Chapter 325 - True Paths

When Ankh’aris had said he intended to test the others, Nate had thought they would at least be given a chance to settle in. Instead, the moment they had literally flown the Solaris in through the gaping maw of the mountain building, Ankh had told them all to get out.

Nate wanted to ask Ankh about what to do now that his Vessel had reached its capacity and refused to grow any further, but he was patient enough to wait his turn. Instead, he sat off to the side and continued to use Runic Reality inside of his Created Space and carved a prison facility into his still mostly barren inner world. 

With his focus split he was projecting himself inside of his Created Space so that he could guide the work with an incredibly close eye. His attention to detail was partially just because that was the kind of person he was, but also because a being with Vicoli’s Skills would likely slip through any little gap in the protections. The entire process would have been simpler if Nate knew the Sigil for Void, but as he didn’t, he needed to make a far more over-engineered solution to the problem that the Greater Divinity presented. Thankfully, Divine-tier Close, Space and the recently advanced Shape Sigils should be enough as Nate used them to erase layers of space around the prison. If it worked as intended, there would be no void for Vicoli to flee into. After all, Nate’s Created Space was his inner world and he made the rules here. Space without layers seemed a good one, at least for now. He could always add it later.

As Nate worked Kiri sat next to him. Nate chose to ignore the Golden Tide Mythics who started showing up carrying in furniture but Kiri stood immediately.

Patting him on the shoulder she whispered, “I’ll make sure we get the best rooms.”

Then she was off, likely sorting out what furniture went where and figuring out the room situation. That left the grand show taking place all for Nate. Frick and Luci might have enjoyed it as well, but the pair had vanished into the next room, likely to continue fighting each other.

“You first,” stated Ankh, pointing at Wulfgar.

Wulfgar stepped forward and Nate didn’t miss the quiver of fear in the old warriors movements.

Ankh leaned forward, the dragons head dwarfing Wulfgar to the point where Nate saw the Bloodborne Executioner flinch as though he were about to be eaten.

“What is your Path?”

“Emobidment,

“Blood and Death,” whispered Wulfgar.

Ankh shook his head and snorted.

“Half right only. Blood lays thick on you. Thicker with the artifact you wear. I see Nathaniel has been being generous again. But death? You have killed people. That does not make your path one of Death. Perhaps Kali’terra granted you some Skills that benefited from killing. But Death is not your Path.”

“You are old. You have seen much, lived through much. Fear has taken root in your bones. So, you stand at a crossroads. Do you wish to find the other half of your Path, or do you wish to leave? I will ask only once. If you stay, you may die. If you survive, I will show you the true Path, your true Path. Decide.”

Wulfgar quivered for a moment, glancing towards the door, to those around him, then back to Ankh’aris.

“I… I will stay. If I die… I’ll die grasping for more.”

“Prepare yourself then, and know you have two choices and two choices only. Master it, or become it. You decide.”

Then Wulfgar vanished, his Regalia remaining behind. Nate had felt Destruction tear through Reality right before Wulfgar was thrown into a black hole. Nate recognised the feel of the place, if not the Concepts. It was Ankh’s cultivation chamber, but where Nate had gone to a desert of black sand, there had been only darkness and a pervasive sense of fear coming from the hole in space. Everyone else looked confused but Nate thought he understood what Ankh’aris had been getting at. Wulfgar’s true path was related to his fear. Mastering it meant adopting Courage, for it was impossible to be courageous without conquering one's own fear. The alternative, become it, sounded a little darker but Nate thought it meant taking Fear and wielding it against your enemies. Nate just hoped whatever Wulfgar chose, he survived.

Ankh’aris pointed at Jak next.

“What is your Path?”

“Do you mean, my Embodiment, Patriarch?” asked Hrung’Jak, kneeling on the floor.

Ankh simply grunted.

“Stalwart,” replied Jak and Nate perked up. That was the same Embodiment as Britt.

“Wrong.”

Ankh’aris stood to his full height. A growl emanated from his huge maw as he revealed teeth almost as tall as Jak. The threat of violence permeated the air as a wave of hunger and destruction rolled off of the ancient dragon. The orc didn’t move an inch, keeping his head lowered as he waited. Gwen and Fili looked like they wanted to grab Jak and run before Ankh decided to turn the orc into a little dragon snack.

“How can you not see it?” rumbled Ankh. “I threaten you with death, yet not an ounce of fear is in you. Tell me, why do you put yourself on the frontline? Your weapons and armour make it clear enough. What is the reason?”

The pressure in the room grew more dense and Nate watched as both Fili and Gwen folded to the ground under it. Nate would’ve been more affected if Ankh wasn’t using Destruction. Instead, all he felt was a slight discomfort. Not because he could match Ankh, but simply because the level of power Ankh was using wasn’t enough to truly threaten Nate. 

As for Jak, the orc moved to cover both his teammates, kneeling over them as he strained beneath the pressure.

“Because I can take it,” he grunted out.

“Half true,” agreed Ankh, pushing down even harder. “Stalwart does make you more durable, more hardy. But that is not the real reason. If it were merely Fearless, then why move to protect the others. They are your teammates, so it could be that, but I bet if I put a child in here you would do the same for them as well. It’s not Selfless either. You do it to be acknowledged, to be the hero. Do you want to try and be the hero, in truth? To become Heroic?”

The pressure increased again and Nate started to feel like ants were crawling on his skin. A rune of Shape and Destruction formed on his Regalia to alleviate the distraction, draining his mana but freeing up his focus.

Jak collapsed under the heightened pressure, but even as he went down, he put his arms out to scoop Fili and Gwen beneath him. Nate smiled. Ankh’aris had his answer.

“How does one cultivate Heroism?” asked Nate curiously.

The pressure from Ankh’s Aura of Destruction vanished.

“He already is. He just didn’t know it.”

Another rip in space appeared and this time Nate caught sight of a Calikex city.

“Luci!” called Ankh.

A flash of light and the pony sized dragon appeared with a ragdoll Frick hanging out of her mouth. Nate couldn’t tell if the goblin was pretending or not. Luci didn’t say anything, just staring up at Ankh.

“Go through and inform the Calikex that a beast wave is coming and I am sending assistance.”

Luci vanished through the aperture and then before Jak could say anything he was thrown through after her. A few seconds later Luci reappeared, Frick still hanging out of her mouth, though this time he opened a single blue eye to wink at Nate. In response Nate rolled his eyes.

Luci nodded her head vigorously and then vanished in another streak of light, followed by the sound of battle coming from deeper into the facility. The pair were back at it.

Ankh grunted and looked at the last two.

“Going to ask them their names at least?” asked Nate. Ankh’aris hadn’t bothered so far.

“Only if they pass my trials. Otherwise, there’s no point knowing who they are. You two are less of an issue in terms of your Paths. You are both on the right track. What you lack is depth.” 

“What does it mean to be Quick?” asked the dragon, looking at Fili.

“Fast movement and reaction speed,” replied Fili, though even Nate could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

“Being Quick is more than movement. It’s calculation, it’s awareness. If you hear it first, are you being Quick? If you see it before anyone else, are you being Quick? If you figure out the answer to a problem before anyone else, are you being Quick? I can see your Stat distribution is lopsided. You have heavily favoured the Physical Stats. A flaw in Kali’terra’s approach that is not so easily remedied. But… you should be the easiest to develop a Vessel for. Though you will need to supply the materials yourself. Though, I think perhaps you already have?”

The last was directed at Nate, who was still holding onto everything they took from the World Reaping.

“High-grade only,” he supplied. “We were going to trade for a Peak-grade if we could.”

“A Peak-grade should be enough. Talk with the Golden Tide or with someone else. This is your job, Nathaniel.”

Nate nodded while Fili glanced at him gratefully.

Finally, Ankh turned to Gwen.

“Yours is the riskiest. The others are more likely to fail than to die. But your Path of Celestial Restoration is unusual. Do you know why?”

“The Celestial Realm is the hardest realm to access?” supplied Gwen quietly.

“No, though they do avoid working with The System more than the Hells, the Nine Heavens are easy enough to access if you know how. But treasures from the Nine Heavens are hoarded by the Nine Heavens. Many of them follow the Path of Ascendancy, as with the Spirit Realm and the Seven Hells, mana is almost non-existent there. And while the demons and spirits are willing to make pacts and deals with The System or with those of the Physical Realm, very few Celestials are. You have a couple, don’t you?”

The two wings formed behind Gwen, just as they had the first time Nate met her. Then the wings condensed down into the form of two butterflies made of light.

“Zipanethra and Zapellion. Though I call them Zip and Zap normally.”

Ankh nodded. “Celestial Glimmerwings. You would need to consume over a hundred of them to develop a Vessel for a Celestial Path. But, you wouldn’t do that, would you?”

The look of horror on Gwen’s face said it all.

“So, we left with but one option for you. You must develop your Vessel through opposition. Your Path is Celestial Restoration. I have an artifact that contains a form of Demonic Destruction. If you ate it, and used your Path to survive, you should be able to incorporate the remnant Divine Energy and create your own Vessel. A form of purification.”

Fili looked horrified. Nate however, was thoughtful. He glanced at Ankh curiously.

“Yes, Nathaniel. It is halfway between how you developed your own Vessel. Creation in opposition to Destruction. It is also how Kiri developed her own Vessel. Enduring a Seed of Entropy.”

“And we survived,” pointed out Nate.

“You did. Which makes you both the one in ten that have succeeded through this method.”

“What’s the alternative?” asked Fili, fear in her voice.

“Find a way to the Celestial Realm and fight over some Divine artifacts with them. Just know they will have individuals with Vessels who are completely unbound by The System and are more than capable of erasing you with a thought.”

“I… I need to speak with Kiri.”

No one stopped Gwen as she rushed from the room, the Celestial Glimmerwings Zip and Zap fading back into her back as she ran off.

Ankh glanced at Nate and Fili once before he began to shrink, his draconic form transforming down to the size of a bus, before turning and heading for the room where the smell of burned stone had started wafting from along with the squeals of what Nate really hoped was Frick. Luci and Frick were clearly having far too much fun. Vicoli was dragged along the floor behind Ankh, held tightly in the dragon's tail. Surprisingly, the Void Disciple did not seem to mind, watching on curiously. Nate assumed Ankh didn’t care what Vicoli heard because he was going to be in prison till this whole problem had blown over.

Fili remained in the room, and ever so slowly the diminutive woman turned to Nate.

“You said we were trouble,” Nate pointed out with a small, sad smile.

“If Gwen says no, will you let us leave?”

“Do you want to leave?” countered Nate.

“I… don’t know,” admitted Fili, moving over to flop down next to him on the stone floor. “I just think, maybe, we’re not like you and Kiri. I got caught up in all the opportunities that working with you two represented, and stopped considering all the risks that came with it.”

Nate remained quiet, letting Fili vent.

“You probably have the Patriarch of the Severing Blade Sect coming for you. It sounds like you're already actively opposing another True Divine while also joining in a war against a third True Divine, and a dragon at that. I have heard of Belori’khan’andur and he’s every bit as bad powerful as the Severing Blade Patriarch. Maybe even more powerful.”

Fili paused to look up at Nate.

“What am I to do in the face of that?”

“Think quick,” replied Nate.

A low-grade artifact appeared from Nate’s Created Space and Fili’s hand, quick as lightning, flashed out and snatched it from the air. The Concept within was Movement.

“You can only be true to yourself,” said Nate. “If Ankh says your Quick, then that is what you are. So think Quick and decide what you want. If you want to leave, I will give you your cut from the World Reaping and have the Golden Tide transport you elsewhere. Away from the danger and the battles. Gwen too, though I wonder if she might stay even if she decides not to try for a Vessel.”

“The Vessel is what makes you so powerful?” asked Fili.

“It’s the path to divinity that existed before The System came. Would you like to hear the story, or at least what little I know of it?”

Fili nodded and Nate launched into the explanation, explaining how The System came to their Reality and brought with it the Source. How the mana that flowed from there had slowly spread and how The System, Kali’Terra, had created a system using Class Cores to increase its reach, continue to spread mana while also farming Divine Energy through its enforced Law of Reciprocity. By the end of it Fili looked somewhere between confused and dismayed.

“So, Reciprocity is just The Systems Embodiment? And because we carry a Class Core we’re bound by it within its own rules?”

Nate nodded.

“And Ankh’aris is outside of The System… and in a way, so am I now.”

At Nate’s words, a powerful presence descended on the room in the form of a pale white light and a miniature moon appeared in the centre of the room.

“YOU ARE SEPARATE NOW, NATHANIEL WEBER,” stated Kali’Terra. “WHICH MEANS ANY AGREEMENTS NOW MUST BE MADE MORE DIRECTLY. DEBT IS STILL OWED TO YOU. WOULD YOU EARN MORE?”