.
His seizure lasted for a total of ten seconds, and yet each and every one felt like a full lifetime. He tasted blood on his tongue, and then it was gone. The wound on his hand wept blood, and then was perfectly sealed. He felt something eject from his pores, burning away from his flesh in a wretched, ungodly stench of putrefaction as he somehow purged unwanted toxins from his essentially newborn flesh.
Aurelian was blistered. He was frostbitten. He was smashed apart and unmade.
And then after ten seconds he sat up with a gasp, and tore his shirt off over his head to look down at his chest. Toward the sudden blooming of heat. The terrifying, wonderful heat. The centre of his being from his solar plexus to his sternum felt as if someone had doused the interior in gasoline and lit a match. He grit his teeth and spittle flew from between them, a wordless scream suppressed by force of will and action as he fought to not release what must surely be a stone-shattering shriek of agony.
Then at last, at long last, it was done.
The inferno quieted, and all that was left was an awareness.
A small and comforting flame burned within his chest, in a place he could not find. It crackled with fire and lightning, a nameless and formless storm of crimson power hidden within the core of his being. A place where no physical examination could possibly traverse.
He shivered at the feeling, and gasped in shock as a bolt of lightning impacted it.
A chime sounded across his mind.
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
You have successfully ignited your Soulforce!
Scanning for Mana Core Attunement…
Attunement Foun̶̗̝̉̕d̸͈͈̀̀̈́!
Attunement Fö̸̱́ǔ̷̳n̴͖̪̈́̿d̴̲͌́̓!
Attuneṃ̴̞̒͒͛ē̸̝͎̒n̴̟̪̍̿t̵͎̥̰͊ ̴̧̦̗̀͌͠F̸̝̑̀̒o̸̱̓ų̵̘̑n̵̫͎͠d̸̰͕̿!̵͕̺̂ͅ
Att̸̢͈̗̍u̶̧̙̻͂ṋ̶̜̑̄͛e̶̦̘̐m̷̧͊e̶̡͖͚͆̏͝n̷̳̮̓̉ṫ̵͕̝̐ ̸͇̜̒F̸͔̭̀̊ő̶̙̬̳͛ũ̶͓n̵̹̠͚̔d̷͔̹͋̌!̴̬̼̎̉
@̴̓ͅẗ̴̮̼́̉̀7̴̧̻̆͝ư̶͖̑n̶͚̩̋e̶̛̦͛̚m̶̫̽̕3̸̨̩͎̅̉̕n̵̮̟͐́!̷͚̯̋!̸̡̽ ̴̩̄F̴̯̻̀͛̍0̵̬̝̂̍͠/̴̧̪̝͐̆/̴͎̙̋)̷̣̬̪͛)̷̨̲̈
SOULFORCE IGNITION EXEMPTION LOCATED
ERROR
PREDETERMINATION DETECTED
SYSTEM OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS
STANDBY
. . .
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
You have unlocked a Cal̵̙͝ä̵̳́m̵̸̱̤͒̔ity Core!
This cor//̸̖̐̆̕͜º̴̪̀̌̊I̶̮͂̕͝â̶̪̍̿ê̸̞̪̞̈́́̌]̸͍̯̈́̚:̷̳̔̏̅῁̴̞̒̒ͅÿ̴̹͈͈́́B̵̨͇́͌͝€̷̘͛͠ì̶̝͐̄̒–̶̩͑͘Ñ̷̼̈̏͝Ì̸̳̗̜̏̋0̶̻̈́͝Ž̶͕͕̑̈"̶͙̈́̊̇¼̵͓̘̻̽̔]̷͙̊̑̀_̷̤̘͈́$̴͎͙͗̆ ̷̲͛͗͘æ̴̼̆̓º̵̢͊ṏ̷̺̹̳̚ṇ̵͙͕̉̋̈́¡̴̑ͅ6̶̲̺̂J̷̨͊͐î̵̠̗͑̇͠ö̴͚̠͌ˆ̸̛̦̭͖Ò̴̞̄̚͝ ̷̲̺̻͘ó̸̻̣̈͂•̵̠̹̈̈́́½̸͎̪̊͆͝ë̷͖̣̊ẹ̴́̈́̐™̴̨̢̍͑!̵̫̓̿s̶̡̛̘͚͌̊ó̶͉̟̽̐Ó̵̗̋͆̓´̴͔̫͂̾̒š̶̴͚͇̗͈̝̱͐̋́̂≮͔̣̮̀͠ó̵̢̅͗å̷̏͒͜ͅ¢̶̯̜̇̂͠ͅÛ̸͈̼͙̓̐̽é̷͈̥́͑Ó̵̧̥̥̓̓̌Ṏ̷̪́͑!̶̙̥̆9̶̯̂¶̴̩̥̭͌̀͐N̸̢̜̂͝à̷̗̥̓ø̸͉͆͒́ͅ}̶̭̝̯̅͛Î̶̗́̅͒ͅẆ̸̨̮͖̚7̶̗̿ª̴̬̹̀́͑͜%̷̹̯̠̌͋͑™̸͈͚̯͊Š̶͙͕̀̇¹̸̥̠̭̕ ̸̞͕͌̆̕-̴̯̠̃̔Œ̸̮̳̰͊̕~̶̻̳͆́͠…̸̴̢͖̟̐̃̿̃̍̓ͅ‡̵̱̚͝‡̷̱̄̏‡̶̪̼̿͜͝‡̴̖͉̰̂̉‡̴̭͆‡̵̼͘‡̵̹̙͕̈̇‡̸͇̈͑̋‡̵̖̻̘̿̓̐‡̶̲͖̍̂́0̶̭̳̩͌͌9̷͔͘͜/̵̧̟̙̾͋̀0̵͇̳̐̅͆4̴̧͍͐̚/̵̛͎͕͚͌1̴͙̝̆7̸̔̆̓͜‡̷͓̯͂͐‡̴̛̲͕̯̅̚‡̸̱̠̊‡̶̬̗͕̀͌‡̷͖͔̉̈́‡̶̲̮͕̔̚‡̴̰̽́̿‡̸̹̐‡̶̟̭̏͐̚‡̴̰̓̎‡̸̗̘̈͗‡̵̩̫́̂̚%̴̛͓̓Ç̸̯̾̂̐´̶͕́Ç̷̨̕Õ̸̢̹̺̂¢̸̢͙͒͠K̴̪̽̍+̴̨̲͑͋ͅ€̸̣͑̾ø̷̞͕̅́̏Ï̵̛̼̖͋͝ú̷̖͍̩̃͋̎Í̷͍͌́Ǫ̷̬̈̕͠ṳ̷̈̅̍͝„̸̡̛͕̽6̴̳̤̟̌̆̅Ų̷̘̞̂̈ˆ̵͙͇̥̌̈́̒‚̸̢̩͕̅͝é̷̯̟̔ã̴̻͛̕H̶̞̲̓ô̷͙̑Œ̸̧͓̝̒k̷̨̫̞͋̑͠/̸̟͔̋͘Ã̵̖̋̈̃~̸͉̎¦̶̫̎̎͠ï̵̻̲͕̊̈¿̷͉̰̲̈́̃.̵̻͕͍̂̊̿ȓ̴̖͔͛̈́‡̴͔̺̓Ñ̷̛̳͓̺͂«̶̠̋͘Ç̵̠͑͆͘æ̴̩͙̭̐̀̅…̴̗̎̿µ̵̦̠́<̴̻̟͆̿[̷̠͚͑̃̾ḑ̷͖͑̋I̴̶̢̧̫̤͔̙̔͂̕ü̶͕̲̒̉¸̵̝͎̈́̊ ̸̳̫̠̈́̿Ž̸͙̠̦̈́̈́À̴͍͎̓͑́—̴͍̮͂̀͝‹̷̡̖̲͊̌o̶̗̯̐m̶̯͍͝G̷͔̥͆͜·̴̩̩̭̇͊̈́h̴͈͊1̴̮̞͆͜å̶̲̀̄͌ë̸̲͌V̵̞͊͘k̶͚̞͖̑̓Ö̸̳́Æ̸͔͒•̷̜̓̿̊?̵̟͐(̸̣̊̾͠X̷̲͌”̴͍̦̘̈́̌ ̴̪̿͑µ̵̤̳̆̿Ž̸̢̩̬͑ḩ̷̡͇̈.̷͖̦͑͜¥̶̥͎̈́̒̈ç̴̖̳̽͒Ü̵̗͒̕Ü̴͚̲̰̔)̵̨͖͚̅̓͝Ü̷̙̤̟̒‘̶̤̣͊̎̏í̷͓̃͌̊p̶̙̦̈́͜˜̵̥̊̕Ř̶͕̙̖͛D̵̙̀̅͜“̵͔̯͛̋b̶̻͍͒ͅǘ̴̬̣͇͋͝b̵̙͌̅̐Í̵͎͗̐;̷̛̘̠̖̿̈Ç̸̠̼̆̚%̸͎̘̄͐>̶̙̀’̷̺̳̑j̴͉̔̿̇‚̸̛̟̀̊ì̵̤̕̚Ð̷͛̑͘͜M̵̩̙͙̾Å̷̷̢̭͓̜͑͒̒͘€̶̬̘̮̀_̶̺̦͖͋̓V̶͚̙̜̓n̷̙͍̮̑̐͆å̷̰̭̒̃ ̶͚̿̆ç̵̤̹̂ḩ̵̸̴̯͚̥͎̭̜̩̞͂̓̀͌͐ŏ̶̘͌́u̸̢̧̪͂͌#̷̦̃̒$̶̫͔̼͋̉7̴̘͍̘̌X̴̮̾×̸̭̼̾͐͝ô̸̪̬͊̾̐§̷͕̺͍͊̈́̕õ̷̰̃͆
M̵̟̋A̸͖͌K̸̤͛É̸͇ ̸̺̐T̸̥͑H̶̞͋E̴͚̓M̷̻̃ ̷̓͜P̶̢͊Ā̶̢Y̴͈̋,̴͙͊ ̵̰̅Ȓ̶̟E̵͊͜C̶̠͂L̵̰͠A̴̢̋I̷̼͊M̶̗̎E̸̝̋R̷͈̅!̸̼̓
LOCAL SYSTEM NODE E-717-95A HAS ENCOUNTERED A CRITICAL ERROR
PARSING LOCAL AUTHORITY THROUGH AVAILABLE NODAL HUB
REROUTING ENTITY DESIGNATION “RECLAIMER” TO FRESH NODE
SYSTEM ACCESS RESTORED
PROCEED AS YOU WERE, RECLAIMER
Aurelian stared at the terrifying jumble of System errors and corrupted text with all the appropriate heart-racing trepidation of someone that had just seen a god-like omnipotent intelligence have a fucking meltdown. He took a few moments to centre himself, and attempt to swallow the tidal wave of anxiety that threatened to consume him. First the System essentially defibrillated him with fire and ice, then it electrocuted him in addition to the usual ching noises… Aurelian glowered at thin air, staring at the where the message had forcefully removed itself from his vision.
“Calamity Core. That sounds completely normal and not terrifying at all.”
On instinct he triggered his Revelate skill, and thought of his Calamity Core.
“Shit—! Oh. Huh…” When the information was populated without error, he began to read.
Name: Calamity Core
Type: Mana Core
Rarity: Transcendent
Quality: Evolving
Description: A Calamity Core is a thing of myth and poorly written fables. It is a concept known only to the most eccentric, mad, and foolish of tale peddlers. It is the heart of an apocalypse, the deliverance of the damned. It is both Salvation and Destruction, and engulfs all who stand before it in the flames of its ire.
Revelate is now Level 4!
. . .
Revelate is now Level 9!
Aurelian was quiet for a very long time after reading the information, and barely even noticed the massive skill up for Revelate. The Calamity Core information was… a lot. Not least of all because he had a feeling that, whatever the System said, his core was definitely not a portent of apocalyptic devastation. He could barely wield a sword, let alone lay waste to civilisation. It sounded like something out of a bad wiki entry, filled in by conspiracy theorists and madmen as opposed to the logic engine he was used to.
“Let’s just… leave that for now.” He muttered darkly. “I’ll just look into Soulforce instead.”
With another mental flick he accessed his codex with an unfurling of pages within his vision, and then demanded to see information on Soulforce. Happily, the codex complied.
Name: Soulforce
Type: Energy
Description: Soulforce is the furnace upon which all lives are built. It is both an aspect of the System and its essence. Soulforce is an intangible and poorly understood power, one whose great mysteries and true powers were lost with the Ages. In modern times it is used solely as a means to access one’s Core for Tempering, and to allow for rudimentary empathetic capability.
“That was better, but still decidedly… unhelpful.” He muttered to himself as he read over the entry again. “Looks like it’s another standard piece of knowledge the Codex provides. That’s helpful.” He folded his arms ponderously as he read over the words again, willing them to sink in more fully. “So Soulforce is like my power of, what, will? And mana would be my power of… Ugh, no, this is too confusing.” He swiped a hand to dismiss the entry. He could worry about the science behind magical forces another time. What he wanted was to find and kill some rats, or maybe a few boars, or some gnolls and a giant radroach or two. That sounded like a great idea.
“Okay, let’s see where we’re at first off.” He said as he tried to put the most recent events out of his mind. Wise? Perhaps not. Helpful for his anxiety? Immensely. Dark and scary uncertainties pushed aside, he reached out and with a poignant desire pulled up his character sheet, and focused on that instead. It was a means through which he could find some form of healthy distraction, and on top of which a good measurement for whether or not he was ready to brave the ever-alluring call of the door and venture out into the world.
He couldn’t be a storeroom hermit forever.
Name: Aurelian Lucis Imperius
Temper: Untempered (Purified Beginner)
Core: Calamity Core (Ignition Stage)
Level: 2 | Race: Elysean (L) | Origin: Nephilim (L) | Gender: Male | Zodiac: Dragon (L)
Health: 140 | Mana: 57 | Stamina: 62
STR: 20 | AGI: 8 | DEX: 14 | VIT: 14 | END: 16 | INT: 14 | PER: 11 | WIL: 15 | CHA: 8
Mind Skills: Revelate (E) 9 | Linguistics (UC) 1 | Philology (R) 1
Body Skills: Pain Tolerance (UC) 9 | Longsword Mastery (C) 9
No Spirit Skills
Titles: Elysean Reclaimer (U)
0% to Level 3
You have 1 Skill Point Available!
You have 1 Skill Evolution Point Available!
“Skill Evolution…” He murmured as he read over his sheet and frowning in thought. He had a feeling that was a very rare thing to be granted, especially given the way he received it, and though he was tempted to put it into Longsword Mastery, he realised that it was probably not a good idea. He had no idea what the result would be first of all, and secondly he had no clue as to what other skills he might acquire in the coming hours.
“Okay, Aurelian, it’s time to prove your name.” He said to himself sternly and pushed up off the floor, dusting off his pants — despite sitting on the perfectly clean bedroll — and picking up his sword. He hesitated for a moment, then noticed the sheath had grown a sword belt. Miracle of miracles.
He strapped it around his chest and buckled it firmly on the front, keeping his sword on his back for easier access and (hopefully) a less cumbersome draw. He’d need to practise that, but even with his skill only at level 9, something inside of him felt confident he could make it work. Next he collected the empty elixir bottle, stoppered it, and placed it into his satchel. That promptly was looped over his neck to rest on his right hip, and his bedroll was quickly rolled up and tied, with the accompanying straps on its outside slotted over his shoulders until the bedroll sat comfortably against his sheath.
It was a stupid fool that assumed they could easily return for all their things, and an even bigger one that didn’t take everything they owned with them if they had the ability to. With his increased strength and endurance, his meagre possessions were barely a footnote on his body.
Everything done, he turned to face the door and took a steadying breath.
When he approached the knob and reached out his hand, he felt a flash of something spark between the door and his sword, and he heard a distinctive, deep noise of something heavy unlocking. Raising an eyebrow at that, he glanced at his sword hilt over his shoulder, and placed his right hand on it while gripping the massive knob with his left.
“No more regrets.” He promised himself as his fingers tightened. “New life, new me.”
Cassandra. Mum. Dad. I love you all. I promise, I won’t waste this second chance.
Aurelian opened the door, and stepped through to the world beyond.