Now I don't often get to say this, but something remarkable happened to Leon whilst Stygian was in a life of death struggle. Leon made a friend. A fox to be precise, or at least something that looked like a fox since it could speak fluently in any and every language. The fox had shown up disguised as a mass of writhing black shadows, like a demon incarnate to Leon's inexperienced eye, ready to rend any intruders into a fine paste.

Yet the soon to be fox was bewildered, a treant bonded with a nymph was the very last thing it had expected. Since both races were allies, after all. The fox went from 0 to 100, it had been a few hundred years since anything had ended up in the outer gardens and long naps weren't exclusive to dragons. Anyways it went to a quick 100 back down to a very confused 40. That confusion only grew and the nymph told the story of its present state, which required a detailed explanation of what Tekanis had originally done to Leon, which required an actuate description of the fiend Stygian Half-light. Which led to a full and lengthy depiction of Leon's lives. Which led the fox to reveal it was one of the last four original Fae. Truly quite dull, but long and lengthy discussion cut short the Fae was very intrigued.

So Leon got a lovely tour of the gardens from it's keeper, and thankfully this time no other nymph dared to hurl obscenities at the bonded pair. Leon learned a great deal from the keeper. It was all going great until Stygian killed the revenant. The whole city shook and the fox sighed, "I had hoped that there was more time, but that Stygian truly is a fiend. This city has lasted a thousand years, but it seems you all will be it's final visitors."

"What are you talking about? What did that damn bug do? I'll kill him!" Cried Leon with a grunting course of agreement from Pen.

"Leon, Stygian only hastened the inevitable. The final four Fae are heavily tied to Atarcin. We act as guardians, tied together to support the city. We acted as a cycle keeping each other powerful, but during our downfall one guardian killed another and broke his ties to the cycle. We three Fae have been maintaining this city by ourselves and slowly declining. With just two... Well I don't have long left." So saying the Fae began to grow less solid.

"No, you can't. You're one of the only friends I've made in this hell hole. You can't leave..."

"Don't worry young one, there is an option I can bequeath a portion of my power to you and act as a kind of guide, it will persevere me while granting you my halo."

"Why?" Asked a suddenly suspicious Leon.

"Ha, Leon, I swear on my consciousness that I mean you no harm. I've bonded myself so close to the thread of dreams I am... I am like you actually, Atarcin is my vessel I am it's nymph, the city will consume me completely to keep running. I can't sever my ties to the city without a new host. I'll die just the same. Together we can be something more, and with my help I can break you free from Stygian. What do you say?"

"I agree" Suddenly the duo was thrown into a sea of agony and began to become a threesome.

Vaelin was deep in meditation in the Arcanium currently she was undergoing the final trial to earn a Horn. Much lost knowledge was gathered here from centuries of discoveries, it provided a bit of insight that led to Vae confidently entering her trial. If everything went as planned, then shortly after she would ascend. Carl was astounded, it normally took pixies quite a while to piece the puzzle that was ascension. This pixie was something else, she had already figured it out, and she wasn't the only special one her companions were too.

Carl was the eyes and ears of Atarcin Leon and Pen were almost limitless potential, Stygian was a... Well, walking natural disaster doesn't do it justice, but the bug was a bundled mass of talent, skill, anger, hunger, and death. Vaelin was withdrawn, intelligent, well spoken and driven, but there was a dark undercurrent. She seemed willing to spill oceans of blood and there was only a thin veil hiding it. Where Stygian was blind angry, Vae was focused hatred. She craved power as much as Stygian did, and she would do anything to get it. Carl suspected that her basic thread was ill-gotten, it was a little known fact but the binding held on to the feelings and impressions leading up to the binding. There was so much emotion and pain trapped in her binding that Carl could barely believe it produced basic Mana.

It felt like a thread of lies, deception, and blood.

Carl felt his body of steel and gears degrade a bit more. He was the last string holding the city defenses together even now intruders probed the gates. If Carl could save himself he would have, but he was at the end of the line. All he could do was wait for Vaelin, and when she awoke her power rippled out from her. A spike horn tipped in red sprouted from her forehead, like a thorned rose. Her sclera turned a dazzling shade violet with one iris green and the other blue. Her body radiated light, and she seemed like a messenger sent from heaven. As Carl looked upon her he seemed insignificant, puny, despite Carl being five times her sizes.

Without a sad smile Vaelin summoned up a blade of blue light, and with a flick of her wrist she split Carl in half. Destroying him. Carl may have been dying and in pain, but Vaelin wasn't being merciful. Shortly after she began her ascension.

Warning! You have pushed far beyond your limits to mitigate some of the damage that otherwise would have killed, your perk 'At Death's Door' has been used up. Even though you won, the backlash would have destroyed what remained. You did this instinctually to persevere yourself, but some damage is inevitable. Be wary of crossing such lines in the future, you may not get another chance.

This was the message greeting Stygian after the bug got over the initial shock of losing an arm. To be honest Stygian was still grappling with that, and was hoping for a distraction with reward prompts, but this was first and Stygian couldn't seem to get past it. It was like losing another arm, it was a sharp reminder that stygian wasn't flawless, at least not yet. Finally Stygian digested the prompt and more sprang up in the bug's sight. Looking around Stygian made sure it was safe, the bug was greeted by an army of loyal insects, its soul familiar's and a construct of its own making. The undead that had once packed the graveyard, now seemed dead dead. With that Stygian dived right in.

Congratulations! Thanks to your reckless use of an untested skill, and channeling the stuff of souls throughout your body all attributes have broken through their respective caps. All attributes gain +15 points, including Charisma. Intimating a master of the undead has raised Charisma's physical modifier to 20%, but looking like a monster who refuses to die lowers it down to -20%. Mentality, intelligence, perception, and wisdom +30%. Endurance, constitution, and vitality +15%. Endurance, constitution, and vitality have reached your body's physical modifier cap. Improve the quality of your body to improve the limit. Valus has reached level 13, 36 Slots available. Soul Eater has reached level 7, 24 Slots available. Shaper increased to level 2, 1 Slot available. Congratulations! Telekinesis has increased to level 10. Telekinesis now puts less of a strain on your mind and it can be used at a greater distance. Mentality and Wisdom +10. Physical Conversion has increased to level 5. The ratio of conversion is now better. Endurance +5. Repulse has reached level 4. Whirlpool has reached level 15. Can affect a greater area, less of a strain mentally, and requires less thought to use. Perception and intelligence +15. Soul construction has reached level 20. For going above and beyond with your first true creation and for gaining 19 levels in one go you have gained a special reward. Soul Reading has been added to Soul Eaters hidden talents, it is easier to understand what parts of the soul do. +20 points to freely assign. Soul Manipulation has reached level 25, and has reached its current limit to reach beyond you must truly understand what it means to manipulate souls. +25 points to freely assign. For jumping so many levels in one go you have gained a special reward. Soul Gardening has been added to Soul Eater's hidden talents, you can grow souls by condensing and feeding them Mana. You have generated a linked skill for Soul Manipulation, Soul Channeling. Soul channeling has the effective level of Soul Manipulation, but you can only use one half of the skill at a time. Meaning you can either manipulate souls outside your body or within.

Soul Channeling Level 25

You can channel raw soul energy through your body, for a safe +5% physical boost. Exceeding this limit can have detrimental effects, but a higher level can help mitigate that.

Warning! You have exceeded the limit of Soul Channeling by 70%. This has burned away much of your life, it is unclear how much time you have remaining. Congratulations! You have developed your very first Technique. Techniques combine multiple skills, spells, abilities, and or hidden effects to create something greater. This Technique combines your psychic powers and a hidden talent from Soul Eater, Soul Sight. You can read potential moves, skills, spells, or abilities before an opponent uses them. It's like predicting the future except much harder. Increase the individual powers to increase this Technique. Congratulations! Thanks to the creation of a Technique Soul Eater and Valus could potentially be merged into one. This would lower Soul Eater to level 10, however it would increase the job to 7 total slots. Meaning 63 slots would be available, however failing to combine them would mean both classes lose a level. Congratulations! You have developed a new ability, Psychic Domain. Using Mana you can detect anything nearby. Most everything that exists generates something like psychic white noise, you can detect this noise making it nigh impossible to sneak up on you.

After an absolute avalanche of rewards Stygian was left stunned. Before doing anything else Stygian decided to merge it's two classes. Soul Eater was simply amazing as it was, but being able to so easily merge two jobs was beyond belief. Normally it took actual decades to merge two separate classes, but that is only if one isn't a jack of all trades job. Even still it should have taken much longer, bit Stygian wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

Stygian ready itself for agony as two separate aspects of itself merged, instead it just felt like Soul Eater expanded greedily snatching up Valus. It felt right as though Soul Eater was meant to be all encompassing and only needed the slightest excuse to expand its own power set.

Congratulations! Soul Eater has become a seven Slot Job. You currently have four threads bonded with this job, The Deep Mind, The Devourer, The Fount, and The Repulsion threads. While many jobs would have a limit on threads, the only limit on Soul Eater is your personal limit. Your capacity for magic has been forcibly widened by Soul Channeling and the merging of two jobs. Your combined job level is 10 leaving you with 63 slots to play with.

Buying some time Stygian decided to distribute some stat points, enjoying seeing the new values after remaining stagnant for a month.

Name Physical Modifiers Attributes Unique Statuses Stygian Half-light Str: +23.7% Str: 60 Oath Age Agi: +20.1% Agi: 65 Monster's Vitality 3 months Dex: +19.5% Dex: 65 Thick Plating Species Acr: +16.0% Acr: 60 Deväk (Psyling) Mnt: +30.2% Mnt: 75 Int: +39.1% Int: 80 Wis: +38.9% Wis: 75 Per: +43.7% Per:80 End: +50% End: 70 Con: +50% Con: 65 Vit: +50% Vit: 100 Cha: -20% Cha: 23

Most of the points went into vitality, but some of them went to round out other stats. One went into charisma, because it was going to be useful one day or Stygian would die trying. Stygian opened up the skill window for Shaper and was met with a surprise.

Congratulations! You have been offered the skill Shaping, you have demonstrated that you understand the heart of creation, and what it means to be a Shaper. Accepting this skill will take up your remaining Slot, Yes?/No?

Shaping Level 1

You can use your will to shape materials into a desired shape. A higher mentality allows you to shape tougher materials. With your psionic powers this becomes even easier. Shaping works in two parts first you must channel Mana to make a material pliable

And just like that Stygian could imagine Shaper merging with Soul Eater, of course Stygian might have to create a new technique, but still. Stygian might just have the ultimate jack of all trades job. Just then Stygian heard a voice.

"Are you quite done? There are some things I like to discuss with you." The voice is smooth, haughty, and calming.

Stygian had the very odd urge to respond kindly, even politely. Which caused Stygian to cock its head in confusion. That wasn't its normal response, normally Stygian would open with a growl, threats, or a beheading depending on its mood.

"Relax you can't help it, it's the effect I have on mortals." The voice sighed. "It's really an unfortunate side effect."

"Side effect of what?" Stygian didn't put much effort into the question using it's regular gravely tones.

"*Sigh* I am delighted to introduce myself as the God of Trade and Treasure, and I would love to make you a deal."

Stygian felt a pulling sensation as the room rushed around the bug and suddenly, Stygian was in a room of gleaming and glittering treasure. With a man bedecked in furs and finery. Jewel's graced every single finger, a coat white fur blended with gold thread, his eyes were green emeralds flecked with gold, and more than a few of his teeth looked like diamonds. Yet he seemed discordant, he wore a plain necklace with the skull of a crow, his black hair was slicked back and seemed to shine a dull red, like blood. He also had a dagger of bone at his hip in a sheath of red crystal.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but this amount of treasure earned all at once... Well it's like a sunburn on my psyche, constantly slightly irritating."

Stygian looked out over the gleaming horde of gems, gold, scrolls, swords, coins and chests. "And what do you want with all of, this." Stygian's tone dripped with indifference.

A puzzled look crossed the man's, no the God's face, and something flashed in his eyes. "You definitely aren't like the others so let me be honest with you, Stygian Half-light. Treasure is a part of my domain, same with trade if you hadn't guessed, and what I want with this is to increase my power with it. However I can't just take it, I have to trade for it."

"How can treasure give you more power?" Stygian eyed the treasure if it could increase power why would the bug keep it.

"Well it is part of my godly domains, simply having more treasure makes me stronger, and making a deal for said treasure will also increase my power."

"So that wouldn't work for me then?"

"Sadly no, but I can give you whatever you desire for some of this treasure."

Stygian eyed the treasure thinking about what it would want, and asked, "What would it cost for an arm and a leg?"

A bemused smile crossed the God lips, "Never would I have thought to put monetary value on an arm and a leg, always thought it would remain metaphorical. However I don't think that is what you want, being of aväk descent you can make a new arm in your next metamorphosis, if you have one left."

"How did you know that? I haven't told you that?"

"It's an ability I possess, Stygian Half-light, I thought you would have noticed earlier when I used your name. I could offer you whatever you need to finish your current metamorphosis, which would be much cheaper than regrowing limbs. So what do you need, what do you want?"

Stygian grew a faux pixie mouth just to smile, because Stygian finally understood the allure of wealth.