[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 61: Home, Sweet Home

There was only one way to find out, short of finding somebody else with a fully fledged—or just moderately functioning—Skyshard, and that was to socket the [Sourcestone] now.

“All right,” Sam said. “I’ll put the [Sourcestone] here. No more waiting for the perfect Skyshard to come our way. If you spot something that looks good and we can hop over to it, we can at least collect some supplies and resources.”

Kai didn’t look too happy about that, but he kept quiet. Which was progress as far as Sam was concerned.

Pacing around the tiny bit of land, he searched for any notable spots that might be suitable for something important like this. There were boulders, and that slight elevation in the center, but little else.

“Suppose putting it in the center is as good as anywhere else,” Sam said. “Easier to defend, if that matters.”

“Yes, yes, I think it does,” Raiko said, sounding rather sure.

“How do you know?”

“Well, if your Settlement Core is anything like the [Sacred Tree], then it most assuredly has to be defended. The center is quite literally the farthest point from this Skyshard’s edge. While that flying Rhino Skywhale could have eaten our whole island—”

“Hold on,” Matt interrupted her. “Did you say Rhino Skywhale? A flying Rhino Skywhale?”

“Yes, did you not have them where you’re from?”

“N-no.…”

Raiko shrugged. “As I was saying, typical monsters and creatures would have a harder time attacking the [Sourcestone], let alone the Skyshard itself.”

“Same could be said for putting it underground,” Sam said. “But will it stay down there? Or can we dig under there after it’s placed?”

Raiko didn’t respond. And Matt was staring at her.

A spike of alarm shot through Sam, then stabbed him in the heart for good measure.

Asleep, head limp, Raiko was so transparent it was like she was fading away.

Wake her! A familiar voice that had sounded like his own but somehow different whispered urgently into his mind.

Unlike before, when she merely seemed zoned out, this time Raiko looked like she was almost completely gone. He had to strain to see her translucent outline.

“Shit! Raiko, wake up!” He didn’t know what was happening, but it didn’t look good, and he wasn’t going to ignore that voice when it helped him out last time.

Komachi went from asleep to freaking out in record time. She cried all sorts of cat noises while spamming that musical variant of [Regen].

Even Kai added his own [Cure] spells to the mix. How they were supposed to work on the disembodied spirit of Raiko, Sam was unsure, but he was ready to try anything.

Bracing himself for the shock, Sam reached out to Raiko. When the painful jolt snapped at his fingertips with numbing force, he kept his hand outstretched.

As he did, Sam’s MP drained away.

At the same time, Raiko stopped fading. She became more solid, though still ghostly, and her eyes shone with awareness.

“Wha—?” she mumbled. Seeing everybody’s expression, she added, “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

“Raiko, what’s going on?” Sam flexed his fingers to work the mana back into them, or whatever it was that kept them functioning normally.

“The closer we get to my body, the more my spirit tries to return,” she explained. “That’s normally a good thing, but if I wake up now on that Skyshard I don’t think I’ll survive.”

“So this is just going to keep happening, then.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“But how do you feel now? I… kinda gave you some of my mana.” Sam glanced at his MP. “Okay, a lot of mana.”

“It helps. It might even keep me separated long enough for us to arrive, but if you don’t have any mana when we arrive—”

“—then I won’t be able to fight very well,” Sam finished for her. “Yeah, I came to the same conclusion.”

“You can take my mana,” Matt said. “I have a lot of it as a Mage, and… well, we all know I’m not going to die from it. Plus, what could I really do during the fight? It would be a good use of what limited utility I have.”

“I have strong mana,” Kai said. “I can help Raiko, or I can heal. I cannot do both.”

“See?” Matt motioned to Kai. “With me supplying my own mana to Raiko, Sam can fight, and the two Clerics can make him into an unkillable monster.” Matt sighed. “I would have killed to have two healers full-time supporting me in—well, any game really.”

“Dis is the way,” Komachi intoned.

Kai looked down at Komachi. “I nearly forgot you are also a Cleric. What level are you?”

“Level 9!” she announced proudly. “I like casting [Regen] and [Warding]. A lot. I got a stance that lets me spam ‘em. Okay, maybe just the overtime heal.”

“Impressive.” He looked up at Sam. “And you are also level 9?”

“I’m level 11,” Sam said, looking worriedly at Raiko. “Are you okay with this?”

“Yes, this might work rather well. Somehow, I will repay you for the generosity.” Raiko bowed her head.

Kai nearly choked. “How are—never mind. Matt did say you were strong. And with two Clerics to keep you healthy, I struggle to believe that you will have a hard time with any challenges we meet. But you will need to keep any monsters away from us. I have seen the smarter ones immediately cripple the healers in other groups.”

Sam wondered what it was Kai had seen in the Dungeon. Had he been with another group somehow?

“All right,” Sam said, “it’s settled then. I suppose we can use your ‘fading sickness’ as a metric to know when we’re getting closer to your Skyshard.”

Raiko stared daggers at him. “Or, and hear me out, you can just ask me. It’s not like I can’t feel my body out there.”

Sam threw his hands up in mock exasperation. “Fine! Have it your way. We won’t use your sickness and instead talk to you as if you were a real person.” He glanced at her and grinned. “I’m joking, by the way.”

“Just like you were joking about Hawai’i ‘growing them big’?” she asked, far too sweetly.

Sam looked at Kai, then back at her. “You tell me.”

She glanced at Kai, then Sam, then Kai again. “Think I’m missing some chemicals to determine that.”

“Wuh?” Komachi asked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Komachi grumped.

“Well, there’s no putting this off any longer,” Sam said.

Sam stepped over to the center of the Skyshard. Which, considering its small size, was only a few feet away from the fire. He could still feel the heat radiating on his back as he knelt and pressed the [Sourcestone] into the sodden ground.

There was a brilliant flash of white. The sound of roaring water filled Sam’s ears.

New Kingdom Quest: Lightbringer

All civilizations must start somewhere. How they’re founded, and what goals they align themselves to, shape what they may one day become. Some settlements wish to be mere villages, others prefer the roaming lifestyle of banditry. Crafters typically envision a trading empire, and a noble few aspire to the glory and prestige of kingdoms and dynasties.

Depending on what you choose to set up your settlement with and who you decide to include, along with what roles you assign, will shape what your civilization becomes.

Kingdoms require wealth, power, leadership, and most of all, people.

Spread out before him was a vision of floating islands too numerous to count. Rather than the rough and ragged edges of rock and dirt, these were cut and dressed stones with intricate patterns engraved upon them girding the flying islands.

Concentric rings surrounded shimmering crystals that exuded colorful streams of mana. Waterfalls emptied out into glittering basins, buildings tall and majestic painted the skylines, and everywhere there were people.

Children playing with their parents fondly watching, older couples taking a stroll along an airy bridge spanning the gap between two islands.

The green and natural areas were laid down right beside city centers, castles, towering academic buildings, and so much more.

And then, just as fast as it came to him, it was gone.

Sam blinked and looked around at the people watching him. “Did… anybody else see that?”

One by one each of them nodded.

“It was beautiful,” Kai said somberly. “Nature alongside man without spoiling its raw beauty. What was this spiritual vision?”

Sam furrowed his brow and looked at the kingdom quest. “I think it was a potential future. Something that might come to pass if we chose to walk the path that we’re on. Though how that could come from setting the [Sourcestone] into this Skyshard… I haven’t a fucking clue.”

“You should check the Skyshard’s status,” Raiko said, trying to hide her excitement and failing.

Select a name and designation for your Skyshard.

[Unnamed Floating Island (Level 7)]

(Skyshard) (F-Class)

(★☆Uncommon)

Attributes

Mana Reserves (100%)

Mana Density (First Layer I)

Sockets

Settlement Core (Sourcestone)

Tiles (0/2)

“It needs a name,” Sam said, eyeing the changes.

It was a lot more than he had expected. The Skyshard gained 2 levels, and a full rarity in strength. He had no idea what either of those meant in relation to a Skyshard, but any progress had to be good progress, right?

“You could call it New Hawaii,” Matt suggested.

The silence that greeted this proposal was painful.

“Anybody else?” Sam asked.

Raiko looked deep in thought. “Sil’mara. It means new beginnings in a long-dead tongue.”

“That’s better than my suggestion,” Sam admitted.

“Which was?”

“Hanu, it means breath or breathing,” he told her. “Kind of going for the same thing as yours, except Hawaiian for new beginnings is a lot longer and harder to pronounce than yours.”

Kai’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at Sam’s choice. And while they ultimately decided to go with Raiko’s name, it seemed that Kai looked down on Sam a little less after that.

Not much, mind you. He was still Kai. But Sam couldn’t remember hearing the word “haole” in reference to him since.

With the name chosen, the Skyshard had one final task remaining for Sam.

There was a long list of potential options for how the Skyshard was owned. He could assume all responsibilities himself, designate a secondary, or even give over to something more democratic.

If Kale had been there, he would have gladly shared the ownership between himself and his best friend. With Raiko already having a Skyshard of her own, it didn’t make sense to share his Skyshard with her.

Maybe if it could be changed in the future, they’d share each other’s, but for now, Sam went ahead as the sole owner of Sil’mara.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Matt or Kai. They had grown on him recently, but that was just it. They had a fair amount of baggage between them, and only since the apocalypse did they seem to get along.

While a hopeful sign, Sam wasn’t about to share something that, if he was quite honest, had nothing to do with them. They did not fight against the Empty to turn back a tide of death and nothingness.

As soon as he claimed Sil’mara, Sam could feel a deep connection to the place. More than anything, he hoped he could find a way to direct its motion, but there was nothing.

The only upside was an extended awareness. He could feel the temperament of Sil’mara. The mana that flowed through its rocks and vegetation.

His rumination was cut short when Matt said, “Does anybody else see that?”

Sam opened his eyes and followed Matt’s direction. “I see it.”

“Think we’ll get close enough to inspect it?”

Sam was already taking out his [Makeshift Rope]. “We’re going to see. If it’s anything like the last island we came across, there’s some sort of tidal force at play between two landmasses. They sort of slow each other down. If we’re quick, we might be able to find some food.”

Matt stood up and went to the leading edge of the Skyshard. “I’ll go with you.”

“I will go,” Kai said, standing up.

Sam looked at them each in turn. “The more the merrier.”