“...Huh.” he intoned quietly while 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.”
Peering at the bottle with wary interest—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 swallowed the entire shimmering liquid within 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 yet distinctly one at a time. It was a kaleidoscope of flavours that almost gave him a sense of synaesthesia in that he felt like he was tasting colours in the place of flavours. The same ones, in fact, which he’d seen for but a momentary flash in the lightning bolt—spear? Maybe it was a spear?—which had 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 sudden gurgle, his eyes rolling and body convulsing as liquid ice and fire exploded to life within every vein, artery, and blood vessel 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 liquid traversed his body against all logical anatomical sense, 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 a span of seconds.
He felt as if he was going through pins and needles across every inch of his skin, vacillating from total lack of feeling to full sensation, and all in a frozen tableau of pinioned agony that lifted his torso 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.
The pressure was beyond anything he could adequately describe, though his mind tried to make sense of it with rudimentary definitions.
He thought of it like a giant hand holding him in its grip, 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 pulling, pushing, crushing, and expansion as it sought to obliterate all matter not solid enough to resist the endless void.
Aurelian’s seizure lasted for a total of ten seconds, and yet each and every one felt like a contained lifetime. He tasted blood on his tongue one moment, and then in the next it was gone. The wound on his hand wept blood, and then was perfectly sealed. He felt something eject from his pores, before bubbling and boiling 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 eternal, agonising seconds he sat up with a gasp and pulled his shirt off over his head to look down at his chest, to gaze at a suddenly blooming heat.
Terrifying, and yet 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 when he hissed in a wordless scream, suppressed by force of will and action as he fought to not release what must have surely been 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.
Aurelian took the time to simply breathe and feel, and let himself settle.
A small and comforting flame burned within his chest, in a place he could not find with conscious thought. 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 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, Arcturus 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
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
REROUTING 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 chiming noises…
Aurelian glowered at thin air while glowering 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
Quality: Transcendent
Tier: Novice
Requirement: Nephilim
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.
Effects: Take up the blade, and sever that which must be unmade.
Special Effects: Defy dominion, and let no shackle constrain your path.
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 civilization. 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.
To say nothing of the waxing philosophical Effects and Special Effects.
“Let’s just, uh, leave that alone for now.” he muttered darkly. “I’ll just look into Soulforce instead.”
With another mental flick he accessed his Codex with an unfurling of visualised 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 only within the known capabilities of the energy’s most basic functions, and to allow for varying levels of spatial and empathetic capability.
“That was better, but still decidedly… unhelpful.” he muttered to himself while 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, and willed 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 needlessly 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.
Well, actually, maybe not the fucking radroaches.
“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 (Novice)
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
No Traits
Titles: Elysean Reclaimer (U)
Languages: Common | Elysean | Draconic
0% to Level 3
You have 1 Skill Point Available!
You have 1 Skill Evolution Point Available!
“Skill Evolution…” he repeated curiously as he read over his sheet and frowned 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, and 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 personal preference and, well, aesthetics. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he cared about those. If he was going to be some sort of hero, he might as well look the part.
It was not an ideal sheath position, but he wanted to get used to it nonetheless.
He’d need to practise drawing it often, but even with his skill only at level 9, something inside of him felt confident he could make it work. With the sword settled, Aurelian next collected the empty elixir bottle, stoppered it, and placed it into his Vrelken Hide Satchel.
That was then promptly 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 the outside of 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.
He’d been camping and hiking enough times to be used to far more cumbersome items.
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 the distinctive and gear-like 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 when his fingers tightened. “New life, new me.”
Cassandra. Mum. Dad. I love you all. I promise, I won’t waste this second chance. When I find out how, I’ll come see you all again. There’s no such thing as a one-way portal, after all. I believe that.
Resolve flourished in his mind, and that quiet resolution steeled his spine.
Aurelian opened the door and stepped through into the world beyond.