Purveilor
patreon
Chapter 21 - Trial 2 rewards and respite
🕑 Added 2025-09-01 19:56:36 +0000 UTC*There have been rumors floating around regarding the smuggling of tactical nuclear weapons. Rumors turned into horrifying reality as one detonated as demonstration in The Realm. This was a likely escalation in response to losing the entirety of the Fourth Sector to the Tyrants.
“It is a shame that none of you have witnessed a [Meteor] spell. I guess I will have to be the first to demonstrate.”
- The Witch Tyrant.
*Despite the doubts about whether a [Meteor] spell could actually be cast on Earth, the much larger ground zero next to the site of the nuclear detonation made her message clear: Mine’s bigger.
Now entering a safe zone
15 minutes remaining until you are forcefully ejected from the safe zone.
Realm 1 -> Realm 2 achieved!
His body coursed with power. The change from the increase in realm was instant. Ryan felt the aches, bruises and exhaustion simply melt away. It was nothing like a potion. The burst in vitality simply made every bit of damage he’d taken lesser, he was just far healthier than he had been. It was heady, even more so than his previous realm upgrade it was-
He took out his soulsword and began going through sword forms in the white room.
Step forward, slash, [Double Stab]
S achievement reward:
All Trial skill levels increased according to achievement rating!
[Double Stab] level increase!
[Instant Dodge] level increased!
The second stab appeared a little to the side of his blade, a secondary spectral knife stabbing alongside his own. [Double Stab] was now level 6. Even at realm two, the level meant that the second stab didn’t have to be in the same spot. A deviated [Double Stab]. He withdrew the strike as the spectral second stab dissipated.
Two days in The Realm to hit level 6 in a skill, four levels away from maxing out a Common skill, madness.
He withdrew the sword and flicked the blade down, fresh blood from General Dupoire splattering the ground.
Soulsword upgrading…
1/8 -> 2/8
Additional bonuses received due to S grade reward:
Decreased recall timer by 10%
Enchantment: [Minor Durability] added!
He switched to a fencer’s stance, one hand behind the back, but it felt off. He put Avale’s shield on his arm and kept moving. He picked Garbolt’s team as the opponent in his imaginary training. It was so easy.
With his realm increase and the shield, he was confident in dismantling that team. He wouldn’t even need the guardian or the gun.
10 Minutes remaining
Feeling centered and calm again, he checked the truly important rewards.
Due to your achievement rating, you may choose which reward to receive among the following S-grade rewards:
An additional Trial skill point allocation
Upgrade an existing piece of equipment.
New equipment, randomized but assessed to be useful for your circumstance.
Experience and practice of any single skill in a dilated time chamber.
Guidance from the Manager.
Holy crap. Every single reward for the standard S-grade achievement was there. There was also the holy grail reward for an S-grade achievement.
Additional Trial Skill point selected.
Then he checked his skill offerings. His eyes freezing at the first one.
Available Skill point allocations: 2
Available Trial Skill slots: 2
[Unrelenting Aura of Intimidation] (Epic)
Wait what?
He stopped reading after the Epic tag. An Epic at realm 2. That hadn’t happened since… actually, he wasn’t sure it had ever happened before. Epics were skills that differentiated the tenth realm, the dragonslayers, having just one would put you in contention for the top spot in the pre-class tournament for fourthers. One in the second realm? That was actually unheard of. He read the description.
Variable stamina and presence cost
Those in your way have found themselves exploded, beaten, outfoxed, mocked, crushed and shot. You have managed to strike fear in those that stood in your way. You have even attempted to attack someone near the pinnacle of trialists. You do not relent. You do not stop. Let your aura overwhelm all those in your way.
Passive: causes an increase in your presence and threat to those that perceive you.
Active: Those in your vicinity and those that perceive you will suffer from intimidation. This fear effect stacks longer the more you remain in a dominant position.
Note: Fear can cause significantly varying effects based on the individual and their perception of you.
The effect wasn’t something he would have wanted in any of his builds. It would be stupid to take this if he was playing the part of a standard [Rogue]. But wasn’t going to be standard [Rogue] anymore. He needed a wildcard.
You have selected [Unrelenting Aura of Intimidation]
[Unrelenting Aura of Intimidation] level 0 -> 1
Something clicked in his mind. A surge of absolute confidence, it felt like it did when he wanted to win. Except he knew he would win.
Skills, especially higher rarity skills mentioning presence, could influence the mind. He just hadn’t expected it to be so significant. It wasn’t a bad feeling. His mind felt clearer than it had ever been. He felt good, rash decision or not. This skill was what he needed. It was absolutely the right decision.
He checked the rest of the available skills.
[Volatile Antimagic Throw] (Rare)
[Defiant Stab of Surprise] (Rare)
[Stacked Reckless Charge] (Rare)
[Hastened] (Rare)
[One Against Many] (Rare)
[Threaded Thoughts] (Rare)
[Triple Step] (Uncommon)
[Dangersense] (Uncommon)
[Enhanced Senses] (Uncommon)
Now that was a crazy list of skills for a realm two. It was more than enough to set him up for a dangerous all-round build that a dragonslayer would have. Still, it would take time to think read the descriptions and decide. He checked the timer.
8 minutes remaining
He was wasting valuable safe zone time. He’d have more time to deliberate about the rest of his rewards on Earth.
[Return To Earth]
Ryan waited as the five minutes timer ticked down for the skill. The next time he returned to The Realm, he’d still have three minutes left in the safe room.
When that happened, he’d be ready to challenge the world.
–
Los Angeles, America.
What have I done?
That was the first thought Ryan had as the unlearned Epic stopped affecting him on Earth. There was such a stark difference in confidence that it unnerved him.
An audible rumbling sound in the background made him more alert and aware of his surroundings. He’d been lying down on Barry’s couch. The rumbling sound he was pretty sure was snoring from the old orc. His poor neighbours.
He checked his phone. It was 2am, and the texts and missed phone calls from his mother that reached double digits.
Oh no.
For a terrible moment, Ryan wondered if ghosting his parents was a good idea. Not only would he not have to deal with his furious mother, but he wouldn’t have to lie to them. The idea was like sweet poison, tempting him.
He had one life and would probably die doing the crazy shit he did. Was it better to let them think he was still alive if he disappeared? There was also the bonus that the Witch Tyrant wouldn’t be able to use them against him if she thought he didn’t care…
No, she’d see through that immediately. He wasn’t that good at lying. Yet.
It wasn’t like he could tell the truth either. His mom would freak out and go to the Guild or try to forbid him from returning to The Realm.
And that couldn’t happen. Even if you disregarded the Witch Tyrant, he wouldn’t stop being an adventurer.
The truth was. Ryan had loved every single moment in The Realm. That was real, it was visceral, he was finally proving to everyone that he deserved to be an adventurer. He’d beaten every other adventurer in his realm. Outsmarted, outplayed and outmaneuvered both the talented and the experienced.
He had deserved the spot after all.
And he’d killed them to prove it.
The snoring stopped suddenly. That was all the warning he got.
Something flickered in the corner of his vision. An object flew at him. Ryan tilted his head out of the way, then realized how slow the projectile was moving.
He snatched the flying plate in midair.
“Barry, I’m not in the mood.”
“It’s the best time to catch people by surprise.”
Ryan gave the bastard of an orc a hollow laugh, then he leaned back on the couch, arms reclined. Ryan spread on the couch, head on the backrest of the couch. Arrogantly daring the orc to try something else.
The orc just scoffed.
“You have the look of a real soldier now.”
“Thanks,” Ryan replied sarcastically, “guess you would know.”
Barry scratched at a tusk, not taking it as the insult Ryan had intended.
“Thought you wanted to be an adventurer.”
Ryan laughed coldly. “Yeah, I think I’ve killed more people than anything else actually… Even the Trial bosses are people.”
Barry looked at Ryan’s arrogant, vulnerable posture and sighed. The giant orc moved over to Ryan and sat down right next to him, making him bounce up a little. The couch somehow survived. Barry looked up at his ceiling.
“Normally, I’d offer a cigar or a whiskey, but I don’t keep any of that in the house.”
“No, it’s silly.” Ryan said. “I think everyone that died just lost a safety life. I’m just-”
Ryan blocked the swinging elbow from the orc. He just glared at the orc in annoyance and exasperation.
“Really?”
“You learned an alert skill?”
“No, you’re just stupidly slow. I can’t believe you ever hit me in the first place.”
Barry barked a laugh. “Don’t forget your friend got you good too.”
They sat there in silence. The orc didn’t try anything more and Ryan wasn’t in the mood. He just kept thinking about his new skill and wondered how many more people he was going to end up killing.
The ex-[Berserker] had enough after a minute. He stood up and pointed his head towards the door. “C’mon, let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“Get some food. There’s a twenty-four hour Manaburger nearby.”
Ryan groaned. “I know, I work there, remember?”
“Good, maybe you can get us a discount.”
“I thought you didn’t take charity.”
That had been how they’d first met, Ryan had offered Barry a free meal, and the orc had gotten all prissy about it.
Barry just scoffed.
“Discounts aren’t charity.”
They left Barry’s house and walked in silence in the dead of night. For once, Ryan was happy about the silence. They walked through the shitty neighborhood with cracked pavement and crappy mesh fences.
He wondered if anyone would try to mug them. He was half hoping that someone would try. Then he remembered who he was walking next to. The giant orc was the last thing from an obvious mugging target.
It took forty minutes before they arrived at the Manaburger, hardly ‘nearby’, but the walk had helped clear his mind.
It was still open, as always. The windows hadn’t been replaced despite the shooting having happened two days ago. Perhaps it was the mark of the neighborhood that something like a shooting didn’t stop business from occurring. Or perhaps it was the mark of cold corporate America churning away.
Then again, Ryan wondered what it said about him when the victim of said shooting decided to return to the scene for a greasy burger.
Man, he was starving.
There was a familiar face manning the counter.
“Clara?”
“Ryan! Barry!” Clara exclaimed in excitement. “Oh my gosh. What are you guys doing here?”
Ryan suddenly felt guilty. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been getting dragged by the ear by his mom. He could still make out the red bruising on her left ear. He looked away.
“I should be asking you the same thing,” Ryan said. “You’re back here already? The glass hasn’t even been replaced yet.”
Clara looked down, clearly a little ashamed at having to return to work here.
“Steve convinced me. He desperately needed people, and I might need the reference soon.”
“Ah shit, sorry.” Ryan paused. “Wait, I thought I was going to be your reference?”
Clara had a new job lined up with an old friend. Now that he thought of it, it was supposed to be starting soon.
“Uh, well. You know, after everything, I thought you might be busy and uhm.”
“Hey, that’s nonsense, I can…” He trailed off.
Wait, no, he couldn’t. With The Realm in the way and him being an adventurer, he might not even be on Earth when she needed the reference. Barry, ignoring the conversation, stepped up and started ordering during the silence.
“I’ll take a double cheeseburger meal, a firebolt burger with an extra side of that Flame Wall sauce.”
Clara looked at Ryan.
“I’ll take a cheeseburger meal deal, and a cola to drink.”
“Is that it?” Clara asked. “You sure?”
“Yeah? It’s what I normally get…” Ryan went to pay and Clara pushed his card back.
“On the house, for getting shot in the line of duty!”
“Uh, Steve’s pretty good with the missed inventory these days.”
“Well, if he brings it up, then I’ll start talking real loudly about how he’s not willing to pay for an employee who got shot in the line of duty.”
Ryan smiled and shook his head.
Barry sat in the corner of the Manaburger. This time walls instead of glass next to them. That was a mistake he shouldn’t have made. Too many decades away from active combat had dulled his sensibilities far too much. He still felt guilty about the way the rookie [Rogue] had been shot.
“Thought you didn’t take charity.” Ryan said.
“I don’t, but I was promised free meals for a week.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot.”
He remembered taking the deal to get rid of the kids with guns so that he could get free meals for a week. He’d been so ready to dive headfirst into conflict that he’d forgotten himself.
Foolish.
They ate in silence for a few more moments. The new [Rogue] had finished his meal in moments and looked confused that he was still starving. Barry shook his head. Rookies.
That was when Clara stepped away from her station and came up to them.
“How are my two favorite 3am diners doing?”
“Doing great,” Ryan said. “Seriously, thanks for the meal. Oh, and for distracting my mom. I’m sorry she kidnapped you.”
“Just think of it as payback for helping me when I had no idea what I was doing. It’s all grease under the fryer. Do either of you need more food?”
“No, it’s fine,” Ryan began.
“Nonsense! You both finished so quickly. Make sure to stick around. I think I got a good idea for how to deal with your mother. Very cool lady, by the way, when she, you know, wasn’t trying to give my ear a new piercing. Alright, I’ll get another set.”
Ryan blinked as Clara walked away without waiting for a response. That girl was better than most people her age at getting her way. Barry scoffed.
“She knows.”
It took a moment for the words to register. Then Ryan looked at him in confusion, then in anger.
“Clara? Did you tell her?”
“No, she’s just not stupid.” Barry said. “She believed me when I said I used a moderate potion on you. Then, the first thing you do when you wake up is escape a hospital and try to meet me.”
The cogs turned in the rookie’s head. He seemed to have a blind-spot for his friends, not necessarily a bad thing for an aspiring adventurer. Still…
Barry leaned in conspiratorially and whispered.
“So how do you want to deal with her?”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. The [Rogue]’s hand circled into what was probably the size of his soulsword’s handle. If Barry flinched, he’d have a blade at his throat, he was sure.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The orc had faced down giant beasts and the vilest monsters taking up human form. When adventurers started accomplishing great feats and became more powerful, they started to develop a sort of presence.
Barry felt the lightest touch of raw bloodthirst from a boy who had been a Trialist for less than two days.
He hadn’t been imagining it before. Still, it would take more than a budding presence to scare him off.
“Lesson three.” Barry said coolly. “When you have team members you trust, then truly trust them with everything. If you're having issues, talk to them.”
The rookie [Rogue] blinked, then the pressure disappeared. Ryan obviously had no idea he was doing it. Another interesting fact Barry filed away. Ryan narrowed his eyes.
“Was that some sort of test?”
“Maybe.”
The young man crossed his arms. “You know you’re a dick, right?”
Barry grunted. He wouldn’t deny that. The [Rogue] was looking at him like he was trying to decide between saying something and staying quiet.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Barry asked.
Ryan scoffed, “No.”
They sat in silence for a little longer. Ryan still glared.
“You must have been one hell of a teammate.”
“Hah!”
Clara, probably acting oblivious to the mood, arrived with another tray of food. Ryan perked up and asked to pay again. He was so different with his friends around.
“Nonsense,” Clara said, “oo yeah about your mom, I have a perfect idea to get her off your back.”
Ryan blinked as he looked at his friend incredulously. Obviously, he hadn’t come up with a plan on how to deal with his parents yet. They listened as Clara told Ryan her plan. Ryan blushed as he listened, and Barry couldn’t help but chuckle at her idea. Clara went back to her station.
“Looks like you're not the only schemer on your team.” Barry said
“They’re not my team, and I’m not going to get them involved.”
Barry just ate. He watched the [Rogue] shovel food in without a care in the world. It was such a stark contrast to the raw man that had been staring in the dark.
Barry made up his mind.
“Mmm, alright, go back to your parents, do what you need to do, then meet me at my place as soon as you can. We’ll have a proper after-action report then.”
Barry went up to the counter to the young woman who was manning the counter.
“Would you like -”
“Here, I’m paying for the second round.”
“Nonsense-”
“I. Don’t. Take. Charity.”
The staredown between a giant orc and the small human lasted for an impressive three seconds. Ryan laughed from his corner.
The orc gave Ryan a nod as he left the Manaburger.
Barry trudged away from the restaurant. He didn’t glance back, that would have been rookie behavior. Once he was far out of sight of the restaurant, he took out his phone and put in a phone number.
Then he hesitated.
This was Tyrant business, not just Tyrant business, but the Manager was involved. The last thing he wanted was to bring danger to one of the few people he cared about.
“Lesson three…” He sighed.
That lesson had been more for himself than for Ryan. He dialed the number. It didn’t even ring once.
“BARRY! Manager’s Abode! I got your message, and I’ve been waiting, you big green bastard! What took you so long?”
Barry kept the phone far away from his sensitive ears. He stared at his phone.
“You aren’t following me are you?”
He didn’t bother looking around. He wouldn’t find her if she wanted to hide from him.
“No, of course not! You made me promise, remember?”
He’d forgotten about that. She’d stalked him decades ago trying to set things up so that he’d conveniently find good fortune. It was a good thing that even with all her power she was subtle as a t-rex.
“Alright, well I need a favor.”
“Fuckin’ finally! Say the word Beary Barry. Anything you need.”
The orc smiled a little. He talked a bit more about what he wanted from her then hung up.
He thought of Ryan and shook his head.
“A rookie’s still a rookie in the end.” He muttered.
The young man had good instincts. Ryan had quickly identified Barry as someone trustworthy and thrown his lot with the orc.
And Barry had played the role of a grizzled but principled veteran perfectly.
Where the rookie had gone wrong was thinking that the old veteran orc had nobody to turn to. It wasn’t necessarily a bad assumption. After all, if he had people to rely on then why would he be living in squalor? What caring team members would let such a thing happen?
Or rather, in Barry’s case, why would he refuse all charity and live in poverty alone?
Probably because he was one hell of a teammate.
