Chapter 57: Live for the Moment

The stone organ and the eight Aleph marks were fine prizes, but Nic wasn't done with the Valley of Memories quite yet. A quick sweep of the area brought him mixed news. Someone - almost certainly Seoona's soldiers - had ransacked the tombs. The golden burial goods were left untouched, but the weapons and artifacts had been taken. So had the first clear reward for the temple at the valley's base.

But they'd been in a hurry. Many of the tombs were still sealed tight and hidden away, and those had been untouched.

The ghouls skittered away as Nic approached, able to sense that he was no longer prey...

Nic broke open the ancient seals holding the doors shut and examined the grave of an ancient king. Sitting in the hands of the mummified ruler were a jade khopesh blade and a golden scarab.

Rivergreen Cleaver. F-Class Treasured Artifact. Forged from precious stones imbued with the rivers clear-flowing strength, this weapon can take on semisolid form and flow like water to extend itself or break past guards.

Sanctuary Deity Talisman. E-Class Treasured Artifact. Forged from simple materials, faith and worship have imbued this protective talisman with a measure of divine might. Its power has grown slowly but continuously for a thousand years.

It was the second one that caught his interest. Nic realized at once the description referred to it as being created by something similar to his Hieroglyphs Shard, and without hesitation, he pried the jewel-encrusted talisman from the mummy's crumbling fingers to examine it more closely.

The runes fascinated him as he turned it over in his hands. They were images of ancient gods, rivers, and birds of paradise; they glowed faintly in the dark. Whenever Nic had the chance to examine a part of this ancient world, his admiration only grew. Without the Sysem they had reached so far. Their medicine, art, and runecrafting were all exemplary. Every one of these crafts was born from thousands of years of study and careful honing. It made him wish he could still see the empire in all its glory, rising from the sand on a foundation of millenia.

Departing from the tomb, Nic kept a wary eye on the sun above the valley. It was only when that sun began to dip below the horizon that he'd have to worry about the guardian of all this buried wealth. So long as he could plunder and leave before then, he'd be able to avoid a rematch-- and Nic suspected the enemy would grow stronger now that he'd taken a second treasure.

Still, he was cutting it close by the time he made his final selection. It came from a dusty and threadbare tomb, but it provided something Nic was sorely lacking.

Bottle of Fragrant Waters. E-Class Medicine. This hollow gourd contains a medicine that improves with time. Frequently buried with priests so that it can gain potency under their watchful care, and just as frequently stolen by graverobbers hoping to break their curse.

It was a hollowed-out bottle gourd covered by a net of red string, with a single beaded tassel hanging around the neck. The smell was sweet and clear like honey. Nic was constantly running low on healing beyond his own regeneration, and was helpless to save others when they were wounded. A good supply of medicine was worth more to him than all the gold of the valley.

As he climbed out of the valley, another beacon shot into the air. Nic watched from the ground as the paper crane flew down towards it– and saw sails in the distance as Seoona's fleet of sandships soared in the same direction. Another fight between the two…

Nic had to hope they were running their resources thin competing with one another.

As it was, this was a welcome distraction. The Ghost-Toll Legion's eye in the sky had descended to chase after prizes. That meant Nic could travel overland, without fearing being caught. With a flick of his hand he dropped the Sandrider Blade to the ground and leapt aboard, summoning a rolling wave of sand underneath to carry him up and away, across the desert in a billowing trail of dust.

In the distance he could see one of the enemy's ships, the top of a sail peaking over the dunes. That sail was on fire, burning with pale blue flame. Nic grinned to himself. Every loss they incurred now would make his job easier in the long run.

Nic sailed for the better part of an hour, and then vanished under the sand again. The paper crane was rising into the air and Nic decided to make himself scarce by digging down like a spider and creating a new tunnel.

This guerilla warfare, moving when the enemy was distracted and slowly tunneling underfoot as they kept guard, it was beginning to feel like second nature. Nic thought nothing of spending his hours underground in the gloom, so long as his cultivation was steadily growing inside his chest. It was what it took to win; Nic had no complaints as long as victory was in sight.

By midday he was nearly to his goal, and he stopped, forming a broad cavern around himself and bringing out some treasured fruits to eat. As he sat down to meditate he found his cultivation was full again-- almost overflowing.

Essence 27,672 / 27,672

+ 38.544 per Minute

(3.212 Base)

500% Local Modifier

+ 100% Dominion

+ Devoured an E-Class enemy (200%)

+ Consumed a F-Class treasure (100%)

+ Rested in toxic environment (300%)

Demonic Essence &%##!~

Titles -

Witness of the New Dao

---

Bloodline Progenitor

(You are the first of your kind. All costs related to innate abilities are halved. Title is lost if you lose your current form without furthering the bloodline.)

Ferocious Beast

(Rewards 18,500 First Wave Credits to your killer. Increase bounty by 500 with each Native you kill. Each dawn, gain credits equal to one tenth of your bounty.)

Sage-Artisan

(The Hand of Ash and Mistwater Veil techniques are recognized as your creation, and all costs related to them are halved.)

Cultivation Base (Unranked)

XIV Physical Strength (Completed)

III Mental Acuity (854/8,000)*

IV Spiritual Clarity (14,283/16,000)*

IV Gift of Life (904/15,000)

IV Mistwater Step (742/15,000)

The Old Speech (0/50,000)

Primordial Mist Shard (E)

Creates a mist that contains the weight of the ages, stealing life and weakening those who survive. An almost truly unique Shard, with few if any defenses existing to its power.

V Increase Toxicity (916/10,000)

I Add Aura Efficiency (0/5,500)

I Secondary Slot (0/100,000)

Poison Devouring (Complete)

Mist Armor (0/50,000)

Petrified Warriors (0/200,000)

Jewel of Ages (0/500,000)

Mire-Caller (E)

Calls to and creates binding masses of mud, sludge, or tar. A powerful Shard for binding and controlling that requires work and imagination to master.

IX Base Enhancement (614/5,500)

Add Aura Efficiency (0/1,000)

Mire-Drowned Remnants (0/50,000)

Futile Struggle (Complete)

Mire-Dweller (Complete)

Clay Idols (0/50,000)

Spiritmother Banyan (0/250,000)

Domain of Mud and Water (0/500,000)

Totemic Hieroglyphs (E)

Creates tools of bone, rock, and leather that contain nascent divinities, able to grow and rise towards the heavens as they serve you. A high-quality magical shard.

VIII Base Enhancement (114/4,500)

I Add Essence Efficiency (346/2,000)*

II Additional Secondary Slot (0/100,000)

Summoning Limit (0/50,000)

Spirits of the Earth (Complete)

Shard-Crafting (0/100,000)

Speaker of the Lost (0/10,000)

Tributes for the Divine (0/100,000)

Techniques (30% Capacity)

Eight-Eyed Mantle (2,144/13,000)

Inner Sacrifice Fission Technique (1,514/13,333)

III Hand of Ash (318/3,250)

After a moment’s consideration, he split the Essence between the Internal Sacrifice Fission Technique and Hand of Ash. They were the core of his close combat abilities, and improving them felt right. Hand of Ash immediately shot up two layers and became capped at the fifth. Inner Sacrifice improved once, and Nic could feel the heat growing in his chest.

It was strange.

The satisfaction of growing in power was enough to wash away his exhaustion, to make his parched throat and the backbreaking work of digging seem worthwhile.

When did I become like this? Nic wondered. When did meditation stop being a chore and start being as simple as breathing?

"This is what you always dreamed about, no? The life you wanted to live..." Sofia answered. "The life of a cultivating master. Maybe after so many brushes with death, you simply do as you've always wanted to do, and let nothing hold you back. Facing death can give people perspective in that way."

"Maybe." Nic answered, speaking aloud. "I wonder how much death is healthy, then? Funny to think about, right? That you live better with a little death around... But I could see it going the other way. Too much, and you'd start to forget things that made you human to begin with."

"The basic method of making a knife, Nicolas, is to strike one rock with another until it becomes sharp. But sometimes, you strike too hard or too soft, and all that's left is a pile of jagged shards. Sharp, yes, but with no direction or purpose."

"Mm." Nic slapped the tattoo on his back. "Inskpur, come out!"

With a dramatic flutter of wings and a miserable, croaking cry, Inkspur shot out of the tattoo, emerging as an inky stream of light that quickly took form. As much as the big whiner was playing things up, there was definitely real damage. One of Inkspur's wings was crooked and broken.

"It's no good...." Inkspur groaned. "I'll be a cripple for life..."

"As if I'd let that happen." Nic snorted. "Here, I've got some medicine for you. Drink up."

As he unstoppered the gourd, the smell of sweet, cool desert caves and tart medicinal flowers filled the air. Dropping four drops onto Inkspur's tongue, he pet the oversized drake behind the ears.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"A little. Maybe in a year, I could think of flying again..." The wyvern whined. Nic gave him a doubtful look. The medicine was already healing the holes in his wing, and with a fleshy, crunching pop the bones knit into place.

“Ahh, quit complaining.” Nic slapped the restored wing. “Even if I was gonna let you lie on your ass for a year, you’d be bored within a day. Now… Wanna make some trouble?”

---

They emerged at the base of a massive plateau. It was an anvil of red rock, stretching up towards a permanent stain on the sky, a swirling mass of stormclouds that never let a single drop of rain fall but perched continuously over the horizon.

It was the last landmark Nic had identified in his mapping of the desert, and the only place the last Guardian could be hiding.

As he began to climb, electric shivers palpitated in the air. The boom of thunder echoed across the horizon. Lightning struck the plateau like a hammer striking an anvil.

There were shards of gray crystal with purple streaks growing from the stony walls, and whenever Nic touched one, a tiny spark of electricity shot out and struck his fingers. As Nic climbed, the crystals grew more and more common…

Until he pulled himself over the edge.

There were entire forests of the cloudy crystal, rising up in geometric clusters of long, thin spines. Electricity swum in the air around the clusters, dancing like tiny fireflies.

Nic glanced up at the sky and saw his old friend, the origami crane, far in the distance…

There was every chance this battle drew attention; if need be, Nic was prepared to make a getaway from the plateau with Inkspur’s help.

And even now, he could feel eyes on him.

He could feel the presence of the Guardian.

“Come out come out, wherever you are…” Nic called out.

The clouds broke apart. A massive eagle exploded forth from the center of the storm. Its talons dived for him, outstretched.

Nic grinned.

This was what he lived for, now.