Chapter 19 – Setting the Board

The eye watering heat of the forge hit Aenon as he exit the soul realm of the former daggers. He removed his hand and took a step back as Borin immediately picked up the ingots and started examining them closely. Aenon was unsure how long he was inside the soul space, but the dwarf had barely moved from his spot. He started making some notes and marking the now cold pieces of metal, completely oblivious to the outside world. There was a System notification demanding his attention, but he chose to ignore it for now.

Seeing that he was not needed, Aenon started to leave when he remembered something. He pulled up his inventory and withdrew the Black Marble he had gotten some time ago. The unassuming thing had not reacted to his mana sense at that time. But he hadn’t tried his soul sense then, as he had assumed it was not a living object. But after learning about soul ores, he had a hunch. He focused on the cold surface, and before he knew it, he was back in another soul space. It too was pure white, and he was not sure how large it was. He wanted to explore further but decided it could wait till after he got back. But when he opened his eyes back in the real world, Borin was standing in his face.

“Where the bloody hell ya get that?” he asked while his gaze didn’t budge an inch away from the marble. Even when Aenon moved his hands around, he never looked away from the thing, as though he was afraid it would melt into thin air if he did.

“It was a System reward,” Aenon said flatly.

“Well, do ya want me to use it in the daggers?” he asked while finally turning to look at Aenon.

“I thought it already has soul ore in it?” Aenon asked.

“Bah. That be a smidgen compared to the lump you got here. I had something real nice planned, but if I can use that then the outcome will be much better,” the dwarf said in a gleeful tone.

“Is there anything else I could do with it?” he asked with some thought. The System prompt from his stalker mentioned it had several uses.

“Sure. Could make an enchantment quill, but ya don’t look like an enchanter to me,” the dwarf said. He stroked his beard with a thoughtful look before continuing, “There be one more thing ya could try. Soul ring.”

“Soul ring?” Aenon asked with confusion.

“Uh huh. Wee little ring that will help ya fend off attacks from other soul mages, or hexes designed to target your soul. Pretty popular artifact amongst the bloody nobles, cause they the only ones who can afford one. That little bead you got there will cost enough to buy this whole town,” Borin replied while crossing his arms.

It was then that Aenon realized why he was rewarded with this. If he had such a defense, then he would have been better prepared against the attack from the crown prince.

“Let’s go with the ring then” Aenon said with a nod as he handed over the marble.

“Got it,” the dwarf replied crisply and turned away towards the forge.

Aenon decided to leave the shop to let him focus on the projects. He surreptitiously left the building and took to the streets. He attracted a lot of unwanted attention as he moved across town, but he ignored all of it and just kept walking at a brisk pace. The thought of finally leaving the city for his next mission was the only thing pushing him ahead.

He entered the city palace and made a beeline for his office. A servant stood by the door, to whom he handed a few instructions, before he entered the room and collapsed on his chair. Bane emerged from his shadow and sat next to him.

“What is bothering you, Alpha?” he asked with concern.

“I am not used to interacting with these many people, Bane. But it’s nothing to worry about,” Aenon dispelled the wolf’s concerns and closed his eyes. He just lay there enjoying the silence when he heard a knock on the door.

“The people you requested are here, my liege,” Henry announced from outside.

“Enter,” Aenon said while sitting up straight.

Eight people entered the room and bowed. Front and center was Eryndor, who was back to his former health. The only thing missing from the imposing man was the confidence he once sported in Aenon’s presence. He instead looked hesitant and seemed to want to be anywhere but here. Right by his side was Agatha, who was furtively glancing at her immediate boss with nervousness. Eskad’s party stood behind the two guild leaders while Henry walked up and stood beside Aenon. Jenny was the last person to enter, but unlike last time she looked like she belonged in this meeting.

“Have a seat,” Aenon commanded at the empty chairs. Once everyone was seated, Eryndor was the first person to speak up.

“Before we begin, I’d like to apologize for my prior behavior,” he said with a formal bow.

“Apology accepted,” Aenon replied with a nod. The man probably had other things he wanted to say but Aenon continued, “Now, moving on to the main topics of this meeting. I have some missions for you all. Things that we need to accomplish before the tutorial phase ends. It all boils down to three things. One, we need to level up as quickly and as much as we possibly can. Two, we need to secure our surrounding areas. This includes getting the dungeons under control and rooting out any foreign threats. And finally, we need to scout out the wider world to see where we stand. This would include setting up a base at Arrowdeep.”

“We understand that, sire. We have been working towards that for a while now. But it is not an easy task,” Agatha said politely. Aenon observed her soul, which she had not cloaked, and saw that she was being overtly cautious with her words. He wasn’t sure what she and Jenny discussed, but there was a wild mix of fear, curiosity, and even wonder coming off her.

“Yes. Which is why I feel it is time to switch gears,” Aenon said as he put forth a bunch of sealed envelopes on the table. “These are your instructions for what you will be doing for the next two months. Eskad, you and your party will be going to the forest south of Reality’s Edge with Jenny to clear it up. You will get help when you get there, but under no circumstances should you take anyone with you. The portal to the village will be heavily regulated. And anyone foolish enough to try going there without my approval will regret it dearly.”

Aenon had given Nocthrya a strict list of people who were allowed to go to Reality’s Edge. Anyone else was to be swiftly dealt with. The fewer people that knew about the World Tree and Bella, the better.

“The guild will be responsible for scouting out the dungeon south of Neverhelm. If possible, clear it so we don’t have another dungeon break on our hands,” he said while looking at Eryndor.

“Yes, sire,” Eryndor replied formally.

“As soon as Eskad has cleared the way, you are to setup a protected route to the goblin dungeon there. Coordinate with the noble houses and make the arrangements. Remember, the priority is to increase our average levels. I will not tolerate any price gouging for entry or things like that. I don’t mind them earning from it, but if I even see a hint of abuse, they will be answerable to me,” Aenon instructed Henry.

“It will be done, sire,” Henry too replied with a deep bow.

“Bane, you and the wolves are to clear out Neverhelm. If the task proves difficult, get help from the guild, but I feel you can handle it. Those will be your hunting grounds for the time being. I need the entire pack close to level 100 by the month end.”

“Understood, Alpha,” Bane replied calmly. Although Aenon could sense him and the wolves getting excited at the prospect of gaining power and hunting in unknown lands.

“What I have just told you are just the general instructions. The sealed letters have additional details. You are to open them when you are alone. The System quest will update when you do. With that, you may ask any questions about your respective missions now,” Aenon said as he regarded each person at the table.

“I have one. What about you?” Jenny asked with a raised hand.

“I will be tackling the Fire Ant dungeon,” Aenon replied. The people in the room had various degrees of shock and concern written all over their faces.

“With all due respect sire, that dungeon needs a full raid group. Hive minded creatures are a scourge that many worlds have fallen to. We do not question your power, but it is ill advised to do it alone. At the very least you will need a healer,” Henry was the first one to speak up.

“Your concerns are noted,” Aenon replied. It was obvious no one was convinced, but he ignored them. “Now, if no one has any questions about their missions, then I would ask everyone except Agatha to get going.”

Aenon felt everyone holding themselves back from saying anything further as they each got up and left the room. Finally, it was just him and Agatha in the room.

“I hope you had enough time to think about what I asked,” Aenon asked the older woman.

“Yes, I did,” she replied but paused in hesitation. “But I have a few questions before I give my answer.”

“Sure, go ahead. I will answer them, if I feel it is necessary,” Aenon replied as he leaned back into his chair. The woman hesitated as a plethora of emotions ran through her soul.

“Why do you insist on going solo on such dangerous missions? Even the first time we met, you were coming out after a near suicidal mission,” she asked with a frown.

“I work best when alone,” Aenon replied simply. He didn’t feel like elaborating on that, which upset the green haired woman, but she decided to move on.

“Many people have hinted at this, including Eskad. Are you truly not a noble?” Agatha asked.

“What do you think?” Aenon asked while showing a mischievous smile on his mask.

“You are not really answering my questions,” Agatha asked in a frustrated voice.

“Alright then. Let me ask you this. Why did you lie about the arbiter?” Aenon asked while interlacing his fingers.

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“What do you mean?” Agatha countered, but it was obvious from her body language that she was nervous.

“I mean the lie about there being a new arbiter that only you have met. There is no arbiter at all, is there?” he asked with a shrug.

“How… how did you know about that?” she asked in a guarded tone.

“To be honest, I didn’t. I only had a hunch, but you just confirmed it,” Aenon said with a smile. “What I am getting at is that everyone is entitled to their secrets, don’t you think?”

“Sigh. Fair enough,” she relented on wanting to know his secrets. But she continued asking questions about other things, “Then at least tell me this. How are you so confident that you will survive against such ridiculous powers? The list of enemies you dropped on me last time, I know fairly powerful kingdoms who would break under the pressure, my former family included.”

“I am not. There is a very real possibility that we will all die within an hour of the tutorial phase ending,” Aenon said. His reply stunned the assistant guild leader who continued to flounder around for words. So, he continued, “Have you heard of chess? It’s a board game of wits between two players.”

“I… I have heard about it,” she replied in confusion.

“Do you forfeit the game before it begins just because they are smarter than you?” he asked.

“Well, no. But this is hardly that. If we are to compare, it would be like you playing an opponent who has all their pieces, while you only have your king,” Agatha said in frustration.

“It is, isn’t it?” Aenon replied with a chuckle.

“See, that is what I mean. How can you laugh at something like this?”

“Because of the way you put it. My enemies have a full board, while I stand alone. Doesn’t that make my next move obvious,” he said humorously. “I find my own pieces and set up my board.”

Agatha’s eyes opened wide when she finally realized that everything that Aenon had been doing so far, none of it had been without purpose. She didn’t know about all the specifics, like his attempt at setting up a domain. But she knew enough to finally start to look at the broader picture.

“Although, there are a few key differences between me and them. They go for quantity, whereas I focus on quality. There are no pawns on my side of the board, Agatha. No one is expendable to me. And unlike them, I won’t be giving commands from the backlines. I will be leading the charge. Which is why I need to be the strongest piece there is,” Aenon concluded, letting her digest the facts.

The room stayed silent for a while as Agatha continued sorting through her feelings on the matter. There were still hints of uncertainty within her, but they were starting to die down. Yet, it never truly left her. It was like she was hung up on something, a past trauma perhaps.

“I’ll meet the girl and see what I can do,” Agatha finally replied.

Aenon noticed that she buried her doubts deep within her, instead of resolving them. But he decided not to comment on that. He would address it later when he had the time. Right now, he had too many things to deal with.

“Good. Here are your instructions,” Aenon said while he withdrew another envelope from his inventory. “I might be out of reach for the foreseeable future, so rely on this.”

“Very well, Lord Ashryn. I will look forward to our next meeting,” she got up with a bow and left the room.

Aenon stared at the retreating woman in silent contemplation. Her soul was fascinating, and unlike any other he had seen. The closest thing that he could compare her to was Anna. Both had rigid chains within them. But while Anna had obvious foreign influence, Agatha’s restrictions looked self-inflicted. It was like she was afraid of her own power for some reason. He would perhaps get to the bottom of it one day, but for now he had bigger fish to fry.

Of all the pieces he had set in motion, the one that needed the most work was himself. He had started to stagnate in levels and skills over the last week, since he was getting bogged down with planning and politics. But now it was finally time to cut loose. He dismissed Bane, who ran to gather the other wolves for the hunt down south. Once he was truly alone, Aenon pulled up his System notification that was starting to bug him.

Title upgraded: Soul Piercer to Soul Cleanser

Soul Cleanser: You are not only adept at inflicting damage, but also vanquishing soul remnants left behind by the unfortunate. Again, since you did not use it to your benefit, but rather for the eradication of a potential malignant entity, you get a title and not a penalty.

+30 all stats

True to their fashion, his stalker continued the cryptic messages and warnings. But since they were yet to make a move to harm him, Aenon was ready to let it slide. He would be ever cautious of these ridiculous powerful entities, but he would afford them the benefit of the doubt till they truly revealed their vicious side.

He was about to dismiss the notification and move on, when another notification popped up. And this was the second time he got a golden box for a notification, the first time being during his evolution. But unlike last time, he had a choice to make this time.

System Notification

Class: Void Stalker

Titles: Unfettered, Soul Forge (3), Spirit Walker, Wraith Blade, Soul Cleanser

Synergy found between multiple titles and primary class, thus triggering a class evolution quest. You have used your class abilities, to wreak havoc on the souls of your enemies, while also creating unbreakable bonds with your allies. Complete the quest to further improve your class.

Warning 1: Evolved classes cannot be forfeited and always have an associated cost. Should you choose to go ahead with this class evolution, you will lose all associated titles and their respective stats points. The abilities, however, will be retained by the upgraded class.

Warning 2: Once started, an evolution quest cannot be abandoned. Failure of the quest will strip you of the Void Stalker class.

Warning 3: Since the Unfettered title has already been combined into an evolution, it will pull all the effects and skills of the current Rebirth title into the evolved class. However, the stats and the multiplier will be unaffected.

Accept Evolution Quest?

Y/N

This was a curveball Aenon had not anticipated. He had known classes could evolve, but he had not known the process, nor did he know the significant cost associated with it. And it was a decision with massive repercussions. He quickly pulled up his current stats to see what would be different if he did decide to accept.

Name

Aenon Fenrast/Ashryn (13 yrs)

Race

Ascended Human (F)

Level

29

Class

Void Stalker

Level

27

Subclass

Abyssal Warden

Level

30

HP

19095

MP

22655

HP/min

382

MP/min

499

Stats

Strength

1938

Intelligence

2294

Constitution

1937

Willpower

2524

Dexterity

1942

Perception

2052

Titles (560 x 6 = 3360)

Rebirth

+1344 all stats

Skills/Effects:

(1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells.

(2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level

(3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers.

(4) Can bypass certain System restrictions.

(5) Unfettered:

Skill 1: Attack the true soul of a target, bypassing all System safeguards and measures, including resurrection tokens. Can be cast via any form of link to the target

Skill 2: Assist others who are on the verge in finding their path. Caution: Be careful who you use this on, my little predator.

(6) Stat Point multiplier: 2

Alpha

+50 all stats, +30% physical stats in presence of your pack

Soul Warden (3)

+120 all stats

Bulwark

+5 all stats

Speed Runner

+10 all stats

Hoarder

+5 all stats

Landlord (2)

+25 all stats

Planetary Forerunner

+30 all stats

Ancient Killer

+20 all stats

Untouchable (2)

+50 all stats

Spirit Walker

+20 all stats

Archivist

+50 all stats

Wraithblade

+50 all stats

Royal Assassin

+30 all stats

Corruption Cleanser

+6 all stats

Soul Cleanser

+34 all stats

Prodigious Mage

10% more stats from titles

Lone Wolf

2% more stats from titles

Nature’s Attendant

+200 all stats when within 50 meters of the sapling

Skills (Free SP: 56)

Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps)

Savant

Stealth and Tracking (Woods, Urban)

Savant

Mana Manipulation

Savant

Cooking

Adept

Spells

Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) - 200

Water Manipulation (Minor) – 200

Air Manipulation (Minor) – 200

Fire Manipulation (Basic) – 200

Illusion (Intermediate) - 120

Feather Foot (Intermediate) – 400

Gravity Well (Basic) – 400

Barrier – Physical (Minor) - 200

Barrier – Magical (Basic) - 200

Overcharge (Minor) - 1000

Blooming Earth – 1200

Ice Lance

Gravity Bomb

He would essentially be losing +246 all stat points, which would mean a net loss of 1476 points. This would again set his evolution back by a significant margin. Also, his Rebirth title would lose all its skills and effects, only retaining the stat points and the multiplier. In the grand scheme of things, the stat loss wasn’t bad. But there were two key issues. First, he didn’t know what the new class would be like. Would it be better or worse, he just didn’t know. And second, would it lead to him getting a lower grade evolution if he was unable to get the required title stats by the time he reached level 100.

The uncertainty bothered him, but he was glad that he had a choice in the matter. He looked out the window, unsure of what his future held. But one thing he was certain about, he would give his enemies hell when they decided to come knocking on his doors.