Legacy of the M'Zee Chapter 33 (Patreon)

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

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*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

I moved my way through the Eight-by-Eight, layering on top the Dual Runic Spiral Technique that I’d developed during the Trials, and enjoyed the utterly massive amount of Aether present in this room. I paused after the first dozen, then pulled out the Center of the Universe. The naming of these things is pretty ridiculous, I thought, looking at the necklace. It was made of three centimeter long rings attached to a fist-sized pendant. Hundreds of runes were carved into the pendant, spiraling around a two centimeter wide diamond, which itself had runes inlaid with a silvery metal, too blue to be silver.

I put it around my neck, then gasped as the Aether around me surged inward. I frantically channeled, standing still as I focused on reaching an equilibrium. Just wearing the necklace had tripled my gathering speed. I held my gathering technique, stepping over to my bag to pull out a gathering powder. I downed it quickly, then walked over to the open space to resume the Eight-by-Eight.

Aether poured in, stretching my ability to control, until I couldn’t pull any more in. I compressed, crushing the Aether towards my Core, with more flowing it. A twinge went through me, and my Aether was driven another tiny bit denser. I pulled in more Aether until it matched the current density of my center, filling my emptied meridians as fast as I could.

“Prince Gunther is approaching,” Spirit’s voice whispered in my ear.

I nodded and said, “Thank you.” I stopped the Eight-by-Eight, but kept gathering. It had been almost six hours at this point, and I could feel it would be another twelve to be able to compress my Aether again. One pill instead of several months to advance, I thought, and that’s here, with the Aether denser than anywhere I’ve been but the Dungeon Core chamber after it was shattered. The benefit of the necklace is astounding, since it triples my gathering on top of all of the techniques I used. Normally there’s a maximum, but I get the feeling that it would work at full capacity even if I took a Supreme Gathering Pill. Which is amazing.

“Congratulations on successfully completing the Tower of Trials. As a reward for your achievement, receive this Complete Core level pair of bracers,” Spirit said.

I looked over to see Gunther looking exhausted, his shoulders slumped and robes torn, but he had the biggest grin of anyone I’d ever seen. “Of course!” He bellowed out, “Aiden, you beat me!”

“Not by much,” I said with a grin. “And you did win second place.”

“True,” he beamed at me. “Maybe these will let me fight you without being overpowered.”

“Maybe, but I did receive quite a significant reward,” I laughed. “Not that I would turn down a spar with you. One of my rewards, though, is meant for sharing.” I pulled out one of the pills from my ring. “This should bring you to the edge of advancing to Seed Core.”

“Thank you,” Gunther said. “I will take you up on that spar sometime! You are always welcome in my home.”

“I can’t wait,” I said, “though it might be a while. You know, due to the war.”

“Our united nations will crush the Illyrians,” Gunther declared. “They can hold against one or even two of us, with their border fortifications, but not against all four of us! They made a huge mistake attacking the tournament, and we shall punish them for it!”

“I hope you’re right,” I said. “I can’t help but worry that they weren’t stupid when they attacked. If nothing else, I’m sure they aren’t ready for the surprise my people were pushing towards them.”

Gunther gave me a questioning look, so I told him about the Jellyfish of Doom, and how my people were directing it toward Bort, the massive walled city at the meeting point of the two mountain ranges surrounding the Illyrian kingdom. Gunther started laughing once I mentioned how we were directing it, and every time he started to get a hold of himself, he would start laughing again.

I waited for a minute, shaking my head as he would hold a hand up, then put it to his side as he guffawed. “Hopefully the Jelly will break the walls and let us get a foothold,” I said. “That by itself will save hundreds or thousands of lives. I really hope we can get in touch with some Illyrians who don’t agree with their ruling system.”

“You have more kindness in you than I,” Gunther said. “I do not know if I could accept any Illyrians now, regardless of bent. They have taken too many of my people.”

“Killing them all will not bring a single Volk back,” I said. “Only by finding those Illyrians who aren’t evil can we truly get peace.”

“That is true,” Gunther said. “Not all of them can be evil. I will rely on you, then, to help me see past my prejudice.”

“Rely on yourself,” I told him, “You are smart, strong, and capable. I will help you as much as I can, but I will not be with you all the time. You can only rely on yourself, in the end, and you must act with integrity. You are a prince, after all.”

Gunther looked ashamed, though it was sometimes hard to tell what he was thinking with his slightly alien looking face. His face hardened after a few seconds, and he nodded.

“Come on,” I said. “I’m planning on gathering until everyone has finished their run through the Trials, and then taking the pill, the Chosen of the World Hold it High,” I grinned at the name, and he guffawed again.

“That sounds like a plan. How about a bet, two Small Gathering Pills? I believe that Princeps (Name) will beat Princess Aleksandra.”

“No way,” I said. “You’re on. Aleks will definitely beat (Name) through the Trials!”

“Then you are on,” Gunther said.

“Yes, you are,” I responded with a grin. We sat and gathered. I could tell he had something similar to the Eight-by-Eight, but neither of us were willing to show the other our techniques. It reduced my efficiency by quite a bit, but I didn’t want to get in trouble for sharing techniques with someone from a different nation, even if we were allies.

Less than half an hour later, Aleks was escorted into the central chamber by Spirit. “Congratulations on successfully completing the Tower of Trials. As a reward for your achievement, receive this Complete Core level gathering enhancement,” Spirit said. “Wearing it will double your gathering speed through Complete Core.”

“Thank you, great Spirit,” Aleks said, bowing with her hands extended to receive the necklace. She straightened up, and saw Gunther and I. “Aiden!” She exclaimed, “You won!”

“What about me?” Gunther said, hurt sounding.

“As if you could beat me,” I said, looking at him with a giant grin.

“I’m going to crush you,” Gunther said, his eyes narrowing. “You only won before because I limited myself unknowingly.”

“Keep telling yourself that, maybe you’ll end up believing it,” I laughed.

Gunther punched me in the shoulder, knocking me sideways by nearly a meter, “You just wait!” He declared, and we both ended up laughing.

“Boys, really!?” Aleks exclaimed, and I ended up blushing and giggling, barely able to control myself. At least until she rushed over and pulled me into her arms. Our lips met, and I lost myself for a few seconds, before she pulled away. “You did win, right?” She asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Fifty-two knowledge stones, though I will be sharing as much as I can with all of the other nations, Topraki, Ashkhas, Volk, and even any reasonable Illyrians we find.”

“Good,” she said. “The xenophobia of many of our countrymen cannot stand in the way of your destiny.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “The knowledge could easily give Craesti a preeminent position among the nations.”

“And hording it could leave our neighbors unable to resist the calamity your presence fortolds,” Aleks said, looking deep into my eyes. “In some ways, I wish you’d never arrived, because I know that Chaos comes for us, but I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you. Knowing that you care for me, that someone actually sees me for me, not as Princess Aleksandra, but as Aleks. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She looked down.

“You would excel at everything,” I said. “Just like you are now. You would find someone who truly sees you, not settling for anyone who didn’t, and you would rule Craesti after your father with wisdom, knowledge, and strength. I am not what gives you power. You are.”

She leaned in and kissed me again, then put her head on my shoulder. “Thank you,” she said.

“Always,” was my only response. I held her for a few minutes, before I pushed her away gently. “Let’s gather, and wait for the others.”

“Fine,” she sighed, then followed me over to the open space. With Gunther there, I didn’t want to use the Eight-by-Eight, since we weren’t supposed to spread that technique. Instead, I sat and leaned against the wall. Aleks sat next to me, her thigh pressed into mine. I grinned at her, then closed my eyes.

I vaguely heard Prince Gunther greet (name), and then another Ashkhas. Ming followed, and I looked up to see him receive a sword that glowed with almost as much power as the one in my new ring. Blarg, I don’t really want to learn to use a sword instead of my trisula, I thought, holding my gathering technique while looking around. It wasn’t as efficient, but I wasn’t too worried. The pills in my ring were a reassuring presence, and I realized I didn’t tell Aleks about them. I’ll tell everyone else at the same time.

Ming caught my eye and nodded, moving over to another spot to gather. Vaya was next, and she received a bracer that could project both a shield, made of Metal and Crystal Aether, and a thrown spear of purely Crystal Aether. It would enhance the attack to be a level higher than her current strength, up through Perfect Core. She beamed at Spirit when accepting her rewards.

I smiled happily at her. Well, that answers my question as to who to give the sword to, I thought. Vaya looked around, then leapt towards me. I jumped to my feet and pulled her into a hug. “You did excellent,” I said.

“Of course,” she responded. “So, did you win?”

“Of course,” I echoed with a wink. “And I have a present for you once everything here is done.”

She leaned in and kissed me, and I reciprocated for a few seconds, losing myself in her lips. She was the one who pulled away first, grinning happily at me and saying, “We should gather.”

Jon walked up to Spirit, followed almost immediately by Leah, two Volk, three Topraki and two Ashkhas. The line to speak with Spirit quickly grew, until every single one of the competitors waited. I tried to walk over to Jamila while she waited, but was unable to cross over to the other side of the table.

Jon received a pair of greaves at the Complete Core level, enhancing his physical strength and sturdiness. Giving him the shield, I thought, then he exclaimed, “Aiden! When did you get here?”

“Uh, I’ve been waiting here for a while now,” I said. “Slowpoke.”

“Huh, I could not see you. Any of you,” he said, gesturing at the various people sitting and talking or gathering behind me.

“Well, want to wait with me? Vaya, Aleks, and Ming are already gathering over there,” I said, pointing, “and I was going to see how Jamila is doing, but I can’t get past the table.”

“Sure,” Jon agreed, walking around the table to stand beside me. “Bridget is only three back.”

I felt his aura with my Aether Senses, and realized he had advanced to Complete Condensation too. “Congrats on your progress,” I said.

His face grew haunted for a second, “Yeah. The challenge after the one with you was, uh, very rewarding at the end. I,” he shuddered, “I’d really rather not talk about it.”

I grabbed his shoulder and nodded, “Got it. I’m here if or when you want to talk, but don’t feel pressured to do so if you’re not ready. I won a number of rewards that I cannot use, and one of them would work great for you. Well, a bunch of them would, but I want to share with multiple people.”

“Yeah, yeah, give your girlfriends the good stuff. Just leave the dregs for your best friend,” Jon faked pouting at me.

“If you can say that again with a straight face after I give you what I’m thinking of I’ll let you punch me,” I told him.

“I will hold you to that!” He exclaimed, just in time for us to see Bridget receive a belt that would channel Aether into her to increase her speed. She took it, the leather covered in the scales of a green lizard, and put it on. Spirit gestured for her to go past him, and then she saw Jon. She blurred, moving fast enough that I had trouble tracking her for a second, then slammed into Jon.

“I made it!” She shouted, causing nearly everyone around to look at her. “And you did too! Aiden, hi, I am super excited!”

I laughed, “It looks like the belt makes you happier too?”

“It uses Joy, Speed, and Air Aether! This is amazing,” she said. “I cannot wait to marry you!”

“Uh, you should probably channel some of your Aether to your head,” I told her, “see if you can get a hold of the side effects from using the belt.”

“I can do that!” She yelled again, then her eyes unfocused as she concentrated. After a few seconds, her face grew red and I swore I could see steam coming from her ears. “I cannot believe I said that.” She looked down at the ground, barely able to look at Jon.

“I cannot wait to marry you either,” he said, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m not going to bring this up ever again,” I said. “You were in the grip fo a new item, and not in full control of yourself.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

Jon laughed, picking her up and spinning her around.

I grinned at them, then turned back to see Jamila being given a set of metal stakes and a memory stone. “The stone holds the many permutations of the Dual Elemental Growth Formation,” Spirit explained, “and will guide you in using the Growth Stakes. Build that garden.”

“I will,” Jamila said, looking at the items in wonder.

Spirit nodded, then gestured for her to go past them before turning to the Topraki waiting behind her. Jamila walked around Spirit, then saw me. She beamed at me, “You are okay! I was very worried that you would be too injured to continue,” she said, rushing to me.

Her hands were full, so I swept her into a hug. “Nope, thanks to you,” I said. “So, garden?”

“My first challenge was Herbology,” Jamila said, “and I did really well at it. After I healed you, I got to do a different type of Herbology challenge, and learned how to set up a simple Growth Formation. Spirit and I got to talking, and I told them I wanted to set up something like that at Azyl Academy. Now I can get Counselor Sprout’s assistance and compare the Growth Formations that she knows with this.” She gestured with the knowledge stone in her hand, “and maybe combine it with something else to improve our ability to grow Elemental Herbs!”

“That sounds amazing,” I told her.

A gong sounded, and I looked to see the last person, a flustered Volk I vaguely remembered from the party in the woods, receiving a mace from Spirit. The Volk scurried towards the rest of us as Spirit floated into the air. “Congratulations, and thank you for challenging the Tower of Trials,” Spirit said, a giant smile filling their face. “When I created the Tower, I did not know if it would ever be found, if there would be anything left of my people or others would find it. I am thankful that as honorable and talented of a group as you were the ones to complete the Trials and earn the rewards of my people.”

Spirit paused, then looked over at me, “And I am ecstatic that someone qualified for the Legacy was part of the first test batch. Kupiec Aiden, you bear the Legacy of the M’Zee. Share what you wish.”

I nodded. “On that note,” I said, “I have a pill from the Legacy for each one of you.” I reached into the bag at my waist, faking pulling a box of pills from it. “I was told these would bring us to the very edge of advancing to Core while tempering us with Geist again as well.”

“Do not take the pill yet,” Spirit said. “I will bring you to a specially prepared room first.”

I looked over at them, “Uh, where are the Bonds?”

“In the next room,” Spirit said. “Several of them were too big for this room.” They gestured, and a door appeared on the opposite side of the room. “Go, create a line at the entryway.”

I nodded, then walked over to the door. Everyone else got into a line with little to no pushing or posturing, and it moved quickly. I heard roars and barks of welcome from behind me. “Finally, you are ready,” Sia said.

“In a minute,” I laughed back.