World Seal, Ch 2: Void Hunt (Patreon)

The chaos winds swept across Sam’s vision in a thousand colors of elemental energy as he walked across the Deep Wild.

It wasn’t one layer of energy that made up the region here, but many, each of them clear in his sight. There was the underlying dark space of the Void, which was filled with colors of different spatial and elemental energies, all swirling together to give rise to the chaos winds on the surface.

The connections between the stars were there as well, the silver paths that were his birthright as an Astral Titan. Echoes came to him along those strands, telling him of distant events.

They were like whispering voices, each of them a natural force. Even if his eyes were closed, he could hear everything happening nearby.

It was the life of the Void.

His home.

He stretched out his senses, searching for a good area, and then he headed in that direction, where he could sense a strong gathering of essence and some threat.

Once upon a time, Aster Fall’s location had been the lair of an ancient Vos’Rekan, which had cleared out the region and left it barren. Close to the Nexus, it was still like that, but outside, where time held more sway, it had recovered and more.

Now this region of the Deep Wild was filled with life and treasure. No civilized presence had come here for millions of years to disturb it. Elemental energy and wild essence accumulated, turning into unique resources.

Here and there, he caught sight of vibrant elemental ores and essence stones that would send the settled half of the galaxy into an uproar. He collected the ones that were nearby as he passed.

Streaks of silver light swept through asteroids and across fields of stellar ice, selecting natural treasures. For more delicate ones, a golden hand closed gently around them before he tucked them away in his spatial bracelet.

These natural treasures would be useful to make new artifacts.

He would have to build a forge on Silverguard when he got back, one that was stronger than what he’d made for the Moonlight Relic.

Out here, he didn’t need to worry about using too much energy. He could tap into the energy of the stars directly and channel the entire enchantment of Silverguard to a single purpose.

It would let him turn the forge into something incredible.

Then he could rebuild his bracers and cloak, which had been left as twisted fragments after the battle with the Vos’Rekan.

He might also be able to restore the set of defensive artifacts that made up his Armor of Ethereal Frost, which he'd created on the way home from the Path. It was an impressive creation with a very strong essence shield to deal with problems. He'd like to have it back.

He studied the area as he continued walking, heading toward his target. Aster Fall’s location was both a blessing and a curse. It was rich in resources, but it also meant that he was on his own.

He could sense the memories of the Titans who had once walked here, like footprints on the astral paths, but they had all gone through the Nexus.

The nagas were spread out behind him like wings, surrounded by silver flames that shone from their scales and increased their speed. Starlight gleamed from their scales. It was a unique use of his aura that made it possible for them to keep up.

The Blessing of Silver Stars was pulling them along.

The wounds from his battle with the Vos’Rekan tugged at his muscles, but after a few weeks of healing in the Void, they were nearly gone. Starlight rippled across his skin, slowly washing them away.

With his Physique of the Stars, as long as he was exposed to starlight, he would heal the rest of the way. It was time to hunt.

Before long, he came to an area that was a couple of systems away from Silverguard. Wood and Water elemental winds crashed together here, creating a region of dense vitality that was a natural gathering point for predator and prey.

It was full of dangerous beasts.

Close by, he could sense the auras of a group in the Third and early Fourth Evolution. There were several dozen gathered together. Beyond them, more auras were scattered across the system.

They were close enough to Aster Fall that they were a potential danger, one that he might as well remove, so it would serve two purposes. It would keep Aster Fall’s borders clear and it would give the nagas some experience.

He analyzed the closest one. With the ability at Heroic, the information he could see was extremely detailed.

Dark Quartz Basilisk. Level 405.

Main Abilities: Petrifying Gaze, Corrosive Venom, Stone Blade, Poison Storm.

There was more, but that was the most useful part. He studied the beast for a moment and then he nodded. These would work.

There were around a hundred and fifty of them scattered across the nearby region of space. The Deep Wild was dangerous, and even predators sought safety in numbers.

Vos’Rekan were the most deadly Void beasts, but they were rare. There were other things stronger than these basilisks among the stars.

Like his Silver Army.

As the basilisks caught sight of his army, they let out thunderous hisses filled with bloodlust. They were predators, and now that they saw targets nearby, they were already moving to attack.

“Sleset,” he said as he looked over his shoulder. “Divide the Silver Army into hunting teams and spread out. Each team should bring back two corpses at Level 399 or the equivalent, with their experience intact. The rest of the experience, take for yourselves, but save the materials.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sleset hissed in agreement. Then he began to divide the nagas into teams of about a dozen.

With his aura supporting them, each of the original generation of nagas was about as strong as that Level 405 basilisk. The younger nagas were weaker, similar to the basilisks in the middle or late Third Evolution.

One to one, they would have a challenging time, but he left it up to Sleset on how to divide the teams.

It would be a little dangerous for them, mostly due to the beasts’ Petrifying Gaze, but the nagas had a strong resistance to elemental damage and dangerous was the sort of fight they loved the most.

If the enemy wasn’t difficult, it wasn’t worth their time.

He needed to collect some Level 399 or higher beasts to trade the World Core before the Conclave of the Moons, which was why he asked the nagas to bring back some of the experience intact.

He would have to send the beasts to Aster Fall before the experience dissipated, but then he could release some people there who were confined by the World Limit.

For each one, he had to trade an equivalent amount of experience to the World Core.

That was the deal he’d suggested and which it had accepted. It was the best way to keep the energy on Aster Fall stable, and perhaps to increase it slightly.

Given how much work it took, however, he wasn’t going to do it for free.

The Boundless Alliance was no doubt looking forward to the conclave, but they’d already been told to bring rare elemental crystals, ores, and artifacts to trade for their release.

It wasn’t just the difficulty that made him charge them. He wanted them to treat the opportunity with caution and to give it their full attention. Making them pay a fortune for it was one way to do that.

It would let him channel the energy of the most destructive and impatient members of the Boundless Alliance, the ones who called themselves the Cabal. He would take their resources and send them to Silverguard, where he could keep an eye on them.

If they wanted to head to the civilized half of the galaxy, that was fine. Without the Path’s assistance, it would take them a couple of centuries to get there, if they survived.

If they wanted to stay and support Silverguard, that would be better, but he wasn’t going to insist on it. He just needed to make sure that whatever choice they made, they didn’t try to return to Aster Fall after reaching the Fourth Evolution.

They’d had a long time to train at the level cap, so he had no doubt that the first thing many of them would do was attempt to break through.

After that, he would still need to keep them away, since they could interfere with the World Seal if they got too close, but he could figure that out when the time came.

Hopefully, seeing Aster Fall from the Void and understanding its place in the galaxy would be enough to impress on them its importance and the need to protect it.

If not, he would deal with them.

Permanently.

He didn’t plan to let everyone go at once, which should help keep the trouble to a minimum.

He pushed the thought aside as he watched the nagas fly toward the closest pack of basilisks. Their formations were disciplined and they gripped their weapons with fierce grins as elemental energies shone from their scales.

Starlight was there as well, making them bright in the darkness.

Sleset held curved blades in his four hands and jagged green runes like fangs twisted in the Void around him. He was at Level 395 now and his spells as an Ensigiled Sorcerer were well practiced.

The basilisk was venomous by nature, but so was the naga captain. The nagas’ fangs weren’t for show. If it came down to who was deadlier between the two of them, Sam was confident that Sleset would win.

If things went well, he would be the first of the nagas to reach the Fourth Evolution. He already had a core principle to base his new class on, one that came naturally to him, and he was waiting to see how it turned out.

The Fourth Evolution was a dividing line in the galaxy between average strength and the higher realms. It required a personal concept to base your new existence on, something similar to the Law of the Void that Sam was searching for, but not as complex.

As long as the choice matched your abilities and magic, it could work.

For a Fire-aligned mage, for example, they might focus their evolution around a particular concept of Fire, one that fit their class progression and pushed them to the next level, creating a high-tier specialization that brought out the true strength in their Path.

The idea was straightforward, but it wasn’t easy to do.

It required aligning all of their previous traits and energy to that new idea. That was why it was best to have a high-tier Evolution Node to help sort out any issues.  Fortunately, with Sam’s connection to the Path of Stars and the World Core, there was no shortage of assistance. He had some guesses about what Sleset was planning, but he didn’t ask.

The naga would tell him when he was ready.

None of the Silver Army should have much trouble reaching the Fourth Evolution. They had racial traits that gave them easy paths to follow, including ones that had opened to them as his Oathsworn.

The only question was what they would change into as Silver Nagas instead of Emerald Nagas. Their Oathbond had changed the basic nature of their classes and altered their path.

As long as he was around, he could help them evolve by sharing his connection to the Path of Stars or the World Core, but he was also building a communication node at Silverguard, one that connected to the Path.

That way, they could access it on their own and it would keep the energy flux away from Aster Fall.

It was also a reason for people from Aster Fall to stay nearby and support Silverguard after they left the world, and to prevent them from trying to return.

He should try to set up some form of trade for it, offering assistance in their Fourth and even Fifth Evolution if they worked for him. It would be safer and more effective than trying to evolve on their own.

He could also create a very slow transport disk to take them to the civilized galaxy and tell them it was a free ride. With the right stasis enchantment, they wouldn’t even know the difference.

They would quickly discover there were very few places in the civilized galaxy that would help them reach the Fourth Evolution, much less the Fifth. That type of power was saved for loyal followers in strong kingdoms. It wouldn’t be so easy to find.

Evolutions were dangerous. If you weren’t careful, you could easily cripple yourself or break your class progress for the future.

If it hadn’t been damaged, the World Core had the ability to take them all the way to the Sixth, if they met the requirements. It was part of its original purpose.

That deal might keep them in line, but he knew it wouldn’t work if they didn’t fear him.

He would speak with them as the Lord of Silver Stars, High Artificer and Guardian of Aster Fall.

If they were wise, they would agree to his terms.

He watched as the teams of Silver Nagas shot across the distance toward the basilisks. They were in tight formations, with their abilities overlapping to cover one another.

The basilisks charged toward them in response, hissing fiercely as they released waves of mana that hardened space, and clouds of corrosive grey mana from their Poison Storm ability filled the Void, turning into a tempest that swept forward in a massive wall.

But they didn’t have a chance against the 300 elite warriors.

The Silver Nagas shone like meteors as they tore straight through the clouds of venom like a blade of astral light. The group defense from his aura was enough for them to shrug off the impact.

Then they ripped the ability to shreds with elemental magic, leaving only burning smoke and clear space behind before they slammed into the basilisks.

He watched the battle for a moment, just long enough to make sure the nagas had the upper hand, and then he turned away.

Time was short and he had his own work to do.

He looked toward the center of the system where he sensed a stronger presence, a Level 430 basilisk that was one of the leaders. Then he disappeared in a streak of silver light.

A moment later, he was in front of it.

It was half again the size of the first one he’d seen, a massive creature almost two hundred feet long from head to tail and with four wide-stretched legs. Its hide was a dark grey like polished stone, but it glittered here and there with translucent spikes that looked like clear quartz.

That was where it got its name.

Its claws were made of the same translucent stone, each of them half a dozen feet long and wickedly sharp. The natural weapons were nearly invisible in the mixed starlight and darkness of the Void, but he had no trouble telling where they were.

While its size was domineering compared to many things in the Void and a mark of its power, it was neither as tall nor as powerful as him.

He towered 250 feet high as he came to a stop in front of it. A surge of battle joy ran through his blood, sizzling with excitement as he stared at it.

Ever since coming home to Aster Fall, he’d been worried about the World Limit and how he would keep himself from growing too strong. Now that he’d built Silverguard and had his avatars to manage things, he didn’t need to worry as much.

He would create avatars that stayed under the World Limit, like the ones that were there now.

Here in the Void, with the stars shining and the chaos winds blowing across his skin, there were no limits.

All he had to do was fight.

The vastness of the unending depths stretched out before him, promising a clear path forward.

As they should, his memories whispered, telling him of the endless age before the younger races had walked the stars, when astral chaos still burned brightly in the Void.

Titans were born for crafting and for battle.

It was time for both.

The basilisk didn’t understand why the golden being in front of it was smiling, but it let out a roar of anger as it launched itself toward him, its jaws stretching wide.

A bloodthirsty killing intent poured out from it, along with an aura of acidic venom.

As it closed in, its eyes swirled with a yellow light that ran across Sam’s skin. It felt like it was trying to drag him down and pin him in a place where nothing moved, like layers of hard stone were slowly building up around him.

It itched, but that was all.

Astral flames surged across Sam’s skin, shattering the petrifying aura as he leapt forward to meet it. His hand rose, gathering force from starlight and the power of the Void, as he slammed his fist into the side of its head, forcing it to the side.

The basilisk’s scales cracked around the point of impact and it staggered backward, but it only took it a moment to recover. It was a Void beast. Every part of it was armored.

Punching it was like hitting an iron mountain, but Sam’s smile grew wider. He’d only used a fraction of his strength in that hit, and he hadn’t even activated his battle aura.

As soon as it caught its balance, its translucent claws slashed toward him with the force of a mountain collapsing.

It wasn’t some fragile beast. Its kind hunted across the Deep Wild, tearing apart anything they found and leaving only rubble behind.

A roar of anger accompanied it, sending another wave of solid yellow mana flooding across Sam’s skin. Grey flecks drifted through the Void around him as bits of stray material turned to stone, but none of it touched him.

He flexed his hands as he stepped forward again, letting his astral energy surge higher. He wanted to face this thing head on, testing himself against it to improve his skills before taking its essence and experience.

He could have killed it with overwhelming force, but doing that wouldn’t teach him anything. Even if it wasn’t as strong as him, there was still something to learn from trading blows with it.

This was what he needed.

The Vos’Rekan was a powerful enemy, but it was still beyond him. Fighting it had given him some insights, but he had a long way to go before he could kill it.

He needed to train his abilities and strength in battle, with the goal of comprehending a Law of the Void. That meant a lot of practice, testing every single ability to its limit.

Even a punch.

His hand shot out, seizing the basilisk by the neck with one hand. Then he lashed out with a streak of golden light like a meteor, knocking the beast to the side in an explosion of force.

Cracks ran through its scales as he stepped forward.

A net of golden light swept outward from him, covering the basilisk’s hide and trapping its movement as he yanked it back. The beast’s tail swung around, slowed by the net as it tried to smash it against his chest, but he released the net as he met it with another fist.

This time, his punch was even stronger. The strike sent a shockwave of energy through the Void, making the space around them ripple.

The power of the attack was enough to compress dimensional energy. It was also enough to damage the Seal. That was why he was fighting here instead of near Aster Fall.

With his battle aura enhancing his strength, he was as strong as an early Fifth Evolution warrior. At that level, his strength could rip holes in space.

But it was more than that. He could feel the power he could call upon.

Some of his racial abilities as a Titan also came to mind.

Strength of the Sun (Innate Racial Ability at 10,000 Strength).

The strength of a Titan cannot be constrained by distance. Your physical attacks take on a ranged quality and are able to strike anywhere within your aura. Your strength fills your spirit and takes the place of Wisdom for resisting mental magic if it is higher.

Variable Stellar Force (Innate Racial Ability at 20,000 Strength).

Astral Titans can stand as tall as a sun and walk between the stars. You are a force unto yourself. Your physical attacks now have their own gravity and inertia, making it easier for you to deal damage and to manipulate celestial objects in the Void. The physical strength of your body can ignore other sources of gravity, letting you pass without a trace regardless of your size.

True Dimension Body (Innate Racial Ability at 20,000 Constitution).

Even if you are lost in time and space, your body will endure. Your physical presence is the same in all dimensions, making it difficult for shifting dimensional forces to damage you. Dimensional rifts and spatial cracks present no danger and damage from all sources of dimensional energy is reduced.

They were three of his newest racial abilities. He understood how they worked from the memories he’d gained, but he needed some practice with them, particularly with the more active effects.

The basilisk caught its balance and leapt backward, creating some distance between them as it gathered dark grey energy along its claws. Three stone blades hissed through the air toward him, their leading edges as sharp as diamond.

A golden meteor of a punch soared out in front of Sam, slamming into the blades and shattering them into rubble. His feet never moved.

He looked down at his hands, sensing the flow of astral energy into the ability. Then he nodded. He had been thinking a lot about dimensional energy since fighting the Vos’Rekan.

It was time to test out a few things.