[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 13: Prometheus

Having fought for who knows how long, nearly dying, then the whole strangeness with that nexus place and finally fighting again had Sam realizing just how much he was running on fumes.

He was already hungry by the time they went to the beach, and every other crazy adrenaline-filled event since then hadn’t given him the opportunity to appreciate just how hungry he was.

At the mere mention of food, Komachi’s stomach grumbled right by his ear, as she was perched on his shoulder.

All eyes were on Sam as he took out the [Camping Kit]. The box of materials wasn’t magical, not in the “sets itself up” way he was hoping at least.

He still had to take everything out and set it up with the help of Kale, Kylie, and Chris. It came with a small vial of fiery-orange liquid alongside 3 tents, 3 sleeping bags, a set of strange hexagonal logs, and some stones to ring the fire with.

Matt and Kai gathered some nearby branches and kindling just in case they had to try to light the fire the old-fashioned way. The tents and sleeping bags were laid out. Sam and Kale set up the campfire, with Sam examining the vial out of curiosity.

It wasn’t like he was going to be able to glean any useful information from it, but he was curious if it would tell him what to do. Was it an accelerant of some sort?

[Firestarter Vial]

(Potion) (F-Class)

(☆Primitive II)

A simple decoction of Fire mana-aspected ingredients, break it over a flammable object to instantly set it alight. One-time use only.

As it turned out, none of the above.

A potion containing Fire mana, that once broken, would unleash its energy. Useful for survival, and for combat too. Too bad he needed it now.

The Shard called the item simple, but it wasn’t at all to Sam. This little nugget of information made some details about mana finally fall into place.

Especially now that there was some downtime, he could begin to think more clearly.

On Islegard, there were multiple elements of mana with a range of effects and powers. Seemingly strengths and weaknesses, too. Spells, potions and even equipment could be imbued with mana elements as well, from what he had seen.

He didn’t know how many kinds of mana there were, or even if they were considered elements, but even his [Flamewool Cloak] directly mentioned a few. There was Leilana’s Wind spell, his Void mana attunement, and now this [Firestarter Vial’s] Fire mana.

The [Firestarter Vial] shed some additional light on potions, too. It would actually let him use Fire mana temporarily without possessing the attunement himself.

Any other potion he encountered thus far gave buffs, healing or similar effects. Granted, those were from before the Shard’s Ascension. It wasn’t clear if some things were different now.

“That looks tasty,” Komachi said. “Can I… finally taste sweet things?” The longing in his cat’s voice was painful to hear.

“I’ll find you something sweet,” Sam promised her.

Curious, Sam threw the vial into the pile of logs and kindling from the forest. The glass shattered. There was a faint whiff of sulfur before flames sprang up across all the logs at once, as if they had always been there.

But what had Sam’s full attention wasn’t the flames. It was the notification he had just received.

Title Gained: Prometheus

Fire has always been intrinsically linked to humankind, and in this new world, you are the first to create flame. Fire is a symbol of hope, of life, and of rebirth. And for you, it is all three. You have created the First Flame. So long as the First Flame survives, its power will flow through you, empowering you as its progenitor.

You gain Fire Affinity.

[Fire Affinity]

(Elemental Affinity) (F-Class)

(☆Primitive I)

Mana Affinities supersede the ability to conjure and create said mana. While many acquire Mana Attunements through their lives, gaining Mana Affinity is significantly harder, with the capacity to wield said mana persisting regardless of your ability to generate the mana itself. For many, this is the first step along a Path. But for you, with your Path already chosen, gaining a new Mana Affinity opens doors of power few within the Shardrune Realms have witnessed.

Sam basked in the surging heat of this new affinity. Moreover, he felt an odd, overpowering connection to the flickering flames in front of him.

His theory had been near enough to the truth. Mana was broken down into affinities and attunements. Because of this, affinity was not just stronger and rarer than an attunement, but different as well.

He interpreted affinity to mean he was stronger and overall better at wielding Fire mana, but he couldn’t necessarily manifest that element on his own.

Conversely, his attunement granted the opposite. He could manifest Void mana with his own energy, but no more than that.

Did this mean he could gain a Void affinity as well? It had to be possible.

His attention was drawn back to the First Flame. So long as he kept it alive, it would strengthen him. How it would do that exactly, he wasn’t sure. Glancing at his stats, there didn’t seem to be a change.

Considering how people could apparently go their whole lives without gaining an affinity, did that mean Sam could lose his Fire affinity if the campfire went out?

Looking closer, there was something hazy in the center of the campfire. A flame within a flame that radiated a distinct presence that Sam could feel a connection to. Perhaps that was the First Flame feeding the campfire, and the two weren’t one and the same.

That would at least make transporting it easier.

Well, not just easier, but a lot more feasible. So long as it doesn’t burn me when I touch it. Which, if I have the affinity for it, it shouldn’t, right?

He put off the test for later. For now, it was time to cook.

His cat waved in greeting to the First Flame.

“Good show,” Kale said, nudging Sam in the ribs. While everybody else sat down around the fire, Kale stayed standing.

“You’re not going to lose the use of your legs if you sit down,” Sam pointed out, taking a skewer the big man had made and spearing a hunk of lizard meat. “Eventually you’ll have to sit.”

“Well, excuuuse me!” Kale said. “How many years has it been since the accident? Over a decade since I’ve been sitting day-and-night. I’m going to get the full use out of these damn legs while I got ‘em!”

To prove his point, Kale began strutting around the roaring campfire, using the blade of his axe to sharpen some sticks to roast the meat.

The smells of food being cooked and the warmth of the campfire provided a sense of normalcy to the gathered group.

“I keep expecting I’ll wake up,” Leilani admitted, staring into the fire. “That this is all a long, strange nightmare.”

A decent number of them nodded. Sam was not among them.

Sam didn’t voice his thoughts aloud. He wasn’t a jerk. Let them have their commiseration. Many of them had good lives. Aside from missing his home, Sam didn’t lose much in the uplift.

He felt completely different, and he knew on some level his perspective was strange. Most wouldn’t want to be thrown into the middle of danger and be pushed past their limits.

Plus, his cat could talk now too. Even cast magic.

Truthfully, Sam didn’t want things to go back to the way they used to be. Well, some things for sure, like the convenience of a hot shower or the comfort of a decent bed.

Maybe those things would be possible in the future, but they sure as hell weren’t in the middle of the forest.

Getting the [Camping Kit] alone had been nothing more than a stroke of luck. One that very nearly hadn’t happened.

Even with the discomfort of the outdoors and the threat of creatures lurking out in the woods that weren’t remotely afraid of humans, Sam felt strangely at peace.

A peace he was beginning to realize the others didn’t share.

“I was supposed to be at the Espacio tonight,” Lisa said, huddling closer to the warmth of the fire. As the sun dipped further, the temperature of the forest dropped dramatically. “Ryan and I were going to get a couples’ massage….”

Darren whistled appreciatively. “That’s more for a single night than even I make in a month.”

“Made,” Kale corrected him.

“Whatever,” Darren snapped. “I’m sure things will be back to normal soon. What else do we pay the military for if they can’t make all this shit go away? Surely there’ll be people organizing at the very least, and when they do, I’ll be in on the ground floor. People like me will be needed. And any of you wise enough to join will reap the rewards as well.”

That got more than a few odd looks. Darren always did like to run his mouth, but this was reaching, even for him. Sam was looking forward to the schadenfreude of seeing Darren realize just how different everything truly was.

Sam had seen a sneak peek of what it was like to have actual power. Not Darren’s middle-management power over people who are just trying to make ends meet.

No, he had seen a world where people went shoulder-to-shoulder to protect what they held dear. He had felt that hint of brotherhood and camaraderie for the first time in his life at the end of Islegard.

Which reminded him. Hadn’t he gotten a quest to save it? Whatever happened to that?

Closing his eyes, Sam concentrated on his quests and found that with a little mental prodding he could bring up anything that he’d previously seen.

Quest Completed: Battle of Shard’s End

Though countless lives were snuffed out, the greater whole of Islegard owes its continued survival to your efforts. Few would risk their life to save another, much less another Shard. Your actions have been transcribed upon your Incarnate Deeds, adding more to your Deeds than many people add to theirs over a lifetime. You have begun to awaken your Incarnate Powers.

At the mere mention of Deeds, Sam instantly wanted to know more. He still had a hard time believing he was an Incarnate, but the Shard and Raiko recognized him as just that.

Fighting at the end of a world reaped all the rewards as an Incarnate. It was like double dipping. He earned both Deeds and Incarnate Powers that were starting to awaken.

Sam was curious what that meant, and what sort of powers he would develop. Clearly, they weren’t unlocked just yet. It didn’t mention any requirements, but leveling up more seemed like a solid way to go towards progressing that.

He pulled up his Status, searching for Deeds, but was distracted by the next prompt.

You earn the title: [Hero of Islegard]

[Hero of Islegard]

All peoples of Islegard will recognize you as not just one of their saviors, but as an Incarnate of War, regardless of whether you fully Awaken your Incarnate Powers or not. You gain significantly faster renown with the people of Islegard, and they are far more likely to come to your aid in your time of need. Grants the trait [Hero’s Grace].

[Hero’s Grace]

Your presence naturally inspires people. They see you as the Incarnate of War that saved their home during their time of greatest need. They are spurred to greater heights while in your vicinity, dealing enhanced damage, shrugging off devastating attacks, and fighting for longer. Only affects those of Islegard descent.

So, in other words, it’s useless right now, Sam thought, looking at the despondent faces all around him. With the sole exceptions of Chris and Kale, the former never seemed to be unhappy and the latter… well, how could you blame a guy for being happy to be able to walk again after years of surgeries ended in no improvement?

Don’t forget yourself. It’s not like you’re unhappy about this world-ending business. Your life wasn’t exactly bright and beautiful before.

True enough.

Sam frowned and stared into the flames, trying once more to bring up whatever these Incarnate Deeds were, but try as he might, he came up empty. He tried with Incarnate Powers… again, nothing.

What were they and how did they work? Could he access them in some other way or were they hidden from him somehow until he had “awoken” them, as the notification had stated?

Too many questions he couldn’t answer. But he would make it his goal to discover what exactly an Incarnate was.

If there was one thing he would change about himself in this new world, it was that he wasn’t going to let anything hold him back anymore.