The next morning the four set out after a shared breakfast. The mission hall had provided information on the Beasts, general directions, and infused cuff bracelets for storage. They were to use those to bring back the quota to fulfill the mission, and Vath couldn’t stop staring at his. It was gold, with black trimmings, and the infusions were in cut grooves that were artistically rendered, glowing softly with multicolored light. In short, it was a beautiful item, but, more than that, it represented something to him. This was a pretty item, a functional item, and an expensive item. And it had just been handed to him. Something so precious that no one in his village could even dream of affording even the cheapest version, and all four of them had just been given one as a matter of course, not even worth commenting on. Sure, they had tracking features as part of the infusion - stealing one would be a very bad idea, but it still just didn’t feel real that someone would let him use such a thing unsupervised without a thought. He’d been training at the sect for over a month. He’d learned martial skill, techniques, and knowledge he’d never considered before. He’d seen people who could do wondrous things, and encountered more new experiences than ever in his life. And yet, it was this, given to him so casually, that finally hammered home that his life had changed.
Life had a way of sneaking up on you. Every single moment leading up to this point had felt normal at the time. Each day following from what happened the previous one. And then something caused you to look back, and you almost couldn’t recognize the past. At no point in the sixteen years he spent in their village or the wilds outside it before meeting Wald would it have made a lick of sense for him to even hold the bracelet he wore, and now, not even a full two months later, it was somehow the most natural thing in the world. Was he even the same person? He looked around at his companions, at the trees and foliage around them as they traveled back into the wilds he and his brother had called home, and he realized one thing for himself. It didn’t matter.
Some people, maybe even most, would have been made contemplative. Vath was hungry. He wasn’t like the old him? Good. The old him had been insufficient. Oh, he’d done his best. He wasn’t ashamed of who he had been. But he was confronted, slapped in the face, with how far he’d come, and he wanted more. The forest was beautiful, and comforting in its familiarity, but it had never been more than a home of necessity. He wanted to gain the kind of strength that he and Kaser never had to come out here again unless they wanted to. The kind of strength that owning items like the one on his arm outright wasn’t odd in the slightest. The kind of strength that could protect those he cared for, and could punish the kind of people that had caused their flight into the woods in the first place.
His essence seemed to thrum in response to his musings, which unfortunately threw him out of them. That was ok, though, he’d gotten what he needed from the moment. He refocused back on the banter surrounding him, relaxing in the presence of people he could trust and laugh with.
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Vath peered out from a bush at the Beast they’d found. It had taken a while longer than it should have; neither Emara or Dornah knew how to conduct themselves in the forest, and Emara was new to hunting in general. The brothers had had to walk them through moving quietly and without leaving an obvious trail, and had explained the basics of tracking to Emara while they were at it. Then they’d had to find the specific Beast the mission called for, and they’d passed over several others before they found one. None of the four knew anything about alchemy - or alchemical infusion, as alchemists insisted on calling it, but apparently the tails of Jade Lizards could be used to make very efficient batches of healing products. Healing potions, pills, and other such things were far inferior to an actual healer; they couldn’t diagnose you and treat any problems directly. All they could manage was to suffuse your body with energy that mostly just assisted your natural regeneration. They were better than nothing, they had a few in the bracelets as standard issue while on missions, in fact; but they were by far the least interesting thing an alchemist could create.
They did, however, need to create a lot of them still, and as such their quota for lizard tails was high. Which is why it was so frustrating it had taken them so long to find their first. The training had taken a long time, they’d need to speed up if they hoped to finish by the end of day. Hopefully, killing them wouldn’t take too long.
They were spread to the four corners of the Beast, planning to take it from all sides. Vath gave the signal, and they rushed the gleaming green lizard. Emara’s hands began to spark with lightning in preparation to stun the Beast with her ranged technique, Dornah’s body covered itself in a thin sheet of ice to help him fulfill his role of bulwark, Kaser poured on the speed to hammer it right after Vath, and the lizard managed to turn towards Vath and hiss exactly once before his glowing red fist crashed into its skull with his full weight behind it. It crumpled to the ground, leaking blood and other fluids out of it’s obviously crushed head, and the four slowed to a stop over its corpse, frowning and looking at each other in confusion.
Kaser spoke first, “It can’t be that easy, right?”
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The newfound simplicity of their task made filling the quota on time easy; it turned out when they asked back at the sect that Jade Lizards were prized for their ingredients, but were among the weakest Beasts around. There was a reason it was the first Beast mission offered to untested disciples, though they had discovered themselves that “among the weakest Beasts” did not mean there was no danger. Jade Lizards could spit a rather deadly acidic venom, which they learned the first time they had gotten too complacent to perform a proper ambush. Dornah had a rather burned chest even through his ice armor, causing him to curse quite profusely, though thankfully there was no lasting damage once he got to a healer. If the bracelet hadn’t already slammed Vath over the head with the differences in his life, the ease of hunting even weak Beasts would have.
And so, the four had a new activity every seventh day. The weeks flew by; learning, cultivating, practicing, and then testing their progress consumed them all. Emara and Dornah spent almost as much time in the brother’s house as they spent in their own houses, even on rest days; Vath realized it was more than almost as much for Emara when he woke up early one morning and almost ran face first into her emerging from his brother’s room, which caused him to laugh quietly, and her to blush and never mention it again. He didn’t get it, but he didn’t much care either. They’d talk about it if they wanted to.
The thing Vath was most proud of, outside his general cultivation, was his progress on Void Strike. He’d fully mastered it at its current level according to his cataloger, and could easily channel it continuously across both hands, or one hand and a foot as needed. The only thing that held him back from pushing further was the essence requirement. Even if he wasn’t constantly infusing his essence into his body to push for the next stage, there was only so much essence a body could hold without a core. Thankfully, the time to change that arrived quickly. Kaser had naturally finished integration first, but he had waited on core formation for Vath to catch up. Well, to be more accurate, Wald, and Ilma at Wald’s request, had steadfastly refused to tell Kaser how until Vath was ready. Protestations that their other two companions had already advanced fell on deaf ears.
About two and half months after they set foot in the sect, Vath had finished the first stage of cultivation. Completing more than three quarters of that in under three months was good, but neither brother was satisfied. They were, however, excited when Wald called them to their usual meeting spot on their day off. They were led to another courtyard that had something curious. There was an artificial waterfall as part of the garden, and there were two tubs on the edges of it overflowing with water for some reason.
“Today, you advance,” Wald said, and paused to give them a warm smile as they broke out in eager grins, “The process is simple, but not easy. First, come here and provide your current cataloger records. It is tradition to do so before and after advancement, both so the sect can have the records, and also to cement the differences and the progress in your minds.”
There was a table in the middle of the courtyard, with a familiar orb atop it. The brothers quickly touched it one after the other as Wald produced paper and recorded the results.
Name:
Vath
Cultivation Stage:
Essence Integration - 100%
Organizations:
Sect of the Shining Void
Essence Balance:
Perfect
Strength:
30 (~10)
Potency:
32 (~22 [10+12])
Speed:
25 (~10)
Flow:
20 (~10)
Durability:
28 (~10)
Resilience:
20 (~10)
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Affinities:
Void - 93/100
Bloodline:
Empty Wolf (Close) - Early Awakening
Techniques:
Cultivation:
Empire’s General Method (Mastered)
Sect of the Shining Void General Method (Mastered)
Balanced Shining Void Method (Mastered)
Offensive:
Void Strike (Mastered)
Kaser’s results were similar upon inspection, with only a different technique, the physical attributes skewed more toward speed, and his affinity being two points lower. The last caused a frown of annoyance to appear on his face, and Vath to feel just a bit smug.
“Now, remove your robes and climb into a tub. The advancement makes a mess, you’ll want the water and soap by the end of it. Trust me.” Wald continued, “As I said, the process is simple. You can feel the essence throughout your body. It cycles through your body in your channels, and until recently seeped into your flesh to refine it. That part is complete. At least in that manner. What you need to do is to gather it all, every single scrap, and pull it into your core area. Grip it as strongly as possible, and then squeeze. It takes effort, but if you put enough pressure, the essence will condense into a fraction of the size. You will feel when it is as small as it will go, it is impossible to miss, because it will release a pulse of essence through your whole body, refining it further in a fraction of the time spent so far. Do not let go of the core when it pulses. Hold your grip tight no matter how distracting the sensation is. That pulse is the first. The second requires you to cultivate the ambient essence as normal to replenish your reserves without letting go of the core. Then, still without letting go of the core, you must condense it again. Right on top of what you already have, as another layer. It will pulse again when it is done. You will likely still have unused essence in your pathways which will get blasted out of your body by the pulse. This is normal, just keep hold of the core. Then you repeat as many times as you can before you lose your grip. The maximum possible is ten. Most will achieve a few layers to begin with, and then need to add them over time throughout the core refinement stage, but this is easiest at the moment of advancement. The core becomes more solid afterwards and is increasingly less malleable as time goes on. So the more you can do now, the better. DO NOT attempt to go over ten layers. Everyone who has ever tried has died. Most by exploding. Am. I. Understood?”
Wide eyed, the waterlogged brothers nodded. Wald walked to a chair, and a healer entered to join him. Wald gestured to begin, and Vath closed his eyes. He took a moment to even his breathing and center himself. Then he began gathering his energy. Grabbing it together and then letting go, working towards the first step, but not committing until he was confident he could grab every single speck of essence in his channels. When he was ready he pulled it all into his center. After months cultivating, having essence constantly in his channels, having them empty felt far too strange. It could barely all fit in his core area. Which is where the next part came in. He squeezed, and oh ancestors, it hurt. There was a pressure in his gut that did not feel natural, and his essence seemed to itself be in pain. It was such an unexpected feeling he almost let go right then and there, before bearing down once again. He’d been through pain before. At least this time it would give him power. He would not let go. Moment by moment, incremental movement by incremental movement, the ball of essence shrunk. It gained more solidity as it went. Going from almost a cloud of gas to a sphere of liquid, and then finally to a solid glowing rock in his mind’s eye. He expected the pulse then, as it was much smaller than where he started, and it was solid now like a core should be, but nothing came. What did change, was that it was harder than ever to condense it further, and the pain redoubled. He grit his teeth and bore down on it. Further, and further, and further, until, finally, a pulse froze his efforts. It rushed from his tiny core, revitalizing his body and nearly causing him to release just from the sheer pain relief it brought.
I will NOT let go.
His grip refirmed, and then he had to start the arduous task of trying to cultivate without it loosening again. He’d cultivated every day for nearly seven years, and without stopping for months, but doing so with this much mental pressure was difficult on a level he couldn’t describe. Slowly, he managed to begin, picking up speed as he continued. He took his time. As long as he didn’t lose control, gathering energy for the next layer could take as long as it needed to. When he’d gathered enough, he took a deep breath and continued. The pain had not changed at all, but at least it wasn’t worse. He would endure.
Days passed, or maybe hours, he couldn’t tell. All he could feel is strain, pain, followed by relief in a cycle that seemed endless. But he had a number. Nine. He’d just finished nine. Just one more and he’d be done. Wald had said that a few was enough, but he’d come so far. He refused to give up now. Vath took the longest break he could afford, not letting go, but just breathing for a moment without starting his cultivation again. When he felt ready for the final push he began again, one final time. Cultivating in this state had become almost easy, but the hard part would start soon. When it did, he almost passed out from the pain, and it was a miracle he didn’t release his core. It did not want to condense further and was protesting quite a lot. He snarled and pushed. He would not give in to his own essence. It obeyed him. He pushed and pushed, until there was a sound like a click in his soul and a final pulse filled his every corner.
He released at last, and his core’s size didn’t change. It was stable. A savage grin ripped across his face, and he opened his eyes. The first thing that caught his eye was the moon hanging in the night sky; the second was his brother, sitting in a chair, fully clothed, and smirking at him, “About time, slowpoke.”
Vath ignored the jibe and asked, “Ten?”
Kaser’s expression matched his as he answered, “Ten.” Then he looked Vath up and down and said, “You’re going to want to clean up though, I swear you have more than me.”
This caused Vath to look down at himself for the first time, noticing the thick black sludge that covered his form, and then gag as all his senses came back to him at once. He lunged for the soap and moved under the waterfall, scrubbing furiously. He understood the tubs now. Wald explained that the integration stage refined the body slowly, and so the parts that needed to be removed came out the normal ways, but the pulses did the same thing at a much accelerated rate, and pushed all the refuse to the inside of the skin anyway, so it just…had to come out somehow. Knowing that it was the distilled garbage of his flesh coming out of his skin did not make it better.
Once he was clean and dressed, the healer checked him and declared him healthy before taking his leave. Wald called him over to the orb with his brother. Two flashes and pages later, and the three looked down at what they’d managed.
Name:
Vath
Cultivation Stage:
Core Refinement- 0%
Organizations:
Sect of the Shining Void
Essence Balance:
Perfect
Core:
Void (100%) - 10/10 Layers
Strength:
40 (~20)
Potency:
42 (~32 [20+12])
Speed:
35 (~20)
Flow:
30 (~20)
Durability:
38 (~20)
Resilience:
30 (~20)
Affinities:
Void - 93/100
Bloodline:
Empty Wolf (Close) - Early Awakening
Techniques:
Cultivation:
Empire’s General Method (Mastered)
Sect of the Shining Void General Method (Mastered)
Balanced Shining Void Method (Mastered)
Offensive:
Void Strike (Mastered)
“Gooood,” a voice said behind them. Vath turned around to find that Elder Lita had somehow appeared at the precise moment the results were ready. Perhaps the healer had told her on his way out. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen ten layers on the first try, and both of you managed? I am proud of you both.” she said.
“How many did the two of you get?” Kaser asked, wide smiles on both of the brothers at the praise.
“I managed five. Higher than average, but my ascent has been slow and steady in comparison to you three.” she replied with a sideways glance at Wald.
He smiled slightly and answered them, “I completed eight, though the final two did not take me long after that.”
Vath was unashamed that he felt a little pride at that, and Kaser was positively glowing. At least, until a deep exhaustion slammed into them both. The older two smiled knowingly at them, and encouraged them to go home and sleep. There would be no missions the next day, they were free to rest as much as they needed. Elder Lita left, and Wald walked them home. Tired as they were, his arms around their shoulders guiding them was the only way they avoided getting lost and passing out on the ground somewhere. He opened their door for them, and ushered them inside. Before he left, he paused, and turned to say one final thing.
“Mother said it first, but you deserve to hear it from me too. I am proud of you. Your hard work is paying off, and you are not the only ones who recognize that. Sleep well, and celebrate with your friends tomorrow.” he said, and then the door closed behind him.
The two mumbled goodnight, and were in bed seconds later.
I am proud of you.
Laying in bed, staring at his ceiling, Vath thought of Jalen for the first time in years, and wished desperately that tonight was not the first time someone had said those words to him.