The sheer extent of William’s fuck-up didn’t fully sink in till I looked into the boy’s eyes. First time I met him, I just spent a few minutes taking him in, reading all that hate leaking out from him.
I saw that expression before.
I knew that stare. I saw that stare in Kandahar, in Afghanistan, in the eyes of the boys who were willing to blow themselves up if it just meant taking another son of a bitch with them.
I knew that stare.
And this one…the Realmbreaker, his stare was worse than all of theirs.
He wasn't… It's one thing to be okay with giving your own life to take another. But this kid had no intention of dying. No. He had the look of someone who didn’t believe he even could die. And so, he was going to make his pain the rest of the Fathom’s problem, and so the universe was gonna burn…
-John Bishop
72
More Mountains to Climb
Bones of Spiteful Flame: A set of armor created from the blackest forges of the Circle of Pride, fusing hellish obsidian around the skeleton of a hateful warrior whose loathsome wrath lingers past the point of death. Triggers Blastbacks of Fire Essence from where the wearer is struck. Increases wearer’s durability. Allows wearer to direct Fire essence within a 10 meter distance. +10 Strength; +20 Constitution; +10 Will
Wei was already impressed by the retaliatory measures infused within the armor, but the stat increases were on another level altogether. Looking down at his current golden curiass, the young master couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust. Why had Mepheleon restricted him from claiming actual treasures? Why was the storefront of these Moongraves so paltry, so scant?
"Once again, I offer you my greatest thanks," Wei said. This time he didn't really need to fake the gratitude. The feeling was altogether genuine.
"Course, of course," the Old Man said, chuckling as he leaned back in his throne. "Anyway, you best take that with you when you leave. Try it on, it's just a little taste of what you can get if you're actually represented by a force that matters."
Wei did his best to hide his offense. A force that mattered? As if the young master intended to subjugate himself beneath the will of another. The Drowned Sky Sect was going to be a force that mattered. He was going to be a force that defied all odds, all foes who stood before him.
Wei hid his scorn with a smile as he swore to himself that someday, someday soon, he would see himself surpass the Old Man's power. Where the Count’s twin suns were overwhelming at present, Wei would see them extinguished as if candles when he rose to a Count himself. But for now, he was more than willing to claim his rightful reward. Taking the armor into his inventory, he once again offered a cultivator’s salute to the Old Man.
"All right, we've prattled enough. Brief as this was, I quite enjoyed our conversation, son. Be sure not to keep Mulver waiting. I want to hear all about how we butchered and bled those Inheritor bastards when this is all good and done. And there'll be a drink waiting for you once you pass into Preceptor's Descent. Stay proud and stay alive. I have a good feeling about us.”
"Indeed," Wei replied. "I'm looking forward to our continued cooperation.”
“Cooperation,” the Old Man snorted. “You’re adorable, boy.”
He waved a hand, and suddenly, without any preamble, the sun Wei expanded, swallowing the young master in a swell of blossoming radiance. And as the light faded, he found himself back in the Moongrave right before Rafael again.
"...but there shouldn't be any problems with the contract," the lich finished saying. Rafael was right next to him, looking through the contracts before suddenly jumping back in shock. “Agh. Wei, I—you—” Wei blinked as dappled dots of disorientation vanished from his vision. Once more, his Omniscience was flooded with excruciating detail. But as his Enlightenment slowly grew, his headache wasn't so painful compared to before.
"How long have I been gone?" Wei asked, speaking to Rafael.
The lich stared at him, looking surprised. "A second? Two. You just… vanished. And then returned.”
Wei clenched his jaw as he considered the implications of Rafael's statement.
Mepheleon already demonstrated his control over time. Perhaps the Counts also possessed skills geared towards chronomancy, albeit to a lesser degree. All these possibilities tempered the young master's resolve. With his Class Tier Ascension and the growing power infusing his system, he felt as if he had surmounted a tall mountain in a single day, only to discover even greater promontories looming ahead. But just as well, this was the path of cultivation—to climb, to surpass, to ascend in defiance of torment and tribulation. Wei still have a long way to go, but with difficulty came thrill and promised satisfaction.
"I already had my ‘interview,’" Wei said, shaking his head. "I was transported a moment after I signed that contract. I've already spoken to a Count of Pride."
"I… how long?" Rafael said, sounding baffled.
“Nearly an hour, I think.”
The lich just stared on. “This power did not originate in the ciphers. They… they were only meant to extract you from this place.”
A spiraling set of arrays condensed around Wei as he felt pulsating wavelengths splash over him. "Perhaps… chronomancy…"
"It is the will of the power currently beyond ours," Wei said, reaching out to grip the lich along his shoulder. "We will discover these intricacies with time. Right now," he pulled his new Bones of Spiteful Flame out of his Inventory and contemptuously pried the garbage he was currently wearing as armor off from his body. "Right now, we prepare for more immediate concerns. See about the Lodge. We have work to do.”
***
A wicked talon slammed hard into Wei's back. The young master stifled a grunt of discomfort as a jet of black flame erupted outward from the point of impact, shearing through the limb that delivered the blow. The last insectoid demon wailed in agony, reeling back as its right forelimb bounced, splashing into the fetid swamp below.
Fortification Advanced > 24
Enlightenment Advanced > 23
[8/10] Aspect Advancements to Core Ascension
//
[Knight] Class: Dominator Lv. 30
>Specialization: Cataclym’s Herald Lv. 30
Scorn: [3400/3400]
Allocatable Points [50]
Strength — 422
Speed — 334
Enlightenment — 295
Awareness — 354
Constitution — 243
Will — 380
Wei let out a sigh as he observed the mass of bodies scattered around him. Though his aspects of Authority and Relativity had slowed, he still had the opportunity to train his lesser capabilities that he'd long neglected. His Class had also leveled a few times, though he kept his current free points in reserve in case any of his Aspects needed a boost down the line. The gulf between his Class and System advancements were growing, and it seemed like his Eidolon was going to outpace his System for as long as he remained without true struggle. And so he set about multitasking, reading through the Compendium and learning new things about the Claimed Hells and Fathoms beyond while allowing lesser demons to strike at his person. This way he, tempered his toughness while learning as well.
The Old Man hadn't lied. The armor was spectacular, especially its automatic retaliation properties. Furthermore, the flames that composed the cape could be wielded as a weapon as well, lashing out for ten meters before it lost Essence condensation. He slashed through a few demons with it, but it was a feeble weapon compared to his Broken Crescent. Still, more options were good.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Foes beneath Knight-Tier were of no threat to him anymore, regardless of if he allowed them free reign during their offense. His time in these Moongraves were growing short, and with each passing hour he stayed, his desire to finish his climb on grew. New pages had been added to his contract as well, with a new line to sign when he wanted to contact Mulver. However, he decided to put that off until Rafael finally contacted the Lodge to see what they could offer the Sect.
Another thing he discovered was how his Fortification grew more potent with every attack, adapting to specific Skills and effects. But he discovered that its greatest weakness was when diverse sets of attacks impacted him, the Aspect’s resistant properties would reset. If someone struck him repeatedly with a hammer, he would grow more blunt-resistant. But if an enemy cut him between instances of percussive blows, the building adaptation of his Fortification would be reset constantly, unable to build to a meaningful level of durability.
The young master wondered what the next System Ascension would provide to his Aspects. Perhaps there was even a Skill he could create on the basis of his Fortification. In that regard, his progress had been slower. The Concept Cores required a substantial amount of theorizing and investiture to compose something worth using. Minor Skills were easy to make, but Wei had no desire to sacrifice more memories making sub-par Titles or Skills. Especially with the Hearted Realm looming on the horizon.
Rafael -> Wei: "Wei, it's done. I have made contact. But you need to return to the sanctuary. There is something you’ll want to see."
The young master looked at his chat and let out a huff. Finally. It took Rafael the better part of a day to contact the Lodge. For all the praise and reverence the lich directed towards this faction, Wei hoped that they had better been worth it.
Wei left training spot with a blast of wind before turning into a bolt of lightning using his Essenceshift. He soared across the air and dove through a rift as he used his Navigator to align the spatial pathways and route himself back to the sanctuary. He emerged with a crash of thunderous force, and as he crossed over, he was greeted by the welcome sight with nascent Sect slowly coming into form.
Resting disciples clad in basic armor of made from reinforced steel chatted among their fellows. Those then noticed him reacting with startlement. Some backed away, offering bows. Others simply averted their gazes, unsure how to react, lacking proper instruction regarding courtesy. Wei allowed it. They were new initiates, after all, and they did not know his ways. Considering the extraordinary conditions of their recruitment, it would be better if they focused on their training first. Scanning their levels, his approval grew further as he saw fewer and fewer disciples in the single digits. Some even had Rare Specializations.
And there, seated against the corner of the room, Angeleous stared blankly at the ceiling, while his Shadow Archer lieutenant directed the rest of the men. The lieutenant briefly eyed Wei, a look of suspicion and slight hostility, but he didn't approach the young master, nor betray any overt moves towards traitorous intent.
Wei left Angeleous in the sanctuary, instructing him only to say that he felt extremely exhausted should anyone ask about his condition. The young man only mutely nodded in response to Wei's orders, unable to resist.
He knew the consequences of betraying the young master, and more importantly, Rafael was going to be monitoring him in the sanctuary. So far, it seemed like Angeleous was telling the truth. None of his men had been contacted by the Inheritors. Rafael's investigation had confirmed that, but that didn't mean they weren't an unstable element within the faction.
Still, the Shadow Archer and the Heavy Warrior showed some measure of talent. Wei would see them assigned to Agnesia for her to further mold and align their loyalties. And speaking of that particular devil, the girl emerged from the rift mere few seconds after Wei. Behind her came a contingent of twelve battered, bloodied, but ultimately triumphant-looking inner court disciples, most of them a few levels away from Level 25.
As for Agnos herself, a looming shroud of ash rose behind her, revealing a growing avatar of darkness and power. Wei felt a swelling essence radiating from her form. Level 26 already. The girl was chasing after him with all her might. Good.
She approached him with a suspicious grin on her face, and he saw that she had cut her hair short at some point, leaving only a short crop of whiteness. Shame. He rather liked her longer hair.
The young master halted, deigning to give the girl his full attention as she met him just before the restorative pools began. A shift of spatial essence followed as she pulled what seemed to be a severed head out of her Inventory with a casual toss. She plopped what looked like a faeblood’s head at his feet.
Wei regarded the act with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, who is this? Why are you throwing severed heads at your patriarch's feet?"
"Yeah, I'm not calling you that," Agnesia responded. "You’re not nearly old enough to be my da. Ran into a Knight while running the lads and lasses through the Essence Rifts. I think this one was a knight of sloth. Put up a rough fight, but the flames got him in the end."
“Yes, you’re Level 26. I can see that,” Wei said. “So, did you choose to send your Path of Wrath—" He caught her slowly narrowing eyes and, in an uncharacteristic moment of social intelligence, realized she was fishing for praise. “...Well done. Truly, you are among my best disciples. Now, we have another member among my side who can murder enemy knights.”
And her frown vanished, replaced by rows of gleaming teeth squared up in a prideful grin. “Nah. Couldn’t do it alone,” she finally said, looking aside as she regarded the other disciples. Wei studied the gaggle she'd brought with her using the admissions and identified the large baker-specialization orc one of the Hivekin now sporting electrical tendrils from their back among the cohort that formed his inner disciples. A torrent of awkwardness passed their way as he realized he hadn't even asked their names yet.
Most patriarchs didn't directly concern themselves with the training of the lower disciples. So, the sect only had a hundred people. He needed to do some kind of orientation, preferably after he passed through the Hearted Realm. There was no sense in getting attached to the weak. That was only a recipe for pain.
Pain. The relief flash of Master Mouze’s final moments lifted through Wei's memories before he shook it off. Well, at least, the members of his sect were bonding. That was a good sign.
“Ellena!” A voice called out from across the sanctuary. Wei’s Omniscience caught sight of the deposed queen emerging from the crowd of people, holding two potions while glaring daggers at her own daughter. The girl shifted, close, trying to hide behind Wei's back like a child.
It was only then that he realized she even bloody taller than him than. How? How was she growing so much? Did she have a hidden height Aspect?
“Agnesia of Dawnrest. What did I tell you?” Ellena said.
Wei winced. “The full name…” He breathed. He remembered the fear he felt when his mother used his full name. He offered a look of sympathy to Agnesia. In front of so many people no less.
A blush of appeared over the girl’s face. A faint few chuckles sounded from the corners of the room. But Ellena continued marching forward. She held out two potions. Wei saw that one was a Potion of Regeneration, while the other, Clarity.
“Mother,” Agnesia sighed.
“No,” Ellena said, a note of genuine anger entering her voice. “I will not let this go. I taught you behind every successful operation your father's done, every successful campaign your older brothers have led, there was preparation. Preparation was the key. And having every item you need, especially those that will keep you alive.”
“I’m not a bloody child, Mother,” Agnesia said, pouting. “My Cass is about enduring pain. It's about overcoming. Getting stronger by–”
“You do not get stronger from being dead.” A flash of outrage passed through Ellena’s features. No longer was Agnesia hiding behind Wei. Instead, she was staring down at her mother. Both glared. Neither backed down. And now Wei was aghast. This was highly inappropriate. How could they so casually breach their piety before strangers?
"I'm not afraid," Agnesia said. "I have lost enough. I am done being afraid. I am done being weak.”
"Recklessness is not strength," Ellena spoke through clenched teeth. "Recklessness is suicide. It was something your father failed to learn."
Agnesia’s nostrils flared. "My father was betrayed by fools and bastards. His weakness wasn't recklessness," She growled with menace. "I should have— We should have— The council should have burned. Their families put to the sword–"
“Enough.” Wei cut through their argument. “Agnesia, enough… Listen to your mother.” As he prepared to walk off, a genuine expression of hurt passed over Agnesia’s face.
"You are taking her side in this?" She cried.
Something in Wei cracked. He felt his System talk about resisting some kind of trauma again. The damnable thing was still having difficulties. He turned a glare on both the girl and the mother as he forced out his following words: “No, I'm taking yours so that you do not make a mistake so in the case that she dies, when she is gone, when you sit in the dark, trying to remember how she chided you, you can think of this moment in happiness instead of worrying about when you might forget her voice.”
And when Wei marched off, making for the lich without another word. He ignored all the people in the sanctuary.
“Wei,” Roggi said, lumbering close from where the Oathbearers had set up a small forge.
“Not now,” Wei shot back without even looking at the large dwarf. “I’ll find you later.”
And like a balm for Wei's sanity, Roggi stopped, offered a nod, and turned away. At least some people on this bloody Sect could still listen.
As he finally got to Rafael, who was currently guarding new paths through the ciphers aligned with the seven portals at the end of the chamber, he joked and spoke to Wei. “You said you reached a member of the Trespassers' Lodge?”
“Oh. Yes,” Rafael said, and he produced a page from his Inventory. A page extracted from Wei's Trespassers Compendium. There were a few lines of dialogue. Wei accepted the page and read through the contents. Apparently, someone known as John Bishop had been talking to the lich, and they desired to set up a meeting.
John Bishop. Wei knew that name. He saw messages or logs left by the man regarding certain entries related to the Claimed Hells, Concept Cores, Essence, and more.
“Quite the illustrious individual,” Wei said. But with fortune also came suspicion. As John Bishop seemed to be well known, there could be more than a little chance that they were dealing with fraud. Or worse, a trap. He could even see the inheritors falsifying their identities within these forms, trying to lure out members of Wei's sect.
But as Wei’s gaze finally reached the bottom of the page, everything else ceased to matter as his attention collapsed upon a single name.
William Yu.
John Bishop knew his father. John Bishop wanted to talk to Rafael—to discuss if the lich could locate Wei somehow. Little the Trespasser know… And now young master realized why the lich asked for him.
“He already accepted my connection request,” Rafael said. “I can establish a meeting at any time.”
For a few moments more, Wei just stared on in silence. His father, his patriarch, the man who ruined his life, the man he sought to kill, so close in hand again.
“Let’s do it somewhere private.” Wei said. His increased Aspects of Enlightenment suppressed his budding rage; this wouldn't be like the times before. Now, the next time Wei got his hands on his father, he would see the man broken without a single chance of escape.