ShanDeRad
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Book 2: Chapter 45
🕑 Added 2024-06-14 11:39:36 +0000 UTCAfter everything that they had told him, about the Nephilim, the war, about bringing the Nephilim back, he was overwhelmed. There was a lot of pressure on him, if he failed that was the end. The purpose of the heritage would never be fulfilled and he would have failed not just the Fae and the Dragons, but the Nephilim as well. He was till processing everything they had said and in that moment he couldn’t think of any follow up questions, it had been hard enough on them to say what they did of their past, he would not probe further, not yet.
“Is staying on Earth for the year worth it? There is a lot of risks in staying. I have the coin so I can come here whenever I want but the benefits of staying don’t seem worth it anymore.” With all the pressure he was now feeling on staying alive he was starting to second guess some of the choices he was making. Earth was his planet, it was where he was born and raised, leaving it and not doing anything regarding the war that would decimate the planet though was not something he wanted to do.
“You are right there are risks, more so with the war that will be waged for the planet. But there is also opportunity.” King Shrakein seemed to have weighed up the risk and the rewards, clearly knowing more than he did when it came to an integration. “You are aware of the dungeons, what their purpose is and claiming them, yes?” Shaun confirmed he did. “How much TE do you have?”
“Just over 40 million.”
“Perfect, that is more than is needed. Much more in fact.” King Shrakein seemed overjoyed by this fact. “To claim an F grade dungeon is 100,000 TE, more if you wish to terraform the area. The E grade dungeons are 2,000,000 TE and again more if terraformed. The D grade is 10,000,000 to claim. Every D grade is surrounded by 5 E grade and then surrounded 15 F grade. You need 21,500,000 to claim every single dungeon in an area, and I would put aside at least 5 million TE for terraforming. Your first goal will be to claim an entire area, reform it into a fortress that no one can breach. That will provide you the safety you need. It will not be easy, especially the D grade dungeon, but it will be worth it. Choose to para terraform the D grade dungeon into a fortress, you will also be given the option to keep an entrance to the dungeon available as well, it will cost you to do so but it will be worth it. Turn each of the surrounding dungeons into barriers that will keep out anyone that you don’t want to enter. I would advise doing something physical for the F grades and for the E grades, if you can manage it, add magical protections. We will provide you with some books on how to do this, you can choose to change this to suit your needs, you are more aware of your ability than we are at this point.”
“But why go through all the trouble? Claiming land and building this fortress, is it worth it?” He was getting way more information than he could handle at the moment, all of the dungeon he would need to claim and what to do with each of them was a lot of work.
“If you can manage it, it will be worth it. You will receive titles for the dungeon claiming, experience in the real world and when you leave, you can give everything you have claimed to someone else, someone that can utilise it in the war. But for you, you will have some where that you can stay without risk, you can train and continue to grow. Doing this will be important as there will be 2 events within the first year that will be important. The challenge to become world leader, which you know about, but also a system event before this that is always provided to new initiates. The event differs from integration to integration, but for those that do well in this event, the rewards are almost unmatched by anything you could get elsewhere. That is why it is worth staying on your planet until after the event. But only if you can manage to secure an area to yourself.”
Shaun thought it through, he should be able to power through the F grade dungeons quickly and if he managed that he could create the physical barrier, blocking anyone form getting to the E and F grade dungeons. It all depended on how quickly he could find an F grade dungeon.
“I will try, if I can’t claim a full area quickly I will reevaluate the situation.”
“I like your spirit Shaun. Now, we don’t have much time left and Commander Alserio will be back soon. We have a few things to give you that should help before you return.” Queen Elivasia pulled out an item from thin air and placed it on the table in front of him, along with some books. “That item is something that you must take care never to loose. It is a Transcendent level item that will help you gain mastery over your elements. Place the box in the centre of a room in a ritual circle, the instructions are in the book, you will be able to truly push your affinity to the next level, but be careful not to over do it, do not break your mana channels, the recovery if you do so is extensive.”
“And from myself.” King Shrakein spoke next. “This is a Dragon core, given freely by a elder dragon. Mediate on it, learn to form a connection to the dragon soul. It will be important in your future, I assure you.” He then took out some books and two stones and handed them to him. “The books on magical protections. Read them well and form a plan before claiming the E grade dungeons. Do not terraform blindly. The stones are linked, you can communicate securely between the two and you can track the other stone, no one will be able to trace it but it must be linked with blood. Keep one and give the other to someone that you trust, someone you can give control of the dungeons too.”
“I see I am right on time.” Commander Alserio appeared just as King Shrakein finished speaking. “Your armour has been fixed and so I give this back to you with an apology for what occurred with Jakobia.” He was handed his armour back as well as a wooden box. “In that box is an instance orb, they are very rare and when placed can not be moved. You have been informed of the dungeon and the plan, do not place this unless you succeed as when you leave your planet you will leave it behind. If you manage to place it, ensure it is in a secure location. There is an orb inside the box, if you touch the orb you will be asked to pick a skill, pick the skill you want to train and a counter to your skill will be created, you don’t stop until those skills are capped out, I expect to see a large improvement before you return. Otherwise your training here will be, unpleasant.”
*10 minutes remaining before return to planet*
“Thank you, all of you, for everything you have given me, I swear I will do everything I can to see this through to the end. In less than a year I will be back, that’s like the blink of an eye for you guys, right?” He tried to make light of the situation even though he really wished he didn’t have to leave. Even though the topics they have spoken about wasn’t pleasant, he felt a connection to these people, one that he clung to with everything he could, not wanting to let the feeling go.
“Is there anything else you wish to ask us?”
“Some advice maybe?” Shaun took out the Life and Death treasures he had with him and placed them on the table. “I have been trying to create a ritual with these, to release some of their energy slowly in a controlled environment in the hopes of bonding both Life and Death and affinity. I keep hitting roadblocks, but I think I might be close. I know they are Epic affinity, but do you think I should work on it or focus on other things?”
King Shrakein burst into laughter, he didn’t even bother trying to hold himself back. The commander looked exasperated at his question and Queen Elivasia focused more on the treasure. “You are a true Nephilim, always looking for the next challenge, thinking about bonding an epic affinity at E grade, truly only a Nephilim would pursue such a thing. The more I speak with you Shaun the more I like you!” King Shrakein smiled at him, an unrestrained look of elation on his face.
“Did you not just listen to me when I spoke about your skills? I can make your training go from unpleasant to torture if you wish?” King Shrakein laughed even harder when the commander spoke.
“Enough, both of you.” Queen Elivasia shook her head at them. “Thousands of years old and still, they act like children.” She then looked at him. “What you are attempting is dangerous, and I would encourage caution. Epic affinity is nothing like basic or advanced. Proceed with caution if you choose to continue at all. This would be something I would suggest you wait to D grade or even C grade for, but, who am I to hold back a budding Nephilim. I will say this, those treasures hold pure Life and Death, using them in the way you are thinking, it would result in a very powerful, very pure affinity.”
Shaun took back the two treasures and put them in his inventory along with everything else. “That was my last question. I have to go in under 10 minutes now.”
“Then do this old fae a favour, tell us about you, whatever comes to mind. I would like to learn more about who you are, what you have been through.”
For the last 10 minutes he told them about snippets of his life, about how he grew up, the family that he lost and the life he lived. They all listened, never interrupting him but acknowledging the things he said with either smiles or a pat on the hand. Des had sat next to him the whole time and when there was just 1 minute left he stood to say his goodbyes.
“King Shrakein, can I ask something that may be rude? I don’t mean any offense by it.”
“Go on.”
“I have never seen a dragon, I mean I see you obviously, but not…..”
“You want to see me in all of my glory?” Shaun nodded, assuming all of his glory meant as a dragon. “Look out that window then.” Shaun gave him a confused look but walked to the window. The moment he looked outside he saw space change and where there was once empty sky a black dragon, bigger than he could ever possibly imagine appeared flying up into the sky. Never in his life had he imagined he would see such a glorious sight. King Shrakein’s scales shimmered in the sunlight, amplifying just how incredible he was.
“Well, what do you think?” Des nudged him as she came up to stand beside him at the window.
“Incredible. He is bigger than I ever imagined. And shiny.” He didn’t take his eyes off of the dragon as he spoke.
“Until we see each other again Shaun. May the moon guide your way through the night.”
“And may the sun shine with the hope of our people.” Shaun finished the parting words as if he had said them a thousand times. And before he knew it the countdown had hit 0 and he was gone.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“The fight for Earth is about to start, you all know what we must do. Use your links, get together and recruit. If we are to ward of The Pantheon and make sure we are not subjugated into their faction we must band together and stay strong. Find dungeons if you can, claim them as outposts for our war efforts. Any we can take we do but don’t risk your lives to do it. Only together will we succeed.” Viv made her speech in front of everyone that she had managed to get to join her side, a much easier effort once she accepted an invitation from one of the major factions.
Xavier Barshen from The Empire had approached her after the complete mess that was the crowning ceremony, Shaun had disappeared and it took only minutes for confirmation to come from Dijaun that he had been taken from the tutorial, something that shouldn’t have been possible. He had approached her with a deal, join him and his faction and claim Earth, if she succeeded she would be allowed to break from the faction and create her own clan under them. He had told her that Shaun was no longer a target for them, instead Earth was. If he could be recruited to her cause, even as an outcast, she should do so, but only in secret. Viv was shocked at this, but when he explained that things in the multiverse were shifting and that they couldn’t loose a planet to The Pantheon things became slightly clearer. There was something about Earth that the factions wanted, they didn’t say what but it was clear they had an agenda.
Viv agreed, especially after she was provided with a gift that would help her succeed. An Elixir that was attuned to air, that when taken would help her bind the affinity to her. She agreed after speaking with her team, they agreed they needed someone with backing if they were to recruit wider, a draw card that would help boost their strength and also allow Earth some independence. Being able to become a clan did that.
“Are we all ready?” Viv asked her team, with only seconds before they would be taken from the tutorial.
“We know what we have to do. We will be together again soon. We will win this war.” Eric replied to her, getting agreement from Li and Gabe.
“Good, then let the war begin.”
Comments
tethra
No it's pretty smart, they hooked one of the best chances they have to stop The Pantheon and they can see if Shaun truly broke their connection with the group, lastly all they are giving up is an air attuned elixer and letting them start a new clan but they are still under The Empire.
Vandal Savage
Awesome book!
Christine Thomas
I don’t know how much I would trust the Empire to keep their side of the deal. Seems very fishy to me
