Well, nothing. He supposed it was just his mundane memories telling him that everything should be quiet by the morning, but considering people in this world could go for days or weeks without rest- indefinitely in his case- he really should have expected for things to remain loud.
The deceased Shamans especially were telling the stories of their greatest moments- even before the Raid.
The crystals lighting the cavern were dim at this point, giving the space a mournful feeling and perhaps influencing the people themselves. While there was still revelry in all directions, he was seeing more spots of reminiscence from the ghosts. The Shamans no longer talked so boisterously of their fights, but the love they shared with the people under them; the recipes shared, jokes told, even the kids some Shamans babysat.
It was nice.
Perumah still sat on his lap, and he could tell she’d fallen victim to the relaxing atmosphere as well. Though she did not sleep, she was in a nice half-dazed state, thinking of nothing in particular.
Looking at her, he thought of the discoveries he’d made while prying Zyz’Ti from the Crimson Rain, purifying it of her influence. Even without the horrific woman it was dangerous, but not nearly as bad as it could’ve been.
If he had to find an analogous feeling for those under the Earth Primordial, he’d liken Crimson Rain to the feeling of seeing something immensely cute, then wanting to crush it- Cute Aggression, it was generally called.
Crimson Rain was similar, but more extreme. The more you loved something, the more you wanted to tear it apart, especially with blood and gore.
Even without corruption, it was very clearly a force meant for evil or tragedy, but it was something understandable. He and Perumah had decided to go ahead and try out dating, and he wasn’t all that worried about being harmed. She’d torn into him more times than he could count, if only to reach his blood stream in times of need, and he was practically immune to her physical aggression.
Sitting there, he did his best not to move, letting his mind wander. It went back to the weeks before, when he checked all his gains from the battles.
[Skill Leveled Up: Call for Help (115) -> (132)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Good Samaritan (259) -> (300)]
[Skill: Good Samaritan (300) has reached an evolution threshold]
[Skill Leveled Up: Meaningful (181) -> (189)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Growing Rage (418) -> (436)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Cradle of Life (3) -> (6)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Solidity (327) -> (388)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Roving Gate (118) -> (135)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Overmind (330) -> (400)]
[Skill: Overmind (400) has reached an evolution threshold]
[Skill Leveled Up: Divine Balance (431) -> (474)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Meditation (300) -> (338)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Identify of the Stout Protector (210) -> (234)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Vigilance (241) -> (286)]
[Skill Leveled Up: In Tune (188) -> (200)]
[Skill: In Tune (200) has reached an evolution threshold]
[Skill Leveled Up: Starved Bastion (163) -> (170)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Hellish Divergence (100) -> (132)]
[Skill Leveled Up: Entropic Touch (52) -> (58)]
The Skill levels alone from the Raid were immense, likely decades of growth for someone outside the quarantine, but it was only to be expected for those within the demon’s universe.
Good Samaritan was one he got a shocking amount of use from, its ability to mask his presence when doing selfless deeds tended to earn its place when he really liked fighting for others. He’d also noticed that, for its level it was stronger than it should be. For example, normally, to see through a level two hundred and fifty Stealth Skill, you’d need a level two hundred and fifty one Perception Skill, but his didn’t work like that. When faced with regular Perception Skills, it tended to be around thirty percent more powerful than its level would indicate.
He took that as it holding boosted power because it already had a harsh drawback- the situational requirement for the user to be kind.
He remembered the Skill and its evolutions.
[Good Samaritan - Level 300 - Kindness Affinity - Toggleable
No good deed goes unpunished, but perhaps one can avoid the hammer of judgment, if only the hand holding it fails to find you.
When committing an act out of the goodness of your heart in a way that is more detrimental to you than it is beneficial, gain the ability to make either your face or all your actions obscured.
Become more difficult to trace the higher leveled it is.
Level 100 evolutionary upgrade - When something attaches itself to your soul to track you, find which area the mark is contained within.
Level 157 manual evolutionary upgrade - Once the spell senses influence that you do not want attached to you, it sends out autonomous constructs to find and interfere with it]
Level 200 evolutionary upgrade - The more intimately you know the subject of your protection, the more difficult it is to detect you]
He’d never gotten the chance to check the level 200 upgrade after it’d happened automatically, but he was happy with it. He found himself protecting those he knew more than he did strangers, even if he did still enjoy going out of his way to help people.
[Differing paths of maturation resonate.
Refuge (Potentially influenced by Aloran?) - Allow for a growing area of influence which hides all those within from detection.
Ghosts (DEFINITELY influenced by the Leviathan concepts within) - Allow for the constructs created by this Skill to leave the body, roaming through the Spirit Realm to serve as guardians for others by hiding them when they are in danger.
Constriction - Focus the intent further, making it significantly more difficult to detect you through the Skill
Consolidate or Refine evolutions?]
Talking with Aloran, about the Refuge evolution, he remembered the words fondly.
“What? Don’t choose that, that’s dumb. If you want to make a Refuge, I’ll just manifest within you and directly set one up. True, some followers will be stronger by following in the footsteps of their Gods, but absolutely not you Dei.”
In the end, he decided to Refine the Ghosts option, not just for its current utility, but its future utility. Right now, he could summon several miniature Leviathans that could attach themselves to others to hide them- though it was admittedly quite weak- but would he eventually be able to summon guardians to people? It was too clear a path forward to leave unrealized.
Overmind was a classic of his Skills, as it was the merged result involving High Mind, from his first Profession: Pondering Sage. Good ol’ Mind Skill, nothing beat it.
[Overmind - Level 400 - Mind Affinity
Vying tendrils grasp at incoherent pieces, snapping them together in an unholy puzzle only they see. Tinged with hints of chaos, it alters itself to fit whatever mold it finds in an ever-twisting shapeless form. Despite the unknowable shape though, it is a gentle and ponderous thing. An unfathomable being which causes madness not by its actions but through its very existence. No malice taints it, its only drive a childlike curiosity to learn.
Unquantifiable intelligence, unique thinking patterns, accelerated thought speed, the ability to think using the soul rather than the brain, adaptable thinking, and likely more.
Strength of mind increases with each level.
Level 100 evolutionary upgrade - grant the ability to section off pieces of the soul into smaller soul constructs that think independently of you yet still act according to your overall will.
Level 200 evolutionary upgrade - your mind and soul have expanded in size, making it more difficult to damage and read you. Size increases with each level
Level 300 evolutionary upgrade Increase malleability and processing power significantly]
[Differing paths of maturation resonate.
Seeds - Permanently fracture off a portion of your mind to plant in another construct. That mind will grow into an independent entity that remains linked with you at the soul.
Maddened - Constructing fake realities and tricking the self into believing them becomes immensely easier.
Depth - Widen the subconscious world, for unknown purposes.
Consolidate or Refine evolutions?]
Mind Skills, at the highest level, were apparently quite scary. Aloran mentioned that the mind itself was not really understood, even back when they practiced exploring it unethically. A person could find epiphanies, monsters, and even treasures within themselves. Aloran hinted that, at its deepest, the mind could generate growth and experience from absolutely nothing, a feature which Grief touched upon by manifesting monsters to kill.
The first two evolutions were useful but… not something he really wanted. Seeds were nice, but with his soul being conjoined to his flesh, they’d need to share a body with him- Ashvorn was more than enough.
Maddened was interesting for if he tried to repeat the process he’d done to Perumah in tricking someone’s soul into believing he was them, but too niche.
Depth was an unknown step, but he liked the idea of it, especially considering he’d already decided to take the next few weeks or months off as a vacation. He wanted to explore his soul and abilities, to understand why things worked and what made them tick. Depth could add a slew of pieces to the picture, and he wanted it. To a degree, he wanted all of them, just… not all to the extreme.
For that reason he chose to Consolidate them, the first time he’d ever chosen that route, and the final evolution was… interesting when he checked on it on his interface.
[Level 400 evolution - Pull the curtain back further, unveiling unknown depths of the mind]
He thought it was a sick upgrade before, and he still did. He was sure that, if he tried, he could utilize aspects of Seed and Madness to drive himself into a controlled insanity like they would’ve been able to, but they were not the focal point.
Stolen story; please report.
In Tune was next, and compared to the other two, its evolution was utterly mundane. It offered to increase the distance of the tether, amount of information shared, or awareness from threat detection Skills. At his friends’ approval, he chose the third, that way he’d be able to assess foundational concepts, emotions, and even how rapidly something changes when it came to threat detection, adding his friends’ perception Skills to his own.
[In Tune - Level 200 - Toggleable
While Detectors specialize in…
…
…Creates a telepathic link between allies that partially shares your awareness of enemies.
Link strengthens with each level, sharing more information to those closer to you, and lengthening the distance with which the link may stay intact.
Level 100 evolution - Increase the amount of information conveyed subconsciously between allies
Level 200 evolution - Threat detection Skills from allies automatically ping you as well in the same instant it does them]
The Skill evolutions weren’t even close to the most interesting part, though. The Skill gains alone were short, but impactful
[Skill Gained: Insular Nothing]
[Skill Leveled Up: Insular Nothing (1) -> (72)]
[Insular Nothing - Level 72 - Void Affinity - Passive
Grasping hands try to rip apart your every spell and lash at your flesh. Rather than force the path through, why not ignore them completely? So often is the first response to fight, when it would be easier and safer to simply walk around the obstacles.
Create a void between yourself and everything else which prevents attacks from affecting you or your spells]
It did absolutely nothing to make him stronger or stop things from influencing his spells if they could reach him, but he found that there was a delay on anything trying to affect him directly, a latency that shouldn’t be there as it passed through a space that didn’t exist.
As for the greatest Skill change so far…
[Skill Gained: Alter]
[Alter has merged with Cradle of Life to form the Spell: Right of the Leviathan]
[Right of the Leviathan - Level 6 - Soul Affinity
Unreadable purpose]
He’d collected all four- five, if he included the World that Walks upgrade- and earned the Right of the Leviathan.
He’d spent so long just… staring at it, the emotions swirling within him. Ashvorn could provide absolutely nothing on its purpose, and he knew it was not simply this System. Ashvorn stated that it had asked W3, the overarching System, how to read it, and the overarching System stated that doing so was outside of their power.
When faced with problems like this, Dei would oftentimes go into the Skill and do it himself, but he found the task utterly insurmountable this time.
He could find it, yes, and he could delve in, but Right of the Leviathan felt as old as it should be, and dangerous. More than that, it felt alive. Reaching into it, he felt something crawl up his arm as if trying to claw its way out, and he pulled back instantly. While he wasn’t going to leave the Skill completely alone, it was not something he could do at a simple moment's notice. Right of the Leviathan would take dedication and testing to tap into it even slightly, a million hidden parts in each of the pre-existing fragments slotting together in perfect unity to create something greater than the sum of its parts.
At times, he felt it call to him, a maddening possibility he had to ignore for just a bit longer.
His Marks were significant as well, and mildly concerning at times.
[Mark Gained: Evil Slayer
Have slain: 1000x159 fodder, 5x84 elite demon-kin, 1x3 post-500 demon-kin, 1x1 commander demon-kin, 1x1 targeted demon-kin. Redeemable for EXP. Redeem for the equivalent of 318x slain level 500 entities?]
He’d asked Ashvorn, and this confirmed that the T-Rex was here to kill him specifically. It was a targeted attack, a beast dedicated entirely towards slaying him. Somewhere along the way, likely back when he defeated those first demon-kin, the demon himself had ordered Dei’s execution.
Aloran said this was something that happened when the demon saw an opportunity to prevent a larger threat for cheap very early. He’d likely seen that Dei was a budding Slaughterer and chose to kill him. Luckily for him, Dei left the universe almost immediately afterwards, not giving his assassin time to even look at him.
As for the levels…
[Class Leveled Up: Slaughterer of the Sundered Realm (Level 358) -> (Level 381)]
[Stats Gained: +92 Physical, +23 Spiritual, +23 Magical]
He shook his head, half-ruefully, thinking of how spoiled he’d become.
The higher Grade a Class or Profession, the harder it was to level up. The higher the level, the more it took. For an Impossible Grade Class past its third evolution, it should have taken him centuries to hit level four hundred, but he’d done enough killing in the past couple years to bring multiple planets to extinction.
In a few cases, he actually did bring planets to extinction.
If he was lucky, the last few levels would be something of a slog. If he wasn’t blessed with a peaceful vacation, though, they’d be complete in a few months.
He also found it quite funny that his Herald of Power still hadn’t leveled up. There was a very, very clear distinction between in and out of combat, and the System would never let those two overlap.
Even if he acted as Aloran’s herald, if Aloran said “Go fight,” he would earn no experience. If he wanted EXP from being ordered to battle, he’d have to pick a crusader Class, not his current one.
Still, he wasn’t too beat up over it. He knew he’d be earning experience soon enough.
[Mark Gained: Gateway Calamity
The effects of your presence are undeniable, but their benefits are arguable. You’ve caught the eye of those beyond the Portal to Power, and they act through you, realizing their wills.
The title of the Gateway Calamity manifests itself from the Portal to Powers
- Those who feel your presence know your comfort in the chaos of battle.
- Become more difficult to stop when acting as an agent of change
- All affinities are 10% easier to learn and advance]
This one told him that affinities were very fond of his decision to let them act through him, but he couldn’t be completely sure it was a… good idea.
He’d spoken with some of the people he supposedly “Blessed,” and it was an incredibly complicated can of worms he knew he’d have to look into after the party, as apparently he’d bestowed power upon a few hundred notable fighters during the demon-raid.
[Mark Gained: Shaman Killer
You’ve killed a Shaman. Are you sure that was a good idea?
- Progression affinity is 40% easier to learn and advance.
- Destruction affinity and Destruction-derivative affinities are 5% easier to learn and advance
- Heal 10% quicker]
This one interested him as it was clearly an artificial Mark, its description a warning to any who’d ever succeeded in doing so. If Iora’s murder wasn’t pre-approved, he might even have been scared.
Not only that, but when he and Ashvorn looked through it together, they both agreed it felt… not malicious, but cunning. It hid something, and Dei guessed it was a way for other Shamans to see when a person had slain one of their comrades.
After the party, he should absolutely get Justin to check it out and deactivate that feature, just in case another Shaman confused him for an enemy.
[Mark Gained: Wanderer
You’ve crossed the boundary between worlds, visited alien planets, and delved through every Realm. Your Journey takes you far and wide, battling and observing the dangers of the cosmos.
- Adaptive Endurance.
- Exploration-based affinities are 35% easier to learn and advance.
- Influences Presence]
When Aloran had heard he’d gained the Wanderer Mark, he’d been shocked. Apparently. Wanderers were one of the extinct adaptive variants of Elite.
Dei remembered long ago that Aloran mentioned how there’d only been five recorded instances of adaptive Achievements: Elite, Shaman, and three extinct others. Apparently, Wanderer was one, and Dei could absolutely see why. After all, if the quarantine did not let people travel between anchor worlds, how could a Wanderer ever do so?
He’d yet to test what Adaptive Endurance did, but from reading the Mark, it seemed to be a more rapid version of Divine Balance that worked on things even it couldn’t, including soul wounds. Divine Balance could fix his body, true, and thus indirectly his soul, but it was closer to treating the symptoms. Adaptive Endurance wouldn’t necessarily heal him, but it would stymie the wound and pull him together long enough to keep fighting.
[Mark Gained: Silenced Scream
You’ve obliterated Hatred’s Call before it could even earn an avatar, much less warp the continuum, a feat which has only ever been recorded in two other instances.
- HP/SP/MP listen more intently.
- Wild Magics are 10% easier to learn and advance
- One time use Intervention of Time]
The difficulty of the feat was proportional to the absolutely immense rewards.
The first two he didn’t even understand, and Aloran said that Wild Magics were a whole branch that shouldn’t be spoken of right now, not during the party. As for the Intervention? He’d only ever seen mention of it on his original Contract with Soul, where it gave him a single intervention.
As far as Dei knew, he could call upon the mind within the affinity of Time exactly one time, then it would be expended. Something not to be used lightly.
Finally, he sighed internally as he looked back over his affinities.
Kindness: Low-Grand: 99% -> Kindness: High-Grand: 62%
Personal: Mid-Historic: 79% -> Personal: BROKEN
Wrath: Low-Grand: 99% -> Wrath: High-Grand: 62%
Soul: Low-Grand: 59% -> Soul: Mid-Grand: 12%
Fortitude: High-Treasured: 99% -> Fortitude: Mid-Epic: 15%
Void: Low-Epic: 70% -> Void: High-Grand: 38%
Love: High-Uncommon: 78% -> Love: Low-Epic: 27%
Death: Low-Rare: 20% -> Death: Mid-Treasured: 59%
More specifically, the one line: Personal: BROKEN
Breaking it apart to feed to Perumah, then melding the foundational concepts behind Crimson Rain into it had been necessary, but in doing so he’d utterly shattered his Personal affinity. There would be no slow healing here, and if he wanted to fix his domain, he would need to pioneer a path forward. Even Aloran had no idea how he’d done such a thing, or if it was even possible to fix.
Yet he knew where to find answers.
After he’d chosen the Overmind evolution, a small voice beckoned him down. A curiosity, a maddened whisper.
Something deep inside his soul told him there was one frontier he’d never dared to journey: himself.
He’d pondered and thought, he’d reviewed his memories before, but Overmind unlocked a door within him, and even if it was not a good idea, he now had the option to see things best left forgotten.
Despite his caution, he saw his affinity, and he knew there was no choice. If he wanted to ascend to Godhood and perhaps beyond, he would need to venture below.
Throwing one more glance at his Interface, he decided it was a problem for another time, and listened to the murmurs and laughter of the surviving Gem Dwellers, holding Perumah just a bit closer.
[True Name: Dei
Race: Reaper
Class: Slaughterer of the Sundered Realm, Level 381
Profession: Herald of Power, Level 283
Current Maximum Potential: Level 700
Marks: Void Walker, Soulspeak, Beyond Understanding, No Rulers Above All, Bearing the Burden, Slayer of Giants IV, Cruelty of the Slaughter (II), Dammit, Slaughterer, Untethered, Risky Business, Golden Voice and Silver Tongue, Supreme Inquisitor of (Eternal Refuge), Pioneer, Awake, Dreameater, Lunar Terror, Eclipse of Blood, Observer of Chaos, Forge of War, Champion’s Traveler, Gratitude of the Void, Glimpsed The Work, Atlas, Star Seared, Extraterrestrial, Dragonslayer, Macbeth, The Champion’s Devil, Cold Embrace, Reaper, Rebirth, Cradle of Life, True Glutton, Impossibility, Deep Space Abomination, Gateway Calamity, Shaman Killer, Wanderer, Silenced Scream
Reality Constructs:Soul of the Leviathan, A Korgonda’s Mutual Respect, Deal of the Almost-Dunce, Vow of Secrecy to The Champion,
Soul Strength: 100%
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
SP: 100%
Stats:
Physical: 582
Mental: 339
Spiritual: 700 + 30
Magical: 240
Active Affinities:
Kindness: High-Grand: 62%
Personal: BROKEN
Wrath: High-Grand: 62%
Soul: Mid-Grand: 12%
Fortitude: Mid-Epic: 15%
Void: High-Grand: 38%
Love: Low-Epic: 27%
Death: Mid-Treasured: 59%
Potential Affinities:
N/A
Natural Affinities: Sapience-derivatives, (Cycle of Life and Death)-derivatives
Rules of Wrath:
- I will allow no harm to come to those under my care.
- Children must be protected.
- (Estimation): Greed-based Rule about protecting your own objects.
- I will stand for no betrayal.
- (Estimation): Never let an enemy roam free.
Affinity Spells:
Kindness: Call for Help (132), Good Samaritan (300), Meaningful (189)
Wrath: Growing Rage (436)
Soul: Empower Self (39), Right of the Leviathan (6)
Fortitude: Solidity (388)
Business: Value Sense
Void: Roving Gate (135), Insular Nothing (72)
Mind: Overmind (400)
Reality Spells:
Health: Divine Balance (474)
Mana: Meditation (338)
Confluence Spells:
Identify of the Stout Protector (234), Cycle of Sealing (500) (519/140,000), Eldritch Self (217), Hollow Cry (77), Fractured Reality (162)
System Spells: How About a Demonstration?, Fine-Tooth Comb (76), Vigilance (286), In Tune (200), Commune with the Universe (71), Starved Bastion (170), Hellish Divergence (132), Entropic Touch (58), Land Between (92)
Misc Spells: Living Barrier]