Over the next week, Jonathan watched as Eliza leveled up, reaching Tier 3 by the end of the fifth day. He taught her how to use Smite, and she taught him how to use her own Divinity skill, which was called Flame of Judgement. It called a flame of Divinity into the world, which could be used as a weapon in its own right. It would burn for as long as he had Divinity to support it, and would deal far more damage than any normal flame.
Using it made him feel like more of a god, even if only by a tiny amount. He had tested it on a few monsters, and the golden flames burned through their flesh like it wasn’t even there, killing high Tier 3 beasts in an instant. It was an immensely useful ability. The skill description was something else though, filled with what sounded like egotistical ravings.
You have gained a new skill!
Flame of Judgement: Mythical
You are the lord of all you survey, and lawbreakers within your domain must be punished. Judge those you find unworthy, and erase them from existence with the cleansing fires of Divinity. At your current level of mastery, this skill is far weaker than it could be, but it will grow along with you.
It worked by channeling the raw might of his Divinity into the world around him, rather than into his own body. It was of a similar level of difficulty as his Greater Smite skill, but completely different in its utilization. He had to force the Divinity to leave his body, much in the same way that he used his Runes, but without giving it a conceptual meaning. Eliza had no knowledge of Runes, and Jonathan had decided against mentioning them to her. Even if she was another Earthling, the knowledge of Runes was far too dangerous to let spread beyond the barriers of his own mind. The System had already tried to kill him for it, and likely would do so again.
In between the sharing of their Divinity techniques, they went out hunting with Eva and some of the other lower leveled elites like Kendal. Eliza had already done some hunting of her own in the meantime, but Jonathan wanted to bring her further afield in search of more potent foes. In preparation for the assault on the next realm, everyone needed to be close to Tier 4, if not already there. Edgar and Hushar were otherwise occupied, the former traveling the realm to aid in the removal of Slothari’s loyal adherents, and Hushar was training with Arkanon. Of course, Arkanon needed no such leveling aid.
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Jonathan wasn’t worried about the few levels that separated him from his goal, as those could be picked up easily enough in Cessation. Rather, he wanted those weaker than him to shore up their foundations so as to not be instantly killed by whatever awaited.
They sallied forth from the Oozing Bastion as one, a small group that nevertheless represented enough concentrated power to shake the world. Jonathan had already slain two circle lords, cementing his potential as being truly immense, whereas the others had Legendary classes, and many special boons of their own.
The first thing they noticed were the pervasive changes made to the realm by its fusion with the Ash Heaps. The world seemed far more peaceful than before, but Jonathan knew that all of the monsters were still present. They had simply moved farther afield, away from the citadel that dominated the land. Even before, few monsters had dwelt near the seat of Slothari’s power, and now that the environments that the creatures had depended on to survive had changed so dramatically, they had decided to leave for good.
“What exactly is your fighting style?” Jonathan asked Eliza as soon as they had distanced themselves from the city.
“I summon my own weapons. It was a special ability that I gained while I was in Telvaria. Before, I just used whatever I could find, although I always liked blades.” Eliza twisted her hand, and a sword of ethereal light appeared there, glinting and sparkling, especially along its razor sharp edge.
There was a strange elemental power there, mixed with something that Jonathan didn’t recognize. There was a faint sense of deja vu as he looked at the weapon, almost as if he had seen something like it before. However, he couldn’t pinpoint it. He simply chalked it up to the woman being an Outsider like him, and possessing some unique abilities.
He watched as Eliza demonstrated her skill, sending slices of white light streaking across the muddy fields of the realm. They chopped through trees and carved into the ground, creating small canyons where they landed. It was impressive for someone only at the peak of Tier 2, but Jonathan supposed that was to be expected from another Outsider.
There were no enemies yet, but about thirty minutes later, when the Oozing Bastion had receded into the distance, the first monster reared its head. The ground shuddered as a plough shaped head pushed its way out of the earth, revealing the face of a massively enlarged mole. The creature was larger than a truck, and its mouth was filled with vast, tombstone shaped teeth that looked like they could grind a small mountain into gravel. It was around the lower midpoint of Tier 3, a good challenge for Eliza. At least, Jonathan hoped so.
He stepped back, and Eva withdrew with him. Her own strength was more than enough to kill this creature with ease. Nearby, Kendal and a few of the stronger warriors of the Waste Warrens watched eagerly, wanting to see what Eliza could do.
