Chương 19

Zuri ran her thumb up and down her hatchets. A pile of geo corpses lay in front of her- at least a dozen, but the frantic defense of Kirk Albion had taken up too much focus for her to grasp the exact number. No geo came crawling over its fellow. The steamy interior of the boulder alcove settled. She inspected her own condition in the sudden lull. First, her side: the bandages hadn't yet bled through. Her gaze flicked up the sky. From the slow pulses in the mist, another wave shouldn't be imminent.

Only then did she look across their little boulder hideout, to her partner manning the crack on the other side. For a second, her pupils dilated; Maett wasn't at his post! Then she saw he was collapsed face-first in the middle, amongst the cooling corpses of the geos. She sagged back against the wall and released a long breath.

"That was… a lot." Maett muttered unintelligible nonsense into the stone. Zuri groaned.

"You know I can't hear you." He flopped over.

"A colossal waste, this was. Pressure and adrenaline so concentrated it could have squeezed out a diamond. It would have satisfied a Beyond your Limits Ascension. Do we have those? No."

"But I finally did it," Zuri whispered.

"Baelz- My heart has found peace." Maett pushed himself up off the ground.

"Next time let's just poison him. A sophisticated and clean method." Zuri shook her head, almost rueful.

"I had to know. Even if I was sure, even if all the timelines matched up, maybe-" Zuri fell silent. It had been two long years of regret and doubt. Only her incandescent grief had animated her, refusing to let the culprit escape. She loosed a small cough and looked around.

"But also, we need to discuss what just happened. That- that was not the energy of a Tier I. And he dared Ascend here- perhaps the Albions have a method of extracting the pollution." As one, both turned to look at the collapsed form of Kirkland Albion. Neither had approached him since his Ascension, both had been too busy fending off the geos that his Ascension had attracted, but he looked so thin and disheveled now. He lay across the massive Larian Saber, blood dribbling out of his mouth onto the stone.

"Have you heard the rumors?" Maett said. While he talked, he raised a dagger and began to saw at the collar around his throat. Because of the sudden emergencies, he had to defend with the inert binding still on him.

"About Kirk Albion."

"What, him being a foppish prat? Without potential? The most disgraceful Albion in five generations?" Zuri said. Maett chuckled.

"More recent rumors." For a second, Zuri had no idea what he was talking about. Methodically, she loosened the laces of her leather armor, winced as she again prodded her wound, then drank from the discarded water skin. At which point she finally recalled a recent rumor, creating the perfect spit take. Zuri wiped her mouth.

"You mean, that he awakened a second Archetype? That's impossible."

"Generally, I'd agree. Those who boast do it precisely because they possess so few qualities of note. But Kirk-" Maett paused. He finally cut through the collar. He sucked in a massive breath; the surrounding mist stirred and flowed toward him. Then he held out a hand and took a big swig of water. Finally, sighed and plopped onto the ground.

"Truth be told, I've been giving him instruction on Runes recently. As well as advice on other subjects-""By the wound," Zuri blinked.

"You've been hooking up with Kirkland Albion?"

"Such gleeful grandstanding I would unleash, were it true," Maett sighed.

"Despite repeatedly guzzling his fine wine, being insufferably charming, and flashing collarbones, his attention remained on Conduit issues. Ahem, but he told me the very same story- a second Archetype. And he seemed honest. He is honest, I believe."

"Your imagination takes flight more often than an epileptic dove. He is an Albion. Don't overcomplicate it." Zuri frowned.

"That amount of energy was closer to the limit of Tier I, rather than freshly Ascended. But this is the golden child of one of the most powerful noble families in the Kingdom. This kid's been sucking on treasure materials since he could open his mouth. Perhaps that's all it is." Maett stared at Zuri for a second.

"Perhaps. But wouldn't it be novel, should the world be on the cusp of something better? Beyond artifice and hoarding?"

"No, thank you," Kirk shook his head.

"I don't need an escort back to the rift entrance. I want to stay here." Maett seemed flummoxed.

"Err- don't you wish to ascertain your new abilities? Before wandering the Rift?" Zuri, too, seemed hesitant.

"You've just absorbed raw Rift energy, perhaps recuperation should be your first priority? Also, to report your advancement-" Kirk frowned; that was something he hadn't considered. He hadn't seen it in the documentation.

"Am I required to tell someone when I Ascend?" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Not immediately. But before you enter the Rift again." For whatever reason, Zuri seemed amused. Her wide smile revealed very white teeth.

"You'll get access to more information and have a shorter turnaround time, as a Tier I."

"We've discussed the theories, but until we prove that the pollution isn't harming you..." Maett hesitated.

"I feel great," Kirk looked down at his hands. Even now, thinking about the unholy fire of Ascension made some part of him shiver in fear. Yet those sweeping waves of hot energy had knitted his flesh back together. The wounds and bruises he should have received from blasting apart the bag of cores had already healed. Hovering in his chest, his two Archetypes burned. And definitely, the Beast- no, the Ancient Bladed Beast now- had increased in 'volume' inside of his head.

Which was why he wanted time alone, to regulate himself. The thought of walking out of the Rift, being surrounded by staring individuals, having to sleep in the cramped and loud Peakhold- Kirk shuddered. Besides, you are developing too, aren't you? Kirk's attention turned to his other Archetype. Where it had previously been shallow, a strange ember of desire burned. He bowed to Zuri and Maett.

"I owe you both. But I need to ask you two more things before you go. First-." Kirk gestured up the slope.

"The porter hired by Baelz-""We will handle the body." Zuri's eyes flared. She gestured to the vein-lined boulders around here.

"Plus, we can harvest a bit of marrow here. Should the man have family, they will be compensated." Just the dog, Kirk felt a twinge in his heart.

"Second, you have more experience with Tier I Archetypes." Kirk said, shifting focus. He thought about his information.

"One of my new Manifestations has numbers in brackets next to it, in addition to the Tier designation. What does that mean?" Maett whistled.

"Did you say, one of your manifestations?" Zuri said.

"For Runes and Manifestations, or Titles, if you- well, it should be impossible before Silver. Anyway, explains your Status only if you trust someone with your life."

"You saved me while I was vulnerable." Kirk was confused.

"Isn't that me trusting you with my life?" Both fell silent for a second. They exchanged a glance. Zuri seemed helpless. Maett seemed oddly guilty.

"Those numbers are a progression," Maett eventually said.

"Sometimes, the gifts of Archetypes can't all be immediately inherited. Only effort and persistence will unlock their full power. If you continue to utilize them, and utilize them well, the left number will grow, moving toward your total potential, the right number."

"Oh, it's important to note that those numbers become locked the next time you Ascend." Zuri said.

"And don't be a perfectionist. At around potential 5, improving becomes onerous. Even for the determined." Maett sighed.

"I know of several individuals who have wasted months, delaying their Ascension, only to suffer a mental break when their quarry never manifests." Kirk absorbed that tidbit of information. Eventually Maett tired of dropping hints that perhaps Kirk should reconsider heading back with them. The pair left. When they did so, Kirk released a long breath. Obviously, packed with a week's worth of supplies, he wasn't going to turn around and head out of the Rift.

Plus, he was practically bursting with excitement to test the limits of his new Archetypes. But first, he wanted to move. Yes, now as a Tier I, he could possibly endure below the green fog layer, but he would feel more at ease if he went up the slope a bit. So Kirk leaned down and wrapped his hands around the Larian Saber. He grunted and slowly leveraged it up, holding the weapon horizontally.

He moved slowly, delighting in his newfound- His arms began to tremble and Kirk hurriedly hauled the weapon up the rest of the way. Only when he found his balance did he release a breath. Okay, Bestial Strength means I can handle the saber, but it's still not easy… Kirk hoped that, if he kept training, his abilities would move toward his potential and he could actually wield the weapon. He gathered the rest of his supplies, put on his pack, and moved outside of the boulder cover.

He spared a glance for the geo corpses, left for the cores to disperse because so many had attacked at once, but decided not to try and haul a corpse. If I want to eat more, I can just kill my own. With that, he trooped up the slope, sticking to the shadow of boulders, watching out for geos. Despite his newfound strength, despite the fact his new Bestial Senses I gave him a clear picture of the surroundings, Kirk waited for geo-3s to pass when he sensed them and moved after the coast was clear.

I seem to like dictating the terms of my interactions with others, Kirk observed, allowing himself to fall into the natural rhythm of the body. Soon, he found the mist and hurried through. On the other side, he was equally vigilant, despite the decreased danger. He stepped around a few vein trees that drank in the layer. And to his immense pleasure, he found he recognized this part of the slope; this was where he had stayed the first time.

He followed his memories to the rift in the ground, which led to the small cave. Looking down, he hesitated. He kicked a stone down into the cave. A raving geo-3 slobbered its way out. Kirk, who was still holding the Larian saber, chopped down. The dark blade fell. A single strike split the geo in half. Kirk's band buzzed and when he saw the rewards, he was somewhat surprised. Feat Gained! One Strike Kill ✷✷ Feat Gained! Solo Kills ✷ You gain the same feats again?

At least the rising costs of Refinements make sense. Kirk nodded. He lowered himself into the hole and looked around. The cave was much like he remembered-- a water-ish liquid dribbled through a nearby crack and formed a small pool. His face split into a wide grin.

"Smells like home." After laying down his pack, he finally turned again to his new information. For the foreseeable future, he would be figuring out what all of this meant.

Name: Kirkland Albion Archetype: Glimmer Mage (I) -Runes: Ember I, Flash -Manifestations: Runic Battery II, Vengeful Ember I [1/10] -Ascension: Cultivation (Greater Fire 0/1) Archetype: Ancient Bladed Beast (I) -Runes: Tenacity I -Manifestations: Bestial Senses I, Bestial Strength I [1/6] -Ascension: Death Eating (1/500), Greater Hunt (0/1) Feats: -Finality's Admiration ✷✷✷ -One Strike Kill ✷✷ -Solo Kills ✷