EmEs_etherious
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Chapter 156- Darkstar Essence Core
🕑 Added 2024-05-30 22:59:01 +0000 UTCArthur watched the changing scenery around him. With the death of all the bloodbeasts, the territory of blood had been reduced to a shadow of its former strength, though it still held sway over the land. It had been cut down to just over half its former size, with a diameter of exactly 842 metres, the only signs of its presence being the slightly caustic air and pinkish tinge everything had, a massive improvement from the previous fumes that had once existed. I honestly think the crimson looked better, Arthur mused. It looked all evil and gloomy. Real dark and edgy. The new pink look makes everything seem… sickly.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, whilst the territory had been significantly weakened, it showed no signs of degrading further. They’d located the territory’s pylon, a darkened crystal altar from which one could become the master of the affected land. Arthur had hoped that simply breaking the thing would naturally destroy the territory but things were never so simple. For starters, the altar was nigh indestructible, with nothing they threw at the damn thing doing any damage. Iris had then dropped the bombshell that territory pylons were regenerative structures.
Even if by some miracle, they were able to reduce the altar to dust, it would simply reform somewhere else in the territory. For a territory as small and weak as this one, the process could take up to a decade, and they’d lose out on the easiest way to damage the place in the intervening time. As incredible as Iris was, territory-destroying rituals did not fall under her extensive repertoire of skills.
The seer had then told them all about the most reliable way of eradicating a territory, and to the surprise of no one, it had been through the employment of a competent soul mage. Thankfully, captain Arencia and his posse weren't aware of Arthur’s credentials as one, or he was sure they’d sell him out at the first opportunity. Some secrets were just too profitable to maintain. He was fortunate no one on his team seemed to recognise his soul armament for what it was, though anyone who managed to link the vaunted power of soul mages to his pitiful crude constructs, was either very intelligent or downright insane.
Sadly territory destruction required the presence of a competent soul mage, and for all of Arthur’s apparent strength, he didn’t qualify for the descriptor. Soul magic could permanently delete the territory, yes, but not when Arthur’s magic wasn’t yet destructive enough to even scratch the altar, his soul spear just bound off the damn thing and the magic he cast through it hardly did any better. It was at that point that one of Captain Arencia’s men, Franco, suggested that they try and claim the territory for themselves. The idea was immediately met with derision, a task even more impossible than the destruction they’d been pursuing.
Arthur was glad the man had suggested the idea first. He’d been a moment away from asking the same question and thought it was sound. Franco had taken the fall and saved him from embarrassment. You needed to be a vampire to claim the territory, it was the main prerequisite attached to the place.
“Well,” Iris began. “It would technically work if one of us here had a perfect blood affinity, but those are about as rare as unicorns.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “All we can do for now is put a guard detail on the place. Eventually, a powerful enough vampire will get through and claim the area, but we can prevent it for as long as possible. If we can find a nice coven native to the planet, maybe we can use it as a bargaining chip. Even the best defences are breached eventually. We’d much rather gain something valuable from the place before it’s taken from us.”
Ayesha immediately agreed with her advice, quickly followed by Captain Arencia and his men. That just left him to decide. They all turned to look at him, waiting for his opinion. “Do whatever you want with this place, Iris,” Arthur said. “I had no idea what a territory was before today so do whatever you think’s best. I’d prefer it if you found a way to destroy this place. With your connections, I’m sure it would be easy, but profit is profit and I’m not against making the most of a shitty situation.”
He’d given the longest answer, rambling almost, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. The time before his refinement was coming to an end, there were only eight minutes left, and it was getting harder to resist its call. It had started off as a slight itch that could easily be ignored, but now it felt like he had centipedes crawling under his skin. Venomous ones that occasionally bit him. Honestly, he deserved a reward for being so outgoing and friendly despite all his troubles. Arthur wasn’t too fussed about what happened to the territory of blood. As long as it didn’t fall into the hands of the vampires responsible for all this death and destruction, he was fine with anything. If Iris managed to squeeze a few benefits out of it to give him... well, that was just the cherry on top.
Iris must have seen the discomfort on his face because she quickly wrapped her little tour up and pulled him aside. “What’s going on, Arthur?” she asked, worried clear in her voice. “If the monster managed to hit you with anything, then you need to let me know. I can't help if I don’t know what’s wrong with you.” Arthur mentally debated how he should answer her question. He came to a decision very quickly, it was hardly a choice at all. Refinement would take place in exactly seven minutes, earlier if he let his concentration slip for an instant.
He didn’t know what exactly the process involved, but he suspected it would take a while, during which he’d most probably be unconscious and vulnerable. With the visitors' approach imminent and the hostile territory around them, being unprepared could very well see him returning to the land of the living in chains. Or not at all. That being said, he didn’t trust Iris enough to reveal the exact nature of his class. She knew it was legendary just as he knew her own was legendary. They were simply too powerful for anything lesser. Let’s just hope all the transformation my class is about to give me isn’t some out-of-this-world stuff.
Having come to a decision, he gave her an abbreviated version of his situation, leaving out the fact that his evolution would be built upon the cores of all the monsters he’d consumed. He was certain she had some idea of what he did with them considering how his aura changed after receiving the dragon’s core, but there was no point in making her guesses certainties. Thankfully, Iris took the information in her stride. Whilst evolutions brought about by your class were very rare, they were not unheard of, though judging by how wide the seer’s eyes were, they weren't exactly common either.
“You’re like a never-ending onion,” Iris grumbled. “ Every layer reveals another secret. Here I was thinking your class was already broken and now you’re telling me you were fighting without gaining your class's greatest benefit.” She shook her head, exasperated. “And people complain that my class is overpowered.”
Arthur smirked.
“Well, you did turn an impossible battle into a walk in the park. You could probably kill an apocalypse beast if you had the time to set up your rituals,” he teased.
Iris laughed at that. “You're pushing it now. They’d have to be the poorest excuse of an apocalypse beast- the runt of the litter and terminally ill to boot- for me to stand a chance at survival.” Her voice took a solemn tone. “No, I’ve seen recordings of my father battling a vermillion Ice leopard.” she shuddered. “However powerful we may get, they’ll always remain apocalypse beasts. At least in our sector of the universe.”
“The way I see things, you have two choices before you. I was wondering why my skills were giving such strange results but now it all makes sense.” She paused for breath. “Lady Sleyca’s visitor is going to arrive in the next three minutes. You can do one of two things. Hold off a refinement and meet with them. This will immediately put you on their radar. They’ll have a face to attach to a name, whereas before they only knew of your achievements. As much as I’ll try and obscure things, a face-to-face meeting will see some of your secrets revealed. I don’t know what will come of it, but I’m sure they’ll start hounding you for recruitment.”
“Whatever the case, I’ll ensure the meeting is over and they’re gone from here in three minutes so they see neither hide nor hair of your refinement. This I promise on my name and status as Azareth’s daughter. Even if I’m forced to kill them. I can handle the political fallout.” She said the words with such severity that Arthur was taken aback. Why was she willing to go so far for him? “Your second option is to go into refinement right away. I have a treasure on me that will completely hide your presence, from all senses, magical and mundane. The world itself will forget you exist for a short while.” She pulled ‘something’ out of her storage ring. He tried to focus on it but it kept slipping away from his attention, visible as nothing more than a shimmering distortion on her hand. “This item is the fourth rarest thing I own, just behind the dragon core Aish gave you. My father would ground me for a decade if he ever found out I gave this to you. He won’t though. The item’s nature ensures he never will. Here, take a look at it yourself.” She passed the item over to him. It was only when the thing was in his hands that he was able to finally look at it, a small black bead, barely an inch in diameter. His eyes told him it was there, but his brain struggled to conceptualise its presence, his thoughts sliding off it like it was a slippery eel. He identified it.
Darkstar Essence core, (Legendary+)- A Dark Star core, one of the most elusive items of the known universe. It can only be recognised when within one's presence, all thoughts of it ceasing to exist the moment it leaves your possession. Consuming it will hide you from reality itself.
All thoughts of you will become muted for a short while, both positive and negative, a change that will be impossible to recognise. Note: this is not mental manipulation magic, but rather a direct result of your existence becoming muted to the material plane. The Darkstar Essence core is a legendary item, known only to those who are in its direct presence. Consuming it will forever alter your stealth capabilities.
Arthur gulped dryly. This item was… insane. He pushed it back to Iris. That's what she meant when she said her father would never find out. He literally can’t remember giving it to her. He doesn't even know it exists.
And if she gives it to me, neither will she.
It was without a doubt, the most generous anyone had ever been to him. She was offering something that cost more than even the dragon core, of which he was certain. “So what’s the catch, Iris? There’s no way you’d offer something like this for free,” He said, ignoring his inner goblin that screamed at him to just take it, consequences be damned.
Iris stared at him for a long moment with a complicated look on her face. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to break it down. “Honestly, would you believe me if I said I just want to see you become as strong as possible? To witness your ascension with my own eyes and know I played a part,” She asked teasingly.
“No,”
“I thought not,” she sighed. “The thing you have going on with Ayesha. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. I went in on it, except I want to be actual comrades. Maybe even friends.”
“Honestly, Aish would never let me live it down if she saw this conversation,” she muttered under her breath, her skin flushing. “You're a bloody coward.” Arthur wasn’t sure if he meant to hear the last part, so he acted like he didn’t.
“You do realise, after I eat this thing, you won’t remember giving it to me. You won't remember its existence. Hell, you won’t remember a word of this conversation.”
She huffed, “I know. You don’t have to remind me. I’m taking a gamble here and hoping you have the decency to not ghost me at the first opportunity. You could walk away and I literally wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop you.” she pushed the Darkstar essence core into his hands. “Just eat the damn thing before my common sense comes back and I change my mind.”
Bemused, Arthur placed the little bead on his tongue. He expected it to be freezing, but true to its nature, he couldn’t even tell he had something in his mouth. “I’m trusting you to not fuck me over,” Iris warned. Arthur nodded, swallowing the small item.
“And since I’m not going to remember anything, take me out to dinner too.”
One moment, Arthur was there, and the next he was gone, leaving Iris to stare at the open air. The seer felt embarrassed, but she couldn’t recall why. Whatever the case, she had to prepare for Lady Sleyca’s visitor.
Comments
bcd051
That was a fun banter chapter...I like getting to know Iris better...also because it's nice that she's currently more badass than he is
