~~~Lee~~~
"Stanley!" Lee jerked awake with a scream as fear burned through him.
He gasped, and the feeling vanished as suddenly as it appeared. Something happened! Lee was frantically trying to sense his brother as he fought off his drowsiness, and then he felt it.
Stanley was okay, just afraid, tired, and hurting. Lee realized he was hurting, too. Ow...
The memory of the fight rose, and Lee stared at the ceiling of his apartment in a trembling daze. We did it. We survived! He clenched his fists as a smile grew on his lips. It's not over!
He still felt terrible, and he looked at his notifications to distract himself.
Debuff Gained: [Soul Wound]
Nope, Lee thought, skipping through the list. Don't need that... Where's the good news?
Your Soul Bound Connection with [Three] has increased.
Okay, that's good... whatever that means. There were skill and class level ups as well, but he skipped them. Until...
[Three] Emergency Protocol. Creator Death Unavoidable. Insufficient Resources. Requesting Assistance.
[Three] Emergency Protocol. Assistance Acquired. Granting Full Permanent Residence and Mana Access to all Assisting Participants.
[Three] Emergency Protocol. [Soul-Link] Crafted and Bound to Creator.
Lee wasn't that surprised. He remembered what had happened. Mostly. What still surprised him, even though it shouldn't, was Three. Did it know how to create that? Did I teach it? Did I know? He doubted that last idea since he still didn't know how to make a soul link.
[Soul-Link]
A single helping soul can make a difference. A hundred can turn the tide.
Effects:
All soul damage is shared between linked souls.
He'd seen the messages... they'd already lost a few points of soul. As he thought about it, Lee felt the link. A connection between himself and Three, between Three and... I can feel them.
It wasn't only Mana Mind telling him who was around anymore. Now there was something else. A rune. Not a rune on their gear... but a rune on their souls. What did I do?
A large number of people were in the courtyard, training by the feel of it, and everyone of them had a ghostly line or streamer running from them. Running from the rune that sat in... or beside... them.
Those same lines came to and were wrapping around Lee. Strands and filaments, branching and twisting into the rune that floated around him, but also deep down inside him, sheltering his soul... and through him, his brother. They all helped me.
Lee forced himself to his feet. Even though he ached and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, Lee made it to the door. It opened before he reached it, and he lurched through.
All sound in the courtyard ceased.
Lee could feel the energy surging, and he realized Three had been blocking most of it from traveling through the walls and doors.
He staggered to a stop against the metal railing and looked down at the gathered people. Every single one of them was looking back up at him. They could feel him, much the same way he could feel them. Lee felt fear from them, worry, anger, relief, and joy. The whole gamut of human emotions radiated back at him.
"Thank you," he gasped out weakly, coughing at his dry throat. "Thank you! You saved me," he almost whispered, but his voice carried in the silence. "You saved Stan..."
His vision went blurry as tears welled up, but he didn't need his eyes to see them. "Thank you so much!"
Lee collapsed as his legs gave out, and he slumped down, leaning his head against the bars of the railing. He had lived through that nightmare. Stanley had survived. They had both been at the edge, and everyone here had helped pull them back from the brink. "Thank... you..."
Someone leapt from below, and he watched them approach with Mana Mind. Hands gripped his arms, and Alejandro’s voice said, "You're welcome."
Lee cried. He couldn't help it. They'd almost died again... it had hurt so much... it still ached.
"I'm glad you're alive," Alejandro said.
Lee tried to shout, but it came out as another whisper. "I won't let you down! I will keep you safe... all of you. I promise!"
"I know, Lee," Alejandro said softly. "We all know. Now come on, let's get you back inside so Martin can finish the training." He gently lifted Lee back onto his feet and turned him towards his apartment.
Lee sagged and allowed Alejandro to drag him away. "I will protect all of you..."
Then they were back inside his apartment, and the rush of... whatever that energy was... faded. A cup of water appeared in his face, and Lee drank it, followed by another. Then Alejandro dropped onto the couch next to him.
"I think I know what happened, Lee. But... what happened? I saw it... that thing. Hell, we all saw it. Is that the undead the anubi were afraid of?"
Lee nodded, but something he'd glossed over earlier drew his attention from the conversation. It involved Maria, whom he could see coming his way with two children in hand. Two children with the same rune on their soul as their mother... What have I done?
There had been a lot of children in the building before... and Lee didn't need Mana Mind to recognize that he'd bound every single one of their souls to his own. Oh god... what have I done!?
Maria walked through the door, and Lee couldn't bring himself to look at her, keeping his gaze locked on the floor. "Alejandro, Maria... I'm sorry. I don't... I didn't..."
Lee finally looked up into Maria's eyes when she came to a stop standing over him. Her gaze was full of fear. "My children... you... bound them... bound their souls! Why, Lee?"
"It was Three. I didn't... I wouldn't have..."
"Mama," Gabriel said. "Me and sister wanted to help. Daddy said we should help people."
Maria closed her eyes, her expression heartbroken and afraid. "Uncle Lee was hurt and scared, so we wanted to help. Please don't be mad." Gabriel threw his arms around his mother's waist in a hug, and his little sister joined in on the other side.
"You did the right thing, Gabriel. Your mama knows that," Alejandro said, then looked at Lee. "Can you remove it from them?"
Lee started to shake his head and hesitated. It was a rune. A very complex and fancy-looking one, but a rune all the same. He should be able to take it back... right? Only... would he die if he removed it? Could he pull it from only one person, or would it remove the rune from all of them? It had a lot of intersecting lines... and he honestly wasn't sure if it was all a single rune or hundreds of the same one. It was also crafted from more souls than his own... "Maybe?"
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Alejandro stood up and joined the kids in hugging Maria while Lee was contemplating. Then he broke away to smile down at him. "We know you meant well, Lee. Even now, it's as if I can feel what you're feeling... It is just hard to see the children in danger."
"I would never..." Lee froze when a new thought occurred to him. "Can you guys see your soul attributes?"
[Deadly Soul Wound(Rune Seal)]
-1 Twin-Soul per 48 hours
Even with the soul link, if they were losing one soul every two days...
"Yes!" Gabriel smiled. "It is four." He held up four fingers. "Sister is two." He pulled two fingers down with his other hand.
Lee started shaking as horror filled him. No. No. No! He looked at Alejandro and Maria, who were both watching the exchange. They didn't look nearly worried enough...
"Minus... zero... dot... zero... one... per four eight hours," Gabriel said with a distant look, as if he were reading something only he could see.
Lee sank back into the couch and closed his eyes. Not an equal drain... but maybe... a percentage? He checked his status.
Status
Name: Lee Cascade
Race: [Mana Soulforge](E-grade Human)
Titles: [F-grade Source] [First Time?] [Swarm Chaser] [Minor Lord](321)
Traits: [Adaptable](55%) [Source Nexus] [Soulforged Mana] [Ley Line Attuned] [Runic Resonance] [Rune Harmonics] [Source Burned] [Ruthless Soul]
Class: Runic (Legendary) - Level 55 (Advanced)
Class Skills: Artistic Rune Creation (Epic) - Level 55 (Advanced) | Rune Soul Storage (Epic) - Level 35 (Intermediate) | Soul Infusion (Epic) - Level 24 (Basic)
Attributes:
Strength: 73(+320%)306
Vitality: 72(+320%)302
Dexterity: 71(+320%)298
Wisdom: 164(+1495%)2616
Intelligence: 173(+1495%)2759
Willpower: 168(+1495%)2679
Twin-Soul: 93(+430%)492
Non-Class Skills(3/6):
Liquid Mana Beam (Rare) - Level 10 (Novice) | Liquid Mana Inferno (Rare) - Level 1 (Novice) | Mana Mind (Epic) - Level 55 (Intermediate) | Create Plate (Rare) - Level 24 (Basic) | Soul Awareness (Epic) - Level 30 (Basic)
Buffs: [Three] [Soul-Link]
Debuffs: [Deadly Soul Wound(Rune Seal)]
Seeing his soul attribute with actual numbers was new... but if he was losing one point and Gabriel was losing point zero one... Lee wasn't sure about the math but didn't question it further. There would be no point in linking his soul to a bunch of people if he just killed all of them and ended up right back where he'd started. Had Three accounted for the difference?
He felt tears of relief leaking from his closed eyes. That scared me so bad. At this rate, he had four hundred... no, eight hundred days? No, he was still wrong. If Anita was losing soul at the same rate, it was only four hundred days. That was plenty of time! He could figure something out before...
A small hand patted his leg. "It's okay, Uncle Lee. It doesn't hurt."
Lee blinked. He felt it. He could feel something from everyone in the room. Just like before, on the balcony. A whirlwind tour of emotions from the group. It's not too late. Lee closed his eyes again. There is time. We can still fix this. He forced his mind away from that. Concentrate on what you need now.
First thing. Lee stood up to face the family who had adopted him. "I don't know what will happen going forward. I don't know if my soul will get better or not. I'm not even sure where to start. But I will take my chances with removing the link before I drag anyone down with me."
Alejandro smiled. "I know, Lee."
Maria didn't smile, but Lee felt her fear diminish. It didn't go away, but it lessened. She somehow didn't hate him for what he'd done; Lee could feel that much from her. She only feared for her children, a sentiment he shared and one that she could probably sense.
"Is Anita really at two?" he asked while glancing down at the girl. She half hid behind her mother while smiling shyly up at him.
"No," Alejandro said. "She is the same as Gabriel. He only says that because he's twice as old as she is."
That was a relief. More time to work with before things got dangerous... more dangerous. "Speaking of which, what are your soul attributes?"
"I am at eleven," Alejandro said. "I lost one point when I accepted the link. Everyone did. The predicted loss was higher at the start, but it's gone down as more people have joined in. So far, it looks like all of us that accepted are the same, regardless of our totals."
"Eleven?" Lee stared. "Only eleven? What about everyone else?"
"The highest, I think, was Martin? He was at fifteen."
That made no sense. "I'm at ninety-three." After we lost over two hundred points...
"I always knew you had a big soul, Lee." Alejandro was grinning at him. "Now, how about we continue this over lunch? You must be starving after not eating for a week."
"A week!?" Lee's mind raced. "We're due for another invasion!"
He got halfway off the couch before Alejandro caught him. "Relax. We're ready this time. There won't be any monsters sneaking in like before. You can take a minute; after all, your building kept recharging your runes while you slept, so we're still in good shape. Nothing needs your attention right this minute. Take a breath. You're alive. We're alive. Enjoy it."
"Okay. Okay. But... I should do... something..."
"You should..." Alejandro started, but Maria cut him off.
"You rest now. We bring food. We talk more."
"Yes... I can check the rest of my notifications. Maybe I'll find something to help..." His status had signs that more than a few things had changed during their ordeal. Lee started with his traits while watching Maria take the kids down to their class with Martin. The earlier training must have just finished...
You have reforged and bound a rune onto your wounded soul while using the souls of others to fill in the gaps of your own.
Traits: [Runic Augmentation] has become [Rune Harmonics]
[Rune Harmonics]
Your rune has achieved a harmonic balance between the hundreds of souls used in its forging.
Effects:
All runes may be reforged at will.
That was a nice change. Not just a boost anymore. Now it was at will.
Lee remembered all too well that perilous moment where they'd balanced on the edge... and he finally focused his attention on the other rune inside his soul. The seal holding the wound closed.
It gleamed with the power of the source. A blinding light that almost hurt to look at. A complex rune that interwove with the soul link in a way he'd never have been able to do himself. Three had done that...
Just like the notification had said, he could see where the link had filled in the gaps. It wouldn't have worked otherwise. It was a flaw he hadn't seen until it was too late. He wouldn't have been able to save them by using their wounded soul to fix their wounded soul... The patch would have had holes in it. Thank you... Three. Everyone. I almost failed. I did fail... but you all saved me.
Trait: [Ruthless Soul]
Your mind and soul are ruthless, and you will do whatever it takes to destroy your enemies, including destroying your own soul.
Effects:
+100% Soul Attribute added to All Mind Attributes
+100% Soul Damage Taken
Lee didn't like that trait, but it explained why his attributes looked so off. He also didn't feel like he'd earned it. Stanley did that. To be fair, he had been in agreement with the decision...
Though if it made them take a hundred percent more soul damage... did that mean he should be losing no soul points with the link? Was it hurting everyone who'd helped him?
He left it alone for now and kept going through the notifications.
Skill: Artistic Rune Shaping (Epic) has reached the Level 50 Threshold. Evolution Available. Upgrade Available.
Evolution Forcibly Enacted by User's Actions.
Class Skill Evolved: Artistic Rune Creation (Epic) - Level 50 (Advanced)
Artistic Rune Creation (Epic)
Intent creates art. Art creates power. Power begets creation.
Allows the runic to place runes without a single touch, removing the need to physically interact or draw the requisite symbols, provided the user maintains the necessary focus and mana control.
Level Effects (Advanced)
+4% All Effective Mind Attributes
+4% All Effective Mind Attributes during rune creation.
He hadn't really thought about it... but all the runes he'd used inside their soul hadn't required him to touch anything. Could he even touch his soul? Was that a thing? Or was he already touching it by dint of it being his soul? It had felt a lot more like working in his soul storage...
A few more of his skills had leveled, but nothing as dramatic as the other stuff. Also, his class had gained a lot of levels...
Class: Runic (Legendary) has reached the Level 50 Threshold. No Evolution Available. Upgrade Available.
New Class Skills Available.
Lee looked over his choices, including all the options he'd never taken before. The extra mana pool skill seemed even more pointless after his E-grade evolution... but some new skills stood out.
Language of the Rune (Unique)
Know the runes. Know yourself.
You are a newcomer to this ancient language, and despite your rudimentary understanding, you have accomplished great things.
Your dedication has earned you this unique opportunity to deepen that understanding.
Skill Level Effects (N/A)
Understanding comes to those who seek it.
That was the strangest skill he'd seen to date. It didn't even look like a skill...
The other option was more standard and full of potential.
Elemental Mana (Epic)
Hold the elements of creation in the palm of your hand.
Allows the runic to partition their mana pool to more easily hold and use any elemental mana they can collect. Branch out from pure mana and delve into the world of elemental runes.
Skill Level Effects (Novice):
+1% Effective Mind Attributes
+0.1 Available Partitions
Was stamina an element?