“...with those added into your total, I believe you now have well over 3 million points?” Theora asked with obvious amusement.
Samantha beamed, “3,317,418 if we’re being exact.”
“You’re the first ascendant I’ve worked with that’s hoarded so many at this low of a floor, especially for your first rift. Most are quick to spend them, if only to make the future scenarios you tackle easier.”
“Well, I was definitely tempted! And you saw me spend points on cultivation chamber sessions between scenarios, as well as some other items here and there. I wasn’t completely frugal.”
Theora waved the explanation away, “That’s to be expected, and you never cultivated for longer than a week at a time. You’ve spent less than 100,000 points on anything other than new scenarios over the last five years, which is unusual to say the least. I’ve been curious this whole time as to why you haven’t splurged on more purchases like you did at the beginning. There were certainly enough options that would’ve been greatly helpful to you, no?”
Samantha let out a rueful chuckle, “Honestly? At first it started as a fear of buyer’s remorse. After I spent a large chunk of points on upgrading Tobias and getting my equipment situation settled, I kept questioning if I had been too impulsive. After the supplier scenario there were new items that appeared in the rift shop that I wanted, including some equipment that I thought might’ve suited me better than what I had just purchased. Every scenario after that seemed to keep reinforcing this belief–that if I just waited one more scenario something better would come along. And, better quality things did keep appearing… and the costs for them also continued to climb. I worried that spending anything would force me to miss out on a truly marvelous purchase in the future, but I was simultaneously stressed that I was missing out on the opportunity to become stronger in the present. It put me in a tough spot, mentally.”
Theora nodded in understanding, “What changed? You make it seem like you think of it differently now.”
“I do. I guess the main difference now is how I’m framing the decision to ‘hoard points’, as you’ve described it.” The corner of Samantha’s mouth quirked up as she repeated the phrase, “It took some time, but I eventually realized that I was going about everything completely backwards. My coming into this rift was unplanned, and ever since I’ve been here I’ve had a singular goal: to exit with the means to survive the Ancient Cliff Drake. Everything else is secondary.”
Theora raised an eyebrow and gestured for Samantha to continue elaborating.
“The only reason I should’ve been buying anything in between scenarios was if I felt I wouldn’t be able to complete the next one successfully. Logically, I should’ve been saving everything for the very end when I would have both the most points to spend and the full catalog of items to purchase from the shop. At that point, there would be no guesswork as to how to budget my expenses. I could look at every available option and make the best choice on what would allow me to survive–whether that be cultivation advancement or a powerful, multi-million point technique. I only cultivated between scenarios because I needed a small mental break before diving into the next quest, otherwise I would’ve waited until the end for that as well.”
Theora grinned, “You must’ve had some faith in yourself to believe you could complete the entire rift at only Mid Bronze.”
Samantha shrugged, “It wasn’t just faith in my own power. I also believed in you, Silas, and Tobias.”
Theora looked a bit surprised by that statement, “Me?”
“You said yourself that during my first scenario you made some adjustments to help me out. That quest was challenging, but fair. Apart from the supplier quest–which your associate seemed to be involved with–I found that to be a reliable expectation for what I’d be facing. With Silas’s and Tobias’s support, I never went into a scenario and despaired that it was impossible. I was confident that even if I didn’t get top marks, I could still come out of things in one piece and have the opportunity to learn from my mistakes.”
And oh, how many mistakes I’ve made over the years…
Now the prime age of 23, Samantha had spent over a fifth of her entire life in this rift. Arguably these years had been her most formative, and her experiences had forged her into someone she wondered if her 17 year old self would still recognize. Cultivation had slowed her aging and kept her appearance mostly unchanged, but even looking back on past memories she sometimes felt like a different person.
She believed that the most notable change–for better or for worse–was her stance on the sanctity and preciousness of life. By this point she’d slain hundreds if not thousands of foes through the scenarios, many of which were ‘human’. Some of them she’d even considered friends. The guilt of this weighed heavily on her until repetition forced her to become numb to it and accept it for what it was. Sometimes, to prevent a greater evil from occurring, she had to play the role of a lesser one.
Early on she tried to justify the loss of life she caused by telling herself they weren’t real people, but the more constructs she familiarized herself with the less sway this argument held in her mind. It didn’t matter that she rationally understood they had incomplete or implanted memories, they appeared so utterly indistinguishable from humans that for all intents and purposes, they were. They had their own motivations, aspirations, insecurities and fears. They had families and people they cared for. Loved ones they could be blackmailed with and would betray for. They bled, felt pain, and died the same as anyone.
The truth of the matter was that the rift had succeeded in conditioning her into becoming a more calloused cultivator. It was impossible not to become hardened when she needed to kill, exact vengeance, or mete out justice over and over again. She’d tried to keep hold of her youthful innocence and naivety, but such a luxury was quickly chipped away at with each act of treachery or duplicity that she experienced. In order to succeed, she’d adapted to become more calculating, less trusting, and quicker to strike out at those she deemed a threat. More often than not, hesitation resulted in an even heavier guilt than bloodying her hands with yet another kill. She never wanted to suffer the regret of failing to prevent a tragedy with inaction again.
“Samantha...did you hear me?” Theora asked, bringing Samantha out of her contemplation.
“Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. What did you say?”
“I was just commending you for your efforts and congratulating you on reaching the final scenario.”
Samantha tilted her head, “Final? There’s still 10% left in the qi reserve. I should have at least two or three more scenarios to go.”
Theora shook her head, “That’s what I was just about to explain to you. You see, the last scenario takes into account the total amount of points you have going into it. Because you have accumulated so many, the 10% qi reserve accounts for your potential investment into the quest, as well as funding any rewards you purchase after it’s completed.”
“So, I’ll still have time to shop after the final quest is done?”
“That’s correct. You will have the same opportunity to cultivate and shop as before–just without the ability to purchase further scenarios. Once you’ve spent all your points or have expressed an intent to leave you will be presented with an exit.”
Samantha perked up slightly at that, “Good to know! That means I don’t need to rush my purchases.”
Theora smiled, “I look forward to seeing what you finally decide to buy. Unfortunately, this will be our last time meeting for a while. That is, unless you plan to hurry to an ascension obelisk from here.”
“You won’t be giving me my quest judgment later?”
“This last scenario is…” Theora paused, considering her words carefully, “self-judging. You’ll understand when you see the quest. It will be unlike anything you’ve experienced so far, but if you succeed you’ll receive ample rewards. I wish you the best of luck.”
“In that case, thank you for everything.” Samantha said, deciding this time to enter a full kowtow to appropriately display her gratitude. “I cannot fathom the difference in our strength, yet you have treated me with respect. Thank you for the support you’ve given me thus far, and I look forward to working together in the future as well.”
Silas–who had been laying down nearby–stood up on his hind legs and also lowered his head towards Theora after noticing Samantha bowing. Samantha hadn’t ever taught him to do this, it was just something he’d picked up on his own a few years ago. The gesture still made her smile, and she thought it showcased how she wasn’t the only one who had changed over the years. Though outwardly he hadn’t aged, these last years had seen him grow in both patience, understanding, and wisdom.
By ‘Lunar Hare’ standards, Silas would nearly be considered an elder at the age of 7. According to him, most of his kind would die before the age of 10 due to being hunted by other spirit beasts for their high ranked cores. Neither of them were sure what a Lunar Hare’s life expectancy would naturally be, but Silas was no longer a Lunar Hare. Being bonded to her already would greatly extend his lifespan, but she hoped that a Wolpertinger’s lifespan would make it longer still. Ideally, she and Silas would grow old together… if they grew old at all. If they managed to avoid being slain while ascending the tower, their continued advancement may very well lead them to something akin to immortality. Theora had already lived a thousand years and seemed as hale and healthy as a young woman would be, after all. It wasn’t too far-fetched to imagine she and Silas could reach that point too, someday.
“She’s gone now.” Silas informed her, nudging her arm with his nose.
Samantha stood and brushed herself off reflexively. The judgment room was impeccably clean and never showed even the barest hint of dust, but it felt wrong to skip over the innocuous habit entirely.
“Theora does seem to enjoy disappearing when I’m not looking.” Samantha joked, scratching Silas behind the ear as he leapt up onto her shoulders. “How much of our conversation did you catch?”
“Most of it.” He informed her proudly, “You both speak slowly enough for me to understand, which helps. One last scenario, then?”
Another thing Silas had picked up over the years was the ability to understand common human speech. Samantha wished she could say the same for his ‘hare-speak’, but she still couldn’t make much sense of the squeaks and chuffs that Silas made. Apart from being able to determine the general mood of the sounds–such as if he were happy or angry–deeper meanings eluded her. He’d also expanded his vocabulary and could string together more complex thoughts and ideas than before when communicating with her.
“Yeah. Give me a moment to find the scenario details and I’ll let you know what we’ll be doing.”
Samantha found the relevant page in the rift shop and expected she’d need to scroll to find it, but there was only one item in the list. All the other scenarios had vanished.
Rift Reward Shop - Floor 2
Current Balance: 3,317,418
Rift Qi Reserve: 10%
Filters: [Rift] -> [Scenarios]
Role
Possible Main Objectives
Possible Optional Objectives
Details
Cost
…
…
…
…
…
General
Completions: 0
> Defeat the opposing army
Difficulty: Variable (based on points invested)
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Reward Yield: Extremely High
Points: --
Rift Qi Reserve: - Remaining%
…
…
…
…
Not a lot to go on…
“It seems like I’ll be leading an army on this one? I’m not sure how much you’ll have to do during it.” Samantha told Silas, “It also looks like things change depending on how many points I spend on the quest, though I don’t know exactly how. There’s no upfront point cost listed, and it doesn’t say if it’ll make things harder or easier if I invest a lot of points–it could go either way.”
Silas replied with a mental shrug, “We’ll figure it out like we always do.”
Since it didn’t seem like she’d get more information until after she’d activated the scenario, it didn’t make sense to try and make any extreme purchases beforehand to gain an advantage. She’d just have to be flexible and do her best once she got there. There was one expenditure that might be worthwhile, though.
The last time she’d taken a ‘cultivation break’ she’d come very close to advancing to High Bronze. She estimated it’d take her less than a month to break through to the next rank which could help her in this next scenario. At the very least she could train to raise her attributes again if there was any downtime during the quest. After five years at mid bronze she’d pretty much reached the limit of how far normal training could take her, and she didn’t know how long this scenario would take. Historically speaking, some wars lasted decades–though she doubted the scenario would allow the quest to drag on for that long. She wouldn’t be surprised if she had a multi-year time limit, however. If that was the case, she wanted to be able to make the most of it.
Before purchasing anything she pulled up her profile and reviewed all the changes that’d happened the last five years.
Name: Samantha Cray
Age: 23
Attributes:
Aptitude (Approximate Max Value):
Strength: 19 => 22
Average (25)
Agility: 34 => 41
Extraordinary (46)
Endurance: 27 => 32
High (36)
Resilience: 18 (18.5) => 22 (22.5)
Average (26 (26.5))
Passive Arts:
Poison Connoisseur (Bond Ability)
Qi Cost: N/A
Inherit the toxin processing abilities of your bond. You will more easily gain resistances to any poisons you encounter.
Current Resistances:
Draff Toxicity: Rank 4 - 57% (-⅘ effectiveness and duration)
Corrosive Poison: Rank 2 - 59% (-⅔ effectiveness and duration)
Sleep Poison: Rank 2 - 9% (-⅔ effectiveness and duration)
Paralyzation Poison: Rank 2 - 93% (-⅔ effectiveness and duration)
Hemotoxin: Rank 2 - 12% (-⅔ effectiveness and duration)
Spiritual Poison Resistance: Rank 1 - 2% (-½ effectiveness and duration)
Neurotoxin: Rank 4 - 41% (-⅘ effectiveness and duration)
Combat Arts:
Cloud Run (Rare)
Qi Cost: 2 qi/ second
Meridian Requirements: Left Foot, Right Foot
Solid surfaces of condensed qi are created beneath–and anchored to–each foot. While active, these platforms allow the user to step on any surface as if it were solid, and can be moved independently (at a moderate pace) to adjust the user’s speed or direction.
Variation: [Cloud Stand] - Spend 1 qi point/second to create a stationary, solid surface of condensed qi beneath the user’s feet. This platform will remain steady and usable until the user moves both feet outside the bounds of the platform.
Utility Arts:
Telekinesis
Qi Cost: 1 qi/lb
Meridian Requirements: Mind
For every point of qi invested, exert one pound of force for 10 seconds on any object.
Variation: [Telekinetic Impact] - Spend 10 qi points to strike an object with a solidified ball of force.
Desert Breeze (Uncommon)
Qi Cost: Variable (Efficiency - High)
Meridian Requirements: Skin
Manipulate the air around you. Qi cost is dependent on air volume affected and the degree of manipulation.
Spirit Bonds:
Soaring Lunar Wolpertinger (Rank 5 - Mid => High) [ View More ]
Silas - Soaring Lunar Wolpertinger
Rank 5 - Mid => High
Attributes:
Aptitude (Approximate Max Value):
Strength: 14 => 18
Average (20)
Agility: 31 => 37
Heroic (42)
Endurance: 19 => 32
Exceptional (36)
Resilience: 11 => 12
Low (13)
Active Abilities:
Passive Abilities:
Iron Gut => Toxic Bile
Offered Bond Abilities:
Bond Ability Points (BP) Remaining: 1 => 4
She’d tried not to check her profile too often because she didn’t want to fixate on the things that were the ‘same’ as before. Even though she wasn’t increasing her cultivation rank or attributes at the same break-neck pace as when she first became a cultivator, she’d made countless qualitative improvements that her profile just didn’t reflect.
For example, her current precision with spear strikes made the attacks of her teenage self look amateurish at best. While suitable for combat, she could now admit that her technique was lacking in control and finesse. Sparring regularly with Tobias and being exposed to a lot of new fighting styles through the scenarios gave her an abundance of both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. She could easily impale a fly darting through the air without relying on her sphere of dominion or deflect an incoming crossbow bolt with a lazy flick of her wrist now, which are feats her younger self would’ve found incredibly impressive.
Slowing down and staying at the same rank for years also gave her the opportunity to hone her existing abilities to a razor’s edge–something that just wasn’t possible when she’d been scrambling for advancement. She hadn’t noticed in the moment, but having her rank and attributes rapidly increasing felt similar to being put in an unfamiliar body. Growing into her potential had shown her the value in acclimating to her current capabilities before progressing, though she probably wouldn’t spend this long at the same rank again in the future if she had the choice. She appreciated the improved awareness and control of her body, but was frustrated by the slow attribute gains.
All that being said, she still was proud of what she had achieved while a Mid Bronze.
The first notable change to her profile was that she’d evolved [Cloud Step] into [Cloud Run]. After spending her Mid Bronze insight to increase her knowledge of creating arts, she was able to figure out how to refine this already powerful skill into something even better suited to her needs. Though at a glance it seemed more costly at 2 qi/second instead of 1 qi/platform, those numbers were deceptive. [Cloud Step] needed to be refreshed any time she moved her foot to a new position, while [Cloud Run] allowed her to step as many times as she wanted so long as she spent the flat cost to keep the art active. With 41 Agility she could easily traverse 100 feet in a second, which could average anywhere from 15-20 steps. In this instance, [Cloud Run] would be at least 13 qi cheaper than [Cloud Step] would’ve been.
[Cloud Run] could also give her another 20-25 feet per second worth of movement on its own–though that was something she’d only gotten proficient at in the last couple of years. It was challenging to coordinate moving the relevant ‘platform’ alongside the foot she stepped with, and the odd sensation of the ground moving with her took some getting used to. Once she’d gotten the hang of it, though, she never wanted to go back to the stationary steps she started with. Furthermore, the intimidation factor of floating down from above with her arms crossed couldn’t be overstated. Add in using [Desert Breeze] to dramatically blow her clothing, hair, or make a dust explosion when she landed on the ground, and she’d managed some truly imposing entrances. More than once she’d used this combo to cause would-be combatants to run or give up immediately.
[Desert Breeze] was another art she’d fine-tuned. When she’d first crafted it, the skill cost a whopping 5 qi/second to use and only allowed her to create the barest breeze. At the time, it wasn’t good for much other than keeping herself cool in the heat–hence the name. After working with it extensively, she found that there were many more applications than she could’ve ever imagined. She’d used it to keep rain off of things, fan or snuff flames, decrease air resistance so she could run faster, encase her head in a bubble to let her breathe underwater, play with Silas by changing air currents as he flew, blind groups of enemies by kicking up dust… she constantly found new and creative uses for it! It was one of her favorite arts now, and the fact that there was still so much room for improvement was simultaneously a source of entertainment, frustration, and inspiration. More than once she’d started tinkering with the art only to lose herself in the venture for an entire day.
The last art she’d customized was [Telekinesis]. Rather than change its base functionality, she wanted a way to make a physical attack in her spectral form other than dropping potions on people or slamming items into them at high speed. The variation she created, [Telekinetic Impact], did just that. Instead of having 1 qi exert 1 pound of force on something over 10 seconds, she condensed all that potential into a split second burst of force. At her current level of control, 10 qi of investment at once offered the best ratio of cost to impact. While she could put more qi into it if she wanted, the execution became sloppier and she was at higher risk of losing control and giving herself backlash. As it stood, the amount of force generated was roughly equivalent to a punch from an average Low Bronze or a Strength-focused Peak Copper. It wasn’t likely to be a deadly blow, but it had its uses.
Silas, of course, had made strides of his own during this period. While she hadn’t yet increased in rank from the ‘cultivation breaks’ between scenarios, Silas did. When going up to Rank 5 - High he’d received the standard increases to his attributes and Samantha received a bond ability point. Instead of getting a new bond ability, one of his existing abilities [Iron Gut] evolved to become [Toxic Bile]. To put it simply, [Iron Gut] allowed Silas to eat almost anything without ill effects–including spoiled or poisonous foods. [Toxic Bile] allowed him to concentrate and store the ‘toxins’ from these foods to be used at a later time. In short… he could occasionally spit venom at enemies. The effects of this venom varied depending on what it was concentrated from, but so far she’d seen him blind a man, inflict necrotic bites, or, simply, make his victim uncontrollably, violently ill. Luckily for her, though it was listed as a passive ability due to the toxin storage working without Silas’s input, Silas was in complete control of when he put the skill to use. This meant she was safe from unintended poisonings when snuggling him or sharing food and drink.
As for the other two bond ability points she’d gained, those had come from natural deepening of their bond throughout the scenarios. The first she’d gotten after a particularly nasty fight. Shaken by the experience, Samantha had hiked with Silas to the top of a mountain to clear her head. Sitting at the peak, they looked out across the landscape and watched the sunset together. It was then that Silas turned to her and thanked her for showing him so many beautiful sights. The words were incredibly simple, but the sentiment behind them was almost… reverent. The depth of appreciation she felt from him was difficult to describe.
The second bond ability point she received–though not as heartwarming–was from an event no less intimate. Silas’s love of flying had grown even more after his newest flight-focused evolution, to the point where spending too long without flying almost pained him. One day when he was feeling especially restless he had flown so much he’d exhausted himself, but he still was determined to keep going. Seeing him struggling, Samantha called him lower to the ground and used [Desert Breeze] to keep him aloft beside her. All he needed to do was keep his wings extended in order to glide, and she took care of the rest with her art. At the time she couldn’t keep the technique up for terribly long–a couple minutes before depleting her qi stores–but it was the thought that counted. This also was the origin of the ‘game’ they now frequently played with each other during their down time. Samantha tried to use [Desert Breeze] to interrupt Silas’s flight path, and Silas did his best to foil her art. Usually, Silas would win if he could land on her shoulders or tap her head with his foot within a certain time frame, but they’d come up with many variations over the years that kept the game fresh.
Looking between her profile and the final scenario, Samantha decided the relatively small expenditure to cultivate until she reached the next rank was more likely to help than hurt her. With the high density cultivation chamber still being the most efficient option for her, a full month of usage would only cost her 12,000 points. If 0.3% of her over 3.3 million points was the expense that caused her to miss out on some extravagantly expensive purchase she’d just have to accept that.
She navigated to the relevant section of the shop, bought her first day of cultivation, and got to work.