Skill Evolution Point consumed!
Iron Will (R) Evolution request identified!
Processing . . .
Legendary rank Mana corrosion detected proliferating skill architecture.
WARNING: Skill stability at critical levels!
Mana corrosion will be harvested for skill reparations.
Zodiac Detected: Dragon!
Zodiac and Mana have found Synergy!
Recalibrating Skill Evolution . . .
Recalibration complete!
Iron Will (R) is now Evolving!
Aurelian had no breath or voice left to cry out with, and he felt his back crash into the granite as he shook under the sudden buoyancy of revitalising System energy. Warmth and relief suffused him in a rush of power, and he felt tears of relief erupt from rapidly healing eyes as the unaspected surge of mana did its work to alleviate his suffering.
Within the messy and undefined framework of his ignited core, the threads of interwoven lightning he recognised as Iron Will began to shift and change. They took on a more solid and definitive tint, like hardening threads of gold. Connections were broken and new ones forged as a latticework of power rewrote the very nature of his Iron Will, and he slowly felt himself coming into his own self again.
His breaking mind soothed. His screaming soul dropped to a pained wail. His spasming body reduced to a suffering shudder. Agony gripped him, but compared to the deconstruction he had experienced only moments earlier, it was a striking relief. His awareness slowly shifted back as he was able to focus, and he drilled down to his Root Chakra, where even as he watched the prismatic tide of mana was forcing apart the knots that comprised the blockage.
Come on… He willed it fiercely. Just let go!
The knot started to restrict once more, and Aurelian acted.
Throwing all caution to the wind, he mentally ‘reached’ out and thrust his hands and feet against the large Chakra root that sought to re-entangle the entire mess, and stopped it dead with his force of will. A growl of Intent built in his inner self, his Soulforce flickered and then blazed to activity, and he found it in himself to roar his demand for compliance at the rebellious Chakra.
And then, at last, the break.
Prismatic mana erupted through the final strings of the knot and the entire thing unwound with a suddenness that left Aurelian reeling. In the same moment the pain, nausea, and constriction within his abdomen vanished — and a pain, a stiffness and illness he’d never realised he’d been carrying seemed to just… vanish.
Mana roared through the suddenly cleared channel, and he felt it buoying his body with revitalising energy like the unleashed dam of a starving river. Every inch of him tingled, and when he took his awareness to his core; he saw that some of the interior elements of the storm had hardened in a way that was difficult to properly articulate. It felt like it had become less of a boiling mass of energy and more solid in a subtle and comprehension-defying manner.
He resolved to ask Tarixi and Bael’tharax about it and turned back to his mana channels. What he ‘saw’ there took his proverbial breath away.
His Root Chakra had taken on the form of a massive, beautiful white gateway. It spanned the imagined entirety of his beginning and central mana channel along the highway through the Chakras, and was marked by pristine white stone that seemed to flicker and dance with prismatic colour variance without detracting at all from the white hue of its construction. Mana flowed through it at an accelerated rate, and he saw as much as felt a sluice that filtered through and dragged the mana for pollutants, before obliterating them with flashes of energy.
It felt so good. So natural. So powerful.
So deceptively and confusingly normal.
A sudden pressure on his body caused Aurelian to start and he snapped back to his waking self, staring up at the ceiling and—there was no ceiling. Instead all that lurked above him was the massive, blazing golden eye of Bael’tharax watching him with rapt attention. Aurelian found that instead of being afraid, however, he felt… comfortable. Reassured. Protected. It was an incredibly alien feeling to have for a reptile that could obliterate you with a sneeze, and yet… feel it he did.
Bael’tharax’s presence washed over him, and Aurelian felt safe.
“What happened?” Tarixi demanded from where she hovered beside him, the Echo’s own appearance a mix of bewilderment, anger, trepidation, and open curiosity.
“I’m not sure…” Aurelian admitted while lifting his shaking hands to stare at them, and turn them over slowly. “It felt like the mana was way, way more potent than you explained it would be. It felt like it was tearing me to shreds. I had to use a Skill Evolution Point on my Iron Will just to—wait!”
Before either of them could ask their questions, Aurelian looked at his notifications.
He had missed the chime entirely, but the notification bloomed into his mind like it had been waiting.
Skill Evolution complete!
Skill integrity repairs complete!
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
Your Iron Will (R) skill has evolved to Dragon’s Resolve (E)!
Dragons are the greatest and most powerful of magical creatures within the Prime Material. Theirs has been the role of the apex predator with only few challenges for as long as there have been the Realms. Yours is a soul touched by the Dragon King, and so your resolve shall be as unyielding as his obsidian scales. Let none doubt the mettle of your will, for they shall themselves be found wanting.
Yours is the unbreakable will of the Dragon, Reclaimer!
Dragon’s Resolve (E) has been reset to Level 1!
Dragon’s Resolve is now Level 2!
Dragon’s Resolve is now Level 3!
Willpower has risen to 67!
. . .
Willpower has risen to 70!
Mana Control is now Level 21!
. . .
Mana Control is now Level 24!
Congratulations, Aurelian Lucis Imperius!
Hidden conditions met!
You have managed to unlock your first Chakra after less than a week in the Realms!
Achievement: A Prodigious Zen
For successfully achieving greater harmony in record time, you have received the following:
Title: Mana Savant
1 x Epic Spirit Essence Draught
1 x Armour Tier Upgrade Gem
Aurelian read over the deluge of alerts in stunned silence and with no small amount of twitching and wincing as his stiff muscles slowly relaxed, and his doubled health regeneration did work to repair the damage done to his body by the unexpected series of events that had just swept over him. His eyes refocused on the world around him and he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position with a small wince. His right hand rose and rubbed at the back of his neck while he tilted his head from right to left to work out the tension, and only stopped when Tarixi spoke.
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“Well?” She asked with a hint of frustration. “What was the big shock?”
Aurelian looked at her for a moment, and then grinned abruptly.
Without answering her he instead removed his hand from his neck, extended his palms, and accepted the rewards offered by the achievement. They appeared in his hands with a flare of system energy, and Aurelian lifted them up for both Tarixi and Bael’tharax to see. “I scored a new skill, a new title, and unlocked my Root Chakra. How do you like them apples?”
“I SEE NONE OF THE APPLES OF WHICH YOU SPEAK, RECLAIMER.”
Aurelian opened his mouth to respond, and then went silent. Either the old dragon was being sincere, or he was poking fun again, and either way there was no way that Aurelian was going to take the risk he was being played by the wily old lizard. Bael’tharax was entirely too smug each time he successfully pulled off another hoodwink. Instead he pulled up his new title and read it over while the pair of ancients examined his loot.
Name: Mana Savant
Type: Title
Rarity: Epic
Description: Awarded to those that complete a feat of true significance in the pursuit of mastering their control over mana and magic.
Effects: +25% Mana Pool and +10% Spirit Skill Experience Gain.
Aurelian whistled low in appreciation and projected the title to Tarixi and Bael’tharax after he did in a pre-empting of their curiosity, while simultaneously pulling up his character sheet to review the changes. To his immense credit, he only smiled a little when Tarixi cursed under her breath and muttered sourly about Nephilim. For all that she needed him to grow stronger, the advantages his origins offered seemed to vex her to no end.
Name: Aurelian Lucis Imperius
Temper: Untempered (Purified Novitiate)
Core: Calamity Core (Ignition Stage)
Level: 18 | Race: Elysean (L) | Origin: Nephilim (L) | Gender: Male | Zodiac: Dragon (L)
Health: 570 | Mana: 237 | Stamina: 150
STR: 59 | AGI: 48 | DEX: 45 | VIT: 57 | END: 31 | INT: 40 | PER: 23 | WIL: 70 | CHA: 22
Mind Skills: Revelate (E) 9 | Linguistics (UC) 1 | Philology (R) 5 | Exploration (UC) 6 | Investigation (UC) 6 | Dragon’s Resolve (E) 3 | Tactician (R) 9 | Deception (UC) 3
Body Skills: Pain Tolerance (UC) 23 | Longsword Mastery (C) 23 | Running (C) 19 | Dodge (C) 20 | Durable (UC) 18 | Brawling (C) 16 | Fire Resistance (UC) 11 | Lightning Resistance 8 (UC) | Ice Resistance 5 (UC) | Breath Control (UC) 12 | Acrobatics (UC) 9
Spirit Skills: Mana Control (R) 24 | Firebolt (UC) 14 | Shockbolt (UC) 8
Traits: Fast Learner (E)
Titles: Elysean Reclaimer (U) | Survivor (R) | Mana Savant (E)
Languages: Draconic
62% to Level 19
You have 18 Skill Points Available!
You have 2 Skill Evolution Points Available!
“An epic draught and an upgrade gem…” Tarixi said with clear disbelief while eyeing the items in his hands. “That is…” She reached up to pull at her floppy ears with a grimace. “Nephilim. I will never grow used to this. You upend everything I know—knew—to be true! It is maddening!” She sighed. “Yet I fear even that may not be enough for what is coming. May I see your—? Ah, thank you.”
Aurelian had projected his sheet to her the moment she’d started to ask, and was instead watching Bael’tharax for his reaction, having projected his sheet to the big dragon as well. Unlike Tarixi however there was no exclamation of surprise from the dragon king, only a vibrating huff of what sounded like amusement mixed with approval, and then his eye refocused on Aurelian directly.
“DRAGON’S RESOLVE. AN INTERESTING ATTAINMENT.”
“The System seems to believe that it was the saturation of your mana in my body that caused that particular evolution. Something about synergistic capability with my zodiac. It’s an awesome ability name, though it sucks that it went back to a low level.”
“SUCH INTERACTIONS ARE NOT UNHEARD OF, OR AT LEAST WERE NOT UNHEARD OF WHEN ELYSEA’S POWER WAS AT ITS PEAK. THE DRAGON ZODIAC WAS, QUITE APPROPRIATELY, A REVERED AND HEAVILY-DESIRED SIGN TO BE BORN WITH, AND MANY WERE THOSE THAT CREATED A LEGEND OFF THE BACK OF ITS GLORY.” The Dragon lowered his head fractionally to peer more closely at Aurelian and chuffed a sound of amusement amid another rumbling chuckle. “AS FOR THE LEVEL RESET, THAT IS QUITE NORMAL WITH A SKILL EVOLUTION. IT WILL START AGAIN BECAUSE IT IS IN ESSENCE NEW, NOT MERELY UPGRADED. THE NEW SKILL, HOWEVER, WILL BE MORE EFFECTIVE AT LEVEL ONE THAN THE PREVIOUS SKILL WAS AT ITS HEIGHT. THAT IS PART OF THE SYSTEM’S BALANCE.”
Aurelian smiled at the old dragon’s words, relieved that his tried and true willpower shield hadn’t become worthless by his own hand. He also decided not to point out the implicit bias in Bael’tharax’s retelling of the zodiac’s history, nor call into question the objectivity of his memory of history. It was one thing to poke fun at the ancient creature, and another entirely to antagonise him over his clear pride in his species. For all that Bael’tharax radiated warm security like a sun’s worth of warmth, Aurelian had no doubt that if he pushed too far, the dragon might very well sour to him and that would not only be sad, but it would be life-threatening.
“This is not the Empire at its height though,” Tarixi said on the tail end of Bael’tharax’s initial words, “and it is no mere skill. It is your skill, Bael’tharax. The boy has managed to develop your willpower Skill, albeit in its lesser incarnation.”
“Lesser incarnation?” Aurelian asked when Tarixi finished speaking.
“Yes. Bael’tharax’s skill is called Dragon King’s Conviction. It's a Unique skill, as are most of his skills at his level. As I said, he is much more than he appears during his childish acts of mischief.”
Aurelian blinked at Tarixi with ignited interest, and then looked up to Bael’tharax. “Would I be able to see your—?”
“NO.”
“No.”
Both Bael’tharax and Tarixi spoke at the same time, but it was the goblin that elaborated.
“Bael’tharax’s ‘sheet’ as you call it has items upon it that are forbidden for others to see by the System. Attempting to show you could work, as you are Nephilim… it could also obliterate your psyche. It is simply not worth the risk.”
“The System has redacted his sheet?” Aurelian asked with a surge of shock.
“The Dragon King is a singular existence, Aurelian. It is not just a title, it is a Title, a Trait, and a Race all in one. It is… extensively convoluted and complicated, and not even Bael’tharax could elucidate on it any more than I already have, and I have given you the absolute limit of my own knowledge as well.”
Aurelian frowned at Tarixi’s words and then turned to Bael’tharax silently for confirmation. In response the dragon king merely dipped his colossal head slightly in a nod.
“That’s wild.” Aurelian said with a shake of the head. “Absolutely wild. Cool though.” His curiosity hated it however, and he knew it would bother him. “Maybe one day, huh?”
“PERHAPS IF YOU SHOULD SUCCEED IN BECOMING A TRUE CALAMITY, RECLAIMER, THE KNOWLEDGE WILL BE YOURS TO DIVINE.”
“A true calamity, huh?” Aurelian asked with a wry smile. “That doesn’t seem too good for everyone else, or myself, out of context. I think I get your meaning, though. I need to Cultivate this big storm of energy inside me. I’m guessing that there are probably stages of development for a core in the Realms?”
“Indeed!” Tarixi said as if happy to be asked a question she could answer. “Your current stage is what is called the Ignition stage, where a core is freshly formed. Usually this happens when a child reaches ten and the System acknowledges them, but in your case I suppose you are only a few days old, technically, even if your soul is older.”
“Weird to think about, but that makes sense.” Aurelian said with a nod. “And the other stages?”
“The next stage is Constitution, when you form your core into a shell to house your power and Soulforce. The stage after that is Inscription, which is when you begin to etch your skills onto your core’s exterior and allow them to spread within your core space. The stage after that is called Awakening, where you bring your core space to life and begin to visualise its appearance, not unlike crafting your own sanctuary within yourself. Then after that… Well, that is best left for when you reach Awakening. It will… change your options. I cannot say more, or else I will harm your growth.” She lifted her hands to forestall the objection he had already opened his mouth to make, and Aurelian subsided to let her say her piece.
“I am not trying to hold back anything, Aurelian, but only to protect you. Truly. It is dangerous to let someone dwell too much on the advanced stages, lest they subconsciously choose a path that may not be in their interest.” She frowned as if the idea of that was truly dangerous to consider. “It is better to let you wait, and choose when the time comes free of bias or external pressure. I promise.”
Aurelian watched her still for a count of three, and then eventually nodded in acceptance. He wanted to know more, and there was still an issue of trust present, but he could tell — somehow — that the Echo was being one hundred percent truthful, or at least, her intentions were not to deceive him. That would have to suffice for the immediate. Instead he looked at the prizes in his hand, and then to the pair nearby.
“So, what’s next? Because this gem seems to think it can make armour better, and I definitely saw an Armoury option in my system menu.”
Tarixi glanced at Bael’tharax and then back at Aurelian, and her lips firmed into a look of resolve. “That would be a worthwhile avenue of investigation, Aurelian, but first we three must speak on something important.”
“Alright…” He said while looking between Tarixi and Bael’tharax. The entire mood had shifted with extreme suddenness, and Aurelian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. There was a… tension to both his companions, and something in his gut twisted for a moment in worry — at least until Dragon’s Resolve kicked in, and he felt himself relax into the calm embrace of reasoned analysis. The anxiety was still there, but it was muted and removed. It didn’t have any further impact on his decision making. “What’s the problem?”
“It is not so much a problem, Aurelian, as it is a question you must answer.” Tarixi said with no hint of obfuscation on her face, only quiet and focused intensity. “And one that will have consequences, though we know not whether it will be for good or ill.”
“Okay…” He said warily. “So what’s the question?”
Tarixi peered at him for a moment, and then turned to Bael’tharax.
Aurelian followed her gaze, and found the ancient dragon’s head lowering to look directly at him.
“AURELIAN LUCIS IMPERIUS. RECLAIMER,” Bael’tharax rumbled with a solemn and serious tone Aurelian had never heard from him before, “WOULD YOU ACCEPT THE BURDEN, AND AGREE TO BECOME A DRAGON’S RIDER?”