The Runic Artist

Xalvoloth sobbed as it stared in shock at the System Contract’s counter.

Current Period of Service: 913 yrs

It wasn’t possible, but it was The System valuation of what the mortal had taken. The second trial had added another four hundred and something years to the counter, with Jazguth’s demise increasing it by over three hundred years alone. Almost a millennia of service. It was doomed.

Then the True Divinity had taken that small leaf.

Current Period of Service: 1,891yrs

Almost another millennia added! Nine hundred and seventy eight years! That was more than the loss of all the demons thrown against the mortal. It reached up to rake its claws over its skull, black blood seeping through even as the System Contract prevented it from digging deeper into its skin.

Then the mortal took the Skill Enhancement Orbs. Followed by the small innocuous metal cube.

Current Period of Service: 2,668yrs

Current Period of Service: 4,137yrs

Four millennia! It was beyond doomed. So it sobbed. Sobbed over its foolishness. How it had fallen prey to the plague that caused the demise of most demons. A plague it had thought it was above, but even it had become tainted, prey for one of the sins. Pride and wrath had consumed it. It could see that now. Now that it was too late.

Staring up at Lord Sag’thoz it asked the only question it could. Maybe there was still a way out.

“Will you seek revenge against the mortal?” it asked between sobs.

Perhaps if Lord Sag’thoz did so the Lesser Divinity would die. Then it would be released from its contract. It was its only hope.

“And cross The Wanderer? Pit myself against the forces of the God of Space himself? His Heralds alone would decimate us. No, foolish little Xalvoloth. I’ll have nothing to do with The Wanderer, or any mortal he has taken an interest in,” replied Sag’thoz with a sneer. The Demon Lord waved in two of his guards a moment later. They were not True Disciples. Only in the Legendary Tier. But they were both level one hundred and sixty. They’d given up hope on ever reaching Divinity and had instead given themselves over to service.

“Take this slave to the growing chamber. Prepare it accordingly,” commanded the Demon Lord.

*************

Xalvoloth’s sobs echoed through the throne room as it was dragged out, unable to resist. The sound was music to the Demon Lord’s ears as he collapsed onto his throne, suppressing his own wrath. He would not follow in Xalvoloth’s doomed footsteps. Crossing The Wanderer was a path to a quick demise. No, he would rule eternal within the Hells.

*************

Arikanvil sensed the demonic energy flare as the mortal from a Dead Realm was returned to the world below. The mortal had impressed him, going far beyond his expectations. He had not expected it to survive the second trial, let alone the third. It was already showing greater potential than most of his Heralds. More than that, the mortal seemed to have an excellent grasp of runecrafting. A skill that Arikanvil would only say that he dabbled in personally. One that this Dead Realm device was beginning to indicate might be necessary for further experiments. He would leave the mortal alone, for now, but keep watching. Perhaps, in time, there could be a place amongst his Heralds for the little human.

*************

Helena stood at attention before the desk of her Lord father. Gabrielle was next to her, as always. The twins had their heads bowed as they waited patiently.

“So, this Silver Badge Guilder was able to pierce your veils?” he asked, his tone icy.

They nodded in unison, knowing that all he wanted was confirmation. Not an explanation. Their Lord father took a moment to think before he turned to his wife, their Lady Mother. Their father may be the head of the house, but it was their mother that truly ruled. He would do nothing without her advice and her advice had a very strong tendency of becoming the orders they received.

Their Lady Mother walked to the expansive window as she took a moment to think. Even that movement looked stately and drew the eyes of all three others present in the room.

“It warrants further investigation. But they will need a stronger veil. If he was able to breach an Epic veil then we will need to pay for a Legendary one. He’s also seen their faces. They will need to see our Fleshshaper,” stated their Lady Mother.

Helena suppressed a shiver. There was pain in their future. Fleshshaping was horrific and the little she’d been exposed to was enough to give her nightmares. Hopefully the changes would be minimal.

“Should we have one of them turned into a man? Perhaps he’d be more comfortable with a friend than a bed warmer,” suggested their Lord father.

Helena clamped down on any reaction even though her heart skipped a beat. Not at being changed into a man. She would do whatever her Lord father and Lady Mother required of her. But the pain of transition at the hands of a Fleshshaper would be beyond excruciating.

“I don’t think that will be necessary. Their report indicates he prefers women, as does his teammate. Both warrant further review. They will just have to learn from their mistakes and make their approach a little slower this time. Not all young men are so easily lured by a pretty face.”

Helena wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but she wouldn’t let a crack show in her facade.

“I will prepare a dossier on their changes and covers by tomorrow, dear Husband,” added their Lady Mother, still staring out the window at the palatial grounds beyond.

Their father understood the implication and flicked his fingers at the twins in dismissal. They beat a quick retreat from the room even as they digested the news.

“So, the Royal University, after all,” whispered Gabrielle.

“No mistakes this time,” Helena whispered back as they quickly and silently made their way to their shared room in the attic. Their parents would call for them when they were ready and not before.

*************

Garnet walked through the flaming ruins of the second Dungeon fort they had attacked. Sapphire held the dungeon core in his hand, before placing it carefully in the prepared container. This one had been across the border of Etrua, in the country of Asmuisil. With a fort attacked on each side of the border now and the dungeon cores stolen, she couldn’t see how this would do anything besides fan the fires of war.

What was her Master thinking, she wondered. What could he hope to gain from war with Asmuisil? With a laugh and a hand on her lower back Sapphire congratulated the assembled warriors. They’d only lost one in the attack. She’d made sure nothing remained of his body, just as she wanted to do to Sapphire, starting with his unwelcome hand. But she would stay her wrath for now. He’d trip up sooner or later, either taking it too far or making a mistake. She just had to wait. She grit her teeth, stepping away from him as they prepared to leave. They would lie low for a few weeks and await new orders. She hoped those orders would see her reassigned, but with her streak of luck, she doubted her prayers would be answered.

*************

Kiri sat on her bed, happy tears in her eyes. She thought she had lost her best friend. But he’d come back, against all the odds. To say she was thankful was an understatement. So happy she almost didn’t care about the two gems in her hand. Processed mana gems, filled to the brim. Nate had given them to her before he headed for bed, along with two of the Skill Enhancement Orbs. Those rested in her Soul Space, safe and sound. Still, he’d gone and done it again. Given her what she needed to keep up with him. Even now, after gaining a Mythic Class, it still felt like he was the one carrying her forward. His rate of growth was insane.

A few deep breaths and she considered her emotions before discarding them. Her self-recrimination was a waste of time. Having listened to his story, she was confident she could have beaten the trials as well. Based on the descriptions of each one, the lack of mana would have barely affected her and with plentiful sources of soul energy in the form of dying demons she could have carved a way to victory. To Slay a Soul would’ve seen her wield their own powers against them and with such powerful resources and no need to prevent her own levelling from all the killing she likely would’ve come back at an even higher level than Nate had. No, she was good enough. She just wished she’d been able to be there with him. To help him. He’d put up a strong front, but she knew the demonic realm had left a scar on him.

That didn’t mean she didn’t recognise that what Nate had given her was beyond extravagant. The price Lord Evindal had paid for a single Skill Enhancement Orb had been multiple tokens for the Guild's Mid-Epic Dungeon. If he took advantage of those runs, even in a group, it would be enough processed mana to see Nate to level sixty. That was for when he was deemed strong enough to survive the Dungeon of course. They’d learned their lesson in the Low-Rare Dungeon after all. A Mid-Epic would have enemies around level eighty. A step beyond both of their capabilities, for now.

She’d just have to find a way to give Nate something equivalent in value. She’d find a way. No matter what. With her decision made, she absorbed the processed mana, letting it fill her Class Core as notifications began flashing before her eyes as she increased her Reborn Soul Slayer Class by seven levels. With a smile she started going through her changes.

Accrued Mana applied to Primary Class.

Level up…

Level up…

…

Level up…

Stats adjusted: +7 Dexterity, +14 Agility, +21 Willpower, +14 Perception, +14 Magic Control,

+14 Mana Reserve, +42 Free Stats

Skills Available! Please Select 2* Skills.

Class Skill Options:

A Hidden Soul (Epic)

Soul Magic is directly related to the thoughts and memories of sentient beings. To hide from them is to make them forget you were ever there. This skill allows you to make those of weak will forget your presence. Stealth through soul suppression. The more souls you are forced to suppress the weaker the effect. Skills levels decrease soul energy cost by 1% per Skill Level.

Soul Sense (Epic)

Everything sentient has a soul. That does not mean everything with soul energy is sentient. So to tell the difference you need to not only know where the souls reside but how much soul energy they contain. With this skill you can sense soul energy nearby in both quantity and location. Initial distance is ten metres. Skill Level increases distance by Skill Level ten metres.

Command the Soul (Epic)

The power of the soul is the power to force obedience. The minds of the weak can be shifted, shaped and commanded. With a powerful soul the will of others will be suborned, your superior soul demanding obedience. This skill allows the user to impose their will upon sentient beings. High soul energy cost based on the difference in Willpower between the skill user and their target and the volume of soul energy possessed by both parties. Skill Level increases the users effective Willpower when using this skill by Skill Level * 2%.

Enhanced Agility (Epic)

When the choice is to go harder or to go faster, the answer is obvious to anyone offered this Skill. Go faster. Leave your enemies in the dust as you run rings around them. When they say speed kills, they're talking about those who possess this Skill. For those lucky few, this Skill increases the user’s Agility by 5%. Increases by 1% per Skill Level.

Enhanced Willpower (Epic)

Willpower is often the most under utilised Stat, only rivalled by Charisma. Most believe it is only of use for those who wish to bend others to their wills. The mentalists and sirens of the worlds, luring all to servitude or their deaths. However, you’ve seen firsthand the power of a strong Willpower as you bend reality to your desires. Walk a path of dominance where your will forges the way. For those lucky few, this Skill increases the user’s Willpower by 5%. Increases by 1% per Skill Level.

She quickly selected Soul Sense and Command the Soul. The stealth skill was nice, but she had no need or desire to be stealthy just yet. She’d take it as her last skill from Reborn Soul Slayer if there was nothing better. With that handled she put twelve of her Free Stats into Endurance and another twelve into Constitution. The remaining eighteen went into Willpower.

Bringing up her status she looked over her growth.

Stats

Physical

Mental

Magic

Strength

16 (3)

Intellect

14

Magic Power

13

Dexterity

54

Charisma

16

Magic Control

78

Agility

240 (6)

Creativity

13

Channelling Speed

29

Endurance

53 (3)

Willpower

235 (3)

Mana Reserve

70

Constitution

50

Perception

128

Mana Absorption

18 (6)

Classes

Primary Class - Level 16 (36)

Secondary Class - Level 1

Tertiary Class

Reborn Soul Slayer (M)

Reborn Soul Dancer (L)

…

Skills

To Slay A Soul (M) Lvl 9 - (Bound Souls Equal to 5)

Effective Soul Shift (L) Lvl 24 - (288 metres teleport range, -24% Soul Energy Cost)

Soul Imbuement (L) Lvl 28 - (Increase Agility, Endurance and Constitution by +140)

Soul Drain (E) Lvl 28 - (+19% Willpower, +12% Agility)

The Size of a Soul (E) Lvl 28 - (Soul Capacity increased by 336% and 6% Soul Energy Regen/hr)

Soul Engraving (R) Lvl 12 - (3/3 Soul Engravings Used, Engravings last for 78 days)

Tethered Soulblade Dancing (L) Lvl 23 - (1150 metres detection range, 14 Tethers, 5 Tethered Arms, +11.5% Agility, +15% Penetrative Power)

Soul Space (R) Lvl 18 - (4.32 cubic metres of space)

Soul Slayers Steps (E) Lvl 18 - (+18% Agility and 18% Perception)

Soul Dancers Elegance (E) Lvl 20 - (+25% Agility)

Soul Sense (E) Lvl 1 - (20 metres sensory range)

Command the Soul (E) Lvl 1 - (+2% Effective Willpower)

Spells

...

Status Effects

Class Core Concealment Soul Engraving (Temporary, Legendary)

Willpower Soul Engraving (+10% Willpower) (Temporary, Rare)

Soul Power Engraving (+20% to Soul Energy Skills) (Temporary, Legendary)

System Contract - Luc Crozier & Evindal Ravalynn (Temporary)

She was good enough, she reminded herself one last time.

*************

The story had taken longer to share than Nate had expected as he talked the gathered Guild members through what had happened. Kiri had cried and thrown her arms around him the moment Luc had reappeared with both his best friend and Deverell. The story was only the second time he’d ever seen an emotional reaction from Deverell. The first had been when Nate had revealed his Mythic Class. This time the Dagger Dancer had shown a brief window of unbridled rage when Nate described how the Demon Lord had initiated the second and third trial before he’d finished the previous one, followed by a ruthless smile when Nate had explained how he’d killed every trial demon, then taken three treasures from Sag’thoz. He’d left Arikanvil out of the story and had pretended that the Orb from the Temporal Executioner was his third prize. Perhaps they’d see through the small deception, perhaps not, but he was still not willing to mention The Wanderer, especially after his strange behaviour when compared with their first meeting.

Halfway through the story Frick had finally returned, the goblin cackling and stomping as he regaled his own fighting against the Legendary classed demons. Finally, he’d shown them his three rewards. Evindal had requested one of the Skill Enhancement Orbs and offered a considerable number of Epic Dungeon runs in payment. Luc had nodded to Nate that the offer was reasonable and he’d accepted the deal, bringing his total orbs down to seven. He was honestly not that worried about selling a couple and giving a few to Kiri. He’d evolved Skills to Mythic before without any assistance and at least for his Runic Artist skills, he was convinced he could do it again. In most cases anyway.

The night dragged on as they had food delivered to the room and they told their side of the story. After he’d been abducted they had tried to figure out a way to get him back. Evindal and Luc had been trying to dream up a ritual that might have been able to draw him back by utilising time and space. Kiri had been harassing the Prefects who had refused to invest any resources in his recovery and had instead announced the Tournament winners with Nate excluded from their number. Kiri had been declared the winner in his absence with Null taking second, Coralie third and so on. Aisling had assured him his place at the Royal University was still guaranteed and she would personally see to it that he was rewarded by the Guild as though he’d also placed first. He found he barely cared about the Guild's reward beyond having the Royal University access. Even that could’ve been covered with Luc’s help though.

The night finally began to wind down and he returned to his room for some time alone, even though he could sense Deverell sitting on the roof above him. He’d promised to meet everyone for breakfast on the morrow but for now he just wanted to rest and sleep.

Lying in bed he looked over the changes to his Skills and the notifications he’d been ignoring.

Amplified Magic 20 > 21

Empowered Runic Artistry 30 > 32

Runic Creation 32 > 34

Imbue Intent 33 > 36

Awareness of the Runic Artist 31 > 34

True Teleportation 24 > 27

Runic Knowledge - Concepts 30 > 33

Conceptual Automation 1 > 11

Amplified Magic is ready to evolve.

Evolutions Available! Please Select 1.

Skill Evolution Options:

Amplified Runic Magic (L)

Additionally this Skill increases the power of runes by 10%.

Empowered Amplified Magic (L)

Additionally this Skill increases Magic Stats by 10%.

Walk your Path. Reach your Goal. Become One with Mana.

The evolution options for Amplified Magic were mostly unimpressive, though perhaps his standards were just too high. He’d have used a Skill Enhancement Orb on it but it had already reached its evolution before he’d received his rewards for surviving the trials. He debated taking the Amplified Runic Magic, but while increasing the potency of his runes would be good, he felt that the extra ten percent to all his Magic Stats was better for now. Locking in his selection he looked over his status.

Stats

Physical

Mental

Magic

Strength

12

Intellect

274

Magic Power

138 (26)

Dexterity

78

Charisma

17 (3)

Magic Control

52

Agility

23 (10)

Creativity

143

Channelling Speed

43

Endurance

60 (3)

Willpower

32

Mana Reserve

167

Constitution

30

Perception

160

Mana Absorption

67

Classes

Primary Class - Level 20 (40)

Secondary Class - Level 1

Tertiary Class

Wandering Runic Artist (M)

Wandering Realmwalker (L)

…

Skills

Runic Knowledge - Concepts (L) Lvl 33 - (+38% Intellect)

Conceptual Material (M) Lvl 29 - (-14.5% Mana Cost, -40% Time Required)

Awareness of the Runic Artist (M) Lvl 34 - (+76% Perception, +18% Creativity, 17m Sphere of Awareness)

Imbue Intent (L) Lvl 36 - (34 Intents, 17 Imbued Intents, +18% Intellect)

Runic Creation (L) Lvl 34 - (-66% Mana Cost, +15% Creativity)

Empowered Runic Artistry (L) Lvl 32 - (-41% Mana Cost, +90 Magic Power for Runic Arrays)

True Teleportation (M) Lvl 27 - (270 metres teleport range, +18% Magic Control)

Empowered Amplified Magic (L) Lvl 21 - (+35% Magic Stats)

Conceptual Automation (L) Lvl 11 - (-11% Mana Cost, +82% Power, +28% Duration)

Spells

Minor Spatial Lock (R)

Status Effects

Divine Translation Spell (Permanent)

Familiar Contract (Permanent)

Class Core Concealment Soul Engraving (Temporary, Legendary)

Obfuscated Mana Soul Engraving (+40% Bonus to Hiding Mana Signature) (Temporary, Legendary)

System Contract - Luc Crozier & Evindal Ravalynn (Temporary)

His Intellect had skyrocketed and everything was looking good. Not just his status, but his future. The Royal University loomed, access likely to be granted within the next week, and that presented a few challenges, but mostly opportunities. He’d need to change his Soul Engraving from just a Class Core Concealment to some sort of Obfuscation so that it would return a fake Class for the University induction. Just like the Unseen had done. He’d also need to prepare more material for Conceptual Automation, especially since he would be powering the skill with regular mana rather than processed mana, which would significantly reduce the power the Conceptual Constructs exhibited. Perhaps he could somewhat make up for that shortfall by finally creating some Mythic materials. That had its own problems though, since he lacked any Mythic Sigils. A problem for tomorrow.

Thinking about materials, he realised he and Luc would have to figure out what they were going to sell and how they were going to do it. That whole line of thinking required mana and he’d need to figure out a way to reliably make sure he never ran out of mana. Frick sat nearby, a gem in hand as he meticulously copied the runes for a Legendary mana gem using Runic Creation. Next he’d be using Conceptual Material to raise the gem to Legendary with an affinity for mana. Nate was never going to be short mana ever again if he had his way. With a small smile he pulled out the Puzzle Box and looked it over. It was covered in whorls and swirls that might’ve been geometric, the single image that might be a Sigil on its surface still refusing to give up its secret. He had time now, and he was going to discover what it was, and the prize it hid inside. Storing the cube he finally let sleep claim him, as he dreamed of all the things he would soon be learning at the Royal University.