MM - Chapter 94 - ZIRCON

Zircon aka The Grand Shimmering One

- Demonic Realm -

Zircon's tall heels touched down on the only landing pad of the insignificant, remote spawning facility. Her arms lifted in an artistically choreographed movement that made it appear she was catching her balance. While true it had taken longer than expected to become accustomed with the new footwear, one such as her could never be unbalanced. Every facet of her appearance was a carefully crafted masterpiece and her movements were no exception.

She glanced at the mirror demon flying in circles around her and affirmed the new accessories were worth the effort. The things they did to her figure were extraordinary. Her native realm contained so little natural beauty: Ugly rocks, misshapen trees, grotesque creatures, the list went on and on. Only the flickering flames that danced in the sky were worthy, and of course, her most glorious race, miraculously birthed in such hellish conditions.

It was decreed a thousand years ago that her people would focus their efforts on the importation of beauty to the Demonic Realm. As a dominant, upstanding member of her species, it was only right she should solely be in control of such things. The Travelers from the newest realm were brimming with troves of ideas and methods to enhance beauty. Extracting their memories and giving them form had instantly become Zircon's favorite new hobby.

The anticipation of invading their Earth Realm and plundering all its spoils caused saliva to flood her tongue. Her Soul Armor responded to her craving, its shifting form undulating like living flames across her skin. She collected her errant desires with a weary sigh. The sound would have stolen the hearts of any mortal who heard it, yet it was merely an expression of her annoyance. She was not pleased at being pulled away from her machinations by the news of a Bearer of Cassidy: yet such a thing could not be ignored.

Entering the facility with measured steps, she quickly tracked her target. The scent of demonic power beyond the norm was unmistakable. Entering the chamber containing the audacious little scamp yielded no surprises. One of the facility’s lesser kin was enacting a fitting punishment, whipping her relentlessly. Beneath the blood, the scamp seemed no worse for wear.

Unseen since she chose to be so, Zircon watched them for a time, amused by the interplay between her lessers. They were such simple creatures, unable to grasp the greatness that resided deep within their blood.

“Enough,” Zircon’s uttered command brought instant cessation.

Wide eyed, the lesser kin stumbled in her haste to turn and throw herself to her knees. The bumbling movement brought a scowl to Zircon’s lips.

To be so ungraceful. Disgusting.

Either in an attempt to cover her mishap or ingratiate herself, the lesser kin extended an arm toward the scamp. Her voice was a venomous serpent hissing in Zircon’s ear, “This is the filthy one who failed in her mission.”

And a fool? How has this thing survived so long? Such a poorly mismanaged sector.

Zircon said nothing, examining the strung-up, tortured scamp. Zircon could easily kill it and pull the tracking spell from its corpse. The unevolved little thing dared to meet her gaze, revealing a plethora of emotion. It had clearly enjoyed its torment. Beyond that, the thirst for power and recognition blazed. Most importantly, its chin was held high. Amidst the rest of its ruined appearance, the posture seemed an insignificant showing of grace. However, that was the only part of its body free to move and the display spoke volumes to its natural bearing.

Zircon’s alluring smile returned. She flicked a wrist and the damage done to the scamp vanished as if it had never been. The creature inhaled sharply, the sound not as unpleasant as the lesser kin’s speech. Zircon vanished and appeared directly before the scamp who froze in terror, “You did well, bringing this dire news back to us.” Zircon grabbed it by the chin, pulling it close enough they shared breaths, “If you ever think to take something that belongs to your betters again, you will learn the true meaning of suffering. I promise you will find no enjoyment in it, and it will be unending.”

“This unworthy one understands. She would rather face rebirth than disobey.”

Zircon’s truth revealing skill—Verity—knew the scamp spoke true. She nodded in approval, “Good. Shall we take a peek at this supposed bearer?”

The question had obviously been rhetorical, yet the lesser kin dared to intrude on their conversation as if she had been addressed, “If it pleases The Grand Shimmering One, then let it be so.”

Zircon disliked that title. Her true name was much more beautiful. Releasing the scamp’s chin, Zircon gently caressed the demonic energies within herself, activating Greater Disintegration and Catalyze. The scamp’s bindings evaporated and were replaced by armor in the style Zircon preferred her acolytes wear. The little thing caught itself, then stood silently, displaying poise and obedience.

With a twinkle in her eye, Zircon activated several skills in rapid succession. The lesser kin was roughly pulled from the floor, her body trapped in air turned thick as the strongest metals. Her eyes flew wide when a crimson arch pulled itself from the floor. She thrashed and kicked to no avail. Her screams were muffled, the undignified sounds having no right to exist within the same space as Zircon.

She directed the draw of Demonic Power from the gate through the lesser kin first. Her body withered into dust in a heartbeat. The remaining energy came from Zircon herself. It was no pittance to create a portal between realms mighty enough to bear her crossing. Normally, she would gather a thousand sacrifices to see it done, but a Bearer of Cassidy must not be given excess time to grow.

When the portal stabilized, she walked through, the scamp on her heels. They appeared in the Mortal Realm within a temple dedicated to her. The acolytes in attendance gracefully knelt to the floor, the expansive chamber completely silent other than the gentle shifting of fabric. The sound was soothing, furthering Zircon’s merriment. She glanced at the energy circulating within the scamp, waiting. A moment later, a thin tether appeared, stretching into the distance.

With a snap of seemingly delicate fingers, she and the scamp vanished. They re-appeared a thousand kilometers away, the mortal sun brightly shining down to warm their skin. The tether reformed, and they teleported again. After the fifth time, Zircon sensed the presence of powerful individuals and she altered her approach. True Invisibility wrapped around them and they flew the rest of the way.

Zircon spoke at a normal volume, the sound unable to pierce the veil obfuscating them, “Have you been assigned a name?”

“Yes… most beauteous one. They called me Peridot. Though most use dotty.”

“Nicknames are unbefitting of ones such as ourselves. Peridot is a fine stone, much more radiant than those found within our realm. You will refer to me as Zircon,” she smiled at her own joke, always garnering a small sense of satisfaction at teasing her acolytes.

“It is this insignificant one’s honor to do so, Most Dazzling Zircon.”

There were few, even among the twice evolved true kin who dared to utter her name after being told to do so. Before Zircon could praise the scamp on its gumption, two massive walls came into view. The tether’s far end was clearly visible within the space between them.

Zircon halted their approach. The presences she felt resided within the walls. Two in particular were even more powerful than she, especially after spending a third of her energy entering the Mortal Realm. Endless Sight enhanced her vision a thousand fold and she got her first glimpse of the bearer. He indeed brandished one of the hated relics. Its power coursed through him and he wielded it freely, without being torn asunder, which should have been impossible.

There was another energy vying for dominance within the bearer. It was a dark, wicked thing that coiled within his skull, waiting for a chance to strike. Whoever put it there was easily Zircon’s match, and the warning was clear: This one is claimed.

Zircon didn’t care about the warning. At first sight with the boy she became fury itself. It had been a very long time since she found herself hating another so thoroughly without first hearing their voice. To be a perfect Bearer of Cassidy, and be so ugly, were sins beyond fathomability. He was the natural enemy of everything she stood for.

He must die.

She bared her teeth, barely restraining herself from attempting to eradicate the disgusting abomination on the spot. The powerful Vaaterrans would surely sense and stop her. She would be too unlikely to succeed, or survive. Instead, she changed her focus to a large creature in another part of the gap between the walls. It was a weak-willed thing, but its body was far superior to the bearer’s current strength.

With a flicker of her will, its mission in life changed, consumed with enacting her desires. It tore itself free from the ground, screeching and lumbering in the direction of the bearer. Zircon graced it with a touch of her energies, empowering it further. Satisfied, she retreated a bit further, then settled into a cushion of air to watch.

Raine KongRu

Raine’s efforts to grind out a few levels went without a hitch. He managed to avoid being burnt to a crisp by the Vaaterrans showering The Divide with an unending barrage of evolved Blasts. Simultaneously, he avoided the higher-level Siege Crandals that were the Vaaterran’s primary targets. 

As the hours flew by, Raine’s attributes took leaps forward, allowing him to pull more and more rabinoids at a time. He managed to exceed his goal of level twenty-two by a little over fourteen million Superiority. Once the rabinoids were only four levels above him, his bonus per kill plummeted from 550% to 250% which significantly impacted his speed. He considered flying to a better area, but had too little time. At least he received all the reputation he needed.

[Current Lesser Nobles Faction Reputation: 25]

Now all I have to do is update my Silverlight registration. Should get that out of the way before the competition. Then, there will only be one thing between me and starting my guild.

On the way back to the wall, Raine scanned his notifications for the first time in hours. 

[Level up x 2!]

[+40 free attributes points]

[Potency: +6]

[Finesse: +6]

[Acuity: +6]

[Physique: +6]

[Connection: +8]

Yup. Two more Connection. The bonuses are definitely related to my level. I really don’t want to complain but this is driving me crazy.

Raine had been dumping his free attributes into Potency, Finesse, and Acuity at each level and stopped when they caught up with Connection. He carefully reviewed the plans for his build, made a few adjustments, then allocated the sixty seven points he hadn’t spent yet, slightly favoring Physique.

The burst of power that swept through his body was just as euphoric as always. He rode the high like a seasoned surfer, shaking out his limbs and feeling more at home in his skin than ever. He hopped lightly a few times, then bent his legs and blasted high into the air, soaring twenty-five meters before petering out. On the way down, he opened his status to see all the changes. His eyes flew over them, brain working at speeds unimaginable to those who had yet to experience an Acuity of over one hundred.

NAME: Alaric

CLASS: Armsman

TITLE: Sky Catcher

ASPECT: Greater Aspect of the Werewolf

LEVEL: 16 > 22

SUPERIORITY: 61,443 / 10M

ATTUNEMENT: 7,486% > 56,756%

Nice! Sixty thousand AT at level twenty-two is ludicrous. It’s going to go fast with how expensive my skills are to upgrade. Worth. Sky Catcher’s been amazing. That bonus fifty percent SP and AT really add up.

HEALTH POINTS: 550 > 1,070 (1,570)

ATTACK POWER: 102 > 192 (292)

DEFENSE: 55 > 107 (332)

RESISTANCE: 98 > 146 (233)

CRITICAL RATE: 26 > 13% (28%)

ELEMENTAL POWER: 130 > 194 (244)

CELESTIAL POWER: 130 > 194 (244)

DISCIPLINE: 120 > 204 (254)

ATTACK SPEED: 3.2 > 3.4 (4.4)

MOVE SPEED: 7.75 > 10.15 (14.65)

Due to reaching level twenty, the Acuity needed for each point of Critical Rate jumped significantly, which lowered his total to half its previous value. Raine wasn’t overly concerned by the numbers since crits could often be forced by targeting enemy weak points. Additionally, crit rate was based on fighting a non-elite of equal level, so for everything but PVP, its true value was difficult to gauge.

Over 300 Defense at level 22 while wearing level 15 gear? It's even higher than my Attack Power. If not for the cursed ring, I wouldn’t be able to hurt myself. That’s crazy. 

POTENCY: 50 > 96 (121)

FINESSE: 50 > 96 (121)

ACUITY: 55 > 96 (121)

PHYSIQUE: 58 > 107 (132)

CONNECTION: 64 > 97 (122) 

Next attribute milestone is two-fifty. Almost halfway there.

Wind whipping his hair above him, Raine opened his inventory and checked out the gains on his partners as well.

[Last Chance’s Gambit: (Lustrous Blue - LVL 15 > 22) (SP 7,131,000/10M) (AP 60 > 90) (EP 60 > 90) (AS +1.5) (FNS 20 > 29) (CNC 20 > 29) (Durability 135/135) Innate Skill - Final Gambit: Convert 50% maximum EP into a single target non-elemental attack. 50 > 66 damage per EP converted (no cooldown)]

Including the ninety EP on the weapon, Final Gambit will do over eleven thousand damage minimum now.

[Cassidy’s Comet: (Marvelous Gold - LVL 15 > 22) (SP 7,131,000/10M) (AP 100 > 144) (PTC 30 > 53) (PHY 30 > 53) (Durability 240/240)]

[Innate Skill 1 - PuriPuri Comet Burst: Single target physical attack dealing 1000% > 1800% physical damage with 1000% > 1800% bonus force. Ignores all defense. (Skill name must be shouted to activate) (Cost: 20 Discipline) (Cooldown: 5 > 4.75 minutes)]

[Innate Skill 2 - PuriPuri Rainbow Release: 10 > 10.9 meter circular ground-based AOE dealing 500% > 900% damage with 1000% > 1800% bonus force and lift. Ignores all defense. (Skill name must be shouted to activate) (Cost: 50 > 41 of highest resource) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

I should have checked how much comet burst does on that last wave. No telling when the roulette will pull the wand again. Almost two thousand percent while ignoring all forms of defense… I really want to see it. Eleven meter range on rainbow release now, and its cost went down. The cooldown not changing is the only thing about this weapon that makes any sense at all.

Raine landed heavily, feet sinking deep into the crunchy soil. Cracking his neck with a smile, he raced forward at a light jog. The air smoothly parted before him, offering no resistance.

Halfway to the wall, a second sun blossomed in the sky behind Raine. He suddenly grew a second shadow as the landscape turned bright orange. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know something bad was about to happen. Lunge ignored his momentum, altering his trajectory by ninety degrees. He didn’t stop with one, each pump of his legs triggered the ability again. In an instant, he went from jogging at over fifty kph to triple that.

Glancing back, Raine nearly jumped out of his skin seeing the size and angle of the descending fireball. It was larger than a city block and barreling directly toward him. As he continued to repeatedly lunge, its angle altered to follow.

Realization that he was the target had him groaning, “This… is really bad.”