II-111 The Coming Harvest (II)

Skills can’t make you taller. I tried. I tried a lot. Find someone who can change your bodies, children. Eat your food and get your nutrition. Find a lover who does not judge. Those are the only places of hope.

The heavens are cruel.

-Wei An Wei, The Realmbreaker

II-111

The Coming Harvest (II)

“Nooooo!” Wei screamed, howling in outrage, even as his internalized dimensional expanded outward. For all intents and purposes, this manifestation of power was staggering. He had somehow projected a place that was supposed to exist only within his core outside and brought the others in as well. “Damn you, Core! This isn’t what I wanted! Give me more height! Make me bigger! Make me a giant scythe wielding master of warrrrr!”

As Wei raged at the heavens, the others looked around a seemed quite impressed.

“William. Your kid’s kind of having a breakdown.” Bishop eyed Wei with wary pity.

“Yeah, he’ll… well, maybe he won’t get over it, but he’ll deal with it. At some point. Maybe. Hopefully.” William was more focused on all the scythes jutting out from the land. “Fuck me, my son’s got the taste of a teenage metalhead.”

“Well, he grew up in a death metal world, William.” Bishop snorted as Wei continued to howl his displeasure at the world. Agnesia took a look around, quirked an eyebrow, and then went over to pat Wei on the shoulder. The young master quickly mastered himself at her approach, pushing himself off the ground.

“Agnesia, I failed…” he muttered.

“I don’t know—this doesn’t look bad.”

“I was going for size. For power.”

“It’s pretty big.”

“No, for me, Agnesia. I wanted to be bigger.”

She studied the frowning Wei. “You’re quite tall already. And—and strong.” A faint smile played across her face. “Is this because I’m taller than you.”

“No,” Wei said, a bit too quickly. It was. It really was. She was an amazonian giantess now. Her shadow left him basked in a shade.

“Hm,” Agnesia giggled. “Whatever you say, oh patriarch. Now. Tell me what your new Skill does.”

The way she said patriarch made him shiver.

“It’s quite cold here,” the Shell said, creating an excuse for Wei.

Yes. We must modulate the temperature… Somehow. What is this place? What have you created.

Emerging from his sullenness, Wei looked around and realized there were scythes protruding from the ground, swinging from the sky. Most impressively, there was a truly gargantuan scythe that hovered in place of where the sun would be on a normal realm. Then, as Wei watched them, he realized another thing. He could make them move. He could compel them to rise from the ground and strike wherever he wanted.

This wasn’t just a place filled with scythes, it was a place filled with scythes he could control.

“Oh, oh, this changes things.”

Wei tried to call his the scythe he normally used in combat—only for one to fly out of the air and into his hand. The young master stared for a beat before he smiled. Well, this was useful. He wanted an expansion of his form, an evolution to his power, and he got something in that vein. Instead of becoming a titan-sized being that could cleave mountains in half and loom over Agnesia, he created a weaponized plan he could expand out from himself.

“So, your idea of a really powerful Skill is to copy what kind of happens when I die?” Vendrian sneered.

“Mourning. Tell This Bitch that he cannot talk this one to Justice’s uncle. I am emotionally vulnerable right now, and attacking me is the work of a low man.”

“Brother. Do not be mean to Wei while he struggles with his height.”

“Yes, thank you—” Wei winced. “Mourning, don’t just state that out loud.”

Vendrian started laughing—and that bastard Bishop did the same.

“After all, I sacrificed, am I just a joke to you.”

“Come on, Wei,” Agnesia said, rolling her eyes off by the side. “Tell us your special new Skill.”

The young master put an end to his pouting and did just that.

Shape of the Withering Harvester (Core: Lesser) > Realm of the Withering Harvest (Core: Great) - Allows the user to draw enemies into an externalized realm that constantly saps them of Source Essence or Aspect Charges. Deals extra damage to Constitution. Applies [Source Withering] effect. Source Withering causes damaged Aspects to continuously decay for a set period of time contested by the target’s Constitution.

The overall effects were the same but—he extended a hand, and the scythe that hung in place of the sun slashed out and took a section o the horizon. A massive gap formed there—a wound made of Source, imprinted the surface of reality. Wei let out a breath, and the others stared.

“Man, I really don’t wanna get hit by that shit,” Bishop muttered. ‘Wei, what the goddamn were you doing when you made this. Most people don’t end up doing these inner plane things until they’re well beyond Marquis.”

“I just wanted to be bigger,” Wei muttered again. “But this… this is good too. With this, I can make my inner world a weapon against anyone.” And he was ultimately given exactly what he asked for. He wanted to be bigger and greater than Agnesia. Well, if she was a monster the size of a mountain now, he was a small world. It’s just… was it too much to ask for a little more height with it.

“I don’t much like this place,” Ellena said, holding herself. “It’s cold here.”

Wei’s mouth dropped as he realized what the queen implied. She could feel the death in the air—the death bestowed upon his harvest by the Hound. “I–forgive me, quartermaster. I did not remember your plight.” Wei focused his Ambition, and suddenly he managed to open an expanse around the former queen that placed her back in the Tower of Possibility.

“Well, ain’t that interesting. The Skill literally has you imprinting your realm over the world. It’s not a cage but a full on projection.” Bishop nodded. “This’ll be something else.”

“It’ll make assassinating people easier. That’s for sure.” William sighed as he walked just behind Wei. He then whispered something to his son, so quietly that only Wei could have heard him. “Hey. Maybe just go talk to her instead of doing this goofy shit. I know you don’t want to hear things from me, but your mother didn’t raise you to be a coward.”

The young master’s eyes widened in absolute outrage as he turned on his father. “You…” But William was already walking away, examining another few scythes drifting across the sky like a cloud. Come to think of it, all the environmental phenomena here have all been replaced by scythes…

Wei shook his head as he scowled. Damn you father. And damn me for making this obvious.

He dismissed the realm with a thought and the realm of black, white, and scythes receded into him like in a pulse of power. Suddenly, they were standing in the Tower of Possibility again without anything being out of place.

“Well. Today has been… fruitful.” Wei cleared his throat. “Agnesia. Are you… are you pleased?”

The princess was busy looking at the transformation that her Draconic Avatar experienced. Slowly, she turned and regarded him with a smile. “Hm?”

“I… the evolution—do you like.” Oh, ancestors why was small-talk so very difficult. “Agh. You need more training. You—I wish to see you use your new Skill in active combat. So that you can show me you know what to do.”

She blinked. “Right now?”

“Is there ever a better time? We can return to the Base and strike some of the enemies that the General has. This might be leveraged for more guns too.”

Agnesia cocked her head. “I do like the guns…”

“They are quite nice, aren’t they?” Wei grinned. Off by the side, Wei heard Bishop muttering angrily at William, saying that Wei was the “literal opposite of a pimp and player,” whatever that meant.

“Just say yes, princess. Give the poor dumb bastard a break.” Vendrian snorted.

Wei would have thanked the Scion of Death, but the man was always insulting him. He could have encouraged Agnesia nicely as was proper without striking at Wei’s pride.

“Okay, fine,” Agnesia said. She marched over beside Wei and sized him up—well, she more craned her head and sized him down.

“She’s doing this deliberately,” Wei’s Shell said. The skill’s voice trembled with outrage, and the young master was inclined to agree. This… this couldn’t stand. He needed to reassert his dominance, no matter what it took.

“I’ll go out and show you my new Skill,” Agnesia continued. “However, I want to make it interesting.”

“Interesting how?” Wei said, eyeing Agnesia with suspicion. 

“I want to make this a competition.”

For a few moments, Wei’s mind couldn’t process anything. Competition? What was she talking about? A competition between her and him? There would be—Even now, the gap between them was absurd.

“But—you—Agnesia… I am simply trying to gauge your capabilities and ascertain your future growth.”

“Oh, are you scared? Doubt that you can prevail now that I’ve evolved my specialization,” she said as she stepped closer to him, looming over him and almost pressing her body against him. “Or does my presence frighten you.”

Agnesia’s mother tried to interject from the side with a frown. “Agneisa. This is highly inappropriate.”

Wei tried to clear his throat and wanted to agree with the former queen. However, he was doing his best to look up with dignity, mainly because if he looked down, he might not be able to look back up again.

“Stay strong,” Wei’s Shell begged. “Please, please do not disgrace us right now. Remember, you are the patriarch. You are the hope of the Drowned Sky Sect.”

I am—I am scared, Wei admitted.

“I know, I am scared too,” the Shell replied, his voice low. “And I feel other things too. But you must stay strong. Overcome the dread and stand before her. She owes you much. She cannot bully us. She will not bully us.”

Wei managed to muster enough of his mind that he finally formulated a response. “What kind of competition do you have in mind?”

Agnesia offered a toothy grin. “The kind where we see who can kill more enemies.”

At this, Ellena’s expression dropped a little further. Wei hated seeing that. He knew the former queen wanted what was best for her daughter—but he also knew another thing: that Ignizia had been touched by this place, and that he had been touched as well. The Claimed Hells were filled with fiends and monsters, and to overcome them, one must walk through the flames. He did not come out of the flames unchanged.

“Fine. I, however, will pick the zone of our engagement. We will see soon if your new Solar Leviathan–based evolution will help you prevail against my—my—

“Your what?” Agnesia breathed, and said, leaning down lower, the grin on her face widening as she watched Wei sputter and choke. “Your nice and adorable little realm filled with farming implements.”

“They’re… they’re not farming implements when I use them. I reap spirits and lives.”

“Then it should be hard for you to beat me at all, should it? Are you going to show me the power of your coming harvest, Wei? How about if you win, I call you patriarch. Just once maybe.”

“Why are you taunting me now too?” Wei almost whimpered.

Against all reason, and testing her audacity against Wei’s patience, she patted him on the cheek and walked away. “Because you’re fun when you are flustered. I’m starting to see why you enjoyed teasing me before.” She laughed as she sauntered right past him, leaving him staring at nothing in particular.

“I fear we have been spiritually violated. She… she bullied us.” the Shell shivered.

Why do I like it, Wei thought. A building sense of horror rose inside him. How did things get to this point.

A few moments later, Vendrian came to a stop next to him. The Scion of Death placed a brotherly hand on his shoulder and said, “Well, you’re a fucking moron. You are an obvious fucking moron. But somehow, someway, I think that you’re going to be the obvious fucking moron that actually gets lucky. Good job.”

The young master simply let out a slight wheeze. “Why does—Why does no one respect me?”

“Oh, no, we all do. It’s just that you’re a deeply weird kid who needs to stop having a stick up hiss ass. We know you’re powerful. We all owe you a little something. That doesn’t mean we’re going to fold over and start calling you daddy. Just loosen up and—” Vendrian looked at Agnesia, who was now talking with her irritated mother. “Have some fun. It’ll be different since she’s so much taller than you, but you’ll figure it out.”

“I’m just worried about her training,” Wei said weakly.

“Yes. And we are worried about you, Wei.” Mourning hovered behind him and started shoving him toward Agnesia. “We are worried that you are getting a bit too delusion. Let your self loose. This place is rough enough as it is. Get some happiness when you can.”

“Happiness. I…” Wei looked at the people around him and something inside him clenched. He thought of his sect before and how they compared to those around him now. And he remembered the fire. He remembered his realm burning. I can’t lose them too. I cannot. I won’t survive it. “I need to be stronger.”

“Strength comes with stability. Strength doesn’t come by cutting yourself off. You’ll just get run down alone.” Vendrian’s gaze told Wei this was the Scion’s honest truth. “Take it from me. Don’t do a shitty rerun of my early life.”

“I—”

“Cultivator.” 

Everyone froze and then turned. The front door to the Tower of Possibility opened and a lone human male in typical armor approached them.

“Oh, shit, here comes trouble,” Bishop muttered.

“Master John Doe,” Wei said, letting his embarrassment and awkwardness slide away. He recognized the look on the man’s face. A duel was due. “You have come per our arrangement.”

“I have. I’ve been counting the days.”

Wei hummed. “And so we are to face each other now.”

“Any longer and I’ll need a better Class.”

“Still just a Fighter.”

“It’s all I need right now.”

Wei nodded. “We’ll see. You have preference of arena.”

“The Lodge is fine. The room you fought your father. We do this pure.”

That sounded more than alright with Wei. The young master turned. “Agnesia. Your challenge is accepted—and delayed. I need to finish something with Master Doe.”

“It’s more like we’re starting something.” John Doe cracked his neck. “It’s time to see how far you got.”

“I’ll give you a chance to change your Class.”

“No.”

Wei nodded. “Fine. Then we do this now. I must admit, I’ve been looking forward to this, to seeing how good you are.”

And almost too faintly, a smile appeared on John Doe’s face. “Likewise.”