A storm was blowing in from past the drop. Clouds arched overhead, forming a towering ceiling like the hall of some great cathedral. Homst lay at its center, rendered in miniature before the encroaching wall of water.

  Even after weeks on the Spire, Sam still couldn't get past the scale of it. The creatures, the buildings, the weather. Everything was bigger and more extreme than anything he was used to on Earth. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he watched the storm approach. It was going to be a rager, and they were going to be smack dab in the middle of it.

  He let out a sigh as he refocused on Siel, who sat a few feet away, grimacing as she evolved her skill. They were perched on top of the wall that separated the city from the end of the bluff. Beyond, the forest stretched upwards until it dissolved into the bank of fog that hugged the base of the cliffs.

  The sylvan looked tired. The result of a long day in a string of long days. They’d spent a little extra time in the city, finding buyers for their literal tonnes of monster corpses. They’d agreed that she take the bulk of the proceeds, given that Sam would be pushing even further ahead once he evolved his weapon. The gap between them had closed, but she was still over 9,000 spira away from hitting Bronze.

  Sam, on the other hand, only had to purchase a single skill.

  Some part of him had secretly hoped that he'd be the first one to reach the next Tier. He knew that others were ahead of him in total spira count, but couldn't imagine a clearer middle finger to the Pantheon than him being the first one to rank up.

  Unfortunately, he hadn't quite been able to accomplish it. He’d watched the last Memoria as they’d travelled back to the city, and, as predicted, he'd dropped out of the top ten. Almost all of the Warriors ahead of him managed to Tier up. The Arbiter had been very complimentary. Supposedly, this crop of Warriors was one of the best they’d seen in generations.

  Still, he figured he’d be among the first fifty to accomplish the feat, and that was something…assuming he didn't spontaneously explode when he purchased the final skill.

  Siel’s eyes fluttered open, and she gave him a strained smile. She’d evolved two skills at once in the hopes of creating a morph, but hadn't succeeded. The evolutions had still been excellent, however, giving her fantastic upgrades to her strength and stamina. Her progress over the past week had been nothing short of extraordinary.

  Name: Siel Ot’Oné

  Race: Sylvan

  Patron: Dianae

  Class: Venator

  Rank: Iron

  Titles

  [Child of Babel]

  [Nature’s Chosen - Tier 7]

  [Primal Tamer - Tier 5]

  Achievements

  [Divine Patronage]

  [Mana Network]

  [Skill Morph]

  [Beastslayer]

  [Bronze Usurper]

  Enhancement Skills

  [Bestial Fortitude - Tier 2]

  [Battle Regeneration - Tier 1]

  [Creeping Endurance - Tier 1]

  [Arcane Alacrity - Tier 4]

  [Nature’s Eye - Tier 4]

  Martial Skills

  [Simple Ranged Weapon Proficiency]

  [Bow Mastery - Tier 8]

  [Light Armour Proficiency]

  [Focused Precision - Tier 4]

  Divine Skills

  [Natural Affinity - Tier 5]

  [Tame Beast - Tier 4]

  [Summon Familiar]

  [Channel Familiar - Tier 3]

  [Huntress Vines - Tier 4]

  [Nature’s Touch - Tier 3]

  Familiar - Mjolna

  [Relentless]

  [Keen Senses]

  [Bristled Fortitude]

  [Reckless Charge - Tier 4]

  [Spira: 5,560]

  [Bestial Fortitude] had been an incredible pickup, complementing her already significant range of Tamer skills. It scaled off the vitality of her chosen Familiar, which meant that she was likely nearly as durable as Sam was. Her evolution for [Basic Stamina] had been another huge win.

  [Creeping Endurance - Iron - Uncommon - Upgradable]

  Weaves enchanted vines into the body’s muscle fibres. These Divine creepers allow for faster muscle regeneration and significantly increased stamina. Utilization of [Nature] attuned magic can further boost the vines' performance and efficacy.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Cost: 3,000 Spira

  The process of growing miles of natural microfibres had not been comfortable, and they’d decided to rest by the gate before proceeding outwards. Sam noticed strands of subtle green now weaving their way beneath her pale skin. The effect was uncanny, and did make her seem as though she was part plant, which–he now supposed–she was.

  They’d chosen the spot atop the wall because it gave them a complete view in every direction. Sam didn’t think they were technically supposed to be up there, but none of the guards had said anything when they’d climbed the narrow staircase. At the edge of the wall, a translucent magical barrier rose high overhead. Whatever energy it was made out of, Sam couldn’t identify it. Its purpose, however, was crystal clear.

  The barrier marked the edge of the zone of Truce. For while the peace had officially ended, it was still enforced within the cities. Offensive [Divine Skills] wouldn’t function, and weapons would lose their edge if used to attack. Arther had told stories of Warriors who’d attempted to circumvent the Arbiter’s protocols and conduct clandestine assassinations within the cities.

  It had not gone well for them.

  Siel sat up and once again pulled up her tafla, quickly scrolling through her [Divine Skills] tab. “I want to give it another shot,” she said, jaw set as she selected two options from the screen.

  Sam narrowed his brow. “Are you sure? Your body is pretty worn out from those last skills.”

  “I’m sure.” She rolled her neck and confirmed her purchases. “I’d rather do this now before we head out than waste any potential spira.”

  “So just to confirm, you’re going to try and upgrade [Natural Affinity] while purchasing [Lunar Predator]?”

  Siel nodded. “Yes, I believe there should be a natural synergy between the two, ideally further merging those skill trees.”

  Sam bit his lip and thought it through. [Natural Affinity] was the skill-based version of her title, which essentially boosted all of her nature magic. While having them both was good on paper, according to Arther, there were diminishing returns in the long run. It had been he who suggested they try and morph it, specifically with another [Divine Skill].

  [Lunar Predator] had been Siel’s choice. The skill shrouded her in a layer of dappled shadow, as though she was barely illuminated by moonlight. She’d been repeatedly targeted in their last few fights, and the hope was that the stealth ability would allow her to better support the frontline, without needing resources to defend her.

  Sam nodded his assent and watched as her tafla display rippled and flashed. Her face lit up as the screen resolved.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, making a gesture with her thumb and ring finger.

  “A Skill Morph?” Sam asked, leaning forward to get a better look.

  “Luna’s light, yes. Despite our seemingly perpetual bad luck, Dianae has smiled upon us today, Sam.”

  “Hey, I’m not complaining. We can use all the help we can get.”

  [Skill Morph Available: Lunar Canopy]

  “Here we go,” she whispered. The skill confirmed with a chime. Instantly, her body spasmed as shadows passed across her skin. When Sam looked away, she almost appeared translucent, as if she were fading into the stone beneath her.

  Is that what I look like when I purchase a skill? he thought to himself, watching as the magic cycled through her body. After a few minutes, her spasms passed, and she slowly regained focus, her eyes bleary.

  “I swear Skill Morphs hurt more than the rest,” she groaned, summoning a piece of jerky from her inventory and chewing it.

  “I noticed that too,” Sam replied, remembering his own ordeal in the Crypts. “Only when I did it, I also formed a [Mana Network]. So imagine the most painful thing you’ve experienced–then double it, because that’s how it felt doing all that at once.”

  “Ahh, I see. Forgive me if I doubt your claim,” Siel said with a sly smile, cocking an eye at him. “Humans aren’t exactly known for their pain tolerance. Now, if it were a Dremin saying it, or maybe a Dalith–”

  “Whoa, whoa. Hang on now,” Sam interjected, feigning indignance. “I’ll have you know that Humans are incredibly resilient. Did you know that we evolved as the apex predators on our planet by literally running our prey to death? Sometimes it took days! I’m pretty sure we have a better pain tolerance than–”

  “Spare me,” Siel cut him off with a chuckle. “Though I will acknowledge that does sound rather uncomfortable. Hopefully, your reward was as satisfying as this.” She showed him her tafla.

  [Lunar Canopy - Iron - Rare - Upgradable]

  Passive: Increases the potency of [Nature] and [Lunar] abilities.

  Active: Creates a swirling field of leaves that blankets the battlefield, obscuring you from enemies. The leaves extend the range of your [Nature’s Eye] while providing you with additional cover, strengthening the intensity of your stealth.

  12 Hr Cooldown.

  Cost: 5,000 Spira

  Sam let out a low whistle. “I mean, it’s certainly up there. Seems like it will be pretty flashy. I wonder how big the range of the leaves is? That’ll be something we need to test.”

  “Agreed, I am curious about that myself.”

  “Question,” Sam said, a look of confusion on his face. “Is calling the moon Luna just something [Mark of Babel] is doing, or do you actually have a moon called that?”

  Siel took a moment before responding. “No, it’s not a factor of translation. Every Chosen world has a Luna; it’s the mark of a planet that’s been blessed by the gods, and one of the stipulations they had when crafting potential member worlds. My world has two other moons, but they are far more distant and lesser in the eyes of the priests.”

  “Interesting,” Sam murmured. “Has a planet ever been ‘un-blessed’? Like, no longer chosen for the War.”

  “Once, millennia ago. I don't know much about the species other than that they had horns and red skin. Supposedly, they polluted their world so thoroughly that they made themselves infertile. Eventually, there weren't enough of them left to participate in the War.”

  “Brutal,” Sam replied, but secretly pleased that he wouldn't have to fight a demon. “So who replaced them?”

  Siel frowned, face going dark. “The Telactyth. Apparently, it was a controversial decision.”

  “I'm not surprised. They don't exactly fit in with the other races here. I mean, are they even mammals?”

  Siel lowered her voice, as though even saying the words put them in danger. “Rumour is they were a mistake. The gods seeded the world and accelerated its evolution… only the wrong species rose to dominance. I suppose they viewed it as an opportunity to test the other races, or maybe they're just bored.”

  “Are the bugs really that scary? I mean, I've seen the footage, but they don't look that much faster or stronger than the rest of us.”

  “It isn't about their individual strength,” Siel replied. “It's about their coordination and their will. They don't party with other races. The rest of us, sure, we’ll work with whoever is strongest. Not the Telactyth. They'd rather fight down a party member than work with another species. Their hatred for the other races is legendary. They always kill on sight, regardless of the Truce. It's why the gods isolate them on their own cardinal. The West is a death trap for anyone else.”

  Sam stared out over the wall, remembering the images of the swarming hive city. “Why do they hate us so much? It's not like we did anything to them.”

  “We don’t know for certain, though there are many theories. The prevailing one is that they're jealous.”

  “Jealous? Jealous of what?”

  “Of being like…this. Humanoid. Having this shape. If it's true, and they are a mistake, then it's possible they resent that. Resent us.”

  “Interesting,” Sam replied, refocusing on his tafla. “Let's just hope we don't run into any in the desert. I don't think we could handle a full party of them. Do they have a hive mind, a collective consciousness? Or are they all individuals?”

  “Again,” Siel responded, slowly climbing to her feet, “we don't know much about them. No commerce, no trade, no communication to speak of. The elders on the Ring have been trying for a long time without success. We think they're individuals, but that's only because they'll fight one another when pitted against each other on the higher Rings. But it's just a guess.”

  “Fuckin’ hell…” Sam muttered to himself, pulling up his stat screen.

  He hated how much he still didn’t know about this world. Every day, it felt like he was hit with some new revelation. No matter what he did, he never felt truly in control. He eyed his updated stats, gaze lingering at the total spira near the bottom.

  Just enough to purchase a skill evolution. Just enough to hit Bronze. The rank would allow them go even higher up the slopes, to tackle foes who would have killed them with ease before. He had a particular ogre clan he was keen to visit. The clock was ticking, every day drawing closer to a horrific demise. It was time he did something about it. Something real.

  He’d take control one way or another.

  Even if he had to kill for it.