The last dregs of superhuman Strength faded away as he stumbled upon the rooftop of a massive and clearly abandoned high rise, beholding a magnificent view of a city that, according to the interface superimposed on his mind's eye, was now finally free of any significant clusters of resistance, the sparse handfuls of reds remaining doing all they could to flee the city.

Only then did Eric drop to his knees, mind flooded by a stream of messages as the first rays of dawn hit his form and he collapsed in a heap as dust and random chunks of rock ricocheting from the fallen orc stronghold washed over the city, Eric’s exquisite hearing somehow picking up the distant coughing of elves, more than one champion having raised his shield, quietly cursing the blasted night.

Congratulations! All surviving orcs are now fleeing this territory!

All potential orc Contenders and agents of said Contenders have either surrendered, died by your hands, or fled!

Your Oath to the citizens of Gilton has been fulfilled!

Dark Blessing has left you!

Berserker’s Wrath has left you!

You are presently suffering from the effects of Extreme Exhaustion!

You are currently suffering from the effects of Soul Depletion!

You are currently unable to move!

Eric chuckled bitterly, not at all surprised by the last message. He had been shot, after all, and was no doubt bleeding out. And why the hell hadn't he stopped when surrounded by potential allies when he had the chance? He had been so worried about being bound by oaths that would constrain his greatest gift, the dark boon that would work long after this wondrous night of titles had ended, that he fled for all he was worth, risking his very life, so desperate to claim and keep his freedom.

He shook his head as exhaustion took its toll. "And what good does that freedom do me if I'm as good as dead?" He swallowed thickly, forcing himself to look down at his own grizzly wounds… before his eyes widened in shock, seeing no injuries at all.

Not even marks on his Dominion-infused scales.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Then he swallowed, recalling in visceral detail just how fearsome a killer he had been, when his Strength and Vitality had both soared past 100, however temporary a boon it was. But his fierce smile turned to a painful sob when he recalled the countless haunted gazes of so many doomed souls, writhing in their final moments, fueling him with their desperate desire for a savior, even when disemboweled and on death’s door.

And he had been unable to do more than free the ones still bound. He could do nothing for those about to lose everything as they crossed death’s threshold. All he could do was avenge them.

Which he had, to the best of his ability. Even if his heart now lurched painfully in his chest at the memory of a young girl’s dying gaze.

He choked back his grief, wiping bitter tears from his eyes as the last of the orcs left Gilton territory, and his soul rung with another System Message that wouldn’t be denied.

All orcs have fled the area!

You are personally responsible for the deaths of over 50% of all occupying forces! You have earned the Title: Orc Bane! (Unique potency bonuses have already been claimed!)

Orc Bane Title Boons:

You have +4 to all skill checks to impress or intimidate non-native humanoids, should you reveal this title.

Unless you deliberately hide this title, orcs will either flee, or attack you on sight!

You enjoy a bonus to all Find Weakness skill checks against orcs.

Orcs are now far less able to resist your Spells or Essence-based attacks.

Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the Territory: Gilton City!

You possess the essence of Dominion!

You have uncontested Rites over this Domain!

The endless potential of an entire realm is at your fingertips!

How do you wish to shape this realm?

Eric shivered with wonder and awe. As glorious and wondrous as it was to sense the unlimited potential of this city, he knew he’d be surrendering it to another. So there was no reason not to tear what sweet fruits of potential from this place that he could. Not when he knew how easily this territory could be claimed and claimed yet again, one champion against another, the desperate humans within always forced to pay a terrible price.

Far better he claim a portion of that potential for himself. So one day, after multiple conquests and struggles, he might truly be as strong as he had been for such a brief time this night. So mighty that no foe would dare invade the city or territory he might one day finally claim as his own.

But he would make no such claim tonight.

Not when his Essences would allow him to do so much more.

Because strength was everything, treachery was everywhere, and only the strong could afford to put ethics before survival’s demands, or ever truly be free.

So he looked past the paths of territory enhancement and focused on darker, hidden paths known by very few.

Do you wish to embrace Necromantic Consumption? – Success Rate – High. Hostile Detection Likelihood: Nil. You may discretely feast upon this realm’s potential to permanently increase Strength and Vitality by 10 Points Each! With all the death, mayhem, and chaos that has already flooded this land, what mage could possibly detect one more discrete little feeding?

Do you wish to embrace Essence Consumption? - Success Rate – Low. This territory has become a source of intense suffering and tragedy, and traces of Wrath, namely echoes of your own, can be found everywhere! Note. Moderate risk of Hostile Detection. The Sylvan Alliance you have sworn to surrender this land to is already here to collect their due! And suddenly draining the land of Essence potential, in proximity to the only essence user presently associated with the alliance, would be very telling indeed.

Eric couldn’t help chuckling softly.

The path before him was obvious, even if his Interface was giving in-your-face hints, and revealing useful tidbits as well. Fortunately, he was practical enough not to ignore it out of spite. Because after this night, he knew just how incredibly valuable inhuman Strength and resilience could be, having slaughtered literally hundreds of foes, and taken the equivalent of a shotgun blast right to the chest without even slowing down. Of course, a long-bore cannon had almost obliterated him, but Quickness wasn’t on the table right now. That was one trait he’d clearly have to develop that on his own.

So he didn’t hesitate to drink deep of the wondrous potential flooding this land with its recent liberation, and himself as well. Before laughing aloud with joy, realizing that his feeding wasn’t nearly as detrimental as he had feared, just one tiny human drinking down the tiniest bit of potential as Necromantic Consumption blossomed like a luscious midnight fruit in ways wondrous and grand, and he found out that even along this dark path he could feast upon the fires of hell with a halo still firmly upon his head.

Necromantic Consumption skill is now Rank 5! You may evolve this skill along three separate paths! The path of the Ravager, The Path of Shadows, and the Path of Endless Bounty lie before you!

You have declined the Path of the Ravager! (Which would have left Gilton a lifeless baron wasteland. The real reason why those who dare your crooked path are so feared and reviled by the very few in the know!)

You have declined the Path of Shadows, which would have made your already discrete feedings invisible to even the most zealous Inquisitor! (Aren’t you glad you haven’t run into them yet?)

You have successfully taken your first step upon the Path of Endless Bounty!

You are pleased to discover that your feast of potency has taken only the smallest of sips from the unlocked potential of this tiny realm. Sufficient potency remains for Gilton to evolve with one Lesser Bounty in play!

You have chosen the Lesser Bounty of Fecundity’s Blessing!

It turns out that Gilton is actually the epicenter of a magnificent upsurge of druidic affiliated life energies! The entire city, now released from the depredations of hostile orcs, is free to blossom in the ways it had always been destined to!

Gilton Territory has become a Green Tier Farming center!

Multiple structures have been converted to multi-story farming terraces!

Eric found himself standing upright once more, unable to hold back a sharp cry of awed wonder as the endless potential of an entire realm flooded through his soul.

As crumbling buildings transformed under the warm golden light of the newly risen sun into multi-tiered terraces of living wood filled with multiple stories of lush green foliage thick with ripe fruit, fragrant flowers, and countless crops, ready for harvesting as if they had been patiently growing over a period of months compressed into Eric’s echoing cry, resonating through an entire reforged realm.

And he could sense so intimately his connection to hundreds of transformed buildings, as well as the denizens within. Countless people opening weary eyes with a sense of joy and hope they had feared gone from their lives forever.

It was as if they were all, collectively, waking from an awful nightmare into the welcoming light of a fresh new day of their lives, understanding with profound epiphanies and shudders of unexpected insight how to care for the crop-filled structures they found themselves within, as the memories of over four hundred generations of agrarian ancestors filled their souls, and the pain and despair of a half-year of suffering faded away, like the bad dream it should always have been.

Eric found himself falling to his knees, gazing about at the transformed city that now looked like the most exotic of futuristic farming communes with endless hydroponic terrariums and multi-storied greenrooms, having no words to properly describe the miraculous transformation that had occurred, or how profoundly it had touched his soul.

And to think, he had somehow been a catalyst for this incredible transformation.

Before giving an abrupt shake of his head. Knowing he deserved no such credit at all.

He hadn’t suffered a single bead of sweat upon his brow from putting together even one terrarium, let alone constructing any of the magnificent buildings now glittering in the morning sunlight.

He was just a man standing at a fork in the stream of causality.

Nothing less, and nothing more.

Because the reality before him, as of that moment, was and always had been every bit as real as the horror of a broken city and all the tragedy and death that had been left behind. More real, in fact. As if that past had never even existed, save as the specter of bitter half-memories and best-forgotten speculations of just how bad life could have been.

But wasn’t.

It was as if two branching paths of reality lay before him, and Eric had simply chosen as real the one that should have been there along.

The one that had been there, all along.

The shattered city left behind was now truly no more than a quickly fading dream, to the relief of countless tens of thousands of survivors, waking up with injuries fading as rapidly as the nightmare visions they were desperate to forget, embracing the fresh stories of their lives with a relish Eric could all but taste.

As if he were more than a ruler with an empty title, but a man who was now one with the land and the people within it so profoundly, that they were but an extension of his soul.

Before immediately pulling back with a hiss…

Tearing himself free of that magnificent dream, reminding himself of an oath given.

An obligation made…

And a glorious gift surrendered, if he dared take up the mantel of ruler, no matter how connected he would feel to his people.

A boon that had just infused his shuddering flesh with a permanent +10 in Strength and Vitality, no rapidly dwindling supply of titles required.

Congratulations!

Thanks to communing with the hopes, dreams, and life force of over 47,000 survivors, your Minor Territory Enhancement has transformed to a Major Boon of Fecundity!

Gilton City, now Gilton Commune, is destined to become an agrarian supplier for countless markets worldwide (and beyond!)

You have kept your oath and Surrendered all rights of Claimance to Lady Valorn!

You continue to forsake The Path of Rulers – Realm Breaker boon is still in effect!

Lady Valorn has acknowledged and accepted Claimance over Gilton Commune!

Lady Valorn recognizes the significance of your bounty!

You have been elevated in status to Esteemed Ally of the Sylvan Alliance!

Lady Valorn has submitted a Marriage Contract via the Sylvan Alliance to its ultimate head, the Winter Queen herself!

Interface flag noted: You are hereby refusing any and all interface messages from Lady Valorn, your mother, or any and all representative third parties. You are formally declaring your independence before all those with Interface Access, and refuse to entertain any offers of marriage at this time.

Eric took a shuddering breath, heart hammering with an entirely unexpected fear.

It seemed that there might have been an unexpected price to be paid for linking his internal interface with the Sylvan Alliance system maps. Because as much as he gloried in unlimited access to maps that would give him an incredible advantage in navigating this world and finding all sorts of delicious opportunities as he increased in power and ability, so too it seemed that it gave the Sylvan Alliance a backdoor into his own psyche as well. Or at least, the equivalent of an e-mail port.

Good thing he could effectively mark as spam any messages that would amount to a marriage trap. A trap he was most definitely determined to avoid.

Not until he had explored every avenue of power before him, and had ascended just as far as he possibly could.

Not until he knew that any pressured marriage wouldn’t forever stunt his own potential. Not when he felt, for the first time in his life, well and truly free.

Free to live his life on his own terms, to develop and grow as an adventurer, and a man, in whatever direction he wished.

After fighting for so long to escape his mother’s golden cage, the last thing he would do now is accept the fate of a pawn upon the board of another.

The hell with that.

He shook his head with a smile, gazing down from the lush, fecund terraced rooftop that this high-rise had become, taking a deep breath of air redolent with the scents of ripe fruit and countless blossoms as he glanced behind him at the hydroponic planters filled with purple lavender, colorful chrysanthemums, and countless other herbs and flowers rustling softly in the gentle breeze of a perfect spring day.

If there was one thing he was truly grateful for, besides the renewal of his flesh and soul with the transformation he had helped to catalyze, it was the boon of serenity it had gifted him with as well.

Because the horrific sights of brutality, savagery, and rapine torture he had been forced to witness last night, nightmare visions that had filled him with a berserker’s wrath that had only heightened as he embraced the desperate plea of an entire city, infusing his body with unspeakable torment, and his soul with wounds he had known even then would never heal…

Somehow had.

Or at least, they had faded to the point that he could see them as visceral points in a horrific, brutal timeline that was, in a sense, no longer his own. Tied to suffering that every single survivor had been freed from, thanks to his final act of Claimance and surrender.

He took a deep, calming breath, even as his heart spiked with a surge of horrified fury, the barest flicker of a flashback he could pretend had never happened, and perhaps wounds of the psyche weren’t truly healed so quickly, even with the most profound magics.

But there was one truth he would hold true to his heart.

Over 47,000 survivors had been given a path to let go of the horrors that had shaped their lives for far too long, now having the golden opportunity to embrace a life where that pain need be no more real than a dream.

He too had that right.

So he closed his eyes, meditating for long moments upon a single flickering flame now blazing brightly in his mind's eye, doing his best to be at peace with himself, and a past that was no longer his to control.

Instead of regret for all those he had failed to save, he would find solace in all those he had, as well as take joy in all the ways he himself had blossomed in a single night of miraculous transformations.

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Eric Silver Level 9 Conscript (You are 100% of the way to level 10!)

NOTE! - You have successfully infused your core! You are currently at 90.1% of maximum core density!)

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 43 (91%) You’re now many times stronger than any Olympian ever to walk the face of Earth!

Vitality – 36 You can now regenerate at a visible pace, and have (limited) natural damage resistance!

Finesse – 49 Yours is an exquisite grace that any professional dancer, fencer, or marksman would envy.

Quickness – 33 You strike between the beats, cutting down your foes in the blink of an eye.

Appearance – 17! Thanks in part to your massive spike in Vitality, your Essence scars are now no more than vibrant tattoo-like markings that only a few will find off-putting, and most will find absolutely fascinating! Combined with your cat-like grace and magnificent physique, your exquisitely handsome hybrid features now exceed everything your mother had once hoped to achieve with steroids, foundations, and primers.

Congratulations! You now glow with health that many will find absolutely irresistible! Best keep a tight lid on your Sylvan System Interface connections, lest you find yourself with an offer you (literally) can’t refuse!

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 13

Perception – 41 Perhaps the greatest attribute of all. This (along with infravision) means you can spot most enemies long before they spot you.

Willpower – 28 You have already survived trials that few others could endure. And it shows.

Charisma – 13

Potency Pools

Arcane Potential – 14

Spiritual Energy – 16

Soul Reserves – 46 (5.9 Points reserved = 40.1)

Stamina – 400 Points

Health – 493 Points.

Resistances & Recovery

Physical Resistance – 4

Physical Regeneration – At 36 Vitality, you recover 3.6 Health Points every second!

Elemental Resistance – 0

Qi Resistance – 0

Mental Resistance – 8

Physical Age = 17 Years (+22 years, 228 Days & 14 hours that Arcane Magics cannot restore! Superhuman Vitality allows you to keep your youth, even if you're now burning your candle at both ends!)

Interface Recognized Skills

Acting – Rank 5

Bardiche (Unified) – Rank 18 (Cleaving Blow)

Blade and Shield – Rank 11

Bow (All Types) – Rank 19 (True Strike)

Crossbows – Rank 16 (True Strike)

Dagger – Rank 3

Demolitions – Rank 12 (Path of Mastery)

ESS Manipulation – Rank 9

Find Weakness (Spell Cleave) – Rank 11

Gunnery – Rank 2

Iado (Fast-Draw) – Rank 8

Negotiation – Rank 7

Repair – Rank 1

Saber – Rank 14 (Doom Slice)

Spear – Rank 14 (Piercing Strike)

Stealth – Rank 11 (Hunter’s Grace)

Swimming – Rank 2

Unarmed Combat – Rank 4

Necromancer Affinities & Skills

Blood Mastery – Rank 18 (Blood Claimance)

Spirit Mastery – Rank 15 (Path of Dominion)

Rituals of Summoning and Binding – Rank 15 (Path of Dominion)

Flesh Sculptor – Rank 20 (Path of Dominion)

You are now a Journeyman of the Path of Blood!

You are now an Adept of the Path of Dominion!

You are now an Apprentice Necromancer!

Necromancer Spells

Unorthodox Abjuration – Rank 3 20! Adept Rank Achieved!

Damage inflicted upon undead: EXTREME. Cost: 300 ex, 50 temporary health, 100 Mana ½ of Soul Reserves. 60 Ex, 10 temporary health, 20 mana, 10% of temporary Soul Reserves. NOTE! This attack WILL affect Bronze tier revenants and cause CATASTROPHIC damage to all White Tier Undead!

Interface Enhancements

Full Neuro-Linguistic capabilities

Extradimensional Storage Space

Essences Claimed:

Fire – Saturated - (Rank 2, White Tier)

Wrath (Rank 1, White Tier)

Dominion (Rank 1, White Tier)

Essence Related Skills:

Burst of Strength: Rank 13 (Path of Mastery)

Dominion’s Resilience: Rank 3 (Make your toys harder to break, especially the soul-bound ones!)

Heat Surge: Rank 9

Infravision: Rank 13 (Magesight +4 to spot mind & soul magic.)

Contender Skills (Path of Consumption)

These skills fuse Necromancy, Essences, and a Contender’s potential! You have dared to fuse your gifts along a Forbidden Path!

Necromantic Consumption (Path of Endless Bounty): Rank 5 - You may feast on the potency potential of Territories you have conquered, boosting your Strength and Vitality permanently, so long as you claim no territory under your banner! (The Path of Rulers and the Path of Consumption are diametrically opposed!). This form of consumption has the highest likelihood of success, and mimics natural cycles of predation so well that not even System Sentinels can detect your actions!

You may also feast upon the potency of Dungeons you have achieved a First Completion on. Note: Likelihood of success, penalty cost (in terms of life force) for anything less than a 100% clear, and degree of potency absorbed all benefit from increasing Rank!

You have chosen to walk the Path of Endless Bounty! The territories you carefully prune actually blossom under your touch, able to evolve with 1 Lesser Bounty of your choice!

Essence Consumption: Rank 3 - You may feast on the Essence potential of Territories you have conquered, so long as you claim none! (The Path of Rulers and the Path of Consumption are diametrically opposed!). You may also feast upon the Essence potential of Dungeons you have achieved a First Completion on! Note: Not all territories or dungeons have any potential Essence to claim. Additionally, said essences might NOT be compatible with those you already have. Likelihood of success is lower than with basic Necromantic Consumption, unless territory or dungeon is naturally attuned to a particular Essence!

Unformed (Trash Tier) Cultivation Technique (Flame Origin) – Novice – 20%

Titles Earned

Necromantic Prodigy

HERO

Lightning Marksman

Realm Breaker

Headhunter

Mad Bomber

Master Negotiator

Battlefield Champion

Battlefield Archer

Orc Bane

Title Boons:

- Increased spacial perception and sense of timing means you’re 35% more likely to hit all future targets with all ranged weapons!

- You now learn all ranged weapon skills 35% faster.

+4 to reaction rolls from all humans who know of your hero status.

- So long as you forsake the Path of Rulers, you may consume the essence and potency of any territory you claim!

- All skills involving explosives or gunnery improve 10% Quicker.

+2 to all skill checks to impress or intimidate non-native humanoids.

- You have (an additional) +4 to all skill checks to impress or intimidate non-native humanoids, should you reveal your Orc Bane title.

- Unless you deliberately hide Orc Bane title, orcs will either flee, or attack you on sight!

- You enjoy a bonus to all Find Weakness skill checks against orcs.

- Orcs now have a penalty at resisting your Spells or Essence based attacks.

- All explosives you yourself design and implement, including artillery rounds, will earn you an additional 10% of base experience.

- Tier 1 Structural Integrity Sense mean that your own weapons will hardly ever blow up in your face, and you now get a gut feeling whenever weapons (or shoddily made buildings) look ready to erupt, topple, or otherwise explode in your face.

- Social Perception - You may now use Perception in addition to Charisma to sense meaning behind action like never before!

- What The Other Party Wants - Above all else, you’re able to sense what others truly want in any negotiation!

- All blows with melee weapons are now 15% more powerful!

- You learn all melee weapon skills 15% faster!

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