Cataclysm War | Chapter 79: A New Path (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

Leonidas blinked at where he was, once again, standing in a room—though this time the environment was different. Instead of an interrogation chamber, it looked more like a luxurious hotel room, overlooking an infinite expanse of space with a single, rotating blue sphere suspended above and below. A glance told him it was Earth—Terra, as he had grown used to calling it—sitting in the black void of space.

The person waiting for him this time was not Miranda, but instead Primus, with his hands steepled calmly where he sat on one side of an ornate mahogany table near the massive floor-to-ceiling windows closed to the infinite distance of space beyond.

“Please join me,” the Haelfar simulacrum said with a faint quirk of his lips, gesturing to the chair opposite him, which Leonidas took a moment later. As opposed to his warplate, Leonidas was wearing—at a glance—a simple black shirt, rolled up to just below his elbows, and a pair of jeans and Crocs of all things.

“Thanks,” he said belatedly, eyeing the Administrator warily. “Are you the same one from last time?”

“No,” the Administrator stated with a wry smile. “We decided to take turns. We’re all very interested in your progress, and my colleague was a little too quick to steal your first Tribulation. This time, it is my turn.”

“I see,” Leonidas said after a moment, and glanced out of the window. “Do you guys take shapes that represent your actual sex, or is this just a weird preference?”

The Administrator chuckled at the question.

“You’re one of the few to ever ask that. Truthfully, we prefer the sex we possessed prior to becoming Agents of the System, so I suppose ‘he’ for me and ‘she’ for your prior contact are apt pronouns. For the purpose of this meeting, however, please feel free to call me ‘Primus’. Technically speaking, that construct is a splinter of my awareness.”

“Sure,” Leonidas said idly, distantly aware he was once again feeling the effects of the calming nature inherent to the Administrator’s engineered environment. “So why the space-floating Hotel room?”

“Personal preference,” the ‘true’ Primus answered casually. “I enjoy observing the worlds under my purview. [Planet 42], which we can call Terra for now, is the sixth world I have been part of Integrating.”

Leonidas glanced back at the man at his words and raised an eyebrow.

“Why [Planet 42], anyway? Sounds like a reference.”

“Yours is the forty-second planet in this Galactic Cluster to be inducted,” the Administrator answered readily. “Technically speaking, yours is actually Planet 42, of Cluster 7, in Universal Sector 15, but those are irrelevant technicalities.”

“I see,” Leonidas said, and set his wrists on the table. “So, I take it we don’t have much time, right? Given my last experience, anyway.”

The Administrator lifted his left hand and wobbled it in a very human affectation.

“Yes and no. Time flows very differently here, as my compatriot last informed you, but your actual Tempering will take longer than in the last instance. Each subsequent rank of Tribulation greatly enhances both the potency and the time involved in the Tempering process, though we are limited still, yes.”

Leonidas nodded once more and took in a breath, clasping his hands together and eyeing the Administrator.

“So,” he said with that same, focused, and enforced calm. “Is there anything I need to know before I start interrogating you for answers?”

Primus, as the Administrator had named himself, smiled wryly at the question.

“I can see your precocious nature has not been impeded by the events of your life thus far. Yes, Your Majesty—oh, and congratulations on fulfilling your Ambition. I had quite a large amount of [Aetherium] wagered on you. I appreciate you seeing my hopes fulfilled.”

Leonidas blinked at that and reached up to touch his crown, which he belatedly realized was still on his head. He hadn’t even noticed the weight of it.

“Uh, thanks,” he said after a moment, gaining a nod in return.

“You’re quite welcome,” Primus stated in approval before continuing. “As for your question, yes. The two main points you need to be aware of are that your Core is currently in a state of mild instability, due to the lingering effects of [Cataclysm Overdrive] being used—you’re welcome for that, by the way, I thought it would be useful—and the lack of proper Cultivation to reach peak Compression.”

Leonidas blinked again and then smiled ruefully.

“I wondered why I scored such a situationally perfect skill just ahead of my duel with Braedon.”

The Administrator smiled, eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Well, I had to protect my investment,” he said with a faint shrug. “Besides, you did earn it—accidentally or not.”

“And now come the consequences, I suppose?” Leonidas questioned afterward.

“Now come the consequences,” the Administrator agreed with another nod. “Due to your [Cataclysm Core] being less than optimally stable, I’m afraid this Tribulation will be rather more debilitating than the last. I would estimate a permanent reduction of about 15% in your Core Cultivation progress until you reach Contender. Your growth to the Reinforcement stage of your Core will be notably harder because of this, which is a requirement for Contender, as you know.”

Leonidas sighed at that and reached up to rub his temples as he contemplated the man’s words. A 15% reduction would, at best, be a considerable slowdown in his progress. Not nearly as bad as he’d feared, truthfully, but certainly worse than no impediment at all. As if the doubled experience bonus wasn’t bad enough.

“Is that it,” Leonidas asked finally, “or is there more?”

“I’m afraid that, due to the shorter window of time between Tribulations than expected, you will also be at greater risk from the È̴̝͋r̸̺͔̃̋r̶̐̿̆ͅo̵͎̱̥͂̕r̷̻͉̺̓ that have taken an interest in you.”

Leonidas blinked.

“I’m sorry, the what?”

The Administrator hesitated and then waved a hand.

“It seems you aren’t permitted to hear that, yet. Apologies, but even I am constrained by some immutable rules. You will simply have to hope that your Venerate guardians are up to the challenge before them.”

Leonidas sighed quietly, but decided not to press the issue. If the Administrator was saying he was restricted, then there was little hope in discerning more from the man by futile stubbornness alone.

“Okay, sure,” Leonidas said instead. “So then I’ve got a Cultivation malus on my [Cataclysm Core], double the required experience for progression, and now some unknown assholes are trying to mess with me. Beautiful. What about the good news?”

“Well now,” Primus said with a pleased smile, “that is a question I can answer. While the System’s sub-nodes were responsible for your reduction in growth, which I fear was entirely outside Administrative purview—the System itself has its own rules, you see—at the time, I can offer you some rewards for making it to your second Tribulation. I recall you elected to pursue the Path of Divinity when you spoke to my compatriot, and as you have reached Adept rank, that opens up the first of your new Path benefits for selection!”

*

Aylar gripped Synthra’s hand tightly as the next round of lightning struck the shield around the Arena in a concussive bang of power, rippling the manafield sustained by the Contenders, Elites, and Venerates in attendance. Leonidas’ family shifted nervously nearby, Maryanne’s arms gripping her own biceps as Reginald kept an arm around his wife, his blue eyes—a perfect match to Leonidas’—locked on the violent storm above them.

“This is what he went through the first time?” Kairi asked from nearby, standing closer to Aylar than to her parents, and gripping the hilts of her shortswords like she wanted to attack the clouds.

“It is,” Aylar answered more calmly than she felt, her heart thundering in her chest as she watched the beam of light suspending her husband in the air. “He will have to suffer twenty strikes of lightning before this is done, and survive each one.”

“Isn’t there a way to stop it? To protect him?” Kairi demanded.

“In this case, the Tribulation is more dangerous for us than it is for him,” Aylar answered immediately, thankful for the [Heroine’s Will] suffusing her with poise and calm as Synthra squeezed her hand. “The Tribulation forges him, strengthens him, imbues him with the power needed to Temper. For us, that lightning is death by comparison. As a Cataclysm, Leonidas is a singular existence within the System, based on what we learned in the Rite.”

Kairi locked her jaw in a perfect, stubborn mimicry of her brother at the words, but did not argue against them—instead moving forward to peer up at the clouds beyond the shielded entrance to the Royal Box’s balcony.

“I see Ceruviel and Uriel are doing their part,” Leonidas’ sister said with a mixture of relief and mild frustration. “Why are they focusing so much power upward, though? They’re ignoring the main shield.”

Instead of Aylar, it was Parnym who answered, his voice quiet but confident.

“There are… things… that arrive during Tribulations,” the Lance-Mender said by way of explanation. “I don’t know the exact details, but I was briefed to expect to have to treat the King if things go awry. Something preys on Tribulation Cultivators. When the Duchess and Duke Tribulated, they had the benefit of Alurien Starsword to keep them safe—I don’t think Leonidas will be able to rely on that when it comes time for his Ascendant Tribulation.”

Reginald turned at that, looking to Parnym and then to Aylar, who felt her father-in-law’s gaze settle on her with a parent’s stoicism.

“Is there no way to prevent this from happening?” the Archmage asked. “All magic in the System follows an internal logic; there may be something we can—”

“No luck, Dad,” Kairi cut in flatly, still standing near the balcony entrance as she spoke. “Ace is a Cataclysm. Tribulation is apparently the only way for him to Temper.”

Reginald’s jaw tightened at his younger child’s words, and he turned back to the overcast sky.

“This saga will be a great one,” Bardulf said calmly, almost jovially, from where he was enjoying a batch of grapes. “Watch. Achilles will stride away from this and ask us what the fuss was all about.”

Kairi snorted at the words, but Leonidas’ parents seemed unconvinced.

On a whim, Aylar stepped forward, taking Synthra with her as she stepped up her in-laws’ side, and by unspoken understanding, Synthra put her arms through Maryanne’s right, and Aylar took Reginald’s left in her own.

“Achilles will be fine,” Synthra said firmly, drawing Maryanne’s gaze to her when she did. “You don’t—well, you know him, but you don’t know what he’s become as we do. Your son is… he’s not the same man you knew. He’s the strongest person we know.”

Aylar nodded in agreement and squeezed Reginald’s arm reassuringly.

“My husband is still your son, Reginald, Mary, but he’s so much more than that as well. Even in the Rite, at his most destructive, there was a desire for heroism in him. This Tribulation will not break him. The King is far too stubborn to permit it.”

Kairi glanced back at Aylar when she spoke, and the Queen saw a glimmer of begrudging approval in the shorter Terran’s blue eyes, before she turned back to the storm.

“My idiot brother will overcome this,” Kairi agreed firmly. “I’ll kick his ass if he doesn’t.”

At that moment, their conversation halted when the Venerates abruptly launched into the air, coming together as Psi and Light exploded out of their weapons toward the raging stormcover again.

Aylar’s eyes rose, and her heart stilled.

Within the clouds, something stirred.

*

Primus snapped his fingers, and three cards appeared face-up on the desk, looking more like ornate tarot tablets than actual ‘cards’ in the conventional sense. They were thick and metallic, edged in gold, and each possessed a different stylization. The first was marked by an image of Leonidas holding a shining golden crown, with the words ‘Divine Ruler’ in elegant gold filigree beneath it.

“Your first option is the Divine Ruler Path. This will play into your [Sovereign] Ambition, and will curate far higher effects from any Skills—such as your new Domain—derived from it. However, it will mean that you will be largely at the mercy of the size of your nation and the loyalty thereof. Your authority will increase, but if your nation ever falls or is subsumed, your Path of Divinity will fracture alongside it.”

Leonidas regarded the first card in silence, but before he even began to evaluate it, he gestured for the man to continue. “I’ll choose after hearing all the options,” he said decisively.

The Administrator smiled in response and moved on to the second card with unspoken approval.

This one showed Leonidas with a golden blade in hand, sweeping away multitudinous foes that surrounded him. Beneath it, in the same golden lettering, were the words ‘Divine Conqueror’.

“Your second option is the Divine Conqueror Path. This will partially play into your [Sovereign] Ambition and [Knight] Archetype, allowing you to enhance your battlefield command and lead your subjects toward greater, more profound victories. However, this one comes with the caveat of victory. For every defeat you suffer while King of the losing force, your Path will fracture, until finally enough defeats will shatter your Path of Divinity entirely.”

Leonidas eyed the second option contemplatively and bridged his fingers before him again on the table.

“Do the victories mitigate the losses?”

“They do,” the Administrator answered, “at a rate of three to one. You must maintain a sizable victory margin to maintain your Path’s stability, but it will not be an easy task if you suffer multiple defeats in a row. The benefits of this Path are the most directly powerful, but the weakness is self-explanatory.”

Leonidas nodded in understanding. The Divine Conqueror idea certainly resonated with him after Elatra, but he moved on from it before he grew too attached and turned to the third card.

This one was far simpler than the rest: it showed Leonidas seated on his throne, a golden scepter across his lap, and a look of quiet certainty on his face as he extended his right hand to a kneeling crowd of loyal subjects.

“Your third option, Your Majesty, is the Divine Magistrate Path. Unlike the Ruler and Conqueror Paths, the Divine Magistrate focuses on the essence of nation-building. The benefits and drawbacks of this option are the least immediate or direct,” Primus said, and then elaborated further.

“This Path focuses exclusively on a form of broad-scale Cultivation, rewarding you for curating a prosperous nation, and punishing you for severe failures of governance; starvation, mass abandonment, rebellion, and other such national travesties will fracture your Path, while successful Administration will conversely strengthen it.”

Leonidas frowned at the explanation and glanced back at the first card again.

“What’s the difference between the third and first? They seem almost identical.”

“Yes and no,” the Administrator said steadily. “The Divine Ruler Path requires you to only sustain or keep your nation, empowering your [Sovereign] Ambition relative to its continuance and growth. The Divine Magistrate Path requires you to grow your nation in a way that is a net benefit to its power and its populace. In the main, the first Path only requires sustainment, the third Path requires advancement.”

“What about the rewards?” Leonidas questioned immediately.

“Of the three paths, the benefits of the Third are the least impactful immediately, but arguably the most potent in the long-term. You will passively accrue wealth, including [Aetherium] and Path Stability, as your Kingdom grows. The further it develops and advances in strength and internal stability, the more potent your rewards will become. While it does not give you much in terms of personal benefit, the broad-stroke rewards it grants your nation are considerable.”

Leonidas hummed faintly at the news and felt the telltale tingle in his body of building power, his eyes glancing quickly up at the Administrator and then back down to the cards. The choices were more easily categorized as ‘Caretaker’, ‘Conqueror’, and ‘Administrator’. None of the three were necessarily appealing in the grand scheme, but he definitely had the easiest chance at Divine Ruler, while Conqueror had the most immediate benefits. Neither of them, however, presented a chance for him to actually grow the Sanctuary he wanted to create.

That, ultimately, made the decision relatively simple.

“Alright,” Leonidas said finally, lifting his right hand and, after a moment, settling it on the third card. “I choose the Divine Magistrate.”

Primus raised his eyebrows, though his lips curved into a wry smile when he did.

“An unexpected choice. Most thought you would go for the Conqueror, given Elatra’s experiences.”

Leonidas nodded to that without surprise.

“I normally would, but there won’t always be enemies to Conquer—there will always be more I can do for my Kingdom, and I think it’s time I stopped focusing on what I can do with my sword alone, and more of what I can do with my mind.”

Primus smiled more widely at the rationale and inclined his head.

“A markedly Sovereign choice, Your Majesty. Very well, I codify and accept your choice—and with that stated, I take it you have questions in the time we have remaining?”

Leonidas smiled faintly as he felt the beginnings of heat in his body and nodded.

“I do,” he said directly. “Starting with this: the previous Administrator told me Elatra was a test. So, my question is simple, Primus: why did Elatra seem to be designed to make me, the presumptive Cataclysm, so incredibly unstable?”

The Administrator smiled once more at this question.

“That,” Primus said with a twinkle in his gaze, “is a matter of efficiency.”

*

Aylar tensed when the Venerate Duke and Duchess surged upward with a flare of power, creating a percussive shockwave as they accelerated to full speed. A second later, before the sound even hit the box, they were pouring power into a barrier—restraining something twisting and writhing within the clouds.

“What the fuck is that?!” Kairi demanded, her hands tightening around her sword hilts.

“I don’t know,” Aylar said simply, feeling Reginald’s arm tense within her hold. “The Venerates have not been forthcoming, but as Parnym stated, there are apparently things that threaten Tribulating Cultivators. If this is to become a common occurrence, we may need to question them more thoroughly about the threat.”

“If the Duke and Duchess aren’t being forthcoming, it may be for a reason,” Bardulf ventured, his jovial tone edged with tension. “It may be more than simply a lack of desire to share. There might be danger in too much knowledge.”

Aylar considered the Shadowblade’s words while Mary stared up at her son, suspended and helpless within the column of radiant power.

“I feel powerless,” the Sword of Manhattan said bitterly. “Our son is right there, Reg, and all we can do is watch as two strangers protect him.”

“I know,” Reginald replied grimly, and Aylar saw him turn to her, smiling tightly. “But at least he won’t be alone when it comes time for the next step in the future. He has our daughter-in-law supporting him, now.”

Aylar smiled warmly at his words, but was stopped from immediate reply by Kairi.

“So you’re leaving after all, huh?” the Deathdancer said coldly, glancing back. “Figures.”

Reginald and Maryanne stiffened slightly as they looked at her, and Aylar saw her in-laws release twinned sighs of resignation.

“We cannot just abandon the Coalition, Kairi,” Maryanne started carefully, “too many people are—”

“No, you’ll just abandon your child,” Kairi responded acidically and turned back to her hovering brother. “I’m not surprised, and I’d be shocked if Ace is, either. Your ideas of ‘charity’ are clearly more important than sticking by your actual family.”

Maryanne winced at that as if struck, and Aylar felt and heard Reginald growl beside her.

“Young lady, what happened to you was not our intention, but we cannot just abandon the people that rely on us to—”

“To what, Dad?” Kairi asked as she spun again, her blue eyes burning with cold fury. “To what? Hold their useless fucking hands while your own children suffer for your lack of care? You abandoned me in Texas, and then act surprised and wounded when Pops and Nana didn’t manage to stop me sneaking off. What the fuck did you expect to happen when leaving me with a pair of maniac Grandparents that want to wipe out every Fantasy on the planet?”

Reginald hesitated at his daughter’s words, but it was Synthra, surprisingly, who spoke up.

“The Coalition should just join the Kingdom,” the Sorceress said, glancing between Kairi and the elder Paendrags quietly, and drawing all three gazes to her. “There’s no point in going it alone. The population of the Coalition is, what, thirty thousand at best? Less? You don’t even have an Ascendant with you. I know Aylar has probably been very kind to you both as Leonidas’ parents, regarding the state of the Coalition, but candidly—you’re pursuing a doomed cause.”

The Archmage and his wife appeared momentarily taken aback, and Aylar sighed as she spoke, while Kairi looked both surprised and faintly mollified. Now that Synthra had said her piece, regardless of how delicately she’d tried to frame it, Aylar couldn’t abandon her future bond-wife.

“While I would not have phrased it so harshly, Synthra is not wholly incorrect,” Aylar said finally, her eyes glancing between the battle raging above the Arena and Leonidas’ parents. “There’s nothing we can presently do to help my husband, but there is something you can both do to help his future. The Coalition’s forces would be welcomed into Dawnhaven and would be a great boon to the Kingdom of Avalon. I’m sure having his parents and sister around would also be of great aid to Leonidas personally—especially when he and I bring children into the world.”

That seemed to give her in-laws pause, but before they could answer, Kairi spun—her Elite senses detecting something faster than any of them could match.

“What the fuck is that?!” she demanded, drawing their gazes as Aylar’s own widened after a moment.

From within the clouds, an immense, half-ephemeral black head had emerged, looking terrifyingly akin to an immense serpent. Its jaws were parted, the Queen noticed immediately, and it was diving, mouth wide enough to swallow the beam itself as the Venerates worked to push it back.

Straight toward the insensate form of Leonidas.