Cataclysm War | Chapter 78: The Next Tier (First Draft)

Sunday, August 7, 4 S.E.

Leonidas stood in the center of Dawnhaven Arena two hours after he’d delivered his orders to the newly formed Aegis of Avalon.

Ceruviel and Uriel had given their instructions to the Lance-Masters in terms of muster orders and armor alteration, and Leonidas had asked them to ready the Arena for his Tempering after they had. The Duke and Duchess had both confirmed that they’d already taken steps, Ceruviel during the Dusk Watch and Uriel during the Dawn Watch, and together were prepared to facilitate his tribulation to Adept rank.

Once he’d alerted Aylar and his parents of what he intended, his wife had immediately told him that under no circumstance was he to undertake the Tempering alone, and had made him promise to wait until she, his parents, Kairi, Synthra, Bardulf, and Parnym were able to at least watch from the safety of the warded Royal Box.

Leonidas had agreed to her demands readily, unable to refuse her beautiful blue eyes, and Aylar had given him a loving kiss before hurrying off and shouting orders at the Royal Guards.

Now, bedecked in his [Archon’s Warplate] with his Crown securely on his head, Leonidas eyed the two fully-armored Venerates where they stood near him, watching him carefully as they held their weapons—Ceruviel’s sword resting on her shoulder, and Uriel’s spear planted butt-down on the manastone under his feet.

“So, this will work, right?” he asked them, while glancing around the Arena.

The Royal Guards had cordoned off the area, aided by five full Lances of the Aegis of Avalon, and had corralled the populace from the area by order of the Archon-King. The Terrans that had initially protested the closure of nearby businesses had, by all reports, largely deflated the moment Leonidas’ name was invoked—and capitulated when Aylar herself had strode out to command them back, recognizing her not just as Queen, but as their Champion’s wife.

“It will work,” Ceruviel affirmed, nodding her head toward Uriel. “Brightpants is still at his strongest point, given it’s midday. He’s about fifty percent more powerful at this point in the Solar cycle.”

Uriel, for his part, simply nodded.

“This will be manageable, Your Majesty,” the Knight of the Luxan Spear said gravely. “Your Contender Tribulation will be a more serious matter, but your Adept rank elevation is within our ability to isolate. The forewarning helps greatly. With the amplification devices and wards Ceruviel and I have deployed, our power will be sufficient to contain the Tribulation lightning and keep the City safe from its fury.”

Leonidas nodded and glanced around the arena, where the Royal Guards had set two full Lances to watch from equidistant positions in the stands.

“What about them?” he asked candidly.

“The magically inclined among the Royal Guard will strengthen the shields for the Arena. We have opened a hole in the shield to permit your contact with the Tribulation energy, as you requested, but they will aid us in ensuring that the storm cannot permeate past our cordon,” Uriel said simply. “This is their duty, Your Majesty. You must trust them to undertake it. Their lives exist to defend yours, now, and the Queen’s. This is what they accepted when they took their oaths.”

Leonidas grimaced at that, but it wasn’t as if it was his first time having a dedicated guardian force—he’d had one on Elatra, too, but his power on Elatra had made it largely moot. He supposed he could afford to accept the protection on Terra, within reason, given his considerable lack of ability compared to his Elatran strength.

“Alright,” Leonidas said with another nod, and took a breath. “Well, I guess we’ll get started. I’ll redeem the Chests first, and then go for the Experience.”

Uriel and Ceruviel frowned at that, and the Dawn-Lord glanced at Ceruviel, who shook her head after a moment.

“Redeem them after,” she said after a moment. “If you redeem them now, you may risk destroying the items before you can store them safely.”

“Er…” Leonidas said, quickly checking his alerts. “That’s—okay, that’s doable. I haven’t claimed the Royal Champion title yet, either, so that works fine. I also—hell, I’ve got so much, but I forgot to say, I have nine unspent Skill Purchase points, Ceruviel. Is there something I should—”

Ceruviel’s eyes bulged at his words, and she threw her free hand up.

“You absolute dunderheaded fool of a—”

Uriel cleared his throat loudly, and Ceruviel visibly snapped her mouth shut.

“Ahem,” she said after a moment. “That is to say, Your Majesty, you should have already spent those. Divines of Altera, tell me what the System offers you.”

Leonidas smiled wryly at both the outburst and Uriel’s not-so-subtle correction, and then willed his [Profile] to appear, and promptly tapped the unspent [Skill Purchase] points.

The second he did, a new System screen appeared atop his [Profile].

SYSTEM MESSAGE

Congratulations, Leonidas! You have [9] unspent [Skill Purchase] points!

To assist with your purchase, the System has compiled a list of viable options below.

[Name]: Psionic Communication

[Quality]: Rare

[Prerequisite(s)]: Psi Affinity

[Effect]: Communicate with Psi with one Target within Range

[Cost]: 10 Psi per Minute

[Price]: 3 [Skill Purchase] Points

[Name]: Psikinetic Blast

[Quality]: Rare

[Prerequisite(s)]: Psi Affinity

[Effect]: Blast a Target within Range with Psikinetic Power

[Cost]: 15 Psi

[Price]: 4 [Skill Purchase] Points

[Name]: Psionic Control

[Quality]: Epic

[Prerequisite(s)]: Psi Affinity

[Effect]: Control the mind of a Target within Range

[Cost]: 10 Psi per Second

[Price]: 4 [Skill Purchase] Points

[Name]: Archon Step

[Quality]: Epic

[Prerequisite(s)]: Archon Class

[Effect]: Teleport yourself to a location within Range

[Cost]: 75 Psi

[Price]: 7 [Skill Purchase] Points

[Name]: Archon Skein

[Quality]: Epic

[Prerequisite(s)]: Archon Class

[Effect]: Shield yourself with Psi

[Cost]: 5-50 Psi per Hit Taken

[Price]: 5 [Skill Purchase] Points

[Name]: Sovereign Domain

[Quality]: Legendary

[Prerequisite(s)]: [Sovereign] Ambition

[Effect]: Declare a [Domain] within Range

[Cost]: 200 Mana

[Price]: 9 [Skill Purchase] Points

[Name]: Cataclysm Shift

[Quality]: Mythic

[Prerequisite(s)]: [Cataclysm Core]

[Effect]: Teleport yourself to a location within Range

[Cost]: 100 Mana, 25 Health

[Price]: 9 [Skill Purchase] Points

Leonidas stared at the options in baffled silence, reading over them each carefully, and then reaching up to scratch his head with an armored finger.

“Uh…”

His eyes glanced from the screen toward the Venerates, and then back to the screen again. With a sigh, he just shook his head and used Intent to share the screen with them, his head shaking again in silent disbelief. It seemed to be the right choice, because a second later, he heard Ceruviel curse and Uriel sigh heavily when their acceptance resonated in his mind.

“This is absurd…” Ceruviel muttered, her eyes rapidly roving over the options as she off-handedly created a [Psionic Force] bubble around the three of them to ensure they remained private, much to Leonidas’ immediate relief. He should have thought of that himself.

“This is quite uncommon,” Uriel agreed quietly while he also scanned the screen. “I defer to Ceruviel regarding the Archon abilities, but personally, I would venture that [Sovereign Domain] appears to be the most valuable talent. It will not impact your Psi pool, and Domains are extremely potent—but what it will do is entirely uncertain until you actually use it. The Mana Cost, however, is considerable.”

“You can immediately eliminate the Psi and Archon Skills,” Ceruviel said in follow-up, waving a hand idly. “I can teach you all of these. The [Sovereign Domain] and [Cataclysm Shift] are the two I cannot aid you with. Those are… well, they’re unique to you, Achil—Your Majesty.”

Uriel nodded after a moment of consideration and rumbled in thought.

“The prices aren’t coincidental, either. The System is tempting you with the choice of two Skills immediately, one Skill with residual, or an absolute Skill that will bankrupt you, and you do not know if these Skills will be offered again. It is not always the same list that is provided.”

“Focus on the Domain and Shift abilities,” Ceruviel affirmed a moment later. “I possess the rest of these, and they’ll tie into your training regardless. It’s a complete waste not to take either the [Sovereign Domain] or [Cataclysm Shift] skills, but I cannot discern which is better. The [Sovereign Domain] is more of a wildcard, and can either have immense benefits or minimal benefits, depending entirely on what it does.”

Leonidas listened to them in silence, and his eyes scanned the [Sovereign Domain] and [Cataclysm Shift] Skills in silence. The former he knew nothing about, but he did recognize the latter. He remembered using it in the Rite vision, when he’d fought Aylar and the others. He could still vaguely sense the feel of it, the way it had functioned—though the exact nature of it defied his recollection in an actionable way. It felt more like a thing he did than a Skill he activated, not that it made much sense to his own mind.

Still, if he’d used it in the vision, did that mean he learned it himself, or the future him had purchased it?

His eyes danced back to the Domain Skill, and he frowned.

That one he didn’t remember using at all. It was the wildcard.

Either immense or minimal, Ceruviel had said. It was a gamble Skill.

“I’ve used [Cataclysm Shift] before,” he said to them half-distractedly. “In the Rite of Ascension, there was a vision we encountered where I was, well, a bit off my rocker. I remember using it in a fight, just not the essence of how to do it. It’s like I can remember the feeling of it, but not how to actually catalyze the Skill. It feels like trying to view something through blurry glass, almost. It’s there, but I still can’t quite grasp the—”

“Then take [Sovereign Domain],” Ceruviel interjected immediately and with certainty. “If you’ve used [Cataclysm Shift] once, even in a false reality, you will recall its effect when you Temper your Spirit at Contender. It means you can learn it on your own. The Archon Skills will be teachable at Adept for Shift, and Contender for Skein—and the Psi skills you could learn right now with proper Intent and Ideation. Hells, Achi—Your Majesty, you already used [Psikinetic Blast] against Braedon; you just didn’t know you did it.”

Leonidas faintly remembered the feeling of the ‘Punish’ Ideation and Intent he’d wielded against the Prince-Royal, and nodded slowly. That did feel familiar. He thought he could learn that if he worked at it.

“I suppose…” he said thoughtfully, eyeing the available Skills again. “Though that doesn’t guarantee I can learn [Cataclysm Shift], though I guess [Archon Step] will be fine once my Psi pool is higher and I learn it from you, as an alternative. Hm…”

Uriel glanced up at him then and sighed.

“As much as it will open me to childish iteration, Your Majesty, Ceruviel is correct. If you have any indication of how to use [Cataclysm Shift], you will likely be able to teach yourself—even if it proves difficult. The [Sovereign Domain] is, most likely, your best option.”

At his side, Ceruviel crowed out a “Ha!” of victory, and Uriel sighed.

Leonidas smiled faintly at the interaction and then nodded.

“Alright,” he said finally. “[Sovereign Domain] it is. Here’s hoping it doesn’t suck.”

Leonidas’ eyes returned to the screen, and he spoke calmly, “I choose [Sovereign Domain] as my purchased skill.”

SYSTEM MESSAGE

You have chosen [Sovereign Domain] as your purchased Skill, for a total of [9] [Skill Purchase] points.

Would you like to confirm this choice?

Warning: This cannot be undone.

[Y] | [N]

Leonidas tapped the [Y] button and felt the moment the Skill was introduced into his arsenal, settling into his mind with an awareness that clicked into place with immediate comprehension. On a whim, he glanced at his still-visible [Profile] screen and tapped the newly added [Sovereign Domain] in curiosity.

SOVEREIGN DOMAIN

[Name]: Sovereign Domain

[Quality]: Legendary

[Current Maximum Size]: 26 Meters

[Cost]: 200 Mana

[Current Maximum Duration]: 26 Minutes

[Description]: An ability wielded solely by those granted the [Sovereign] Ambition, this Skill allows the wielder to declare a Domain of size and duration equal to their Charisma Attribute in a circle around them.

[Effect 1]: All Loyal Citizens of the [Sovereign] receive 25% of the [Sovereign]’s Attribute values as a Buff at the time of creation.

[Effect 2]: [Locked]

[Effect 3]: [Locked]

[Effect 4]: [Locked]

[Effect 5]: [Locked]

“Well, it looks like some of the Skill is unlocked up to Ascendant,” he murmured idly as he perused it, “but I think I lucked out. It scales with my Charisma Attribute exactly, and it affords everyone within range twenty-five percent of my Attribute values at the time I create the Domain. So, if I do it while [Cataclysm Overdrive] is active…”

Uriel and Ceruviel exchanged a glance, and it was the Dawn-Lord who spoke.

“Be wary of that temptation, Your Majesty,” the Duke cautioned. “You cannot afford to be subjected to the weakness following your new Skill in the heat of a battle. You should not rely on your Overdrive ability outside of the most dire circumstances.”

Leonidas hesitated at the warning, but knew immediately that Uriel was correct. Even if he did boost those around him, the subsequent maluses would make him next to worthless in a fight afterward.

“Yeah, fair point…” he acknowledged, and then let out a small sigh. “Okay, I suppose it’s time to get this show on the road, then.”

Both Venerates nodded, Ceruviel dispelled the [Psionic Force] bubble, and Leonidas pulled up his Challenge Victory Alert with a flex of Intent—eyeing the screen as it came to life before him.

“Ready?” he asked them, glancing at both the Haelfenn.

“We are prepared,” Ceruviel answered firmly.

Leonidas nodded and then appraised the screen.

SYSTEM MESSAGE

Congratulations, Leonidas! You have achieved victory in an [Honor Duel]!

Despite the lack of official declaration, there are few things more essential to the nature of an [Honor Duel] than the [Right of Challenge], and you have emerged victorious against a foe three Tiers your superior!

As a result, you have received rewards relevant to your immense achievement!

[Reward 1]: 52,000 Experience

[Reward 2]: 500 Aetherium

[Reward 3]: 1 Use of [Honor Duel]

Would you like to claim these Rewards now?

[Y] | [N]

Leonidas took a deep breath and clicked the [Y] button, thankful that he’d already raised his core to the Compression stage much in advance. If not for that, the entire venture would’ve already been stalled. The moment he accepted the alert, he felt the surge of power flood into him from the System, and gritted his teeth as it roared through his body, accompanied by the arrival of a new message.

SYSTEM MESSAGE

Congratulations, Leonidas! You have reached a new [Tier]!

ADEPT RANK

[Level Range]: 20 - 29

[Description]: You have managed to breach the second barrier of power on your path of Cultivation. For the Achievement of reaching [Adept Rank], you have been granted several rewards!

[Reward 1]: 200 [Aetherium]

[Reward 2]: [Skill Upgrade] Point

You may ERROR ERROR undergo your second Tempering no later than 24 hours after achieeeeERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

Leonidas grimaced when the screen vanished, the Venerates backed away, and he felt the heat building in his Core once more. Overhead, thunder crackled through the sky, and he saw the Royal Guard lifting their hands as multi-hued mana erupted from multiple palms, impacting the shield settled around the arena while Uriel and Ceruviel took their places equidistant from him, their weapons placed before them as their own power rocketed up to attach to the shield.

Leonidas looked around himself when the particles of power morphed into being, and conjoined to create the pillar—generating a crimson radiance that surrounded him in a beam of might, elevating him from the ground in recreated exactitude of the same moment he’d experienced less than a month prior. Resolve hardened his mind as [Archon’s Will] flared to life, and he eyed the already-forming curtain of obsidian storm clouds as they boiled into life out of nothingness above. Thicker, blacker, more tempestuous than his Initiate Tempering had ever been.

Manastone vibrated beneath him; he felt his nerves pulse with pins and needles, and, distractedly, noticed the arena tremble around him as the first snarls of thunder rocked the structure. Fierce, violent, more judgmental than before.

His jaw locked against the pressure, and he felt the moment he was deprived of movement, carried aloft as the System’s power winched him effortlessly through the air, trapped within the beam of light. This time, at least, he was ready—and this time he intended on getting some damned answers from the Administrator. He had more than a few questions for the person he would see, and wouldn’t accept anything less than some pointed answers.

At least, that was his resolve.

Right up until the moment the world shook with the System’s fury, and awareness vanished once more.