Chapter 16: Abyssius
Panicking, I immediately pulled up the item's description.
{Soulsworns Legacy}
Rarity: Unique
Slot: Head
Type: Soulsworn Armament
Armor: 0
Evasion: 0
Traits: Legacy: Allows for the binding of multiple spirits. Ethereal: Does not occupy a slot.
Requirements: Class: Soulsworn
Having created more questions than it answered, I decided to close the window. My eyes caught on the last line. The requirements for equipping the item were not red, meaning that I could equip the item. Thinking back to what Cal called me when explaining our bond, as well as my foggy memories of accepting his deal I realized I may have made a very bad mistake.
Fearing what I'd find, I allowed the notifications that had been piling up to display themselves.
You have gained 471 experience.
Your skill in One handed Swords has increased to Novice: 8.
Your skill in Evasion has increased to Novice: 8.
Congratulations! You and Calrexos are now bound!
Congratulations! You have changed your class to Soulsworn!
Warning, you possess a Unique item! Unique items are highly sought after, and are dropped on death. Be careful!
“What did you do?!” I asked out loud.
“Besides saving you?”
“You changed my class! How did you even manage that? I thought the class upgrades were at level 10?!” I all but shouted, realizing that I had broken “immersion” again, but not caring overmuch.
“Actually, you changed your class by taking the oath. And to answer your question, this wasn’t your class upgrade. Binding yourself to a spirit requires the Soulsworn class, and so to take the oath, all you needed to do was agree to swap classes.
A tense silence filled the room as I pondered his words.
“Though, you should think of it as an upgrade, really.”
I rolled my eyes, but took the bait.
“How's that?”
“A Soulsworns abilities are determined by the spirit they made their oath with. For example, if you had bound an Ifrit, you’d likely have access to fire and demonic based spells and abilities. Often, Soulsworn are highly specialized and excel within their niche.
I remembered the unique items text, and realized what it meant.
“That's right, you are not limited to one spirit. I am an anomaly, as I am a Soulsworn myself. Bound to me are several hundred spirits. Every Soulsworn of note during the last millennia has made it their goal to have their spirit bound to the Soulsworns Legacy when they pass. In a sense, I am a librarian, and the hundreds of souls under my purview are my books.”
“So, does that mean I can make an oath with as many spirits as you’ve contracted with?” I asked, a little shocked.
“Indeed, though in order to do so, you’ll need their soul tether. Each spirit has their own “Crown”. The exact form their tether takes is highly variable, though it is often tied to an aspect of who they are.”
“For example, that purple mess over there is Abyssius, one of the spirits who I've pacted with.”
I glanced over at the purple mass which was squirming ever so slightly.
I shuddered.
“Unfortunately, I won’t directly benefit you in combat nearly as much as many other spirits, so it's in your best interest to find ones that can.”
As I bent over to collect the purple mass I discovered that, to my dismay, it was slimy. I looked over its inspect window.
{Writhing Mass}
Physical Damage: Variable
Spellpower: Variable
Rarity: Rare
Weight Category: Variable
Type: Soulsworn Armament, Variable
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Damage type: Variable
Traits: Soul Tethered
Requirements: Level 6, Class: Soulsworn
“What's up with all the “variables”..” I muttered.
“As you may have been able to deduce, Abyssius is a spirit from the Abyss. The Abyss is a lawless place of savagery, might makes right and so on. A long time ago, a powerful mage created this realm from a failed grand magic spell. Now, all but a few countries have banned grand magic spells in their entirety due to one uncareful mage's mistake. The magic that saturates the abyss has an odd effect on the creatures that dwell there. Compared to their Eterran brethren they evolve rapidly, seeing changes on a bi-yearly basis, while we might see differences every few thousand years. Abyssius is a particularly strange case, as it is able to evolve to fit its needs on demand.”
“Equip the crown.” Cal said.
After a moment of hesitation, I did as he said, though there was no noticeable change.
“Wonderful.” he said.
The world around me twisted, causing me a spike of nauseousness. I shut my eyes tightly as the dimly lit room was replaced by a bright blue sky, sun blazing overhead. After spending a few moments blinking away the spots in my vision, I took in the new place in which I stood. The sea surrounded me on all sides, attempting with every wave to swallow the island I stood on. The circular landmass rose several yards above sea level, and stretched around 100 yards in diameter. Only a dozen yards from me stood a stout cottage, almost perfectly at the isles center.
“Welcome to Svarem, Locke.” a familiar voice said from behind.
I whipped around to come face to face with a man that looked to be in his early thirties. He wore a set of formal attire that looked odd on the windswept island.
“...Cal?” I asked.
“Indeed.” he said, nodding for me to follow him.
His proper voice certainly matches his appearance.. definitely a butler. I thought as we walked down a dirt road towards the island's sole building.
“I can still read your thoughts.” Cals voice said in my mind.
I coughed, reddening slightly.
“We are in an illusory world I created for the purpose of training Soulsworn. It is here you will attempt to form a contract with Abyssius.”
As we arrived at the house, he led me around to the back of the house. With a gesture from Cal, an earthen pillar rose from the earth.
“Set Abyssius’s soul tether on the pillar.” he said.
Fishing the purple mass from my inventory, I placed it on the pedestal.
Immediately the mass began to shift and boil, expanding far past the original weapons mass. After several seconds, a scaled beast stood in front of us. The creature looked like a mix between a dragon and a tiger. Unlike the other abyssal creatures I'd seen, Abyssius’s scales were a dark purple, almost indistinguishable from black. In contrast, its eyes blazed a deep amber color.
I had to stop myself from taking an involuntary step back. The creature's predatory gaze made my skin crawl. I inspected the creature on instinct, and the results confirmed what I'd suspected.
{Abyssius}
HP: ??/??
MP: ??/??
Type: Apex Aberrant
Level: ??
Lore: ??
Even Scilu’An had only been an Aberrant…
“Abyssius is accustomed to Svarem, he can test you himself.” Cal said before walking off, whistling an eerily familiar tune.
As Cal passed out of sight on the other side of the house, the creature turned its gaze to me.
After several seconds of tense eye contact that I barely managed to maintain, an impression slammed into my mind. It took me a few seconds to realize it came from Abyssius, and few more to parse the feeling encoded into the collection of experiences. Surprise, and.. faint approval?
The creature exhaled in a manner that was suspiciously close to a snort, then blasted my mind again.
The impression I got was “test”. I sorted through images of a woman standing next to Cal with Abyssius at her side. The memory was intertwined with warmth. The next moment, I had taken her place, and the warmth was replaced with uncertainty.
Puzzling together the precise meaning behind the creature's impressions was difficult. But after a few minutes of back and forth I was able to send a coherent impression of my own, which seemed to satisfy the beast.
Three purple portals formed from nothing, each with distinct impressions radiating from them.
Upon focusing on the leftmost portal, a single guttural word imprinted itself upon my mind.
Stalk
Images and memories of a creature running through a violet forest shot through my mind. After several seconds, I realized I was watching through the eyes of a predator as it chased its prey. No, not a predator, the predator. Abyssius’s scales shimmered into focus as some sort of invisibility wore off. What I could see of the spirit was much more streamlined and sleek, reminding me of a panther. With a roar the spirit leaped onto its prey, and the memory faded.
A little shaken by the intense impressions of bloodlust, I glanced up at Abyssius, who gazed back placidly. I shifted my attention to the next portal.
Dominate
This time, Abyssius faced a massive opponent. A centaurian cross between a spider and an elephant, the creature trumpeted a challenge through a long trunk. The ground shook beneath the apex aberrant’s steps as it charged the strange creature. Abyssius let out a deafening roar, and the spider elephant hybrid stumbled, clearly stunned. Massive paws pounded the creature until the memory faded.
What Cal said had certainly been true, Abyssius was capable of altering its form to an extreme degree. The difference between the first and second versions of the spirit were fundamental. Like the difference between a jungle cat and a gorilla. Turning my attention to the last portal, I wondered what could possibly compete with the previous forms.
Annihilate
A pack of beasts similar to the hounds that had almost ended me during my mad scramble approached the spirit from a few dozen yards away. Far more draconian in nature, Abyssius lay on the ground, sparks flickering across its scales. With a savage bark, the foremost hound initiated a charge towards the spirit. With a sharp inhalation, Abyssius faced his opponents. The sparks that danced along his scales intensified, racing towards the spirit's maw. With a roar, Abyssius let fourth a storm of lightning, completely obscuring the charging creatures. Only after many seconds did the flow of electricity slacken. When it died off completely, the landscape was blackened for many yards. When the memory ended, no trace of the hounds remained.
I looked up at the spirit in awe, and the creature sent an impression of pride.
“So you’re done previewing your tests, good. I would recommend beginning with Stalk.” Cals voice said from behind me.
Jumping, I turned to face him, glaring at his lack of manners.
“You can’t just appear behind people Cal. It’s creepy.” I said, perturbed.
“Really? Why not?” A second Cal spoke from behind me.
I didn’t bother turning around.
“Why Stalk? I think I'd much rather try for Annihilate.” I said.
“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but you’re currently trapped in a room by a horde of abyssal creatures. Unless you think they’ve forgotten about you in the fifteen minutes you’ve been safe for, you need a way to sneak out.
I remembered Abyssius’s strange invisibility during Stalk. I slowly nodded, signaling Cal to continue.
“Normally, I'd have you learn each of the three basic evolutions before even attempting to fight with Abyssius, but I'm afraid we do not possess that kind of time.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t we safe inside the room?” I asked.
“Every second the initial barrier is down, more abyssal creatures spill out into the world”. Cal replied.
“Yea, that's probably bad.” I said after a moment.
Cal rolled his eyes.
“So.. how do I begin?”
Cal gestured towards the leftmost portal.
Not giving myself the chance to second guess, I strode into the purple tear.