Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion - Chapter 71 - Soul Harvest

Xavier stood on a floating chunk of rock in the middle of a great expanse of complete darkness, ten enemies flying toward him at a tremendous speed, closing a large distance—distance enough for him to think and move.

The only thing illuminating the space around him was his Spiritual Trifecta spell. The silver light that enveloped his body reached out around him only ten or so feet, to the edges of the platform he stood upon and no farther.

He was blind to the enemies that came toward him, not knowing what they looked like. All he could see was their auras floating rapidly through the air.

They didn’t even make a sound. Not one he could hear. They mustn’t be close enough yet.

What would this be like for a Champion without Aura-Sight? I’m glad I’ve already chosen my class. He wondered about that for a moment. The others in his party hadn’t reached level 10, but most Champions who got to this floor surely would have farmed a few levels by now, getting their first proper class, wouldn’t they?

They would be able to see exactly what Xavier could see. His Aura-Sight didn’t have anything to do with his discovery of his Spirit Core—he’d been granted the sight the moment he’d gained his Soul Reaper class.

Still, if someone were out here without the sight… God, that would be terrifying.

He was glad he’d left the others behind in the Safe Zone.

Xavier didn’t fear the enemies heading toward him, but he did worry about falling off the platform if they tackled him. He might not take much damage with his Toughness being as strong as it was, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get taken out.

He breathed steadily, trying to scan one of the enemies before it reached him.

{Dark Wyvern – Level 14}

Xavier’s lips quirked up on one side in a smirk.

Dark Wyvern? Does that mean one day I’ll come across dragons?

He had an image of himself riding a dragon mount, reaping souls of those beneath him from astride its back, lording over all those below—

He pushed that thought down with a frown.

Xavier could hear the Dark Wyverns now. Just the flap of their wings, at first. Then, as they neared, ear-piercing, screeching roars that might have made him take a step back a few days ago.

As it was, he stood his ground, relaxed his shoulders, and gripped his Soultaker tightly, anticipating the use of his new spells.

I wish I could see what they looked like.

He imagined massive, black, dragon-like beasts with bat wings and far too many, dagger-sharp teeth.

When they were near enough, but still not within the range of his silver light, Xavier cast Heavy Telekinesis on the right half of the ten Dark Wyverns heading toward him. As far as he could see—which wasn’t far at all—there was nothing to throw these beasts into. No walls. No Ground. No trees. Nothing but the platform of rock he stood upon, and he didn’t fancy the wyverns getting in that close.

Screeches of pain tore through the air. Xavier watched as the auras were ripped to the left, slamming into their brethren with vicious cracks. At the same time, all ten auras began to drop.

But they didn’t drop for long.

Heavy Telekinesis had done well for him up until now. In any other situation, he’d have falling damage to rely upon. But against flying enemies with no damned ground?

It’s like the fourth floor is my Achilles’ heel.

Xavier could no doubt take down all the wyverns with his Soultaker alone, but that didn’t seem like the most efficient approach. He would have to figure out something better.

One of the Dark Wyverns caught flight faster than the others and soared straight at him. Xavier’s Heavy Telekinesis spell was already refreshed—down to a one second cooldown. He could have slammed the wyvern down into the platform.

But, inefficient or not, he wanted to test out his new scythe-staff.

With a wicked grin, Xavier waited until the Dark Wyvern was illuminated by his light. The beast was larger than he’d expected. Its body stretched farther than his light did, but if he had to guess, that dark, leathery body was about as long as a bus. Its wings were batlike and massive, extending far farther than he could see.

Its maw opened wide, a vicious screeching roar tearing from its throat. It looked unharmed from his use of Heavy Telekinesis, perhaps why it had gained its flight faster than the others.

It looked almost exactly as Xavier had imagined. Except ten times more bestial. Two jagged horns curved forward from atop its head, and bone spurs ran down its back.

And its eyes were large pits of absolute darkness.

There wasn’t much room for Xavier to move on that floating chunk of stone. He took one step to the side and flashed Soultaker down across the beast’s neck, glad for its long reach.

The staff-scythe was infused with Spirit Energy. The black, arm-length blade sliced through the Dark Wyvern’s neck with barely any resistance. The wyvern didn’t scream—it didn’t have time to scream.

You have defeated a Level 14 Dark Wyvern!

You have gained 1400 Mastery Points.

You have gained 1400 Spirit Energy.

Not as many Mastery Points and Spirit Energy as a sentient Denizen at the same level, Xavier thought, a little disappointed. But he supposed that didn’t matter—there would be plenty of these beasts to kill, with the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of auras he could see floating about in the air.

The instant the Dark Wyvern died—its head cut clean off, falling to roll across the platform with a wet slap, dark blood pooling on the dirt and rock as the head came to a stop—Xavier felt a tug from deep within him.

A desperate, aching tug.

No, it was more than that.

It was a deep yearning. A thirst. A need.

A hunger.

The dark pit that had emerged—or had it always been there, waiting for me to discover it, and I only now feel it?—when he’d chosen the Soul Reaper class. The dark pit that urged him to reap.

The beast’s aura was gone, but there was a new glow coming from it. A pure, white glow that Xavier had never seen before, yet he immediately knew what it was.

The beast’s soul.

For the first time, Xavier cast Soul Harvest.

Some instinct within him knew he didn’t need to be near the body of the Dark Wyvern for the spell to work, though it was an instinct he hadn’t had until that moment. Something he hadn’t known until the first time he’d actually cast the spell.

He was glad for that knowledge.

The pure, glowing white light poured out of the Dark Wyvern’s massive body, a body that was slowly sliding off the platform, ready to fall down into that great expanse of nothingness, never to be seen again.

But everything felt as though it was happening in slow motion.

The soul streamed toward Xavier. It didn’t move like light. It moved like smoke if smoke were a snake. In swirls and arcs, it made its way toward him.

Then it entered him. Shooting straight through his chest. And the pit inside of him filled with power.

You have harvested 1 soul.

Harvested Souls: 1/10

Xavier smiled.

A wicked, wild, terrifying smile.

Three more Dark Wyverns were almost within range. The body of the first he’d slain fell off the platform, dropping into the dark.

Xavier felt no fear. All he felt was longing. For more souls.

Though the fact that he could only harvest ten souls into his reserve worried him, he imagined that would only be temporary.

My reserve’s limit will grow, just as my Spirit Energy grew. I will harvest hundreds, thousands, millions, of souls!

He aimed his staff-scythe toward one of the Dark Wyverns, and cast Soul Strike as a long-range attack.

Then he watched, in rapt fascination. Soultaker lit up, power coursing through every inch of it. A bolt of white lightning shot forth from its blade, making sharp, jagged lines through the air as it arced toward the target.

Then the bolt of white lightning shifted, turning into a white, translucent, glowing wyvern. A wyvern larger and more vicious than the one that he’d just slain.

It tore through the air on wings longer than a semi-trucks trailers.

The apparition glowed so brightly that the nine remaining wyverns were lit up, revealed in the dark expanse. The soul of the Dark Wyvern Xavier had slain opened its maw and clamped down at the throat of the wyvern Xavier had targeted.

There was no blood. No teeth-to-skin contact. The apparition flew through the Dark Wyvern, its brightness dimming. It slammed into the two wyverns beside the first, dimming farther each time.

But each wyvern it passed through died in an instant, without even a single scratch.

Soul damage.

The apparition disappeared a second later, and all went dark.

Three kill notifications popped up in Xavier vision, along with a spell Upgrade Quest for Soul Strike. And Xavier could see three, pure white souls hovering in the air, about to fall with the bodies they inhabited.

Soul Harvest had no cooldown.

That hunger overtook him once more. Or perhaps it had never left. He gripped his staff-scythe.

And he reaped three more souls.