When the world around him came back into existence, Vincent wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting to see. This… certainly wasn't it.
Raising an eyebrow, his mind quickly made use of the information his senses were receiving. The human from earth stood inside of a mountain and not just any but more specifically, Mount Everest. Although he knew the detail of his location for certain, the how part was a little lost on him.
Within what appeared to be the center of the mountain was a roaring forge which actively spewed angry flames and spit lava. The structure easily boasted a surface area several times larger than the metal working station he used at home.
It had the shape of a massive eagle, spreading its wings and roaring into the open ceiling of the mountain. It was made of a golden metal of some type and lava poured from its beak. Each of its eyes was some type of invaluable blue gem.
Below the eagle, hammering away at some sort of crude metal was a terribly misshapen.. giant? That was the only way he could think to describe the lopsided figure before him. It was humanoid but nearly a hundred feet tall. Even Gildarts would have been comically small beside the sitting beast, barely coming up to its ankles by Vincent's estimates.
He approached the massive man who turned his ugly caved-in head and regarded Vincent curiously. "Strange.. I have not had company here since my father cast me from the mountain. I was born.. too ugly for his ilk you see. They always projected the image of the perfect family.."
The giant trailed off before he shook his head and continued. "...hmmm you're a human. Why have you come?" The grotesque towering giant questioned, rubbing his chin with one hand. Vincent approached the giant cautiously. Based on the size and ferocity of the shockwaves that were being generated when the being's hammer impacted the crude metal, he figured his strength had to be in the thousands.
His curiosity outweighed his caution and he couldn't help but ask, "You know about humans? Do you also know about the earth and the system?" The giant nodded slowly. It scratched its head and sniffled. "Yes.. to all of those things. You are not the first human from earth to visit me at my forge of the gods."
Vincent frowned in thought. If that were true than maybe.. "Do you know if I am still on earth?" The giant merely shrugged. "I do not know. I know only where your species comes from, not where you currently reside. The nexus constantly changes. Dungeons and trials.. do not. We are but fixed points in time-"
Vincent waved his hand, cutting the giant off. "Yeah, yeah I've heard this all before." He huffed, crossing his arms. With a thoughtful expression he rubbed his chin before looking back up at the massive creature and asking, "Can you tell me if other humans still exist?" The giant studied Vincent for several moments before sighing deeply. The wind of the giant's breath rustled Vincent's hair and he couldn't help but wish that he had brought some breath mints or something.
The giant eyed him with a small glimmer of impatience. He smacked his lips together several times. "So many questions. They always have questions. You must find your own path.. you are still young. Tell me human.. why have you come?"
Vincent frowned but said nothing for several seconds as he contemplated the question. Why had he come? He supposed he really wanted to improve his equipment as much as possible before this daunting task he was about to undergo but.. there was more to it than that.. he could have done any number of trials to improve his raw stats but this one.. it was as if it had been calling to him lately. His instincts practically screamed that this was the path he must walk if he wanted to become truly strong.
"I.. have come to learn spirit infusion." He answered firmly. The giant froze for several seconds before an awkward, mutated frown covered his face. "Spirit infusion.. you know not what you ask. To infuse one's spirit in their weapons and armor.. is a dangerous process." The giant warned. Vincent shrugged. "Dangerous is my middle name. Not sure if it matters but my sword and shield are already 'soul bound' or whatever." He said making air quotes.
The giant shook its large misshapen head. "You misunderstand you ignorant child. A soul bound object is attuned to the unique affinity of your soul, your Aura. To infuse one's soul with an object or person is another matter entirely."
'I see.. my items are soul bound thats why they always come back but they're their own entities. my companion however.. I remember reading once that it had been infused with a piece of my very soul.. that's why our connection is so much stronger and also why it survives as long as I'm alive.' Vincent mused silently to himself.
He looked up at the giant once more. "Alright. I'm ready. What do I need to do?" He asked the colossal man. The giant nodded slowly. "Very well.." He said. "Stand before me." As Vincent did what the giant instructed, a massive glowing sigil appeared beneath his feet. The giant cupped both hands a few meters over Vincent's head and closed his eyes. He focused his breathing as deep concentration took him. "Good luck."
Before Vincent could ask what he meant there was a loud 'plop!' And suddenly he was back in his cave only.. he wasn't exactly. Some of his wolf pack was there which was impossible because they never entered the cave before not even when he commanded. It seemed whatever mysterious energies kept the rest of the world out kept them out as well.
None of his usual equipment seemed present nor his gardens were there, although his companion was. This particular cave also seemed to be almost twice as large as the one he was used to and the small trickle of Gaia's blood was more like a miniature waterfall from the central pillar of the cavern.
The symbols that he had studied for nearly three years had somehow changed and were glowing faintly. The strange pulsing substance that usually clung to the ceiling was dispersed about the entirety of the cave, so it was extremely thin and almost impossible to see. If it weren't for all Vincent's skills he was sure he would have missed it.
Just as he was beginning to wonder what exactly he was supposed to do here, he noticed his sword sticking out of a large rock near what should have been the mouth of the cave. Here in this fantasy imitation of his world there was no exit, just a smooth wall.
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"The sword in the stone huh?.. You're shitting me." He said straight faced. He swiftly walked up and reached out to grasp the sword. His intention was to just grab the damn thing and pull it out with one fluid motion. It was his sword after all, how could he not be worthy?
Unfortunately that was absolutely not had what happened. As soon as he grasped the hilt of the blade he felt a surge of pain eerily similar to the one he felt when the system tried to delete him. He immediately let go, falling to his knees and gasping. Some kind of mental image had begun to invade his mind but he couldn't hold the sword long enough to figure out what it was. The mental and physical pain that accompanied grabbing the hilt was enough to drive any sentient creature mad. He wiped his brow and heaved himself back to his feet.
"Thaaaat fucking sucked." He muttered, shaking his head. Was this what made a three time evolved trial so difficult? It forced you through unbearable amounts of pain so you can never complete it? He breathed in deep and tried again but the result was about the same as the last. "Damn it, this is bullshit!" He cursed, kicking the rock.
Now he had a bruised ego, a throbbing soul, and a sore toe on top of it all.. he decided to sit down and focus. He tried to call over his companion but it remained creepily unmoving. Just staring at him while he attempted the challenge. It was the same with his pack.
None of them were real. He didn't feel any connections. They looked like lifeless dolls. Yet, their energies were exactly identical. Perhaps they were supposed to be his motivation… He shuddered. This system was down right terrifying sometimes with what it could do. The man tried using the strange devouring energies of his system interference on his allies but to no avail.
He even tried warping and absorbing the sword in the stone with it. However, his energy was completely eradicated by a vibrant golden light the moment his skill touched the sword. He stumbled and gasped. Whatever substances and energy comprised this place were the real deal. He had no control over anything here.
He reconsidered his approach. He hadn't made a new skill in a really long time.. maybe it was long past due to try to discover something new. He should have enough room in his Soulspace with how strong he'd gotten and besides this one would be something small and specific. He needed it for a rather broad purpose and his abilities with reading and manipulating energy had grown tremendously. "It shouldn't be too difficult…" Rising once again to his full height he breathed rapidly in and out to prepare himself. He raised both hands, flexing them as they hovered above the hilt.
He stared at it, continuing to breathe in an exaggerated manner and flexing his hands. "Come on you sissy come on.. ugh this shit really hurts!" Shutting his eyes tightly he lunged forward and grabbed the sword with both hands. Instantly white hot pain shot from his head straight through his body to his toes and back up again in an endless cycle. It was like a lightning bolt of agony that only continued to intensify by the second.
He was beginning to glimpse the startings of the mental image again but he couldn't focus on that, the pain was unbearable even for his masochistic ass. He needed to concentrate his will and impose his intent.. the desperation of the situation was the only reason it worked, of that he had no doubt… but nevertheless..
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) achieved!
Pain tolerance (Epic) Increases mental fortitude, and decreases the mental strain associated with pain. Allows the user to more easily operate while overwhelmed by pain. Due to the 'Epic' rarity gain a moderate boost per skill level to total pain threshold before succumbing to overwhelming pain. Endurance grants a small boost to this skill.
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) has increased by 1..
He gasped letting go of the sword once more. The creation of the skill was all but flawless. The shape of the emerald green energy formed what looked like a living spear in a way as it coursed through his body and disappeared somewhere deeper. It carried an emotion similar to envy.. It lusted for the power that the pain caused it. It would be a valuable skill later…
Unfortunately for now, the sword in the stone itself barely moved a centimeter. This was going to take a while…
He tried again and again.. Each time ending with Vincent lying in a pool of sweat. It slowly became apparent that the mental image that was grinding its way into his head was him, powerless once more. Everything he ever known and ever loved was burning before him and he could do nothing to stop it…
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) has increased by 1..
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) has increased by 1..
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) has increased by 1..
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) has increased by 1..
The father's Anguish severs all who would seek to hurt you...
Nearly four hours later, an exhausted Vincent held his blade triumphantly in his right hand, pointing it to the cave ceiling in victory.
He wiped the sweat away from his head and bit his lip. He has pulled the sword out but there was no indication otherwise that he had completed the challenge. That was until the system dinged in his mind and there was a second loud 'pop.'
Before him was his familiar gold and red shield, in the shape of a sort of diamond. It lay across a large anvil beside which was a blazing hammer. He bent down and picked up the hammer expecting the same pain as the sword but instead there was only a burning sensation. It was largely uncomfortable but clearly it was just regular pain from a super heated hammer which his fire resistance did a great deal to alleviate.
He got the sense that he was supposed to use the red hot hammer to shape or temper the shield as you would after the quenching process but.. his shield was already shaped and tempered so what was the point? He was reminded starkly of the Unbendable trial from which his sword and shield originated.
Not really seeing any other option Vincent raised the hammer high above his head and hit the shield square in the center. As soon as he did he cried out in agony. There was no heat like he expected but.. It felt as if his head had exploded and this time a new, perfectly crystal clear image invaded his head. With it came a powerful emotion..
Congratulations! Skill: Pain tolerance (Epic) has increased by 1..
One of Vincent's primary weaknesses throughout his life was the need to feel validation from the ones he loved most. When his anxiety or depression had been at their worst he really just needed someone to be there for him most days… To tell him he mattered.
It would come as no surprise that as a kid he would often awake from terrible nightmares in which the ones he cared most about blatantly turned their backs on him or even outright mocked him and his feelings. They would laugh in his face or purposely make the situation worse. Large crowds of strangers in the form of dark silhouettes could be seen pointing and laughing, ostracising him from society.
Of course none of this had ever really happened. Most of his family was very loving and supportive of him in the old world. It was just a persistent phobia so invasive it couldn't be ignored. And now.. for the first time since he had become strong, he was feeling that terrible loneliness again. Feeling as if everyone was against him. No one cared about his pain..
He could trust himself. He could rely on himself for protection. He understood now. He hammered the shield again, grunting but continuing on despite the never-ending onslaught of painful images and emotions.
He saw his parents, talking about how they would rather die than have to take care of such a burden.. then they laughed as they purposely wrecked their car.
He saw his exs. He had dated a couple of women in his life but only one was ever a serious relationship and it had ended with his heart being ripped from his chest. Now they were pointing and laughing as the realization dawned on him that he would forever be betrayed and alone.
He saw his best friend Jake.. rich and successful, doing far better in life than he ever could with Vincent holding him back. All of his time and effort was constantly spent checking on Vincent and tiptoeing around his feelings.. How could Jake ever find time to start a family of his own, to see his dreams come true?..
He hammered the shield once more, this time shouting in anger as well as pain. Even as far as he had come, what had he truly accomplished? He was still weak. He still couldn't save everyone. He shouted again and again, hitting the shield with all of his might. He screamed his woes and pounded his frustrations away.
The man hammered the painful, made up memories into his soul so he would never forget, pouring his very existence and all of his efforts into the second part of this hellish trial..
Sure he could have probably taken his time or half assed it and no one would know.. But he would know. And the system would know. Being used as a punching bag or doing things in slow increments wasn't nearly as effective as giving something your all and struggling against impossible odds.
With each strike his emotional turmoil grew until at last he exploded and unleashed an unwavering strike on the shield. There was a resounding BANG! Words flashed across the blue window..
The Mother's Embrace shall shield you from all pain…
He sighed in relief as the anvil cracked and the shield was finally dislodged. Vincent picked it up with Telekinesis and strapped it to his back. He felt the equipment pulsing and humming warmly against his back. Vincent wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffled before glaring.
"What's next, you son of a bitch?"
End of chapter 22