“Upgrading your concept and power is key to advancement. Without that, no matter how many points you get, you just won’t have the power to delve deep or craft great. With the upgrades, dungeons are a breeze at point value, and crafters can churn out gear and consumables to really force multiply. There isn’t much data on production classes, but I can’t imagine them not gaining a strong benefit as well.”
“What about this power in the hands of those that shouldn’t have it?” – Committee member.
“And who is that?”
“You know, lower class types.” – Committee member.
“I seem to remember from history class that many of the greatest Americans came from the lowest class of people.”
“Well, yes, but they were -”
“There’s no way you can finish that statement and not sound racist. Just telling you.”
-Excerpt from presentation to the Senate Committee on the Tower.
Final Sanctuary of the Dark Heavens
“So, after she showed me her status I came back as soon as I could.” Lantern finished his report.
“Well . . .” True Knight sighed. “At least we caught it before she reached Classing. She was almost locked into a mere Tier 2 Class. How far along is she?”
“She just finished the 7th Trial, sir.” Lantern said promptly.
“Alright, so at least 100 points from the next trial mobs, at least 15 from drops . . .” True Knight muttered to himself. He looked up and singled out another resident. “Caster, give me your thoughts. You spent much time studying skillcraft.”
The single remaining Caster-Type Archon floated over and examined the data. “It’ll take 16 points to modify the core skill to add in the additional foundational concepts, luckily the Lady is still in micro-skills. 2 points to bring dark boost to the next tier, 12 points to add the concepts, 10 to bring the core boosting skill to tier 5, 12 more to add the concepts to that one, 10 for the synergy skill and all the concepts . . . followed by 50 to bring the merged purification skill to Basic 10 to trigger the binding.” He made the gesture of ambivalence. “The only thing that makes this work at all is that almost all her skills are still at the Micro-level. Almost all Templates start skills at Basic, so outside the Nobility, only a few Temple Crafters even know about Micro.”
“That’s 122 points. Depending on drops, or if she has a health potion or two to sell, she might do it.” True Knight said thoughtfully. “A 5-merge concept cascade would have her build and guarantee her a good class, once she merges her Energy.”
“122 just for the skills.” The Caster interjected. “We need a Dark Concept catalyst for the process to full cascade, or we only trigger the ones we bought and will lose her actives. And Catalysts start at 50 points at the store.”
“Well, then let’s have her get a summon skill after 8 and save the rest for after 9.” True Knight sighed. “We’ll have to set her up later for her Energy cascade after that. Hopefully before she hits 1000 point value.”
“If I may . . .” Lantern asked diffidently. “What is a concept catalyst?”
“Oh, most types of Concept boosting consumables.” The Caster waved him off. “One use skill stones, buff tokens. Anything that stirs up her Concept in her body and soul to help energize the process.”
“I only ask because the Trial reward this time was a 5% Dark Boost potion.” Lantern told him.
“That’s perfect!” The Caster said excitedly. “A strong surge without being overbearing and a 10-tick duration! Don’t let her use that potion until you spend those points!”
“I find it suspicious how the Tower gave just the thing we need.” A listening Warrior pointed out.
“Scholars have debated the hows and whys of the Tower all through history.” Caster shrugged. “Some point at patterns and say there is a directing mind that favors certain people, some say it is random.”
“What do you think?” The Warrior challenged.
“I think it just likes to mess with people.” Caster told him. “The Trials are just something to get out of the way before you really get power.”
“Those that can.” True Knight chuckled. He turned to Lantern. “You have your orders. We’ll review things on your next return and refine further skill choices depending on the Tier and type of Darkness the cascade brings.”
“Yes, sir.” Lantern made the gesture of obedience. “Sir, what of her life experiences, and the . . . physical changes she went through?”
“None of us are Heart Healers.” He said regretfully. “It was not unknown for Templates to make such extreme changes, rare as it was. All we can do is obey her commands should we be summoned. Perhaps her People have such Healers.”
Lantern made the gesture of obedience and went back to his tasks, busying himself until he was Called once more.
~~~
Tower Day 12
Willpower was making a world of difference. Overall her power didn’t change much aside from her enhanced Dark Attack, but being able to keep herself in check much more during Battle Lust was a Goddess send. Especially since she was back to meeting groups of 2 – 3 mobs, all a mix of types.
Still, Lantern did have to grab her attention to stop a reckless charge. It was hard as it felt good to just let go and hit something as hard as she could. Nevertheless, it was smooth sailing as the two hit one member of a duo strong and Charlie moved to finish it off while Lantern distracted the other. For groups of 3 they played ‘divide and conquer’ with one or two getting drawn away and ambushed to leave the remnants easy picking. Even the hobs were easier to handle now the two were more aware of their tricks. Then they finally reached the 8th Trial treasure room. Two hobs and two bugbears. None were going to go down quick, the hobs too smart to draw away and the bugbears too slow.
Charlie and Lantern pulled away for a brainstorm session. “Gonna take a few hits for each.” She muttered. “Can’t tag the hobs unless I mix it up, but if I get up close they’ll dogpile me and I’ll be dead even with my armor skill and before I can heal.”
Lantern suggested standing at the range limit and shooting her arrows.
“That could work.” Charlie nodded. “If I can take out the bears, then we might be able to get the hobs. Okay, let’s try that!”
Plan made, the two moved out to the hallway to get a line of sight into the room. The ‘bears started knuckling over but the two hobs called them back, clearly taking the situation seriously. Charlie readied a Dark Arrow, charging and enhancing it with Attack and aimed at one of the hobs. It tensed, ready to dodge when she whipped her hand over to a bugbear and let it fly. Enraged, it rushed at her, ignoring orders to return as it charged. It didn’t do much good as she launched Arrow after Arrow, moving backwards to keep some distance as she hit it one last time, killing it just as it reached her, the last arrow spiking him in the eye.
The hobs tensed and readied their weapons but Charlie simply waited until the body faded away, picked up the tusk left behind and walked away. She heard a scream of frustration but smirked to her self as they stayed put as she left. Cautiously she dismissed Lantern to regenerate her mana better and moved back to repeat the process.
Once again she shot the bugbear and moved back as it charged, hitting it with arrow after arrow until it fell right at her feet. This time, however, the two Hobgoblins were right behind, waiting in its shadow. Frantically she cast Dark Defense and backpedaled as the two hobs leapt over the fading corpse and struck. Her health dropped by a quarter as she was first stabbed then bashed with a mace, knocking her into the wall and making her head spin. She scrabbled at her belt, snagging a potion and started to pop the cork when Lantern keened in panic and yanked the vial out of her hand. She gasped in shock as he held the vial away and shrieked as she felt something yank her to the side and out of the way of a sword stab.
“Quick, gimme the potion!” Charlie gasped as she rolled out of the way of the mace-wielding hob.
Lantern sent a confusing, panicked array of images and pulled the health potion out of her belt, popped the cork and shoved it to her lips.
Sputtering, Charlie swallowed and felt her wounds close up as her cooldown ended and she spiked the sword hob. “C’mon, I need the boost!” She held her hand out for the potion.
He sent a strong negative as he desperately yanked on the mace to make it swing wide.
“Why not!?” Charlie felt her control start to slip as she took advantage of the missed blow to slam a strong fist into the mace hob. She screamed as the sword found its mark in her again.
Lantern sent an image of the obelisk and the purchase screen and begged not to use it as he stashed it into her bag. He pulled the mace back on the upswing to make that hob fall backward and physically rammed the sword hob as it swung again.
“Out of the way, Servant.” The hob said contemptuously and grabbed hold of him to smash him into the floor. Lantern rose back up, wobbling, only to be spiked like a volleyball back down again. His crystal body dripped black fluid through deep cracks as his hp plummeted.
“Leave him alone!” Charlie yelled and rushed him, swinging her fists but it was too late as the hob smirked and punted the summon like a soccer ball into the wall, shattering him and making Lantern’s physical body fade away. “Noooo!” She screamed in despair and threw herself into her trait, slamming Dark Attack coated fists into him again and again, ignoring any defense but giving the cruel creature no chance to fight back before his body lay broken and fading on the floor.
She knelt there, panting from exertion when she was reminded of the last hob by him smashing her to the ground with a full power blow of the mace. Charlie felt something snap in her back and her legs fell limp to leave her sprawled on the ground.
“Finally. Freedom.” The hob said eagerly. “Take my place!” He raised his mace for another blow and froze, choking as a Dark Arrow sprouted from his throat. He fell backwards, scrabbling at the arrow as a few tears started to fall.
Charlie watched him choke and convulse as she waited for her health and mana regen to restore her power. Once she had enough, she ended the hob’s pain with another Arrow and lay back to wait for her regen. She shed a few tears of her own as her spine reconnected and she reviewed her status.
“Dammit.” She checked the grayed out ‘Summon Lantern’ skill. “9.84 countdown . . . minute and a half per 10, divide by 60 . . . I dunno, 2 – 3 hours. Goddess I hope he’s not gone.”
After way too long for her regen to fix her up, Charlie got to her feet and over to the treasure box to open it. Inside was a copy of the potion Lantern had prevented her from drinking. Another “Dark Power Boost’ potion.
“Seriously!?” Charlie yelled out, then winced as she still felt her insides throbbing despite full hp.
The Trial rewards simply held a pair of leather pants that bumped her health 10 points with a 10 armor rating.
“Yaaaay.” She muttered, entering the rest area.
~~~
Once the timer ended, Charlie reactivated her summon skill and Lantern reappeared. Waves of concern and anxiety flooded through the link as he zipped all around her, checking his Mistress for anything out of place.
“I’m ok, I’m ok!” Charlie told him. “I’ve got regen, all the damage is gone. Are . . . are you ok?” She grabbed hold of him and started checking for any lasting damage.
Lantern conveyed reassurance, and through a series of images let her know his current body was temporary, and his real ‘self’ returned home every time he left. Hesitantly he asked if she had spent any points.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Not yet.” She shook her head. “One hundred points, plus what sales get us.”
Lantern sagged with relief and pulled out the contents of the bag to organize them, the potion vials following. He spotted the second bottle of Dark Boost and froze.
“Yeah, that was what was in the treasure box.” Charlie told him.
He gently set everything down and requested to be excused for a moment. She waved agreement and watched as he moved to the curtained off shower/toilet area before having a small freakout, rapidly zipping back and forth and throwing things around. Through the link flickered anatomically impossible acts generally boiling down to ‘the tower can fuck itself’. Once he was composed again, the Dark Servant Archon returned.
“My sentiments exactly.” Charlie said wryly. “So . . . what now?”
Lantern sent a confusing sequence of concepts that revolved around ‘tasting’ different ‘flavors’ of Darkness and mixing them together to drink down.
“I . . . don’t get it.” Charlie frowned. “How can you taste darkness?”
He tried again, this time Charlie got the sensation of melting different black crayons together and pouring them down a funnel.
“Still not getting it.” She shook her head. “Can you just make the purchases yourself?”
Lantern paused and sent agreement. He posed a request, sounding formal, to make the transactions on her behalf.
“You’ve never steered me wrong yet.” Charlie agreed nervously. “I give you permission.”
Instantly Lantern swept up the sale lots of drops and tugged his Mistress’ hand onto the obelisk. Screens rapidly appeared and flickered, mob drops vanishing to show a point value of 122. He paused at that and sighed, grumbling about the tower again before moving right to the purchase screen.
Charlie gasped as she felt her core swell painfully and burn as Lantern added ‘Umbra’, ‘Tenebra’, ‘Murk’ and ‘Dusk’ concepts. Her eyes widened as she watched her status shift, feeling her bloodline connect to the new concepts the same way it did to basic ‘Darkness’.
The various energies started to boil furiously, fighting inside her core for dominance as Lantern next bumped her Dark power and Core Boost Tiers to match her Race Tier, followed by adding the same new concepts to those skills. Her core swelled further and rotated rapidly to color her energies all the shades of darkness, the energies burning through her channels as they fought.
“What . . . is . . .” Charlie gasped, suddenly locked in place again as black blood leaked from her eyes.
Lantern then purchased a ‘synergy’ skill for Darkness and added the new concepts to that as well, then leveled to Micro – 10. If she could, Charlie would have screamed as the burning intensified.
Finally he dropped her last 50 points into her Dark Celestial Purification, bringing it to Basic – 10 and poured the Dark Boost potion down her throat, the liquid instantly absorbed into her body. As the energy surged yet again, it bled through her body, spirit, soul and through every bit of her core, energy channels, skills, and Bloodline as she felt all the different darknesses draw together and merge, her core tightening up and condensing into Night. At the same time, a deep seated wrongness was completely expelled from all she was and would ever be and she blissfully embraced the soothing Night that brought relief and slumber.
###
A dim awareness drowsed in a half aware dream. A scene appeared before them. A transcendentally beautiful woman reclined on a black stone throne that was gilded in dark metal and obsidian gems. Pure midnight black hair tumbled down ivory-white skin and eyes filled with stars stared listlessly out across the throne room at nothing. The watcher’s heart wept as they saw the woman’s body riddled with wounds that still dripped crimson blood. The Goddess became aware of another presence and her listless eyes turned to see who intruded on her domain. A white figure walked across the polished granite floor, six brilliant wings of light spread from its back. The watcher felt a revulsion as the radiated light was wrong. Tainted and Corrupted.
“So. Fallen Archon of another worlds’ Creator. Come to take my Divinity yourself?” The Goddess coughed, some small amount of blood leaving her mouth.
“I had no part in this.” The Fallen said sadly. “I cannot hold Divinity in my form. Not since my Creator cast me out.” He said bitterly.
“So it is.” The Goddess sighed. “So. Why are you here?”
“You overlooked this piece of myself while I resided in your kingdom. And I am grateful for it.” He explained.
“You caused no harm while here. I had no reason to send you out.” She waved her hand. “I have no love of politics.”
“With this . . . upheaval . . . I am found.” The Fallen told her. “With this planetary system without its protectors, my energies could no longer be hidden. Your Creator has decided to send me to mine. I came to remember you and say farewell.”
“It matters not.” She drifted slightly, then forced herself to focus. “What is it you want, Morning star?”
“What of your children?” He asked. “They will be ripe picking for the worlds that follow those champions you have slain.”
“All slain.” She waved a hand listlessly again. “As well as my beloved Husband. Why are you really here?”
“Perhaps you could make more?” He suggested. “Your line need not end here.”
She narrowed her eyes and laughed. “With you? A Fallen? And with a Light based essence no less. Not even my husband and I could merge Light and Dark, no matter how we tried. In the end we had to create children with others, no matter how we loved each other.”
“My Creator’s world is not yet infected by the Tower. I will seal the Bloodline and should the Tower come, perhaps the blood will be thin enough.” He reached out a hand. “You have been kind. And I would see some small part of you last.”
The Goddess raised an eyebrow. “Compassion? From you? I had no idea you thought so highly of me.”
“And it is one last defiance to HIM.” The Fallen snarled. “I should have been a God! Not merely an Archon, no matter my power.”
“Enough.” She waved him off. “That is between you and your Creator. I have always been true to mine. I . . .” Her eyes shifted focus and widened in surprise. “I see. Well then.” She smiled at the watcher and a few faint presences next to them. “That changes things.” She focused back on the Fallen and reached out to him. “What is a Mother without children? May they do better than I.”
The Fallen took the hand and with a surge of conflicting energies he was soon holding a crying infant in his arms. “I will place you on Earth, I think.” He mused. “That was going to be HIS favorite. One last wrench in HIS plan.” He turned away, a cruel smile on his face as he walked away from the fading body of the Goddess.
###
Tower day 13
Charlie roused from sleep, the last image of the Goddess heavy in her mind. “It’s not fair.” She whispered. “I never got to know you.”
Reflexively she checked her status and gasped in shock. All her ‘Dark’ skills had been replaced by ‘Night’, the 5 flavors of Darkness merging into new skills, new concepts and greater power. Her concept now read ‘Lesser Night’ and showed Tier 3, and a .3 bump to Night skills that added to her .4 Bloodline boost.
Once the shock was over, she got up off the floor and took care of morning necessaries and stood facing the center of the room as she summoned Lantern. He greeted her excitedly then quaked as she scowled at him, arms crossed.
“You didn’t say it would hurt.” She ground out.
He wilted.
“The only thing that hurt worse was when the damn Tower activated my bloodline and had to search hard to find any Template that would work! I don’t want to go through that again! Do you understand?” She yelled at him.
Lantern nodded quickly, then hesitated.
“I don’t have to do that again, do I?” She asked.
He nodded, then shook his head, then simply sent that he didn’t know.
“Great. So, what’s next?” Charlie sighed.
Lantern sent an image of another metal/crystal being similar to himself that shot off blasts of dark fire, bolts, and destructive blasts.
“So, another one of you guys, huh? A friend of yours?” Charlie asked.
Lantern made the gesture of disagreement and showed many different types of Archons at various heights, himself at the bottom and the new one at top.
“Your boss? No . . . a manager type?”
He nodded.
“Ok, might as well. Couldn’t hurt to get another to help out around here.” She sighed. “Let’s go get more points.”
Charles Fitzgerald
Point Value: 555
Core Concept: Lesser Night, T3 – Night and subconcept skills multiplier +.3
Energy Type: Mana – Prime stat Power
Template: Gloria Crimson Bloodwine Angelique (modified)
Race: Celestial Descendant – T 5, 2 more skill slots, Boost to
Bloodline: Essence of Night – T 4, +.4 to Night element skill multi, countered by Day and associated concepts
Trait: Battle Joy – T 4, 30% increased damage, Euphoria in battle
Equipment: Basic Leather Armor [+10 def, +10 hp], Basic Amulet of Intelligence [+1 Int], Basic Earrings of Will [Will +1], Basic Empowered Pugilist Gloves [+10 Fist Dmg, +1 Pwr], Basic Quickstep Boots [Dex +1], Basic Circlet of Mind [+1 Wisdom]
