World Seal, Ch 3: Laws of the Void (Patreon)

Sam studied the effect of the latest collision as he met the basilisk’s attack and hurled it away, watching the ripples of dimensional energy compress before they spread out.

Then he grabbed the net he’d woven from astral energy and dragged the basilisk back toward him. As soon as he released it, it charged toward him, its fangs bared.

He met it with another punch that sent it flying backward. Its back bent almost in half as it tried to strike him with its tail, even as it flew away.

A few steps closed the distance again, and then he grabbed it by the neck, lifting it straight up into the Void. Stretched out from head to tail, it came up to his shoulder.

Battling in the Void was like stretching his muscles after a long time staying still, and he felt new energy sizzling through him. He had learned from his last battle. Ways to use his racial gifts filled his mind.

Astral Titans were born from the Void. His body was like a star pulling in the wild essence of the Void and turning it to blazing strength.

Another golden streak slammed into the basilisk, hurling it back. It stabilized itself two miles away, well within the range of his aura. That distance wasn’t much in the Void.

His Strength of the Sun ability let him send physical attacks anywhere within his aura, although they were most effective within the focused range of five miles. His wider senses stretched out for 150 miles, but when he tried sending an attack at that range, it grew thin.

It wasn’t impossible to strike over that distance, but it did take more effort.

The Vos’Rekan had been five hundred miles long, so that type of attack was necessary. If he supported the attack with runes and turned it into a long-range spell, it would be more effective.

He’d once heard that physical and magical attacks began to resemble one another at the Third Evolution. This ability looked something like that, but the truth was different.

His physical strength was turning into astral energy to cross the distance. Understanding how to do that was the core racial ability.

It was similar to how starlight traveled.

If an Astral Titan was like a living star, his aura was the corona. It helped to maintain the energy of the punch.

By comparison, Astral Strike was an essence ability, and it required channeling astral energy more directly through a spell-like structure. It achieved something similar, but with a different method.

With Strength of the Sun, even if he was out of essence, he still had a ranged attack.

The punches became stronger when he focused on Variable Stellar Force, adding more power across the distance, but they also had a greater effect on dimensional space, making it warp around the blows.

He rubbed his chin as he studied the effect.

There was something there that spoke to him about the dimensional laws of the Void, but he’d tested out most of the ranged ability from his Strength of the Sun and he had a good feel for it now, so it was time to move on.

He also wanted to see how Astral Fire and Astral Ice affected dimensional space, now that he had the strength to manipulate it. He was fairly sure he could achieve a type of dimensional flame and dimensional freezing with them if he practiced enough.

It was two more avenues for dimensional laws to explore.

True Dimensional Body was harder to test, so it would have to wait. Perhaps if he jumped into a dimensional rift, he could study it, but that had its own dangers. At least it should help against the Vos’Rekan’s void fire the next time.

He let the thoughts float in his mind as the basilisk rushed back toward him, its jaws wide as a Poison Storm poured out. It could sense the essence he had and it wanted to devour him. It hadn’t realized yet that there was no way for it to win.

Sam glanced over at the nagas, but they were doing well enough against the basilisks. It should be a solid experience gain for them.

Meanwhile, he needed to collect his own.

There were several more strong ones near the center of the system, so he should make the most of it.

As the basilisk returned, a golden spear was bright in his hand as it pierced its heart. A wave of his hand gathered the experience from it, which flooded toward him in a sparkling rush.

The Titan Star’s announcement sounded in his mind.

Congratulations, Lord of Silver Stars.

You have gained one Class Level and one General Level.

You are now Level 371.

You gain 10 Strength, 10 Constitution, 5 Agility, 5 Wisdom, 50 Intelligence, 50 Aura, 20 Charisma, and 2 free attribute points to assign.

The essence followed, flooding up from the basilisk in an ocean of dark grey stars, which turned to a brilliant silver as they merged into him.

You gain 155,240 essence.

Essence Constellation (Third Star): 4,816,893 / 10,000,000.

You gain 222 Strength, 259 Constitution, 65 Agility, 388 Intelligence, and 388 Aura.

It was easy to see the difference between the two types of energy.

Essence was much stronger.

A single level wasn’t much, but it was more than he’d had before.

There were enough basilisks here that he should be able to get a couple more levels before they moved to the next area.

A few moments later, he had collected all the materials from the basilisk. A Level 430 Void beast was a crafting treasure. Its hide could be made in scrolls or armor, its bones and claws into weapons or other artifacts, and other things.

The basilisk’s core was a solid dark crystal like a black diamond. It held an intense amount of energy inside, but no essence. It would be a good focus for an artifact.

He held it in one hand as he looked at the aura he’d reclaimed in the other.

The basilisk’s aura was a sphere of translucent dark grey smoke that radiated power. Side by side, the two of them looked like the physical and spiritual cores of the beast.

Aura of Dark Quartz (Heroic).

He had a 50% chance to claim an unknown aura, and a 95% chance to reclaim one after it was identified. This one had worked the first time.

The aura tasted like ancient stone that had been built up in layers and that now floated through the Void, coated in an endless grey dust. It was at home in the dark and the cold, but it remembered heat and the pressure that had formed it.

A tang of caustic venom flavored the stone, as if a deadly beast had walked across it with its tongue dripping. Each droplet hardened the stone and fused the layers of dust together. Here and there, an impression of clawed footprints and beating wings left trails in the dust.

The sense of the aura disappeared as he tucked it into his storage. He had a few auras left, but he’d used most of them in the fight with the Vos’Rekan. With this hunting trip, he should have a good number again.

The value of these materials was the main reason killing the Level 430 basilisk resulted in a fraction of the experience it had gained in its life. Some of the energy was used up in its own leveling process as a catalyst, another large amount went into transforming its body and core, and then a portion was lost to the Void at its death.

He got the remaining experience that was left over.

The World Core was capable of retaining that fraction that would otherwise be lost to the Void, but it was a divine artifact. It could also only do it within its own domain.

It would have been faster if he could do that too, but he didn’t begrudge the Void its share of the experience. It was part of the natural process.

One of the things he had confirmed after comparing his level advancement to that of the nagas and his parents was that it took quite a bit more experience for him to level up than it did for most people.

It was based on the tier of the class.

A Common class required less experience than an Uncommon one, but it offered fewer attributes. It was a matter of energy. You couldn’t create more attribute points without needing more experience.

Heroic classes, the Astral line of classes, and Lord-tier classes like his all required much more experience than others. Given that he had all three combined together, it was a steep climb, but it offered a great deal of power at the same time.

The study had filled in a gap in his knowledge, clarifying some information about class differences that he had been wondering about for a while.

Legendary classes like his parents’ required about the same amount of experience as ultra rare ones, but they were as strong as Heroic classes in their own domain, like his parents’ area at the relic and his mother’s stronger scrying abilities at night, especially when all three moons were full.

Heroic ones offered the same tier of power, but were more consistent.

In his opinion, it was easier to level a Heroic class than it was a Common class, even if it took longer. It let you get more power from each Evolution. That meant you could face stronger enemies and you weren’t as likely to be overwhelmed by something at your own level.

And it wasn’t like there was a shortage of experience in the Void.

He just needed to get it.

He looked over to where the nagas were fighting and sent a message to Sleset, who replied with a quick confirmation. If he went any farther from the nagas, they would lose the benefits of his aura, but they were prepared for it.

They’d already become used to fighting the basilisks, so it would be good for them to try it on their own. He would collect the essence and auras from their opponents once they were done.

There were more basilisks in the center of the system for him to focus on.

A small grin crossed his lips as he considered how to divide them. Half for him and half for the nagas should be about right.

Between one step and the next, a streak of silver light shot across the Void. He appeared near another powerful basilisk and studied the area.

This one was Level 428.

It roared at him and sent a series of deadly stone blades slicing in his direction, but he shattered them with a series of golden punches. Fragments exploded through the Void as the beast surged to its feet.

It had been lying on a small island of dark grey stone. As it stood up, the gleam of essence stones was revealed beneath it. There was a thin vein of them in the ore, each of them glowing with a bright yellow signature of Earth elemental energy.

The chaos winds that blew through this area must have condensed them here.

The basilisk charged, its claws outstretched as it stared at him. A grey fog swirled around Sam, but he ignored it, as he did the beast’s attack.

His attention was on another ability he hadn’t used much.

Astral Binding.

He’d gotten it from Asenya when he reached the Third Evolution and she helped redesign his subclass.

He’d originally taken it to gain insight into the World Seal, but there were a lot of different ways to use it. It was designed to stabilize dimensional energy.

As he activated the ability, astral energy poured out from him in an ocean of silver flames in the Void. They were bright and translucent, and they quickly faded away into the local space.

As soon as they did, a feeling of stability resonated from the Void as it became more solid. Thin lines of silver energy appeared at the edge of his sight, stretching into the distance.

He could feel the effect spreading outward within the range of his aura.

The basilisk’s speed suddenly slowed, like it had become a dozen times heavier.

Sam reached out and seized the beast by the throat, his hand wrapping halfway around it, but his attention was on the ability. It felt like strands of his mind were fused into those silver lines in the Void, which hummed like instrument strings.

Every time something nearby moved, they resonated in his awareness.

Within the five miles of his focused aura, space was completely locked down. Nothing could teleport or bend dimensional space without breaking his control.

The astral paths curved in on themselves in a loop, turning the space into an enclosed sphere.

It was similar to effects he’d encountered before, including a little bit of the Vos’Rekan’s dimensional bubble, but it felt more in tune with the Void, like starlight had solidified.

In the wider 150-mile range of his extended aura, the effect continued, but his grasp on that area wasn’t as strong. It would be easier for an enemy to break.

The ability was still at Basic, so there was a lot of room to improve.

He’d upgraded his Aura of Astral Flame to Heroic after the fight with the Vos’Rekan, which was one of his core abilities, so it should help him to upgrade the rest, but he would still need to practice.

Even now, he could feel the improved energy in his aura burning around him. It was pulling in energy from the Void on its own, boosting his regeneration of essence and augmenting his strength.

It was another avenue for a Law of the Void, perhaps one related to recovery or the strength of astral flame.

He turned his attention to the basilisk and bands of silver flame wrapped around it like chains, sealing it in place. It was another use of the ability, directed at a target rather than the area. The basilisk tried to move, its muscles bulging as a storm of petrifying energy spread from it, but it didn’t have the power to escape.

He studied the effect for a while, both on the basilisk and the wider space. Then he nodded.

Between his strength to disrupt dimensional space and this ability to lock it down, he had a clear idea of how to improve.

This was another path that could lead to a Law of the Void, one based on a different aspect of dimensional energy. It might even be easier to study than the others.

The sealing aspect would be useful for understanding the World Seal.

A golden fist silenced the basilisk permanently.

He collected the aura, essence, and experience from it, and then he tossed the entire corpse into his spatial bracelet. It took too long to harvest the materials and he wasn’t short on space.

This one hadn’t been enough for another level, but there were a lot more of them here and he needed to catch up if he wanted to finish at the same time as the nagas.

He reached out to one of the astral paths that curved through the area, testing it to see if he could still use it. It was clear in his mind, as steady as ever.

It looked like as long as he didn’t leave the area he’d locked down, the ability didn’t block his own travel.

He turned his attention to the rest of the basilisks that were inside the range of Astral Binding. Between one moment and the next, he disappeared in a streak of silver light.

***

A little while later, he stood in the Void looking over the battlefield. The ranks of the Silver Army were arranged in front of him, the nagas grinning with delight.

At their head, Sleset gave him a victorious hiss. He had reached Level 398 in this battle. It wouldn’t be long until he evolved.

The nagas’ scales were scuffed from the battle, but the silver crowns on their heads and the lightning bolts on their cheeks were brighter than ever. They were pleased with themselves.

The corpses of nearly fifty basilisks were arranged behind them, ready to be returned to the World Core. Past those, another pile was ready to be harvested for materials.

The nagas stood in front of their prey, offering it as tribute to their Oathlord.

“Well done,” Sam said with a smile. “We are just beginning to hunt. More enemies surround Aster Fall, and we will be the guardians in the night. I’ll return these basilisks to the World Core, and then we will continue.”

The nagas hissed in approval, their voices echoing in the Void, and slammed their fists against their chests, creating a rolling drum beat. Then they surged forward, carrying the basilisks to him.

Sam raised his hand as they approached, calling on the essence from the basilisks. A storm of dark grey essence stars flew up from them and filled the Void like an ocean wave, heading straight for him.

Behind that, spheres of swirling grey aura separated from the corpses and disappeared into his aura storage. As long as they were within his focused aura, he didn’t need to touch them any longer.

He also wasn’t limited to a handful of minutes to reclaim them. It was a matter of strength. They became harder to gather the more they separated from the beasts, but as long as he got to them within half a day, they could be reclaimed.

With a 95% chance, very few auras dissipated.

He considered leaving the auras for the ones going to Aster Fall, but it wouldn’t help the World Core to add more energy unless it was the right type. The elements had to be balanced.

Combined with what he’d gathered himself, it was close to 200 Heroic auras. It would last for a little while.

As the essence merged into his constellation, the Titan Star announced the final result of the hunt.

Congratulations, Lord of Silver Stars. You gain six Class and General Levels.

You are now Level 377.

You gain 60 Strength, 60 Constitution, 30 Agility, 30 Wisdom, 300 Intelligence, 300 Aura, 120 Charisma, and 12 free attribute points to assign.

You gain 1,142,010 essence.

Essence Constellation (Third Star): 5,958,903 / 10,000,000

You gain 1,631 Strength, 1,903 Constitution, 476 Agility, 2,855 Intelligence and 2,855 Aura.

Quite a few of the basilisks had been in the lower to middle of the Third Evolution, but it was a solid gain.

Another half dozen fights like this one would be enough to reach Level 399 and the peak of the Third Star. Then even if he didn’t evolve, he would have almost double his current attributes.

It would take time, but it was the best way to face what was coming.

Breaking through to the Fourth Evolution would take a little longer, but he didn’t plan to wait for long. He just needed to decide on the focus for it.

The Path of Stars would help him to perfect his choice, but it wouldn’t make it for him, and this time he didn’t have Asenya to give him advice.

Fortunately, he had some ideas in mind.

His eyes blazed with silver flames as he looked over his army. With a wave of his hand, a field of starlight spread out, surrounding all of them and the corpses of the basilisks. It reflected off their scales like they were stars themselves, creating a small galaxy.

A moment later, they were gone.

Only the chaos winds were left to roar through the Void, their presence as endless as the dark.