Jeff and I look out over a seemingly endless expanse of rust colored dunes and jagged crystalline outcrops early the next day, Earth now secured from the threat. Heat waves shimmer in the air; Venus is still fucking hot even after it’s been terraformed and the air is breathable for us, if a bit toxic. Nothing our regeneration is bothered with. In the distance the sun is almost finished coming up and the sky burns with streaks of violet and crimson that reflect slightly off the metallic sands.
On the horizon are colossal, angular rock formations and occasional volcanic outcrops. Flashes of iridescent energy ripple across the sand and in the air, an outward sign that there isn’t nearly as much life here to absorb the Mana as there is on Earth. The air is eerily silent near us except for the rasping of sand colliding with rocks as it’s blown around, although my Perception can pick up the faraway creatures that I can see on my minimap. It smells like iron and scorched earth with an underlying sense of toxic threat, like something goes to the very base of my reptilian brain and tells me that danger is everywhere. The guttural roars that my Perception can pick up adds to that vibe.
“Venus is a pretty fucking big place, Bronwic. Should we time box this? Finding out that there’s a whole bunch of stuff on the moon now is still freaking me out, even if it’s not as dangerous. It feels like a guillotine hanging over us; I’m keen to see it for myself.”
“I’m really only concerned with anything that has the potential to attack Earth in the short term, and as far as I can tell that’s the Ravager Manta. We’ll need to keep our eyes out though. There are about the same number of them still here as how many attacked Earth, including a few tough bastards that fortunately aren’t at the Levels of Xypharoth. I’ll take them on and we should be done in a couple of days… you just watch my back and make sure nothing unexpected hits us while I’m focused on them, ok?”
Jeff nods. We’ve talked about why I need someone else here and he volunteered without hesitation. I’m not too worried about his safety, at least no more worried than usual. During the invasion Jeff even managed to take out a couple of Ravager Manta himself which got him a huge amount of cred with the high Level Adventurers and also landed him a couple of Levels.
As we look out over the horizon I can see a Ravager Manta in the distance; they’re just a shadow flying between us and the sunrise. Not far from us a massive beast stirs. I’ve been wondering how long it might wait before leaving or attacking us. My Danger Sense isn’t too bothered by the oversized, heavily armored scorpion-like creature with a carapace that’s etched with glowing symbols and a long, barbed tail that drips with corrosive liquid.
Crimson Scorpionbeast (Level 90)
Health: 6300/6300
Mana: 1910/1980
Conditions: Corrosive Touch, Camouflage, Swift Strike, Power Spear
This powerful creature is almost laughable for Jeff and I nowadays, though it could still cause havoc on Earth amongst Basic and Advanced Classers or the non-combat population. Jeff absently summons his Griffin who immediately leaps powerfully at the Scorpionbeast then dives, and we watch for a few seconds as the two beasts tangle. Inevitably the Griffin finishes it off with a snap of its beak, removing the Scorpionbeast’s head while the body and tail are pinned down by the Griffin’s massive rear paws and front claws. The Griffin returns and Jeff hops on its back, then I open a Portal to the biggest concentration of Ravager Manta I can find. Unfortunately, unlike when they were invading Earth, they seem to be more solitary and territorial here which means my Evolved Resonant Strike isn’t going to get as many opportunities for chain reactions.
I manifest the Portal at a big enough size that Jeff can fly through with his Griffin and I leap through onto the back of a powerful Ravager Manta that’s almost Level 400 and has an orange tinge to its skin. A Scorpionbeast slightly higher Level that Jeff’s Griffin killed is pulled into the Ravager Manta’s maw just as we emerge. I chain trigger Resonant Strike five times, bolstered by my Dark Mana, and the Ravager Manta shudders then erupts into a fine mist that sends strong shockwaves out at the same destructive resonance. It catches three more Ravager Manta who are spread out but still within sight as I pull one of the disposable jetpacks from my Inventory and hover in the air while the liquified Monster’s particles rain down on the landscape.
“Fucking hell, Bronwic. That thing was almost Level 400!” Jeff sends me. His Griffin shrieks loudly in aggression at the pool of flesh that’s seeping into the sands below.
“Unique Class and Evolved Skill boosted by Dark Mana that can overcome their defenses. Didn’t work on Xypharoth, I had to use a boosted Psychic Eruption that’s also Evolved, but if I can get the chain reaction going this is faster and more Stamina efficient,” I reply. All the while I’m using Omnipresent to find the next most powerful Ravager Manta and any other creature that’s in the air. For now I’m ignoring anything that’s on the surface unless it’s over Level 400 and there’s only a few of those. “And destroying the fuckers that killed Alana makes me feel a tiny bit better.”
Silence for a while after that as we shoot through another Portal I open and we rinse and repeat. We’re at it for hours with Jeff covering my ass whenever things get tight. We encounter towering, muscular beasts with ember-like eyes and claws that smolder with internal heat. Their mottled skin is riddled with fissures that emit small bursts of flame and Jeff goes toe to toe with them, his fire and air Affinities giving him the upper hand. Lithe, almost feline creatures with fur that shimmers like heat haze and long prehensile tails leap high into the air and dart between sand dunes, kicking up mini sandstorms as they go. Jeff counters their slicing blades of air current and claws, allowing me to focus on destroying the Monsters that could threaten Earth.
We paint Venus in blood and death for four days, never sleeping or stopping. By the time we’re finished there’s nothing land-bound over Level 300 and no Ravager Manta we can find. I’ve even managed to find masses and masses of young ones under Level 20 sweeping through canyons and low lying areas. We slaughter them and leave the planet and I strain Omnipresent to find every last vestige of the Monsters that invaded us and killed Alana. It’s a genocide and I feel no regret or remorse.
Exhausted, we return to Earth, each with a Level. The strange set of circumstances has boosted my XP progress to an unbelievable pace. Jeff and I agree without any debate to take a night off. I need some sleep, and something else to do to release some of the heavy weight I’m carrying around in my head, heart, and soul. Jeff really should go back to check on his Knights and how things are going, but I think we’ve spent enough time together in these fucked up post-Influx days that he can see that there’s a small chance leaving me by myself could end in a self-destructive spiral.
I open a Portal to my place on the hill in Queenstown that technically bends the rules since I’ve handed over the South Island of New Zealand to Tenebris and Jeff follows me through. We both step out onto the balcony and stand in silence looking out over Lake Wakatipu at dusk. The light highlights the side of the steep slopes and lights up the bottom of the clouds in a soft multi-colored painting that I don’t even try to use my enhanced Perception to zoom in on. Sometimes just standing back and taking in the whole beauty of something is what I need, and this is a stunning reminder.
A glance over at Jeff tells me he’s feeling much the same. His dark features are contemplative as he stands with his arms crossed. When he notices I’m looking, he gestures down at Queenstown itself. Since the last time we were here it’s completely different, with lights and a buzz of activity. Galactics are everywhere; the population seems to have returned to the size it was at before we abandoned it, maybe even bigger. No humans I can see, though.
“First shower?” I ask Jeff. While technically we’re clean due to the equivalent of cantrips that cost a couple of Mana, there’s nothing quite like a proper shower to get clean… even if it’s only a mental thing.
“You take it,” he says, and I don’t argue.
The lights in the bathroom come on automatically when I enter and I look up through the large skylight that takes up most of the ceiling. The stars are already starting to show as the sunset fades. It’s always been an impressive, bright view and it somehow hits home more than usual now that I’ve been out to some of those stars. Still so much mystery in the Universe, but marginally less than before. I reflect on the powerful creatures out there we never knew about like The Taskmaster and the organizations like Oblivion Shroud and even the Scorchbound Legion that Tenebris founded.
Eventually I shake my head and strip off by sending my jumpsuit into my Inventory. This is exactly the kind of place my mind doesn’t need to go. I need to reconnect and take a timeout from all of it. I step into the shower and let the Mana fuelled hot water run down over me for a long time. I scrub my goatee and even form a dagger with my Dimensional Forge Skill to shave. It’s nice not having to worry about cutting myself, but with my Agility and Perception as high as they are I can whip my dagger around my face with my eyes closed and not leave a scratch.
I spend a long time in the shower and let some of what I’m holding on to wash down the drain. When I emerge I don’t use any Mana tricks, I just go for an old fashioned toweling off, back to basics. Then I equip some post-Influx styled blue and black clothes that are certainly armored jumpsuit inspired, but more comfortable and definitely not as threatening. By the time I emerge from the bathroom Jeff has a couple of cold beers open on the low outdoor table that’s between the two solid, comfortable chairs I have out there.
“Better?” he asks as I step out onto the balcony.
“A bit,” I acknowledge and then sit down and put my feet up after he goes back into the apartment to shower himself. I take a deep breath and look out in the darkness, and down to the lights of Queenstown. Probably I should have done this before, but I feel in a better headspace now and I open up my notification.
Level Up!
You have reached Level 8 as a Dark Mana Knight
+30 Aura, +20 Mana, +60 free Attribute points to assign
You have 60 free Attribute points to assign
Would you like to allocate them now?
(Y/N)
You have 4 unallocated Class Skill points
Would you like to allocate them now?
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
(Y/N)
Like before, I split my 60 points evenly between Aura and Constitution to feed my biggest advantages. Then I spend two of the Class Skill points to Evolve Perfect Focus, leaving me with two left and nothing to do but save them until I hit Level 10 and gain access to the next Tier of Skills. I’m up in the air at this point on whether I’ll pick one of those to Evolve immediately or drop a Skill point in all three before deciding which one to go for first. Excited and curious, I open up the notification for the Evolution of Perfect Focus. Most Ascended Classers only get a maximum of three Ascended Class Skills Evolved, two if they spread their points around a bit to get everything… and here I am at Level 8 with three already.
Class Skill Evolved!
Perfect Focus (Dark Mana Knight Skill) (Evolved)
The concentration and focus required to handle an environment near Dark Mana is absolute. The Dark Mana Knight can block out all other considerations, including time.
Enhanced synergized effect: allows the user to slow down their Perception of time and increase their speed
Unique Evolution effect: bolstered by the Dark Mana Knight’s Mana Affinity, connection to Dark Mana, and physical regeneration, this Skill effect may increase Agility, Strength, and Perception by up to 5x
Cost: 50 Stamina per second
The Evolutions of my Dark Mana Knight Skills seem extremely powerful and this is no exception. It feels good to think that all the shit I’ve been through might have been worth it and I can’t help but wonder what an Evolved Tier 4 Ascended Skill might allow me to do.
I trigger Perfect Focus and feel a raging torrent flow through me as I ramp it up to the full 5x that my Skill allows. Time slows to a crawl and my Strength and Agility multiply, giving me the potential and ability to achieve physical feats that I never could have imagined before. I don’t even have to move to sense how much more I’m currently capable of. Acceleration and then the synergized version of Perfect Focus have allowed me to boost my Agility in the past, but nothing like this. My Strength is up to 3000 and Agility to 2700, far surpassing anyone else even at the peak of Ascended that doesn’t have a Skill like this to bolster them.
This is something I’ll have to play with to get used to, so I release it and take a sip of my beer and open my Status. It’s been a really long time since I’ve had a look and this feels like quite a milestone.
You have 2 Class Skill points available.
You have no available slots to assign your Class Skill points to.
Aura is over 1000 and I can feel the deeper and deeper connection I have to Dark Mana through my Class. It’s now my fourth highest Attribute, behind Perception and Luck that have been boosted by Titles and Class dynamics… it’s only Constitution that I’ve hammered away at Level after Level since the Influx, with only a few exceptions.
Despite everything, looking over my Status makes me feel good. I take another sip of my cold beer as I hear the bathroom door open and at the same time, past my Status screen and beer, I see two Dragonkin land on the roof of the place next door, their firearms pointed at me and their powerful figures pretty much shimmering with protective magic and technology. My Danger Sense doesn’t even give me a peep as the larger one with red scales highlighted with black streaks calls out to me, his voice full of menace.
“You’re trespassing on Academy land. Surrender yourself and come with us immediately!”
As he finishes, his green scaled companion whips the equivalent of handcuffs with her tail up to the balcony. They land with a clatter and slide against my chair. I’ve seen these before a few times; when you put them on they drain your own Mana to keep you captive and, for most Classes, unable to trigger Skills or cast Spells. My Class is a lot different, but even if it wasn’t theses would definitely not hold someone with the Attributes and innate Class abilities of someone with an Ascended Class.
I dismiss my Status from my view and take another sip of my beer and turn my head to look at them fully, but don’t say anything.
“You have 100 UTUs to comply or we will use deadly force,” says the red Dragonkin.
I love their enthusiasm, but I can’t help wonder why they haven’t tried to pull my Status. How could they possibly think they have the upper hand here? Then, despite my mood I close my eyes and chuckle. Maybe something like this is the kind of thing I need to help inch me to a better place. I call up my Status as seen by others and remember that I never changed it back after all the testing.
Bronwic Falconforge (Level 3 Warrior) (Mythic)
[Human]
Health: 3150/3150
Mana: 1010/1010
Conditions: Rapid Regeneration
Nothing remarkable at all. Not even any Titles.
A few UTUs later Jeff steps back out onto the balcony and takes in the scene.
“Problem?” he asks me without taking his eyes of the Dragonkin.
This time, they react and scurry away, weapons trained on Jeff the whole time and claws clacking across the roof until they launch themselves in the air. No doubt to come back with reinforcements, if they have any strong enough to take on a mid-Level Unique Legendary Warrior.
I sigh and stand up.
“They’ll probably be back,” I say, and Jeff nods.
“We should go somewhere with more people,” says Jeff and I know he’s right.
“There’s something I’ve gotta do first,” I say and look him in the eyes. “I can’t move on until I do.”
“You sure?” he asks me. I can tell he knows exactly what I mean.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll come with you,” he says without hesitation.
The tough guy in me wants to say no, that I can handle it. That it’s something I have to own up to and do on my own. Instead, I nod.
“Thanks man,” I say sincerely, then open a Portal.
