Chapter 8: Resolved

Title: Resolved

By slaying a sentient being you have shown resolve that another may lack in your situation. This has left an aura surrounding your body that can pressure weaker willed beings regardless of their strength.

I earned this title after I killed the hobgoblin in the coliseum and since I didn’t know how to feel about it, I left it as it was. What was important to me was how my aspect would affect my life and how I could properly utilize my perks.

Show me my aspect and perk abilities.

Aspect: Starlit Harbinger

Effect: Increase in all stats which include but is not limited to endurance, vitality, speed, magic, and strength. When under starlight gain a 20% greater increase. Gain the skill Perfect Recall, allowing you to recall special moments with perfect clarity. Increase combat damage output by 15%. When calling upon your bloodline all powers and effects are concentrated and strengthen within a range of 20ft.

Perks:

Ashes Fall [Beyond] (Active) (Tier I): Summon ashes from [Beyond]which will drain vitality and mana and sap mental endurance (Minor). Only affects living objects.

Starlit Eyes (Active) (Tier I): See in the dark with minimum light interference (Passive). Can see through illusions (I).

Dragon’s Health (Passive) (Tier I): Passively regenerate vitality and mana (I). Increase mental endurance (II).

Honestly speaking I felt like these set of abilities would be overpowered. I hadn’t tried to use any of my perks yet or more accurately speaking I couldn’t. Both perks would require an incantation to activate and both needed mana to work.

The problem was for this entire journey my mana would be locked by the stylish runic bracelets that were basically fancy handcuffs. The overall affect was active although when I first fought the hobgoblin and went through the hall of trials I didn’t notice. My mind had too much occupying it at that moment and even now I still have thoughts and worries over my current predicament and the future. The positive thing was that Dragon’s Health the only passive of my perks was going to play a major part in my journey. The mental endurance increase it gave me already had me marching through the Catacombs for much longer than what my body could take at tier 1. It was the same with Starlit Eyes as the ability had a passive that let me see in the dark. Originally, I would have had to gather and dry out the various ferns and shrubs that somehow managed to grow down here to make torches for the extremely dark areas but with that passive it became unnecessary. Although the lighting wasn’t bad in the first level because a certain type of fluorescent moss grew on the ceilings here. This allowed me an even greater vision with my new abilities.

It was time for me to move I had taken a long enough break looking through my new abilities. It was time to travel through the dank, damp, and dark cave system. I was hoping to push though level one within another month’s time.

I steady my breath and slowly crawled forward. Not too long ago I had just dodged death in the form of an adult Red Claw. Either this one was a pack leader or should have been part of a new game plus because what I read in the guide was far from accurate in my first encounter with the adult of the species.

The creature stood, STOOD, around 3.5ft tall with black plating and mandibles shaped like jagged scythes ready to tear me limb from limb. I didn’t get a great view of its length as I was running for my life, but it must’ve been over 6 meters in length and 4ft in width. The creature took up almost half the tunnel. The reason for my untimely meeting with a boss monster was because I was out hunting a juvenile that turned and ran the moment it found out I wasn’t easy prey. I had been using the juveniles and practice as I had no experience killing beast in this life or the next. So, they were great targets especially since I was certain I’d becoming across stronger beast.

I believe the only reason I escaped is because we were coming across the Spidoth area of residence. A most pleasant encounter as I received a mouth full of webbing. It wasn’t until I was several minutes of running in deep until I noticed the Red Claw was no longer tailing me. That's when I became worried. I ran through a great amount of Spidoth webbing since I entered the area and I’d yet to see one. That was not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

Click.

Swoosh.

Click.

Swoosh.

Click.

Ask and you shall receive. Hundreds of bright glowing eyes appeared in the corridor ahead of me and for a good instant I just stayed their paused in surprise as the cute creatures made there way towards me. Spidoths where a mix between spiders and moths having a moths elongated body with a spiders terrifying natural predication ability. Just picture that with a few of the bugs flying at you by the hundreds.

I scrambled to my feet and quickly turned to run. If I had magic, I could easily block off this section of the corridor giving me enough time to cast a bigger spell or close off this area of the Catacombs entirely. Unfortunately, I did not have those abilities available to me right now so I did the next best thing run towards the direction I came and see if I could force a confrontation between the Red Claw boss and the Spidoths. Although the Spidoths weren’t big around the size of a palm they were numerous. They crawled and flew over each other to get a bite out of me.

This is when my skill Perfect Recall came into play as running away from a giant centipede that was trying to kill me was what I classified as a special moment. Every one of these special moments came to me with perfect clarity. Like the time me and Amaya were first introduced to one another, and I found the baby to be quite cute as she held onto my finger. Or the time my mother sang me my first lullaby as a baby as I cried and screamed in rage at losing everything I ever knew. Every action, every detail of that moment was preserved in my mind like a 3D film that I could move around and even zoom in on details. So, when I was running from my life from a giant monster every moment and every detail came into my mind.

I would control this situation and play it to my advantage both creatures where highly valued on the market and I wouldn’t be nearing any mining towns until I reached the second level, but I had a spatial bag with plenty of room. Red Claws by their natural harden armor and Spidoths for the webbing that resided in their bellies and the poison that was in their fangs.

A savage grin appeared I had rounded the corner when the giant insect had first slowed before stopping. In my haste I hadn’t noticed it before but now that the moment was over, and I was in a new one it came to me. Every step I took, every sound that was made and every turned I made into a new corridor.

A screeched was heard the moment I rounded another bend and the creature I had been looking for appeared. It seemed like it had been waiting near the entrance. Maybe it was waiting on me? With little time to ponder over that question I reached for the ax that had been strapped to my backpack. The buckler was already equipped as it was light and didn’t bother me too much. Even still I wouldn’t take it off as it served as a good means of protection in case of a sudden attack that my senses would fail to pick up.

Another series of screeches came as a response, the hoard of Spidoths finally rounded the bend.

Amaya observed the ‘little army’ of her cousin. She didn’t understand, couldn’t understand why the boy who was basically her brother would recruit commoners off the street. Aegis had always been a little weird growing up with his head constantly in the clouds. Yet only accepting orphans off the street when there were plenty of applications sent to the growing force of the young heir. Not many people knew what the force was going to be for but those in the know, which now included Amaya after her mother left and told her were astonished. Sending a force, a bit over a thousand into a minor world to conquer it? Maybe it wasn’t just Aegis who was weird but her family in general.

She knew who the Kans where from all the history lessons with her teacher Rue and Aunty Keala yet that didn’t mean she was brought into the idea of her family being some of the greatest warriors the Empire has ever seen. After all she had only trained and sparred all this time. Never actually putting her combat to use. Now that she found out about the quest to conquer a world. She would double her training, even triple it if that meant only being strong enough to make sure her cousin returned alive and victorious.

She would also make sure to recruit a few talents that she had met for her cousin as well. Even if he didn’t want the children of the nobility in his force surely a few wouldn’t cause any issues. Surely. She turned away from the young children now becoming young teens and adults to return to training. Her cousin was out there in the Catacombs on a real Kan adventure growing stronger facing various challenges and Amaya promised to herself that she would keep up with him every step of the way. Determination burned in her gaze as she thought about the reason of her wanting to grow stronger as the imaged of his burned body flashed through her mind.

“Never again.

Never again.”

Keala watched as Amaya resumed her training with a smile upon her face. She was grooming the girl well and made her more than knowledgeable in the areas her little shield would lack upon his return. She was no longer worried about the safety of her son as she had made several moves to secure his safety. Not even her husband Vasu could stop her.

Keala would groom try and groom Amaya to near the peak of what could break the boundary on a hostile minor world not yet bound. Her son would return victorious not only from his trips into the Catacombs but into his journey to start his legend.

Keala gazed into the distance as she was in her mage tower. The highest viewpoint in the castle grounds. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the horizon and only the most sensitive of beings would feel it. Her eyes locked with the Gatekeepers who was deep underground and both women smiled before Keala’s gaze settled and landed on the young life force of her son. How could she not have a tracker mark placed upon the boy. Not even her husband knew of this. He wasn’t out of the range of her sight just yet.

She would select a few talents that had potential and train them. Not only that but she would have a few of the younger generation from her family attend to her son as well. Finally, her gaze pierced through her tower and landed on a young lady training in a completely dark room. She watched as Murnia strained her ears listening for any sounds or movement. The girl’s magic core had molded itself more in tune with speed, but her son would need a hidden blade by his side in case of unexpected danger.

Keala gave out a small chuckle before her gaze pierced into her home and landed into her husbands who was watching her the entire time with a slight frown upon his face. She gave out a small wave and he rolled his eyes in irritation. Unless one of the old monsters of the Kan came out to stop her from protecting her son not even her husband could block all attempts in stopping her.

*

Vasu rolled his eyes at his wife. He had made sure to block several of the attempts his wife made at ensuring their first sons’ safety. Although he did let smaller ones through. Like the increase in spatial bag size as well as starter equipment. He even allowed the boys gear to be enchanted yet that didn’t stop his wife from trying to enact every plan she could think of the keep their son safe. Whether it be hidden assassins to protect the boy, or a recruiting adventurer parties. His wife tried to cover any avenue she could. He allowed her small victories to not upset her too much. After all he still wanted more children and if he got another woman, she wouldn’t last the day before ending up dead.

Vasu knew what his child was capable of, and his bloodline would guide him in times of peril and if he fails. Well, Vasu would still have two more chances as he looked upon his twins who were playing tag with several of his most trusted retainers’ children. Aegis wouldn’t fail, however. Since birth the boy always had this spark in his eyes maybe he would be the one. Maybe he would break the boundary.

Vasu also made sure that Stella’s apprentice would accompany his son upon his journey once Aegis returned with a fully activated bloodline. He would make sure to leave the Empire with the greatest Kan to ever live before his own departure to the boundary.