Sorin didn't take long getting back and at a few hundred yards Sorin heard and saw signs of combat. He picked up the pace and looked across the open area.
The bridge was packed with many row upon row of brown beetles trying to get through the barricade of logs created by his team who stood at the top sending lines of fire down into the horde burning them. Screeches from the insects were coming out continously as they were cooked within their own exoskeleton.
Sorin saw there were hundreds of the small dog sized bugs all being herded onto the bridge. Sorin from the trees formed a tightly compressed ball of fire and when it turned blue he fired it as fast as he could moving low on the ground up over the head of his teammates as if from them toward the back third of the trail about 20 feet above the ground. When it reached the appropriate location he stopped it and forced it to detonate.
The entire third of the beetles were vaporized leaving their nearly indestructible cores behind. Those that survived the flames were tossed into the water or into the flames of his team ending the wave of monsters in a few minutes after. Sorin saw the beetles struggling in the water so he pressurized tendrils of water into spears and had them rip into the softer mouths of the bugs ending them as they flowed down rivet to him.
He waited in the trees as they agreed to keep his presence hidden. During his wait he saw a bright red skiff making it's way quickly to the south, headed toward aeons point. With luck that ass already failed, but we will see.
Linx, after about an hour made his way to the treeline and looked around.
"Hey buddy!" Sorin said.
Linx looked up and grinned at him. "That was one heck of an entrance letting us know you were back." He said.
"Got to have a little style right?" Sorin laughed before getting to business.
"I removed all of Aeon's team, but let him alone. I don't know the ramifications of taking out a noble so I refrained. I also don't know if I could be traced but assumed I could be. I made it appear as if his conscripts abandoned their posts and took the given supplies with them."
Sorin explained.
"You can let Lady Aegis know that to the best of my ability, I was not seen nor were any abilities used that could be traced back to her."
Linx nodded following along. "Any injuries on your part?" He asked.
"No. I'm fit and ready for combat. I plan to remain here out of sight and will work to destroy threats as I can. When I can." Sorin responded.
Linx smirked. "Good man! I'll report back to Lady Aegis." They clasped arms and went their separate ways.
Sorin watched Linx made his way back to the point of look out where he waiting for 10-15 minutes before Euryale came up to him and engaged in a conversation. Sorin could see the amused smile and look on her face.
He turned away keeping his storm sense open which encompassed 500 meters naturally now at tier 4. He settled in to begin pushing his body and mind to the same with infusing his body with the new liquid aether.
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- hours later -
Sorin saw a mass of four legged creatures with sharp looking spines on their back. He flicked a blue tiny tiny orb of light out away from himself low that darted over the top of the crestures and then detonated it which gave the sound of a gunshot going off getting his teams attention.
They moved to their barricade and readied themselves for another wave.
Cain use a lance of what looked like blood that slashed into the creatures causing more blood to flow from them and then it was set on fire while Euryale created serpents of fire that ripped through the group and Linx played clean up this time with a more intense torrent of flames he unleashed from his mouth.
"Seems like they are developing their paths more too." Sorin muttered then settled back in. They didn't need his help. He was making progress
Body: 77/100
Mind: 80/100
- hours later
*bleep*
Sorin opened his eyes with a huge smile. He had done it. Ripping the aether from from that assassin led to a windfall of strength in figuring out the path forward. Sorin pulled up his HUD for the first time in a while.
Name: Sorin Ekart
Path: Stormbringer
AP: 7650/12818
Body: 101/200(T3)
Mind: 101/200 (T3)
Spirit: 221/500 (T4)
Abilities:
1. Greater storm sense (p)/(a) - sense fire and water aether more clearly around you with the ability to look closer or further at a target depending on aether expenditure. Adjusting the view of your storm sense shifts skill from passive (p) to active (a).
2. Storm manipulation (a) - You can manipulate fire and water aether in your immediate vicinity. May cause minor interference with another's NAF. (Natural Aether Field)
3. Ignition(a) - You can create fire from the aether around you. Intensity of the flames depends on environmental factors, will power, and aether control.
4. Absorption(a) - using your connection to the world you have discovered a way to draw in ambient aether. Normally you have to rely eating in order to replenish your internal aether reserves, but no longer.
5. Aether revival(p/a) - A regeneration skill that restores the aether lost within your body. As cells become damaged they lose energy. This skill replenishes that energy for AP. Can increase the rate of regeneration through increased aether flow.
6. Aether Reaver(a) - Forcefully rip Aether from another being and add it to your own. Caution: someone of a much higher tier may be able use this to destroy your own channels and core.
7. Aether conversion(p) - all is Aether. Through your understanding of this foundational principle you may now convert all forms of Aether into the form that best suits you.
Sorin was pleased so far with his growth. He was nearly as powerful as Laxric claimed to be. It shocked him now just how lucky he was to be alive after fighting that man and how outclassed he really was. It still shocked him how strong Altivor was. It was insane the difference between the tiers. He had to reach 500 points in that tier...
However, he was making progress.
Sorin got up and started getting used to his new senses and strength. He flowed through his forms and put his mental agility to the test using both fire and water together creating steam which amusing Sorin to no end. He had a grand idea for that should it be needed.
He thought about his path and how it said stormbringer. The thing is, storms sometimes had lighting and lightning was a cousin to fire. He needed to figure out how to convert fire into electricity.
He wanted the classic RPG skill Chain lighting.