Chapter 235: Upbringing (1/2)

Walking into Elderfire, the city changed since I last left. Stepping through the forested walkways, the density of plantlife dropped off some. A few of the gialgathens channeled some kind of mana, bending nature into homes for them.

Trees gnarled into rooftops, giving the people here homes walled off by twisting branches and thick bushes. The beginnings of walkways formed throughout the city, foot traffic creating these pathways of convenience. Beyond the basics, the mentality of the town shifted outside of that.

The gialgathens stood straighter, walked faster, and moved with purpose. A liveliness infected them, and it spread out like a disease of joy. I enjoyed it. The difference between the drab, hopelessness of before acted as a nice contrast. Even with only one victory, people believed in our cause all of a sudden.

Too sudden, in fact.

The monster's mentality towards me changed as well. Instead of a dirtwalker, the gialgathens treated me with reverence. It unsettled me some, the difference staggering as night and day. I rolled with it, waving at bystanders as they bowed to me.

That's right, bowing. After pacing through the jungled city with our Sentinel, I paced out into the heart of Elderfire - the pillar supporting the blue core. Around it, the runes glowed white. Beyond the inscriptions, an installment of metal situated itself in the middle of ancient stone.

It was Schema's entourage.

Several speakers situated themselves in kiosks of metal, open for anyone to walk by. These kiosks offered several services. They gave the citizens a general supply store to exchange credits for material goods. A bounty board acted as a questing panel. A little warp drive even situated itself between two Sentinels sent here to guard the area.

I scratched the side of my head,

”How did they show up so fast?”

Our Sentinel gestured to everything with his spear, ”Schema marvels at efficiency, and his guilds embody that.”

I looked between the Sentinels and our Sentinel.

”What should we call you? Sentinel will start to become confusing soon.”

The Sentinel shrugged, ”It doesn't matter. We have no names.”

I pointed at the two spears on his back, ”You've got more of those than normal right? How about we just call you Spear?”

Our Sentinel stared at his dimensional slicer, ”Hm...I like that. You may call me Spear.”

I put my hands on my hips, ”Alright then Spear, where's Torix?”

”In the temple where you left him last.”

”I'll see you then. You can just...I don't know, stand around, I guess?”

”I will meditate on our actions.”

Spear sat down right there, crossing his legs and leaning down. Transforming into a statue before my very eyes, he entered a deep state of tranquility. I left him there in Elderfire's courtyard while recharging the mana in the runes and blue core. After finishing that up in a minute or so, I jumped towards the tallest temple jutting over the jungle.

Coming up to it, I paced through the corridors, remembering where Torix was last. As I did, I inspected my status in case something shifted after the battle. Some stuff had.

New skill created! The unknown skill Orbital Bombardment! Being the first sentient to create this skill grants you a bonus of 500 skillpoints. Use them wisely!

Orbital Bombardment(lvl 10) - You rain down desolation from above, a meteoric bringer of extinction. Grants additional speed, impact dispersal, and heat resistance when executing an orbital strike.

Alright, it was official - Schema stole the name I used for the skill.

Title gained: The Cleanser of Polydra,

+250 to level cap | Current Cap: 10,250

This was a nice little bonus for my efforts. It also let me know I wasn't wanted for taking out some of Polydra's residents. I bit my lip remembering that, but I moved onto my status. After putting my points into constitution, I inspected it closer.

Damn, I was heavy.

The Living Multiverse(Lvl 10,250 | Current Influence: The Rise of Eden)

Strength – 31,695 | Constitution – 45,135 | Endurance – 90,834

Dexterity – 16,240 | Willpower – 65,986 | Intelligence – 34,882

Charisma – 13,411 | Luck – 19,024 | Perception – 14,912

Health: 70.46 Million/70.46 Million | Health Regen: 472.8 Million/min or 7.88 Million/sec

Stamina: Infinite | Ambient Mana 3.57 Trillion

Mass: 4.63 Million Pounds(2.10 Million Kilos~)

Height: 13'4 (4.06 meters)

Damage Res - 99.05% | Dimensional Res - 100%

Phys Dam Bonus – 11.24 Million% | Damage Bonus – 40%

The Rise of Eden - enhances base stats by 30%, increased to 40% to allies within radius of aura.

The main stats moving now were my physical damage bonus and my general mass. That wasn't the end all be all, but they made the most significant shifts overall. Those dramatic shifts explained how I outmuscled Version 2.2. The Hybrid hadn't weakened. I had strengthened.

I welcomed the news, all the investments into constitution paying off. A large portion of the constitution bonus came from my cipher runes as well. My new evolution took well to the runic adjustments, making the attribute increases far faster. In fact, even without Schema's involvement, I improved quite a bit.

Even if he exiled me, it wouldn't matter from a personal strength standpoint.

Of course, I wouldn't go out of my way to make that happen. At the same time, it was kind of nice not having that threat hanging over my head like a noose. That weight of my chest explained why Schema kept me as an unknown for so long, however.

His control over me faded once I reached my level cap. I didn't need a class anymore. I'd be fine without it, though I still wanted one. Without a solid point to leverage me on, I could act as a rogue agent with far fewer consequences than most.

In a way, I could move outside the law.

I rolled my shoulders, knowing I didn't want to doublecross that all-knowing AI. Schema would make me pay for betraying him. Of this, I had no doubt. Besides, I had other reasons to fight on. With that in mind, I reached the temple's darkest depths. There I found a strange sight. Torix talked with a few enigmatta, the fish guys in pressurized suits. Their eyes glowing under dark, glass helmets, the enigmatta spoke through intercoms,

”We need more compensation.”

Torix snapped back, ”You'll get100,000 credits and no more. If you've come to gouge my moment of need, you're sorely mistaken. Pressed for time or not, I shall not take such an absurd deal regardless of the circumstances.”

The enigmatta glanced at each other before shrugging. The one on the left replied, ”We won't do it then.”

Torix shoed them off while leaning over a few diagrams, ”Then goodbye.”

The other enigmatta raised its gangly arms, ”Wait a minute, we'll do it.”

I stepped up, towering over them like a metal golem,

”What's the problem here?”

They gawked up at me. One of enigmatta whispered,

”It's the Sunmaker.”

I darted my gaze between both of them,

”Sunmaker? What?”

Torix cackled, ”It's the title several news stations granted you after your performance at Polydra. Considering the eruption and the blot of light your orbital bombardment created, the name is fitting. It's suitably ominous and awe-inspiring as well.”

Both of the enigmatta glanced down, unable to meet my eye, ”We'll...We'll do it.”

Torix steepled his fingers, ”Excellent. You may both be excused.”

They paced off, and I peered at them as they did. Turning back to Torix, I pointed back at them with a thumb, ”Uh, what was wrong with those guys?”

”I televised your perspective during the battle of Polydra. Having seen it in person, few would be willing to deny your abilities thereafter.”

I frowned, ”How did you televise it?”

Torix turned towards me, raising his palms in his defense,

”I may have had to implant a program using John Mcsmitty's help.”

I narrowed my eyes, ”Why didn't you tell me?”

”There were three compelling reasons. The first and foremost being this; at times, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. The second reason was more ethically sound. I didn't want you thinking of your viewers as you fought. You're best when executing on a purely practical front.”

Torix waved a hand, ”The other reason involved distracting you during the battle. I didn't want you to be nervous during your fight either. I was in full control of when to stream your PoV the entire time. I limited it to the carnage alone.”

I crossed my arms, ”You can trust me with that kind of thing. You don't have to lie to me either. I can handle it.”

”But of course, and I wasn't questioning your ability either. Even more so, I don't enjoy lying to you, though this was more so restricting the truth than lying per se. That being said, I had every intention of informing you as soon as you arrived. The effect I desired already manifested, after all.”

I remembered the weird reverence everybody gave me. I facepalmed, ”Wait a minute, that's why everybody was acting weird.”

”Precisely. The stream built hope, motivation, and respect all at once. It even served as a potent deterrent to would-be enemies as well. I brainstormed the idea with one of my associates after that fiasco with televising our battle with Yawm. I figured that if videos acted against us at times, they could also act for us in other instances.”

Torix waved his hands, ”So if our enemies present us in a dim light, I simply exposed us during our best moment. It's standard practice for larger guilds. Considering the splash you made in Polydra, we'll need to incorporate even more policies in the future.”

I raised my eyebrows, ”Ah, you're using my style of fighting for good PR. I...I can understand that I suppose.” I pointed at Torix, ”If you make a habit of this, I won't be able to trust you though. Remember that.”

Torix met my eye, ”I am well aware, and I will be measured in these instances, I assure you. Your trust is valued, and I will not abuse it.”

”As long as you understand that, we're good.”

Torix raised a hand, pressing his fingers together, ”Just as well, I'd like to inform you that our guild's security is being taken care of with these videos as well. I've taken measures to ensure our location isn't leaked, and I've even used a necessary mental screening process for new guild applicants. All of this to say, I'm taking our guild's recruitment seriously.”

Torix clapped his hands once, ”Now, with that out of the way, let's begin discussing our next assault.”

I raised an eyebrow, ”Where is it?”

”It's the hometown of Eradin Forest Torch, Astelle.”

After a bit of mental searching, I remembered who he was talking about,

”Ah, that's the old gialgathen I fought from the tournament. He beat his son and everything. He was alright.”

Torix nodded, ”Indeed, he was. Now, Astelle is a stronghold for the gialgathens. Our goal will be less saving them from the invasion and more so mobilizing their forces here. This group of soldiers should enhance the sheer numbers we've garnered.”

We discussed some of the details, along with a time frame for the attack. It would take about three days to organize everything, so I had some time to kill. After finishing the debriefing, I trecked over towards the medical center of Elderfire.

Within a pool of soothing, warm water, many of the gialgathens restored themselves. Natural wisps floated around many of the hybridizing gialgathens. They kept the wounded in a semis-stasis. It let them live until now. As I paced up, Kessiah worked with vigor. I raised an eyebrow,

”You're working already?”

She bit into her thumb and spit out a clump of skin.

”After a big battle like this, a healer is the busiest. It's like Saturday night at a bar but a lot less fun.”

I sat a ways from her and drained the gunk from one of the gialgathens. One of the wisps floated up to me. It shivered after a moment, darting away. I frowned at it while Kessiah shook her head,

”You can't expect them to do anything else. You're intimidating.”

I frowned, ”Huh...What are these little guys anyway?”

”They're spirits summoned by the sages and mages the gialgathens have. They connect with Giess and use the natural mana flows to sustain the wounded. They defy nature for them as a gift for the gialgathens summoning them here.”

Kessiah reached up a finger, and a wisp floated onto her hand,

”They like it here. I guess they think the material plane is cozy.”

The wisp hovered away as Kessiah got back to work. After clearing up the hybridizing Polydrians, I went back to the temple. With three days left before my next attack, I worked on the next portion of Torix's armor. It required a new grimoire before I could begin, however.

With that in mind, I shifted to the Rise of Eden. Wielding quintessence, I carved a series of runic markings onto the floor. As appropriate, I added portions of the cipher into the formula. Each runic piece increased in complexity until I reached the center.

The most strenuous pieces of the liturgy involved the center fragment. It required a dual-layered portion of the cipher using techniques I learned from the prison beneath Polydra. Once finished, I placed a hand onto the central tablet. After an hour of channeling, the configuration coalesced into a blight of mana.

The whitened ball shifted into a series of pages. As it did, the entirety of Elderfire shook beneath my feet. Even while containing the mana, the sheer volume created a seismic event, the energy dispersing like waves of a storm. Once wholly composed, a strange booklet plopped into my hands.

The black tome weighed at least a half-ton, the structure of it beyond my previous book. It carried a bendable stone on the surface of each page. As I turned them, they bent with ease in my hand despite their unusual, rocky texture. The thickness of the pages proved deceptive too. Wondering what was inside of one, I tore the first page. Like white mercury, a milky metal seeped out of the edge. I inspected closer, finding molten gunk flowing within the pages. This pool of liquid traveled from the dense spine of the grimoire. The design of it defied convention, but I trusted Torix's judgment, my runic skills, and most importantly, the amount of mana I poured into this damn thing.

It was too big to fail...probably.

Using the grimoire for the first time, etched into it using heated points of telekinetic contact. As I went through my work, the stone functioned well. It needed just the right amount of heat, making it easy to write in but hard to mess up with a careless stroke. At the same time, the metal beneath served many purposes.

It acted as a connection point between pages. I figured this out once I began work on the second page. Instead of needing some runic markings to ensure continuity between pages, the metal handled that for me. It saved me plenty of time as I went through the complex configurations.

As I continued, the merits of the new design unveiled themselves to me. The metal augmented my mana conversion, making the cipher require less mana. It was like conducting electricity through copper instead of wood. The white mercury transferred the mana between pages with a simple thought as well. This let me mix and match various runes without needing to plaster them together.

Hell, the metal even let me implement the whole dual layering technique I learned earlier. With a mental snap of my fingers, I could make two pages act like they were the same surface. That let me contextualize some of the more nuanced passages involved.

All that to say, it was pretty metal.

Awful puns aside, I finished plenty of runic markings for Torix's armor by daylight. Using this new grimoire felt like I found a missing piece to a puzzle. Everything came together in a rush right after seeing it. Considering my time constraints, I appreciated good luck.

With the markings finished, I channeled my excess mana into the grimoire, holding it at my side. With Torix busy and no one else to talk to, my mind wandered for a bit. I dwelled on Polydra's fate, scorching in hellfire and brimstone. A building well of guilt swelled in my chest before I grew lonely.

The odd sensation refused to leave, so I looked through my contacts. I called Althea, hoping she could answer. I missed her, and talking for a bit would do me some good. Even I needed some rest and relaxation sometimes. With that in mind, I sat on the edge of my seat, waiting for her to answer.

Three rings in, I gave up. As I hovered my hand over the exit command, Althea answered. I lit up, a smile spread over my face as her far more beautiful face popped up. Of course, it hadn't been nearly as long for her, but the mythical compendium made it feel like forever for me.

She carried a few more scars than before, but she was the same woman I remembered. As I glanced closer, I found that wasn't exactly true. A hardness formed in her eyes, the kind you get from seeing things that shouldn't be seen. Even more so, she had the same exhaustion on her face that plagued Kessiah. While Kessiah's motivation was to prove herself, Althea's seemed more profound, like an ocean compared to a pool.