On Prax
There was a day of rest between the arena matches, a provision that Sam had tried to get around. King Granthar was unwavering though, and Sam had no wish to fight with the incredibly potent D Ranker over something so small. The king’s desire to save face might have stopped him from simply crushing Sam like a bug, but if he was too disrespectful, it would happen anyway. It was a devious ploy on the behalf of the System, adding a new level of danger, despite the overall ease of this Tower segment. This was supposed to prepare him for more political conflicts.
He had stayed with Garnax and his family, getting to know them a bit better. Garnax’s wife was named Gilda, and their two daughters were Anna and Malara. For the first time since he had set foot into the wider Multiverse, Sam found someone with a name that he recognized. Anna was a quiet girl, but she possessed a burning ambition to rise to the top of the cultivation world.
Sam sat with the family at their dinner table, and despite not needing to eat, he still did so anyway, both to be polite, and because he still enjoyed the taste of food.
“So, tell me more about Prax,” he said around a mouthful of a particularly succulent piece of meat. “How long has it been settled?”
“Granthar’s family came here five million years ago. They are a potent sect who wished to dispose of a branch family who had been a thorn in their side” Garnax whispered. “As you might be able to tell from our current king’s temperament, he inherited many of the problems that led to this.”
Sam nodded. “Ah. Things like that happened all the time on my home world. Problematic children tossed aside by noble families, given a minor position somewhere out of the way.”
“Where is your home world?” Dyvan asked, not able to prevent a smile from appearing on his face when he spoke to his saviour.
Sam smiled back. “It’s called Earth. It was recently brought into the fold of the System, about three or so months ago.”
“You’ve only had the System for a few months, and you’re already an E Ranker?” Gilda nearly shouted, before covering her mouth in embarrassment.
“Yes. I am a somewhat… special case,” Sam replied.
Garnax smiled ruefully. “If only I had such potential. None of this nasty business would have ever happened if I could have proven myself to the king.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“That bastard would have found an excuse anyway,” Dyvan spat. He was met with horrified looks from his family. “What? You know that’s true. He isn’t listening to us right now. He’s too busy enjoying the company of a small army of whores.”
Sam sighed. “It seems that the problems that plagued my home world are writ large across the political fabric of the Multiverse as well. I am glad that I can help.” Indeed, he had gained Karma from saving Dyvan, proving that this was, in fact, his Multiverse. Five entire points, in fact. The resource was something he kept in reserve, never having really needed it since his battle with Gaea.
“We are glad as well,” Garnax answered. “Anything you need, we can provide it. The hand of one of my daughters? I am sure they would be overjoyed. Money? We have that too.”:
Sam scoffed. “Hold on there a moment. We’ve only known each other for twelve hours, and you’re already trying to offer me your daughters?” Sam turned to them. “Not that I am offended, you both are lovely young ladies, but still. I already have a commitment.”
“Is that not how they do things where you come from?” Garnax said, looking a bit fearful. “Here, any maiden would be overjoyed to wed an E Ranker, no matter their temperament. Your kindness would only be a bonus.”
Sam grinned. “If anyone should be thanking somebody, it is I, thanking you. Your summoning is what allowed me to embark upon the next state of the Tower of Transcendence. Your gratitude is more than enough for me.” Then he paused, thinking about a skill he hadn’t had a chance to use in a while. “Say, how developed are your Daos?”
“Our Daos?” Garnax answered, looking a bit confused. “Dyvan and I have a high stage Fragment, my wife has a mid stage one, and my daughters have initial rank Fragments.”
Sam smiled, and reached out with tendrils of his own Dao, using Dao Pedagogy. His first class skill had seen little use recently, as he couldn’t use it on himself, and he had no wish to use it on enemies.
He found the kernels of Dao energy that made up the core of the conceptual powers of those around him. Then he entered them, searching for ways to improve them. Garnax’s Dao was one of loyalty, which fit, as he was a noble. However, that loyalty was not to a king, or any person. It was to the planet of Prax.
Sam quickly noticed that the Dao path Garnax was embarking upon was a narrow one that had few avenues to further growth. Using the power of his skill, he nudged the man into a different direction, one revolving around loyalty to the concepts that made him love his planet. Daos had to provide space for themselves to grow, and there was no natural progression to a Dao that already was complete within Garnax’s mind.
Sam continued, moving on to Garnax’s wife, Gilda. She had a Dao related to combat, which surprised him. She was a devotee of unarmed combat, but you never would have guessed just by looking at her. Sam entered her corespace, and started to nudge her Dao, which currently focused on the rhythm of her punches and kicks, towards a more wide ranging concept, encompassing more of the higher concept of Balance. Most of these suggestions were purely done on instinct. Sam had no idea how his most mysterious skill really worked, only that it did.