Chapter 42 – The Boy and the Woods

Eskad

It had been a grueling couple of days for Eskad and his party. They were once again a member short, had unknowingly got involved with another universal power, and had to hold secrets they had no business knowing. Which was to say there was a lot of political mayhem that was sure to follow their latest venture. Thinking about what came next gave him a headache. So, he had dismissed his party to take a break as soon as they entered the city. They all needed to process the last few days before they dove headfirst into the trainwreck coming their way. As he sat at the breakfast table of the lesser-known inn, he held a tankard of a dark colored mead and took a big sip. It tasted horrible, but the burning sensation as it went down his throat was all that he needed.

“That’s enough, dear,” a soft voice spoke from his side. It was his lovely wife, the best thing that had ever happened to a brute like him. She had always been the one thing he could count on, the one person who would always support him. Even when he supposedly sold his honor for a measly copper coin.

He flinched at the memory and took another swig. The way things had progressed, he had no other choice. For his party’s benefit, no burden was too great. He looked at his other two friends, who also held a tankard of their own. Although they were on their fifth, while he was on his second. It was impressive how much booze the two could guzzle down despite their size.

“Hmph. Leave him be,” one of them said in a drunken slur. “At this point, it… hic… would be more honorable … hic… for us to die to this cheap liquor. Hic.”

“One… hic… bloody copper… hic… That is what we are … hic… worth,” his brother added from the floor. He had fallen off some time ago, with the tankard still in his hand. But he hadn’t spilled a single drop of the liquid and was astonishingly still drinking from his prone position.

“Ok, that’s it,” Elara said as she withdrew her staff. “Enough moping, you three. I was there too, you know. You think it doesn’t rub me the wrong way, how we had to leave with our tails between our legs? You think it doesn’t grate on my nerves that a level 2 rookie had more guts than us all?”

She slammed her staff on the ground with enough force to make the table shudder. Sparks were flying off her staff, and Eskad could feel the air around them heat up. Thankfully they had bought the entire inn to get some privacy or there would have been a panicked crowd running for cover at the display. It was rare for his wife to lose her temper, but when she did, she was a tough cookie to crack.

“We all know how those damn monsters control everything. They’d do anything to maintain their hegemony. We won't even be an afterthought if we were to get killed in their political schemes,” she eyed them all dangerously. “It took us so long to get out of the clutches of one. And it cost us very dearly. You think we would have survived being indebted to another?”

Her outburst had sobered the three a bit, and they all sat straighter. Her opinion was not wrong, but she didn’t know the actual reason he had made the decision for his party. He never had a lot of smarts, but his instincts had always been spot on. And they were screaming at him that he had made the right decision.

“But Elara…,” the dwarf who was seated on the ground tried speaking up.

“No buts. We all saw that man. His power, his demeanor, it was unnatural. You don’t just poke one of the strongest empires out there and show no fear. Everything about him screams privilege. He may have his own noble house to back him, but we don’t. We get involved with him, and we will be only ones paying the price…,” Elara ranted on, but Eskad interrupted her. He had hidden this long enough. Now that they were alone, it was time to set the record straight.

“He is not.”

“What?” she asked in confusion.

“He is not noble born,” Eskad said quietly.

“What do you mean he is not noble born. Of course he is. You don’t get so cocky otherwise,” she rebuffed him with her hands on her hips.

“That man…,” Eskad said while recalling the look in those eyes. “No… that brat is not normal.”

“Huh? What do you mean by brat? That was obviously a man. A short man, but a full-grown adult no doubt,” Elara said in an uneasy voice.

Eskad looked down into his tankard. Its murky depths were reminiscent of the boy’s deep grey eyes. The coldness in them, the deep secrets they withheld, had been entrancing. He would never forget that gaze that bore down on him in the forest. It was like a predator staring down at its prey with indifference. He broke out of the spell when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Eskad dear, are you alright,” Elara asked, her voice laced with concern. He looked into her eyes before sighing.

“You all misunderstood why I decided to distance ourselves from him. It’s not because I was afraid of the empire, or those tree huggers. I was… I was afraid of his path. We are not ready to walk on it yet,” Eskad said seriously.

His wife exchanged looks of confusion with Boff and Toff. He was grateful that he had such a great party. Despite making such a shameful decision to run away, no one had questioned him.

“What do you mean? I have seen you mention paths before, but never in detail. What exactly is it?” Elara asked when he didn’t continue.

“It’s one of the old ways of my people. Before integrating with the System. It is different from classes and titles. More powerful than even the highest tier spells. Because it is rooted in the very soul of a being. Something even the System has trouble comprehending. A path is a way that a person chooses to live. And die. It’s a conviction, a promise to one’s soul. Very few people attain it, but those that do are existences we cannot compare against. Not even the Empire,” Eskad said.

“Wait, so the lass…,” the dwarf sitting opposite him stopped midsentence.

“She has found it. Her path. There is an old saying from I am from. It’s better to face a veteran army without a path, than a lonesome inexperienced soldier who has one,” Eskad said solemnly.

“So, how do you get one?” his wife asked curiously.

“You don’t. It’s not something that you seek out. It’s something you achieve by understanding yourself. Truly understanding yourself. By knowing what it is you seek in life. For the girl, it was the decision to keep moving forward. She understood her weakness and took a stand. To advance, to forge ahead. That is her path. And now her way back is forever shut.”

“But that’s just suicide,” Elara asked in exasperation.

“Paths are a double-edged sword. They are impossibly difficult to find, and give you power unlike any other. But once you set foot on it, you have no other choice but to keep walking or perish,” Eskad said before emptying his tankard. “Its so cosmically rare, that apparently the System grants you a Title for it. And every path has a different Title associated with it.”

“So, what do you think is the … boy’s path? Are you sure it’s a boy and not a man? And that he is not a noble,” Elara asked.

“When have my instinct’s ever been wrong? Not a noble and a young fella, but wiser beyond his years,” Eskad replied sadly. “As for his path… no clue. But I could feel it in my bones. It’s not an easy one, which means the power he wields will not be ordinary either. And the further he goes down, the stronger he will get.”

“But then why leave like that? We could have explained it to him. Why the humiliation of handing over 4 copper coins in return for our lives?” the dwarf who was on the ground asked with some heat in his voice.

“You really think I value my party’s life that cheaply?” Eskad asked with a smirk. Everyone’s eyes went wide at the implication.

“You don’t mean… you gave him the tokens? How many?” Elara was the first to speak up.

“All 4 of them,” Eskad replied, his smile getting wider and wider. “The brat’s gonna need it. We earned it at great cost, and there was nothing else more valuable on me. Thought it was most fitting.”

The dwarves started grinning before breaking out into loud guffaws. “You sly old brute. Never should have doubted ya. This stinky muck has suddenly started to taste divine.”

“I needed to make sure the two guys with us didn’t get a whiff of what I was up to. We didn’t really have time to plan and discuss our next move. My reputation will probably take a hit if those two blab what they know, but it is a risk I am willing to take. They are probably smart enough not to disclose about the village and the tree but might sell any information about my conduct to gain political favor,” Eskad explained his reasoning in more detail.

It all made sense to his party member, who had different reactions to the reveal. The dwarves started celebrating, ordering 5 more tankards each. Elara on the other hand glared at him, promising deadly consequences for his trickery. She folded her arms and turned away from him without saying another word. Eskad knew he would probably be sleeping on the floor for the foreseeable future. But he sighed in contentment.

His gut told him he had done the right thing. He knew of the dangers ahead and had to steer his party in the right direction. They each needed to find their own path, to get stronger. So that the next time they met, they could stand next to the boy.

………………

Aenon

Aenon lay in bed, casually flicking the copper coin in his hands before catching it. Things had turned out differently than what he had expected. First, Jenny was the one person who came back. And as though that shock wasn’t enough, he found that 4 of the coins on the table were tokens, and not currency. His identify skill had removed any doubts about who these came from.

Item Name: Dungeon Modification Token

Item Type: Single Use Consumable

Item Rarity: Mythic

Item Description: A token granted by the System on completion of extremely difficult dungeons.

Effects: Modify a minor feature of a dungeon to boost your chances of success. Token will not be consumed if request cannot be completed.

His faith in the people around him was restored a bit. There were some good people in this world after all. He knew how important these tokens were for the berserker’s party. And yet, he had given all 4 of them so easily. The only thing that he couldn’t figure out was why. Unfortunately, the man was not here, and Aenon didn’t want to guess the man’s intentions. He kept tossing the token, while finally getting to the notification review, he had been postponing for so long.

Title achieved: Archivist

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Title achieved: Soul Warden

Titles combined: Soul Forge into Soul Warden (2)

Title upgraded: Soul Warden (3)

Title achieved: Wraithblade

Title Skill Obtained: Unfettered Skill 2

Archivist:

Obtain ancient knowledge on spell forms and mana structures. Allows the caster to freely manipulate spell forms, granting the ability to overwrite existing ones.

+50 all stats

Soul Warden 1/2/3:

Make a pact with another soul, boosting each other’s strengths. This title will disappear if the pact is broken.

Ignite the dormant soul space of a near sapient creature and form a pact with another. Enhances the user’s soul sense.

Lay the fragments of tortured souls to rest, not expecting anything in return. There is no reward for this, but I am granting you one. Further enhances your soul sense to detect those who have used souls for boosting their strength.

+40 all stats/+120 all stats

Wraithblade: Fight off someone who has invaded your soul space, utterly destroying them in the process. There is a reason you don’t attack a dragon’s soul.

+50 all stats

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

Stat points already consolidated into evolution. Can not obtain more.

Aenon wasn’t surprised by the first two titles. They seemed to be the direct influence of his connection to the world tree. He could still feel the mountain of information etched onto his mind. It would probably take him decades, or even centuries, to understand it all. The stat points were decent, but the additional boost to his soul sense was something he looked forward to. He wondered about the last line though. Was the System playing favorites with him? Although it was not much of a reward for ordinary players, for him it was crucial. He was up against many who used soul manipulation after all.

The third Title, Wraithblade, was interesting. He probably got it for killing the crown prince, and again the stat gains were okay. But the last line again felt like a clue. Did it mean his soul was as strong as a dragon’s? Or was it a warning not to try a soul attack on a dragon? Either way, it was something to consider.

The most intriguing notification of them all was the second skill for his unfettered title. He had absolutely no idea why he got it. Not to mention, he had no clue what it meant. Finding a path? Did that imply helping someone find their way in a literal sense? The warning that came with it was even more concerning. Since he didn’t know what the skill did. What if he triggered it by accident if he pointed someone in the right direction on the road. So many questions, but no answers. He sighed and reviewed his stat sheet, since his level had gone up significantly since last time.

Name

Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)

Race

Ascended Human (F)

Level

25

Class

Void Stalker

Level

20

Subclass

Abyssal Warden

Level

30

HP

18331

MP

21611

HP/min

366

MP/min

470

Stats

Strength

1833

Intelligence

2161

Constitution

1832

Willpower

2349

Dexterity

1837

Perception

1919

Titles (455 x 6 = 2731)

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

+20 all stats

Planetary Forerunner

+30 all stats

Ancient Killer

+20 all stats

Untouchable

+30 all stats

Spirit Walker

+20 all stats

Archivist

+50 all stats

Wraithblade

+50 all stats

Prodigious Mage

10% more stats from titles

(Really) Late Bloomer

1% more stats from titles

Nature’s Attendant

+200 all stats when within 50 meters of the sapling

Skills (Free SP: 120)

Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps)

Savant

Stealth (Woods, Urban)

Savant

Tracking (Woods)

Expert

Mana Manipulation

Master

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

The first thing he noticed was that he had gained a ton of levels. He was a quarter of his way to level 100, which would be his second evolution. Unfortunately, he still didn’t know what the qualification for different evolution grades were. Going by the ones for humans he was still at B-grade. He was not sure how to gain more titles, and how to do it before he reached level 100. He added that to the ever-growing list of worries.

At least he was happy that his mana manipulation skill had upgraded to master rank now and he had gained more SP for helping the souls rest in peace. He was sure it would assist him greatly in enhancing his spells further. He had a broad smile on his face as he dismissed his notifications and stood up from his bed. Venge and the pups were snoozing in a corner of the room, on a bunch of cushions he had salvaged. He smiled at the sleeping troublemakers and made his way for the shower.

He spent a long time in the shower, just decompressing his stress and preparing for what came next. He had a rough plan in his mind that he intended to implement and modify along the way. After his bath, he quickly got dressed and headed for the kitchen to join Jenny.

“Good morning,” she said when he entered the room.

“Morning,” he replied before grabbing a couple of sandwiches and scarfing them down alone with some grape juice. Luckily Vincent and Blake had left the kitchen well stocked before they left. They ate what they could and stored the rest in their inventories.

After they had breakfast in silence, they left the mansion and headed for the training hall. Aenon went and retrieved a crystal from storage and placed it before Jenny, who looked at it hesitantly.

“Are you sure it is ok for me to use it? This kind of stuff is extremely expensive back in Pinespire,” she said in a low voice.

“Perks of owning a village. Its not like anyone else is using it,” Aenon replied with a shrug. It was the class crystal. She had mentioned her plans to gain a new set of classes since Erwin had pretty much forced her to pick up her original ones. Novice Healer and Novice Mage were not a bad combo, but they were both basic classes and Jenny wanted something different. Chances of her getting anything better than Rare classes were minimal, but even Uncommon would be better than what she had. Luckily, she had gained only two levels each in either class, so she didn’t have to worry about losing too much progress.

She closed her eyes and touched the crystal, and Aenon got to see the process as an outside observer for the first time. He had warned her about not trying to touch the walls of her soul space, just in case. She opened her eyes with a bright smile and turned to him.

“Got what you were looking for?” Aenon asked while casting identify.

This was the one thing with identify that Aenon noticed. It never gave the exact class name, only the closest thing it was related to. And only the stronger of the two classes. Even though Jenny’s nameplate said Mage, she could very well be an archmage or some other rare caster class.

“Oh yes,” she replied jubilantly but didn’t elaborate. So Aenon let it go, she was entitled to her own secrets after all.

“Well then, chop chop. We have a busy day ahead,” he stated before abruptly turning and marching on. They walked at a brisk pace and stopped before the world tree. All the wolves were gathered around as well. The sapling had grown to an impressive 7 feet height and had a decent 10 cm (4 in) thick trunk.

“Friend. Leaving?”

“Only temporarily. I have a huge target on my back. Can’t risk implicating you. Our best weapon right now is anonymity. So, I must go to level up and finish the domain quest,” Aenon replied with a heavy heart.

“Tree. Wait. For. Friend.”

“Don’t worry, my friend. I am not leaving you unprotected. I will conceal your presence before leaving,” Aenon said to reassure the tree.

“How?”

Aenon looked at the abyssal wolves and then back at the tree, “I am going to try something. When I named the wolves, it linked us somehow. And they gained the properties of my soul, which is like the abyss. Its main property is to conceal, so I am hoping by naming you I can impart you the same property.”

Aenon said the last statement mentally. He didn’t want Jenny to know what he was doing. He could very easily say it was one of his spells.

“Tree. Get. Name?”

“Yes, my friend,” Aenon replied with a smile. He took a step forward towards the tree and placed a hand on it. “You are the protector of Reality’s Edge, a being born to harness the light, but who conceals in shadows and mists. You shall be called Nocthrya.”

The moment Aenon finished speaking, tendrils erupted around him and shot out in all directions. The biggest one attached itself to the world tree while the others spread out like a spiderweb and tore down everything in their path. All the abandoned buildings crumbled as vines grew at an accelerated rate all over.

Jenny was thankfully placed in a protective shell of vines, which completely blocked her sight from what was happening around them. Towering trees sprouted within minutes all over the village limits, making even the defensive walls collapse in the process. A thick mist started emanating from the leaves, and the entire area was blanketed in a dense fog. Aenon felt a gentle tug from the tree, demanding something from his inventory. He withdrew the gemstones he had obtained from the treants, which were seized by a bunch of vines which broke them apart easily.

For a second Aenon was concerned the corruption would affect the tree, but he felt the corruption being devoured like it was nothing more than a tasty snack. The space around him distorted as he saw strange sights that made no sense. Aenon knew instinctively that anyone entering the village limits would wander within it forever, unless him or Nocthrya wanted them to find a way out.

After a full hour, the changes were complete and Aenon found himself back in familiar surroundings. A forest of lush greenery on all sides, the mist and the space spell not affecting him at all. He smiled as it reminded him of the forest back home. In fact, the resemblance was uncanny as he was now standing in front of a campfire exactly like the one before the integration.

“Did you pull this image from my memories?”, Aenon asked with a smile.

“Yes. Want my friend to feel at home.”

Aenon raised an eyebrow at the last statement. Not only was the voice more mature, but this was the first time the tree used a full sentence.

“Thank you,” Aenon responded as he touched the tree. “I will be back, far stronger than before. So, I can protect you myself.”

“I will wait. I will grow. This is your home. These are your woods.”