“Or… how about we talk instead?” I ask, and trigger Wraithstrike. My form flows right through the cage and I solidify just in front of its bars, still facing the line of Warriors. No threatening moves. A fresh round of Skills and spells hit me and stagger me, followed by weapons backed by Legendary Skills and Attributes slamming and cutting into me.
“No,” I declare as I keep myself as rooted to the spot as I can and trigger Psychic Eruption with a non-lethal blast to disrupt their attack. It’s not yet Evolved, but the extra Class Skill points make a huge difference. The Warriors and everyone else in the room other than Kzethroq flinch and freeze up for a couple of seconds, an eternity in battle at this level. During those two seconds I stare calmly at Kzethroq, my heart racing and determination dialed up to maximum, as my regeneration fully heals me again.
Space buckles and warps around me as a powerful Skill tries to teleport me away.
“No,” I say again as I catch it like an incoming fastball and with my Affinity I unravel it before it can take hold and send me into the middle of the raging nearby sun. Two more teleportation attacks hit me and I handle them easily. The Warriors are back to full alert though a few of the others around the room are still trying to shake off the effects of Psychic Eruption.
“Talk,” says Kzethroq and the others, some very close to me, stand down. I look past them at Kzethroq and wonder if any of the attacks I’ve been able to counter are from him, or if he’s keeping his powder dry. He’s one Level short of his Tier 3 Ascended Class Skills, but from my perspective his Skills are the biggest wild card. What can he bring to the table?
“I can do this all day. Unless… you want me to finish it?” I ask and call my Swords to my hands for the first time. Waves of destructive, threatening energy roll off them and a few of the closest Chimorak take half a step back despite themselves.
“I believe I said talk, not swing your little sticks around. You’ve earned a moment of my attention,” says Kzethroq. I wouldn’t call him wary or worried. His attention and presence are intense and his confidence is supreme.
Suddenly Foresight flashes and I see the location we’re in engulfed by an incredibly powerful attack that hits a split second after they teleport out, overcoming all my Resistances and vaporizing me. I reach out powerfully with my Affinity and lock down all dimensional manipulation in the area and get ready to trigger Wraithstrike or Omnipresent. Strong, insistent dimensional forces try to form inside the area I’ve locked down, but I flex my will with grim determination and shunt them aside or pull them apart as fast as they come in.
This gets a reaction from Kzethroq. A massive beam of destructive energy forms and shoots from him toward me, obliterating one of the Legendary Warriors standing close in front of him on the way. I haven’t moved, locked in position with my Dimensional Manipulation Affinity on full and huge amounts of Mana flowing through me. Everything is dialed up so high I’ve sensed the beam as it formed and I reach out with my Mana Affinity, intertwining it with my Dimensional Manipulation Affinity. It’s like I’m fully aware of every bit of space around us so completely that as the beam streaks toward me I unite my Affinities to unravel the Mana signature of the Skill before it reaches me. The beam dissipates a few feet in front of me and all that’s left is wisps of bright, white hot Mana swirling around.
Despite the fact they’re Warriors, and many of them Legendary at that, the Chimorak are standing around, seemingly unsure what to do. I guess I’m a bit of a wild card.
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“You got more where that came from?” I ask Kzethroq with what I admit is an almost gleeful intensity. The way I can feel everything around me in a new and different way is a bit intoxicating, especially after narrowly avoiding obliteration by an Ascended Class death ray.
“What is it you want from us? Why are you here?” asks Kzethroq. He doesn’t sound worried, but his tone has definitely shifted. The smoking remains of one of his retinue still lay at his feet and the rest look poised for action or retreat, I can’t tell which.
“Leave Earth, and leave me alone. You made a massive miscalculation going after my family. Leave Orvorax alone. Vacate any planet I visit that you occupy where you’re committing SSA Protocol violations. I want a Contract,” I say, and then flick him over the notification with the agreement. “In return, I won’t come after you. I’m not talking about coming after the Syndicate. I’m talking about coming after every single one of you, and everyone you know, and never stopping. Never.”
Kzethroq looks over the document quickly. It’s not long but it is crystal clear so it only takes him a moment. He looks up at me. It’s clear as a mid Level Ascended with his position that he views this ask as irritating and immaterial, although I definitely have the impression he no longer dismisses me as a threat. My Danger Sense still presses on me from all around and reminds me this is definitely not over. I stay focused and righteous by channeling my anger, giving them no hint I might back down.
“The Qillathe Syndicate has no interest in your planet and no longer has an interest in Orvorax. On the rest, both of us will need to take our chances.”
“I can live with that,” I agree after a few seconds of thought, even though I want to press it further. I simply can’t start collecting grudges with organizations like this as a hobby, it’s too dangerous for me and for Earth.
Kzethroq sends the document back to me fully agreed by him and the Qillathe Syndicate. Violating the Contract triggers some very heavy penalties, so while it doesn’t categorically and permanently protect humanity from them, or them from me, the disincentives are very high.
I agree to the document and then, while still holding the space around me, I trigger Omnipresent. Space starts to ripple around us and I can feel the Skill waver, but then I reach out and stabilize it with my Affinity. It’s a real strain doing all of this at the same time and for so long; it’s only my absurd regeneration in this Scorched World that’s allowing it to happen.
With some relief I step through the Portal and close it behind me, then slump down against a wall in the abandoned Queenstown MIS Hub and put my trembling head in my hands. Now that it’s over, I take a few deep breaths to try to calm myself, then replay the events in my mind. It all happened so fast, I was just in a mental mode to finish the mission, to get to the outcome. Part of me can’t believe I was able to stand my ground against all of them and take the punishment they dealt out. My survivability has taken a huge leap and I didn’t even need Runic Recall.
I flex my Dimensional Manipulation and Mana Affinities together and feel the space around me again. It’s such a new feeling and now the situation isn’t desperate I can take some time to properly understand this breakthrough. Something about using it right now is different. Lesser than it was when I was fighting Kzethroq. Is it just me not being so highly strung and in combat?
On a hunch I check the AMLs.
Current Ambient Mana Level (AML): 13 +30 (Gift of Gaia)
They’re still higher than on other planets and places on Earth, but a lot lower here than where I was, and I can feel the difference with my Affinities. I don’t have quite the same level of granularity on what I can sense. Definitely something I need to train up and improve, if that’s possible. I don’t even think I’ve really started to tap into what’s possible with this.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” someone says as they enter the MIS Lobby. It’s still being maintained so maybe the Academy is still on track to start up.
I don’t even bother to look at who it is. Instead, I trigger Omnipresent and just focus on the default most dangerous threat on Earth, then form a Portal underneath me on the floor and fall through it to Malaysia. I’m not sure I’m in the right mindset, but I need another Level and to test out my new abilities.