Battleforged
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Chapter 431 - New Arcadia
🕑 Added 2024-06-17 04:00:08 +0000 UTCFor a time, Luna lost herself in the solace of simple motion, jogging over the perfectly flat blacktop road she found herself upon, bordered on either side by tall fields of wheat, radiating a richness and vitality long lost to modern world strains.
Almost as lost as the world she had –No. Don’t think it! You had no choice. None at all!–
She choked back a sob, gazing up at the beautiful blue sky with a handful of lacy white clouds that spoke of halcyon summer days and endless playful adventures with childhood friends before returning home to the bosom of loving families. The warm sunlight caressing Luna was a promise.
Love, acceptance, the happy slice-of-life isekai every grimdark hero secretly craves with all his… or her… heart. Here, it could be found. New Arcadia’s miraculous forging, its magic and wonder, was like the promise of a fresh start and a happy gentle ending for any and all who dared lose themselves in the story of its existence.
Exactly how she had forged it, freeing nearly seven million souls from inconceivable torment, pristine malice transformed to benevolent sanctuary and the world itself was ringing with the rightness of her actions… she couldn’t even clearly remember. Ephemeral flickers of transcendent epiphany before waking up with the same bittersweet longing as popping free of sleep just knowing one had invented something truly profound in your sleep… only to completely forget what it was.
Yet the beauty and wonder of it was, it was still real. This magical miracle of a territory was still very much as real as the vibrant air she breathed, so full of magic and Spiritual Energy. So full of life, and the promise of gentle fate and happy endings.
It was a miracle that brought tears to her eyes.
She doubted she would ever create its like again.
Sure as fuck, she wasn’t going to let any psychopathic Augustine asshole destroy her most precious creation.
Of course, the blessings of prosperity and happy lives were as gentle and fragile as a soap bubbles. Especially for wildcards wading in blood like her. Those who dared to rock the boat, adventurers who would make their mark within territories far from New Arcadia, potentially crossing powers filled with malice and spite, could expect to reap precisely what they had sown. For good or ill.
Yet still… despite knowing that all too painfully well… there was hope. Even for one such as she.
One world lost.
Another world saved.
She slowed her pace and turned to lose herself in the nearest field of rustling wheat before sitting herself down, closing her eyes, and doing her best to focus on nothing more than her own blazing meridians as bitter remorse faded to tired acceptance.
Because when all was said and done, it wasn’t Luna… or Eric who had imperiled an entire world out of malicious spite. It had been a Silver-Tier tyrant who had known exactly what he was doing. That monster had attempted to destroy Eric with ruthless contempt to advance his son’s piece without a lick of conscience and regret. When his twisted gambit failed, he had devised a scheme that would have caused catastrophic devastation to millions, if not threatened Eric’s entire world. Augustine and Augustine alone was responsible for his actions. Not Eric for daring to survive. To survive and protect his own. At all costs. And if that meant sacrificing the tyrant determined to kill him? So be it. If the price of Eric saving the cities he had forged from desperation and dream meant imperiling the city of the tyrant that would kill them all? Then that was the price that would be paid.
And Eric would grieve.
But he refused to cripple himself with guilt.
Augustine was the one who had moved his bitter piece forward, he alone should bear the weight of all that transpired from that point on. Eric, acting in self defense, acting in the defense of his people, had every right to protect himself and the citizens under his care, at all costs. It was a higher order truth he chose to believe that even the System acknowledged, as evidenced by it refusing to allow any sort of Imperial Purge. Because what act could be more sacred than every person’s right to defend themselves? Were that to be denied, then the universe was made up of nothing but slaves and tyrants, and that was a reality Eric absolutely refused to live in.
His heart was heavy with regret for countless lives lost, but the bitter black guilt his nemesis (who was not and would never be his father!) would have loved to destroy him, he refused to give purchase upon his soul. Instead he took those screaming voices of bitter castigation and consigned them all to the Fires that blazed within him.
Losing himself, for a time, in the simple serenity of purifying the glorious spiritual energy saturating New Arcadia into the pristine fires blazing in each of his Meridian Channels, the spiritual echo of the transcendent spirit peaches that had helped set his path as a cultivator. And even if quiet meditation and cycling his Qi would do nothing to help him ascend in terms of power, it was still granting magnificent boons in terms of helping him regain his equilibrium, his sanity, and take the next steps forward, wherever that might be.
He had sacrificed far too much to give this world a fighting chance in the years, decades, and centuries to come to let guilt or despair cripple him now.
Nothing would give his twisted enemies greater satisfaction than his own self-destruction.
The hell with that.
Instead, he would savor Earth’s wonders and endure its perils the same as any other adventurer seeking to hone himself in the crucible of peril and ascension.
But should any external force seek to doom his world… he wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to defend his home.
Whatever it took.
And god alone could judge him when his story finally came to an end.
He would accept the condemnation of absolutely no one else.
It was with that resolution firmly in mind that he cultivated, purifying his resolve and blazing away the awful aftertaste of a twisted persona he would never embrace again.
By the time the welcoming wheat rustled with its guest slipping free once more, it was to reveal a young elf with the cheerful demeanor of a newly blossomed adventure eager to make his way in the world, taking to the perfectly paved road with an effortless step, not phased at all by the warm fiery colors of afternoon’s passing, delighting in the sounds of cows, sheep and chickens that could be heard as he caught sight of a communal farming village emerging from the mixed-crop fields to his left that were radiating such an abundance of fecundity as the air rang with sounds he had never expected to hear before.
His eyes widened as he saw a pair of teenagers riding what looked for all the world like silver-horned unicorns along the road leading to their village of perfect storybook English countryside cottages, complete with gabled roofs and colorful sidings.
“Unicorns? We have unicorns now?”
Eric flushed at the looks this earned him from the pair of teenage girls he would have pinged as high-school age, if they had been human. The girls flushed and giggled, stealing glances at him before riding toward the village.
“Of course! Old Man Toony has a herd if you want to buy one. Assuming any will let you ride them!” One girl called out, earning a giggle from her friend before they both darted off, and a bemused Eric couldn’t help but think that yes, bikes would be absolutely perfect to get around in this new world of picture-book villages, magically abundant crops and perfectly smooth blacktop roads. Yet it seemed that horses, or at least their extremely magical faerie-tale variant, were the travel mode of choice here.
A distant whinny vindicated that assumption as he casually made his way along the road leading to the village proper.
Yet felt a gentle easing of his heart as he took in the post-card village now before him made up of lovingly constructed villas complete with stained glass windows, tiled verandas, lawn gardens and wisteria-covered gazebos giving off the most delightful summer scents, and most importantly, plenty of laughing children with bright green eyes, hair that shown with silken gloss, and either soft or sharply pointed ears all playing an evening game of tag in the communal backyard. It was a village that was just as wealthy and prosperous as any well-to-do English town of not that long ago, even if the technology had been replaced by magic, IT careers and work-at-home operations replaced by the most bountiful and nutritious crops imaginable to harvest.
The warm glow in Eric’s heart only twisted to a knot of anxiety when he saw the trio of levimobiles in the town square. When he saw the panicked faces and heard the sobs of the very human families even now being comforted by what seemed to be a handful of village elders.
Eric’s cheeks flushed with heat, his earlier resolve wilting before the pain he saw in too many pairs of eyes as the trio of families were welcomed into the largest of the houses. Eric then caught sight of a middle-aged elf sighing and shaking his head as a trio of young women gently shooed the playing children back to their respective homes.
Eric wanted to fade right into the background, to turn around and head back down the road under no power save his own two feet, moving at a pace far faster than any newly sprouted adventurer with still near-human attributes should be capable of. Yet the middle-aged elf, who Eric sensed was actually centuries old, even if he was really just a couple days old, forged of halcyon dreams and desperate hope, pinned Eric where he stood.
“Unbelievable, what happened in Freetown,” the elf sighed. “Madmen terrorizing an entire city, blowing up its crown jewel. Hundreds of lives lost. Would have been thousands, if it weren’t for decent folk doing what they could.”
Eric swallowed, forcing himself to dip his head as his heart hammered in his ears.
“Folks have been making their way here since we first got the news, wanting a fresh start someplace safe, and I don’t blame them. Our towns are pretty self-sufficient, but there are sure to be plenty of jobs to be found in the capital city, and we have more than enough food and plenty of extra beds to put good folk up for a few nights while they sort themselves out.”
Eric felt unexpectedly choked up, to hear so words of kindness so freely given in this brave new world as rife with tragedy as it was opportunity.
“Fortunately, this Caliban fellow seems like a good sort, a leader who cares for his people. Elsewise, we’d probably be flooded with tens of thousands of desperate souls.”
“He does, he’s the best,” Eric heard himself say, earning a curious look from the obvious farmer.
“So you’re from Freetown yourself? You’ve definitely got the look of a young sprout hungry for adventure. If you need a roof over your head or a warm meal to fill you up…”
Eric swallowed the lump in his throat, quickly shaking his head. “No, I’m alright. I had already left Freetown in search of my calling before, well, you know.”
The man flashed a charming smile. “You’re clearly not from farming stock, but I can tell Sylvan blood flows through your veins. Names Toony, by the way. Your timing is impeccable, lad, that’s for sure. But you might have to go farther afield if adventure’s what you crave. These are calm parts, blessed with nature’s bounty and thankfully free of restless souls. Still, you never know when fate will grab you by the coattails and give you the adventure of a lifetime.” He chuckled fondly. “I’d give you the same lecture I gave my daughter and I’m sure your own folks gave you, but you don’t need to hear that from me, do you now?”
Eric forced a smile. “I know, sir. Never dare a delve whose layout and monster types you don’t know. Never delve with less than three people that you can trust with your life and make sure you always have a clear path to escape, so even if one man falls to accident or mischance, the rest can pull through.”
Toony blinked at this. “I was going to say to always trust the feel of the fable you find yourself in, and don’t accept any quest from man or woman that doesn’t ring with righteous truth in your ears. I could also tell you to never embrace a woman you don’t intend to marry, no matter how beautiful she is, especially if you meet her betwixt hope and dream. Break that rule, and your story will have a tragic ending indeed. But your own pa’s advice makes solid sense as well, I suppose.”
Eric nodded, never one to turn down native advice in a land of faerie. “I heard a pair of girls mentioning something about… mounts?”
The elf nodded, looking pleased as punch by the question. “Indeed I do. Both Silver-horn’s and mundane stock.” The man eyed Eric with a knowing grin. “For a lad as handsome as yourself, with that too knowing look in your eye... I’m guessing the Silver-horn’s are out.”
Eric just smiled, not saying a word.
“Right, then. We have a number of fine rounceys that eat up the miles. I’ll give you ol’ Mercy. She’s Sixteen hands at the withers and actually has a bit of Silver-horn in her bloodlines. Not that she’ll mind an experienced mixed-blood like yourself, she’s had half a dozen fine young fillies of her own. She’s not as fast as some, but she’s the most patient mount you’ll find anywhere, I promise you that.”
Eric gave a pleased nod, adjusting the hat he had summoned for himself. “Well, it sounds like Mercy and I might be a perfect fit, then.”
Toony’s gave a satisfied chuckle. “I think so as well. Come on. The Silver-horns have their own grove in the forest nearby, but the horses, at least, are happy enough to be in our care. Let me show you to her!”
A bemused Eric gamely nodded, allowing himself to be led through the town, earning the excited looks of grinning children, the polite nods of solemn farmers, and the appraising glances of young elven women wearing pink ribbons in their bonnets or the necks of their dresses that Eric instinctively knew meant ‘single and looking.’ As for young men his age, he saw not a one. Perhaps they were out working the fields. Either way, his attention was soon on the herd of mares racing around a grassy field larger than the town itself, loosely surrounded by pear and apple trees heavy with sun kissed fruit that Eric somehow just knew would be exploding with juicy flavor.
When a grinning Toony handed Eric an apple, he found it just as tasty as he imagined, though his eyes were captivated by the effortless grace of the horses’ movements. Lost in their own world, thinking nothing of pausing to nibble on grass or a low-hanging apple, or leaping with a gazelle's grace to snatch fruit a bit higher in their chosen tree.
“Mercy, girl. Come on over here. I’ve got a new friend for you!”
Eric’s eyes widened when one mare out of the herd flounced toward them, arching her neck and nickering softly.
Somehow, Eric just knew by the way she was eyeing his almost intact apple what his expected tithe was, and he didn’t hesitate to place it before graceful equine lips that near instantly claimed it before giving a pleased shake of her head.
“She’s a beaut,” Eric said at last. He then took a steadying breath, keeping his features measured and calm. “What would it cost to purchase her?”
The elf grinned. “Four silver eagles.”
Eric blinked at this.
“But I’ll lower it to two… if you wouldn’t mind sharing your story and sharing a meal with my family.”
Eric gave the man his warmest smile, intuitively feeling the shape of a story he could so easily fit into right here, right now, if he dared. An adventure that might branch off in all sorts of directions, whether it was helping the handful of displaced Freetowners or catching the eye and interest of a certain young beauty desperate for a loving husband. Yet sadly, there were risks that went far beyond the telling of a single tale. Stories of fanaticism, inquisitions, and purges. Bitter dark tales he refused to let taint this sacred sanctuary.
He solemnly pulled out four silver coins, gently placing it in the Toony’s palm. “Another time, perhaps. But right now my story would be too close to the bitter tale a trio of families will already be sharing with your entire town. I’d far rather begin a new story and follow the road wherever it takes me, putting my past, and those I lost, behind me.”
The middle-aged farmer gazed at Eric for long moments, his eyes filled not with suspicion, but gentle sympathy. “It’s alright, boy. Next time you stop by, share with us a tale that will make us all smile and laugh by the fire, and we’ll call it even.”
“Deal,” Eric said, shaking the man’s hand, feeling a warmth and gratitude in his heart.
Eric soon found himself back on the road, thoughts whirling, now up a care package including a freshly packed loaf of sourdough bread and fresh water in all his canisters… as well as two of his silver coins returned.
“Good luck on your journey, boy. May you find the happiness you seek,” were Toony’s parting words before happily waving him off, along with his wife and daughter, and he hadn’t even thought to ask how a family man managed a herd of unicorns, but he supposed that was a question for another time.
He had gazed back only once, noting all three pairs of eyes gazing his way with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine, for all that the concern and gentle warmth they radiated were everything he could have hoped from strangers.
If he didn’t know better…
He shook his head. It didn’t matter. If they understood more than they let on, it was also understood that that was one secret they would all keep to their graves.
Eric swallowed, shaking away the uncomfortable thought, instead taking a moment to admire the mare quite happily trotting along the blacktop road, despite the stiffness of her supposed master’s stride. Because despite what now felt like complete mastery over his body’s movements, such that thought and action were close to be coming one, should he will it, his Strength was so high that he could effortlessly pulp the ribcage of the mount between his legs, as easily as it would have been to crush a paper-thin model of spun sugar just a year ago.
If Mercy sensed just how great the potential peril she was in happened to be, she gave no sign, her stride both effortless and sure, her canter one that he sensed she could maintain for hours, even if it was just the tiniest fraction of his own maximum speed.
But he had no intention of tapping into his own potential. At least, not yet. “Good girl, Mercy,” he said with a soft pat to her neck, pleased for her company as he took deep breaths of air rich with the scents of autumn’s harvest, the sky lit up with all the brilliant fiery colors of sunset. He was determined to slip through the night as discretely as a ghost as side roads funneled into main thoroughfares far more graceful and scenic than any sprawling highway, with a beautiful view of forests that were actually carefully tended fruit groves, lakes brimming with fish, and fields growing bumper crops of produce that truly lifted Eric’s heart to see.
He kept up his canter for a time until he approached another village alive with the festive sounds of elves enjoying a late night celebration.
He couldn’t help but smile at the warmth he saw in so many pairs of eyes as he and his mount were bade welcome. “Kimbel and Zolan have just tied the knot, join us!” enthused a bright-eyed Sylvan girl who looked about sixteen which Eric knew probably made her twice that age.
So Eric hopped off his mount, exchanging a knowing look with Mercy. “Thanks for the ride,” he said, earning a fond wicker from the mare as he patted her flank and gave her the last of the apples that Mrs. Toony had so kindly packed for him. He then turned to the cheerfully grinning girl, catching sight of the beautiful spells erupting in the starry night sky just behind her that could so easily have passed for fireworks, lighting up the entire town square as a happily beaming boy and blushing girl held hands before the village elders.
The girl before him gasped, eyes widening at whatever she saw in his eyes, her cheeks flushing as prettily as the fireworks overhead. “My name is Raline,” she whispered.
“Call me John,” Eric said with a smile, before handing her the reins of his mount. “And if you could give Kimbel and Zolan my congratulations, and my prize mare Mercy as a wedding gift… you would have my thanks.”
Her eyes widened. “But… Sir John, this rouncey’s a treasure! I can feel the strength radiating from her. Silver-horn blood flows through her veins! She’ll live for a century, and she’s worth at least a dozen eagles!”
Eric winked “And I got her for two eagles and a smile, and now I would pass that good fortune on to another as I begin the next leg of my journey, going wherever this tale takes me.” He gracefully clasped her hand, dipping his head over it. “Farewell, Raline. May your story be as happy as your newlywed friends.”
She gasped, eyes filling with a longing that brought a flush to Eric’s cheeks before he chuckled, gave a final wave, and parted just the way he had come.
This time, however, he didn’t feel the need to completely hide his speed. Because that too fit the weave of the story he now found himself in. And somehow he just knew that impulsive acts of grace committed by those lost in dreams of their own forging, fanciful adventures made real, were perfectly normal here. A land where sometimes reality truly could forge itself from desperate hope and the most halcyon of visions, as had been the case for everyone who now called New Arcadia home.
Eric found himself sharing the road with the occasional horse-drawn wagon or lone rider who would give him the occasional friendly nod when he effortlessly passed them with his local stride. He was only passed by the levimobiles in their own separate lanes, so well organized and constructed the blacktop road cutting through halcyon paradise was. Eric just laughed and waved back when anyone gave him a friendly holler, delighting in the feel of the cool nighttime breeze blowing his hair back as he picked up speed, no longer holding completely back as he dared to race far faster than any horse ever had. He knew he was tempting prudence when he caught the wide-eyed stares of more than a few levimobile drivers he was now passing, drivers who had passed him just a short time ago as he raced along the lane to the left of the one used by most Freetown vehicles. He took deep exhilarated breaths, savoring air so alive with the scents of forests and fields, wildflowers and growing crops.
He couldn’t help but grin at how well New Arcadia’s arterial roads had been designed, with multiple lane types including one designated for foot travelers who were fare more common than any other type, though wagon carts filled with produce and grain were present with mage-lights or oil lanterns, even at this hour.
And perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised. It was a nation of over six and a half million people that had only just awakened. Perhaps the call had gone out for grain silos in the capital to be filled with all haste. Perhaps farmers had literally found themselves jolting awake with full wagons and knowing exactly where and when they needed to make the drop-offs in the stories of their lives they were all adjusting to so well as they entered it in the middle of their telling. Whether waking up from screaming nightmare to find oneself the mother of three beautiful daughters needing your hugs right that moment as they all tore themselves free of the same awful dream… or farmers eager to breathe air rich with the scents of fresh crops and warm summer nights, with the awful iron tang of blood and death and eternal torment forever behind them. No doubt those farmers and the new families they had woken to and loved all their lives were more than happy for the sweet distraction of embracing life and all its adventures, even if it meant at least one late-night produce delivery to the city, stocking up on the food needed to assure a happy ending for the entire nation. Eric saw more than one produce-stuffed wagon committed to staying on this highway with father and son alternating taking the reins, and he didn’t blame them a bit.
Sleep was the farthest thing from his mind as well.
Certainly the magical glow moss made the lanes clear even without the brilliantly shining stars and nebula above lighting the way. The occasional horse he saw seemed vibrant with energy, and his own experience had demonstrated just how energetic and resourceful these mixed breed half-faerie horses truly were. Much to his own bemusement, he wasn’t the only classer making maximum use of the leftmost lanes beside the rise even now bereft of road or vehicle, yet somehow he knew what it was destined to hold… a dream that had yet to manifest.
Eric couldn’t help chuckling as one hour bled into the next, sharing no words but many a wild grin with fellow adventurers exhilarating in waking up to a new chapter of their lives where racing along at motorcycle speeds on their feet for hours on end, even at lower levels, was a totally doable thing. Occasionally, he sensed more than one give him a nod as if he had passed some crucial test, and the man or woman armored in either mail or beast hide below their waist would inhale as if to commend him or otherwise entice him, more than once pointing to the flickering lights of a nearby village where Eric just knew he would find a lively inn with a cheerful innkeeper, beautiful barmaids and a lively warm atmosphere that would feel just like coming home. And with the hungry looks in the eyes of young men and women feeling wild and free, he had a pretty good idea on just how that night might end.
To those gestures and in at least one case, outright invitation, Eric’s answer was always the same. He would salute them with a jaunty grin, and turn up his speed from a hundred miles per hour to double that, leaving his ruefully chuckling or quietly cursing would-be companions of the road far behind, and in only one case did he meet anyone who could keep up. A fiery-haired girl who looked every inch the warrior princess of stage and screen, who’s jade green eyes bespoke of trials and tribulation and the pain of someone who had just lost everything and he knew he had locked gazes with a fellow Freetown survivor.
“You were holding back too? Awesome. So just how fast can you move, pretty boy?” The unquestionably beautiful freckle-face girl challenged between gasping breaths, clearly pushing herself with her sprint. Then her eyes bulged when Eric turned around, Heat Sense letting Eric know where he was in relation to the thankfully empty stretch of road, enjoying more than he should the look on the girl’s face when he effortlessly matched her pace, looking right at her.
“Fuck! That’s absurd!”
Eric couldn’t help chuckling as he turned back around, his speed doubling yet again, and even four hundred miles per hour was noting but pure joy, with Speed Racer cutting down air resistance to barely rustling his hair at all, inertia exactly what he needed it to be. And still… even at half the speed of sound, it was as effortless for him as racing through a dream.
And then Eric saw it, the soaring ivory white towers of New Arcadia against the golden backdrop of the newly rising sun.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, actual tears in his eyes as he beheld the majestic city that justified everything he had endured. A bastion of beauty and grace claiming the allegiance of millions.
A capital city worthy of serving as the crown jewel to an empire.
His sister’s kingdom.
Which he would help her carve from this world as discretely as he could, one territory at a time.
Yet for now? He was just another adventurer fleeing peril and terror in Freetown, looking for a fresh start in the faerie-tale city that had seemingly formed overnight. Yet as he approached the wondrous city in all it’s majesty, the nameless brown-haired youth racing at monstrous speed without a lick of fatigue or loss of focus was soon replaced by a far slower youth who had just popped out of a nearby grove of trees, ignoring the haunting melodies of nearby woodland sylphs as he closed his eyes and transformed himself once more, reemerging to resume his journey at nothing more than a fast walk. A figure at least some might recognize.
The brother to the princess herself, who kept the brim of his hat lowered as he took in the magnificent city of grand edifices, soaring towers, hanging gardens, and enchanted spires glittering like jewels in the first rays of dawn. He blinked back tears of wonder as he approached the magnificent pearlescent gates and the pair of men kitted in shimmering white armor, radiating the power and poise of paladins already on the cusp of Bronze. Needing only a proper challenge, preferably in a territory blessed with faerie magic of one sort or another, to achieve ascension and be able to protect his sister’s kingdom like never before. Their gazes seemed to peer into the hearts of all those who would enter this magnificent city of millions. For better or worse, Eric’s attire completely different than what it had been just minutes before.
He tried to look like the role he was visualizing in Freetown. A reclusive youth who shied away from peril and unnecessary danger who was happy enough playing financier and securing himself partial ownership of a bank, even if recollection of exactly how was now as shady as everyone always assumed such affairs to be. Yet with the bombs unleashed in Freetown, most especially at the Blue Palace, his former domicile, he felt as compelled to leave for safety as anyone else.
And that was the story he was sticking with, the story that anyone following his trail in the days, weeks, or months to come would see play out for themselves.
Eric Silver was just one more survivor rushed out of Freetown, along with his far more important sister. Ernest Edgelord was nowhere to be seen, and the one known as Spite Bane had vanished as if he had never been. With both a female archer and the personas of multiple adventurers he had taken during his journey serving to muddy the waters, he had extremely high hopes that his enemies would never piece together just how close Ernest and Eric really were, let alone who and what Spite Bane really was.
Only then, while patiently waiting in line, did Eric finally take a moment to admire his character sheet, giving himself permission to appreciate just how far he’d come, no matter how much blood stained his wounded soul, or how many Bronze-tier titles he’d earned and Contenders he’d killed to get this far.
Now, it was about blending in with the crowds and eventually managing to see his sister. Then he could put the harmless meek Eric away to be perceived as absolutely no threat to any faction this time around, thanks to a certain Silver Eagle talisman that had been forced into play for far, far too long. He’d let Ernest play the eternal fall guy. And thanks to his wonderful ring, if everything went according to plan, he’d always be able to come back to his sister’s palace as Eric and live a life of peace and indulgence, without having to worry about vendettas or snipers trying to catch him unawares. Not that with his Physical Resistance he was particularly worried about sniper fire, but his sister was the farthest thing from bulletproof, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to bring trouble home if he could help it.
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Eric Silver Level 49 GOLDEN PHOENIX (Adventurer)
(2nd Tier Core Saturation at 85%!)
Rank 49 DEATH’S DISCIPLE (Four Seasons)
Level 38 Master Necromancer
Physical Characteristics
Strength – 853 (You can easily shatter tanks with your fists!)
Vitality – 869 (Your Vitality is beyond monstrous.)
Finesse – 657 (You’re nearly as deadly as a Bronze-tier sniper. Even without all their perks!)
Quickness – 1127 (You’re well over 50 times as fast as an Olympic Fencer. ABSURD!)
Appearance – 36 (If this were pre-apocalypse, you would star in all your mother’s movies!)
Mental Characteristics
Scholarship – 35 (You’re still yourself, but your thoughts are clear and your memory is sharp!)
Perception – 629 (A deadly marksman who always spots his prey. No one’s sneaking up on you!)
Willpower – 126 (You were forged in fire, and it shows!)
Charisma – 20 (No comment. This isn’t your path.)
Potency Pools
Arcane Potential – 572 (An Archmage would be proud to apprentice you.)
(Mana Pool = 6868)
Spiritual Energy – 433 (An elder sage would be pleased to have you as his disciple!)
(Qi Pool = 5206)
Psionic Potency – 165 (You’re almost worthy of a Psion Knight’s regard.)
(Psion Pool = 1980)
Soul Reserves – 498 (You could be a Master Necromancer... You ARE a Master Necromancer!)
Stamina – 8698 Points
Health – 10531 Points
Resistances & Recovery
Physical Resistance – 300 (Artillery Shells no longer hurt you! With Battletime? You’re ABSURD!)
Physical Regeneration – 86.9 health per second (As if you even needed it!)
Elemental Resistance – 131 (More than enough to resist most White-Tier spells!)
Qi Resistance – 141 (You’re unlikely to be harmed by cultivators below Bronze!)
Mental Resistance – 139 (No faerie enchantments, persuasion, or illusions are effecting you!)
Psionic Resistance – 110 (Dense Neurons mean squid-brains won’t find you easy prey at all!)
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Level 49 Golden Phoenix Powers.
- Modified Cost of all abilities using any primary essence: 67% normal cost, multiplicative with all other factors.
- Damage Multiplier of all abilities using any primary essence: 149% multiplicative with all other factors.
(Core Enhancement) - Essence Fusion – Rank 11 (Dual Harmony)
This is now a Legendary Tier Class related power. No Nodes have been used to anchor this power.
Essence infusion has achieved Journeyman Rank! - Enhancement Feat automatically chosen – Dual Harmony! You may now infuse TWO synergistic or antagonistic elements in a unified Higher Order Transformation within any applicable skill, spell, or power that meets all necessary requirements!
NOTE! YOU HAVE TASTED TRUE TRANSCENDENCE! All experience points earned towards evolving this skill will be twice as effective as would be for the unenlightened!
Note! ALL immunities and damage mitigators are NULLIFIED against Higher Order attacks! - Singular exception: Countermeasures involving similar or opposing ESSENCES!
Warning! Your evolution will earn the interest or ire of ALL known powers and principalities who find out about it. DISCRETION is strongly advised!
NODAL POWERS
1. Runic Lore - Rank 31 (Soul Infusion, Tier 3 Runic Spell Evolution, Runic Focus, Blood Runes.)
Greater runes known: Wood (Herbam), Wind (Ventus), Fire (Ignis), Wrath (Iram), Dominion. (Dicio), Freeze (Congelo)
Lesser runes known: One (unus) / Many (plures) / Now (hodie) / Sun Duration (dies) / Weaken (debilito) / Strengthen (roboro) / Resilience (mollet) / Fulmen (Lightning) / Torment (Cruciatus) / Sanguis (Blood)
Gravity (Gravitas) / bend/curve/warp (incurvo) / invert/reverse/turn upside down (inverto) / attentio (attention – concentration duration, in other words) / Resilient (mollet)/ Animus (soul) / Creo (creation) / Terra (earth)
Fragor – Rupture (Psionic Explosion)
2. Unified Restoration – Rank 15 (This Power allows you to infuse your body with your own spiritual reserves whenever you take an injury for near immediate healing, over and above your basic regeneration rate!) - Perk evolution deferred. (Potency surge – using EX with this ability = healing all injuries at 140-fold basic rate!)
3. Runic Spell Forger – Rank 9
- Inevitable Doom (105 Mana & Qi) - Rank 6
- Hell Vines (140 Mana & Qi) (You can direct this spell!) – Rank 9
- Lightning Bolt - Fulmen- (30 Mana & Qi) – Rank 12
- Blood Lightning – Sanguis Fulmen (15 Mana & Qi, 1.5 (.50%) SR) – Rank 14! (Efficient Caster)
(This spell dispels/abjures/& can cut through soul wards & partially heal.(X2 heal baseline Bloodmastery Synergism!)
- Fire Bolt -Ignes Pilum – (15 Mana & Qi) – Rank 8
- Psionic Rupture – Fragor – (21 mana / 21 Qi / 3 Psions / 42 SR & HP – Rank 10 (Hit Them Where it Hurts, Dense Neurons, Essence of Wrath always channeled.)
Essences Claimed:
Fire – Blazing – Rank 4
Cold – Freezing – Rank 4
Wrath – Rank 2
Dominion – Rank 4
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Cultivation Affinities
Wind / Wood / Fire
Qi Skills
Fire Fist – (10 Qi) Rank 25 – (Transcendent Strike, Power Strike.)
Windfire Strike – (30 Qi & 3 SR) Rank 21 – Bloodfire Strike (Power Blow)
Doom Strike – (10Qi & 2 SR) – Rank 7
Ice Fire Strike (Phoenix Strike) – (30 Qi & 15 SR) Rank 12 (Quarternary Harmony)
Necromancer Perks:
Basic Class Perks
All necromantic (and blood magic) skill use is modified by Master Necromancer Level.
All Summoned & Forged undead have their potency enhanced by Master Necromancer Level.
All spells conjuring forth any number of creatures have summoned total modified by Master Necromancer Level.
One additional enhanced class perk is earned every 2 Master Necromancer levels.
Enhanced Class Perks:
1. Soul Orb: Tier 1
2. Undead Legion: Tier 6 (Up to 3,200 revenants may be risen after each battlefield victory!)
3. Undead Tactical Interface map access.
4. Vampiric Restoration
5. Mixed Unit Tactics
6. Mark of Resilience
7. Call to Battle (500 mana cost to summon ½ UL max at any time on the battlefield, but never more than the number of fallen bodies or remaining adversaries.)
8. Death March
9. Undying Phalanx
10. Enhanced Legion (You can safely raise undead up to level = Adventurer + 2*Necromancer level )
11. Crimson Orb: TIER 2! Soul Orb upgrade (Soul Orb potency now includes blood magic. (1/3!) cost to all soul point using feats, spells, and abilities!)
12. Rank 1 Underlord
13. Recall Familiar – (BunBun!)
- Spiritual Oathbinding
- Soul Riding
Lord of The Dead II - You may now raise DOUBLE the number of Underlords and Revenants that you otherwise would be able to!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Necromancer Affinities & Skills
Blood Mastery – Rank 34 (Blood Claimance, Lesser Healing, Essence Infusion, Vampiric Drain)
Spirit Mastery – Rank 36 (Tier II Path of Dominion, Forced Obeisance)
Rituals of Summoning and Binding – Rank 33 (Tier III Path of Dominion, Ritual of Greater Spirit Summoning, *Instant Transcription)
Flesh Sculptor – Rank 28 (Tier II Path of Dominion, Basic Revenant Preparation)
Blood Ward – Rank 5
Potency Binding – Rank 4
Necromancer Spells
Unorthodox Abjuration – Rank 23
Transcendant Abjuration – Rank 6
Arcane Skills
Elemental Wands – Rank 11 (Insightful Caster)
Advanced Arcane Weapons (Blaster Rifle) – Rank 11 - (Power Transference. Can personally recharge any wand or blaster)
Essence Related Skills:
Burst of Strength – Rank 18 (19) (Path of Mastery)
Dominion’s Resilience – Rank 3
Dominion’s Command – Rank 8
Heat Surge – Rank 13 (Path of Mastery)
Unified Perception Rank 24 (Sense Heat, Spiritual Energy, Magic, & Qi Flow.)
Interface Recognized Skills
Acting – Rank 6
Bardiche (Unified) – Rank 21 (Cleaving Blow, Battleforged,*Piercing Strike)
Blade and Shield – Rank 11
Boar Riding – Rank 7
Bow (All Types) – Rank 21 (True Strike, Void Piercer)
Charge – Rank 9 (charge into your foes with maximum damage to them, and minimal damage to yourself!)
Crossbows – Rank 16 (True Strike)
Small Blades – Rank 4
Demolitions – Rank 14 (Path of Mastery)
ESS Manipulation – Rank 19 (Arcane Resonance Mastery)
Find Weakness – Rank 27 – (Spell Cleave, Qi Perception, Additional Magus/Cultivator Bonus, +5 Vs Dragons)
Flail – Rank 5
Identify – Rank 3
Gunnery – Rank 12 (Cautious Gunner)
Healer’s Aid – Rank 3
Iado (Fast-Draw) – Rank 19 (Doom Flurry) (Epic Tier - Doom Flurry –every strike you successfully execute within 1 second of drawing your blade will count as a Doom Slice!)
Javelin Throwing – Rank 21 (Piercing Strike, Void Piercer)
Negotiation – Rank 15 (Intimidation)
Repair – Rank 1(6)
Sling – Rank 17 (Precise Shot Adv.)
Spear – Rank 26 (Piercing Strike, Battleforged)
Stealth – Rank 17 (Hunter’s Grace)
Swordsmanship – Rank 34 (Doom Slice, Battleforged, Cultivator’s Fury (+50% potency to all Qi attacks channeled through hands, feet, mithril blades or soul-bound weapons.) Piercing Strike Cleaving Blow)
Swimming – Rank 2
Unarmed Combat – Rank 30 (Empty Fist) / (Cultivator’s Might – Legendary!) / Cultivator’s Resilience (Legendary)
Interface Enhancements
Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities
Extradimensional Storage Space
Path of Endless Bounty – Rank 15 (Crimson Balance, Evolution’s Crucible, Oblivion’s Mercy, Crimson Contender)
You may consume the potency of any tile you claim for a 50% bonus to baseline ST & VIT earned while granting 4! - Elite Contender Bronze Title! - Lesser Bounties of your choice! (Note. These bounties increase in significance when claiming territories of orange-tier saturation or greater!)
Crimson Contender:
You may now consume your fellow contenders as if they were territories! You enjoy +6 to Find Weakness skill checks against any Contender and upon consuming them, you may consume them UTTERLY! You enjoy a 50% Boon over and above the baseline 5% of key Contender attributes as your OWN Crimson Bounty that you tear free of your prey! (Effective baseline consumption is 7.5% of key attributes, further modified by attribute enhancement boons!)
You will also automatically claim at least a single rank of any essence they have to which you have any affinity! (You have chosen to claim no Essence that don’t synergize with the four paths of the Golden Phoenix!)
_________________________________
Chapter 432 - New Arcadia II
Comments
Joe K
I don't understand why Eric thinks Malice is his father. Both of the Malice/Aurelia children were shown (and killed). Furthermore, it was confirmed that his father was native from Earth with necromantic powers which Erik inherited. How would Erik have those powers if Malice was his father?
Iain Grubb
Emperor's Wife is Eve so its probably just setting hurdles.
Trevayne
Good update and very nice to see Eric/Ernest/Luna catching a break and getting at least one peaceful chapter before all hell breaks loose again.
ouroboros
“I was going to say to always trust the feel of the fable you find yourself in" I really liked that one.
Silver Beard
I am slightly concerned about the Emperor trying to do him in. Whatever happened to that pin (debt owed) from the last 'timeline'... such a thing should not have been so easily dismissed.
Silver Beard
Thanks for the status update.
