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Book 2: Chapter 28
🕑 Added 2024-05-15 14:14:58 +0000 UTCThere was no movement, only the cold embrace of death. Life began through warmth and ended with the bitter cold, similar to the cycle of the sun and moon, light and dark. Shaun didn’t know why these thought were running through his head, but they were the first things he thought of when he awoke. Hot and cold. Life and death. Creation and oblivion.
In his death state he remembered dreams, not fully, but snippets from what could only be another life, someone else’s life. The longer he was awake the more it became blurry, but there was one memory he could not forget, no matter how hard he tried. A being, surrounded by a group of elves? No that wasn’t right, they didn’t look quite like the elves he had seen, they were taller, more muscular. They had the pointed ears, but longer canines, and just seemed more. There entire being had felt more powerful, older. But in the memory he was looking at them, not one of them. He remembered having wings and being covered in armour. When he spoke his voice vibrated with the very universe. He spoke of a last hope, a desperate ploy that had nearly no chance at success, but one that he would attempt. The power of their people passed on. The last thing he remembered was a name, one of the others, Elivasia, a queen of these not elves.
Shaun continued to lay on the ground, trying to commit every image, every word to his memory. Elivasia. He needed to find her, a queen who could help him make sense of what he saw, of who he was. Shaun didn’t try and stand up, he could feel his body wrecked with pain, but at the same time feeling ethereal. What he did do was check his notifications.
*Affinity Detected: Ice*
*Ice (Affinity): Void of heat, thriving in the dark, ice conquers all in its path. Through the ability to harness the element of ice you are immune to all effects of the cold. Through the ability to manipulate the temperature of the world around you, you are able to control all forms of ice, including frost, chill, snow and sleet. May your enemies beware the coming of the eternal winter. +50 Vit, +50 Soul, +20% Vit, +50% Soul*
He had done it, and all without dying. The bonding of his second advanced element, felt incredible, like his entire being had been infused with more power than he knew what to do with. He didn’t know if it was due to the boost in Vitality or there was something more to it, but before he got a chance to look further into himself a message popped up.
*Heritage: Azreal’s Legacy has evolved*
*Azreal’s Legacy: The remnant’s of a lost power, passed on from generation to generation never awakening, Azreal’s Legacy is the hope of a long forgotten race that was hunted to extinction. The legacy provides the ability to more easily connect and harness all elements that make up the Multiverse, however the risk of doing so increases with each element bonded into an Affinity. The carrier of Azreal’s Legacy has been unbound by the awakening of this heritage, transforming the body, mind and soul in the hope that what was once lost can be found again. Through creating a circuit of power within you through, mixing the elements into a united force, you are unlocking the Nephilim Legacy left to you, increasing the strength of the body, mind and soul, allowing for glimpses into the legacy left by the Nephilim. +50% all stats *
Nephilim. That was the missing piece, as soon as he thought the word his body hummed with power. The description didn’t change much, the first part of his heritage was the same. What did change was the bit on the end. Finally, he had a name for the being, the one that had left him this heritage, the one who he saw, no, who he was, in the memory. Nephilim.
The information the heritage gave was invaluable, the 50% increase to everything was also something he could only dream of. He now had so much more information available to him than ever before and still, there was no one that could answer his questions. Except Elivasia.
Looking over his new status sheet, the changes were plain to see, the increase in stats was off the charts.
Status:
Name: Shaun Clermont
Race Human (E)
Level: 41
Class: [Advanced] Elemental Blade Slinger - Level 43
Profession: [Advanced] Elemental Creator - Level 40
Health Points:2150/5760
Stamina:2895/4000
Mana:14270/14270
Stats: (Available Points: 0)
Strength: 415
Dexterity: 506
Endurance: 400
Vitality: 576
Intelligence: 318
Perception: 289
Willpower: 267
Soul: 1427
Affinity:
Basic: Earth, Fire, Nature, Air, Water
Advanced: Lightning, Ice
Titles: New Initiate, Apex Predator, Planetary Forerunner, Elementalist, Expert Solo Dungeoneer
Heritage: Azreal's Legacy (Hidden)
Skills: Class: [Advanced] Blade Mastery (Level 19), [Advanced] Earthen Echo (Level 29), [Advanced] Enhanced Mind (Level 34), [Advanced] Elemental Strike (Level 29), [Advanced] Stone Skin (Level 24)
Profession: [Advanced] Elemental Fusion (Level 6), [Advanced] Creators Control (Level 5), [Advanced] Element Coercion (Level 3), [Advanced] Meditation (Level 7), [Advanced] Mana Sight (Level 28), [Advanced] Runic Scribe (Level 1)
Shaun did some quick math in his head, with his current boost of stats, he would now compare with someone who was in the peak of E grade based on pure stats alone. It would be his skills that would be letting him down though. If someone trained all their skills into the peak of E grade the levels would be much higher than his, something that he now needed to fully focus on.
Shaun went to stand, his body still hurt a bit, he didn’t know how long he had been out of it, but his mana, all 14,000 of it, was full. His health and stamina were a little drained, but he assumed that was due to his body continually enduring the harsh cold of ice while the new affinity settled. When he looked past the lingering pain though, he felt strong, like he had been completely reborn into a body that could crush mountains, that could wipe out cities with a wave of his hand.
He wanted to continue on in the dungeon but he knew he needed the rest. At least this time he wasn’t coated in blood and barely clinging to life though like he had been when bonding the lightning affinity. He gave himself a once over, checking both his body and his mana channels, happy with what he found, before he thought the words to leave the dungeon.
The moment he reappeared outside of the dungeon he made sure to stand strong, confident and most of all powerful. He didn’t know what he did but the moment he tried pushing out that power and confidence into the room he saw everyone present drop to their knees, some even fully collapsing, as if they were being forcibly pushed to the ground by some unseen force. Am I doing that?
He had seen something like this before, when they first saw Dijaun at the arena, he let loose some kind of aura to push down on everyone, but what he was doing was more than what Dijaun had done. He quickly realised that Dijaun had been controlling how much power he let out, while what he was doing was like slamming a sledgehammer down on the people around him. Shaun quickly tried to pull back, trying to reverse what he was doing to everyone, it didn’t happen immediately but with a few deep breaths he noticed that everyone around him sagged in relief.
“Sorry everyone. I didn’t mean to do that.” He said awkwardly into the room, he noticed Eric and Gabe on the ground in front of him and quickly moved to help them up. “Sorry, I really didn’t mean to.”
“Thanks.” Gabe said to him as he took the offered hand. “Umm Shaun, what happened to your eyes?”
“What do you mean my eyes?”
“Shaun your eyes are glowing.” Eric added as he got to his feet. “Like they are literally glowing. They aren’t blue anymore they are almost completely white.”
“Oh, okay.” Shit, how do I make it stop? Shaun closed his eyes and tried to will the glowing to stop, trying to reduce the power flowing through to his eyes. He didn’t know if it worked but when he opened his eyes again and gave a questioning look to Eric and Gabe they gave him a relieved look, thankfully it had worked. “I am going to go back to my apartment, get some rest before tonight.” He needed a quick exit, not having any idea on how he was supposed to explain what he did to everyone and the glowing eyes.
“Sure, we will walk with you.” Gabe said.
As they walked back to his room, it was just Shaun, Gabe and Eric together, although he felt Viv and Li following from a distance. “Why are they hanging back?” he asked them both.
“Because they don’t know what to do, if they should come and talk to you or just hide to be honest. 30 minutes ago you pretty much told Viv you were done with her, for good.” Gabe explained.
“Oh right. Nearly forgot about that.” He really had pretty much forgotten about it, it had happened so long ago for him, and so much had happened since, that it was well in the past.
“How have you nearly forgotten about it! It happened just before you went into the dungeon!” Gabe yelled at him, coming to a stop. “Aren’t you angry? What she said, what she did wasn’t okay!”
“It is in the past, Gabe. What she said wasn’t right, but I could have handled it differently too.” Shaun said, loud enough for Viv and Li to hear, considering they would have also heard Gabe’s outburst.
“Your serious?” Eric asked him, giving him a questioning look which he just returned with a nod. “Shaun, how long were you in that dungeon, not our time, your time?”
“I have no idea, to be honest.” He really had no concept of how long he was in there, weeks at least, although he would guess at least 1-2 months. “Long enough I guess.”
They shared a weird look between them at that statement, he knew it was a vague answer but he didn’t have anything more to say, not unless he was going to spill everything and expose them to the dangers of knowing about his heritage, which he wouldn’t, for their own safety.
“If we go into your room with you, and ask you what happened in that dungeon, would you tell us or would you come up with a lie.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you Eric, but I wouldn’t tell you either, for your own safety.”
There was silence for the rest of the walk, Viv still hadn’t approached him, but he figured that he would deal with it at a later time. The moment he got to his apartment he said goodbye to the others and went in alone, he showered, the first time in what felt like months, and then fell into bed and got a blissful nap in, not having to worry about losing control of wayward mana motes or the dangers of forming affinity, he slept like a baby.
Being woken up by the orb, giving him the 30 minutes notice for the soiree, the last for 2 days at least, was annoying, he was getting over having to attend these meetings and he had only gone to two of them. He got ready and left, making sure that he would arrive just on time rather than having to stand around and wait. As soon as he left his apartment both Eric and Gabe were there, as was Viv and Li. He wasn’t shocked to see everyone waiting for him so he just greeted them all and kept moving towards the soiree.
As they walked Viv moved up to stand beside him, seeming nervous about the entire situation. “Can we talk, about what happened?” He nodded at her to continue. “What I said was out of line, I shouldn’t have doubted you. But something came over me when I saw you try and sell that arrow, it was like all of the hopes I had, all of my dreams were being crushed. Its not an excuse, I know.” She let out a breath, gearing up to continue. “I just want you to know how sorry I am. For all of it. It won’t happen again. I promise.”
“Okay. I forgive you. Just, next time I say wait until later, just wait, yeah? Trust me a little.”
“I swear it Shaun, I really am sorry.”
As they got to the door to enter they split up, the others entered first and Shaun after. As soon as he went in silence enveloped the area, again Shaun was the centre of attention. Apparently news travelled quickly, and his display outside of the dungeon was the hot topic for the clans. He ignored it all and went to the meeting room, where to his surprise Alannah and Wilaron were sitting, the rep from The Dynasty, dealing in all thing wealth and trade, beside the rep from The Creators Guild.
“Surprised to see us both here?” Alannah spoke, giving him a beaming smile.
“Yeah actually, I kind of am. I thought these were going to be done one on one. Also I thought The Dynasty wasn’t interested in me?”
“Yes, well, with resent events it was agreed that we would be allowed a joint meeting, I gave up my own individual meeting with you in exchange to join this one with Wilaron so we could discuss these.” Alannah took out both of the arrows he had given to the goblin to sell at an auction, how they got given to Alannah was a mystery that he planned to get answers to.
“And how did you get those?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t buy growth items that were crafted by an early E grade and handed over to sell like they were nothing. Especially after giving 6 more of them to his friends? I was informed of everything that happened the moment the submission to the auction was done. They have to list the crafter, and the surprise I had when I saw your name pop up. I must say, you exceed expectations, again.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Still don’t know why they have decided to team up though.
“The reason why we are here together is simple Shaun.” Wilaron spoke now. “I have had time to pull apart these arrows, which was no easy task, even for a C grade mind you. The runes were, unique, the way they were infused had traces of a powerful circuit of power, that and the way that they linked was impressive, the resulting growth item, although probably a fluke and not what you were aiming for, is impressive none the less.”
“And that leads us to why we are here.” Alannah piped up. “Regardless of where you craft or what you do with your items. The moment you choose to sell something, which you will need to do to get coin, it will always go through us. There is no escaping that. But what you may not realise is the connections we have with the guild.”
“We provide crafters with material, with lessons, with knowledge to help them grow and create incredible things, which we then sell through The Dynasty.” Wilaron continued what was a well-rehearsed back and forth with Alannah. “They then sell what we wish, at reduced cost to us, and in return they give us first take on many rare and powerful material, which is then fed back to our crafters to create even more amazing items.”
“And with your clear ability in the crafting field, as proven with these arrows, and your gauntlet, and apparently even a very impressive suit of armour, your skills would be wasted, your time wasted, if you do not at least, in some way, join the guild, and by extension work with us.” Alannah finished.
Silence was all that followed after Alannah’s final statement, Shaun had thought through this a lot, and at the moment, wanting to avoid getting involved in any pre-existing wars, he was tempted by the guild, and he guessed by extension The Dynasty. But he had promised not to make any choices until after he had met with everyone, and he planned to stick with that.
“Thank you, both of you, for telling me more about the factions and how they worked with each other, as well as what benefits I might have with you. I will take it all into consideration, but as you know, I am not allowed to make a choice until I have at least spoken to everybody.”
“Understandable. Do you have any questions for us Shaun?” Alannah asked him. This was the first time he had been given the opportunity and he was coming up blank.
“No, I have read much about the factions, and at the moment I have no questions, but I will let you know if I do have any later.” Shaun replied. “Actually, one question.” He reconsidered.
“Please go ahead. We will answer what we can.”
“How much did you pay for those arrows?” He was curious at just how much she forked out to acquire them, he was only human, and he wanted to know how much money he was going to have to spend.
The question caused Alannah to give a full-bodied laugh, ecstatic at the question, where as Wilaron gave a more conservative chuckle.
“I may have been wrong about you, apparently wealth does have some lure in there after all.” Alannah said between her laughter, “If you must know, I paid 845 gold coin for both arrows, which, if you go and see Ulorid after this meeting, you will find waiting for you. Minus the fee of course.” The shock at hearing the number of gold coin he would be getting was written all over his face, causing more laughter from the reps at his expression. “Welcome to the life of a talented crafter. Coin, material, experience. It all available to you in the guild.”
“Thanks for letting me know, I have no other questions.” He barely got the words out, his mind still swimming with the amount of coins he was about to get from just 2 arrows.
“We have a question for you though. And its not about crafting, or coin, or wealth.” Alannah had become more serious now, loosing that joyous atmosphere she had shown since he entered the room. “We were told, that you left a dungeon today. And when you did, you forced everyone to their knees with the aura you let out. That and glowing eyes. We are curious, what happened in that dungeon Shaun?”
“I finally accepted who I am.” Come on I can do this. “I gave myself over to who I have become, the power, the lightning, everything. I let it consume me. And when I did, something changed. I didn’t know what I was doing when I let out my, aura? But I just focused on bringing all of that power out of me, it made my eyes glow with electricity. It felt like I finally knew my place. On top.”
“That would do it.” Wilaron said with a chuckle. “Rare, for someone so new to be able to accomplish such things, usually people only get the ability to project an aura at D grade, but still, advanced affinity are usually done at D grade as well. So you developing the ability isn’t so shocking.”
“You have two side to you Shaun, The side of creation, of crafting. And then on the flip side, you are a warrior, a person that can wield their body, mind and soul, bringing death to those in their way.” Alannah said all of this with a considering look. “It makes me wonder, which side will you chose to lead you. Or, do we need to reconsider how we look at you altogether, maybe you need to embrace both side of the coin.”
“Much to consider.” Wilaron finished. “I think you need something that we may not have offered you, yet. But I don’t think this will be the last time we speak, next time, I hope to have a better result.”
