Savage Awakening 69. Reina (Patreon)

It wasn't an intellectual thing. It was all feeling. And as the feeling left him, he lost the magic. He couldn't find it anymore—it wasn't a matter of trying. Like grasping at water running between his fingers.

He was relieved when one last notification popped up as his dream faded out.

Major Law comprehended!

Major Law of Pure Forging (Elemental Law of Steel)

***

Zane woke up breathless. He felt exhausted. He didn't even want to think about trying for another Law. He'd done too much. This wasn't the kind of thing you walked off. He could tell it'd be days, maybe a week before he'd give Laws another go.

Lesson learned. Two Major Laws in one go was too much. For the first time he'd brushed up against the limit of his soul.

But he was still satisfied. Two Major Laws was still a lot.

What could he do with them?

***

He found a garden courtyard to practice.

So. Major Law of Pure Forging. His only steel Skill was Spirit Steel Body. They should go well together, right?

He tested it out. He sank Laws of Pure Forging into his skin, his muscles, his bones. He started weaving them in, just as he'd woven Unyielding Might. He followed the template of Spirit Steel Body.

Could he even do this? He thought back to Spirit Steel Body's description—

Gives the body the durability and density of Spirit Steel. Extremely resistant to both slashing and concussive damage. Steel grade scales with level.

Pure Forging went beyond "durability and density," right? So it went beyond the scope of the Skill.

But as he weaved, the Law went in just fine. The more he wove it, the more his body subtly changed, sharpening, smoothing, growing more robust…

Then—

Skill evolved!

Spirit Steel Body [Epic] -> Man of Steel [Epic]

Gives the body the density, durability, precision, flexibility, conduction, and purity of Spirit Steel. Extremely durable, powerful, and conductive. Steel grade scales with level. Properties adjust to the user's will.

He blinked.

...well, shit.

No one told him he could make new Skills.

He read it over again. Adjust…? He felt those Steel Laws like lights woven through his body. Lights he could turn bright or dim at will.

The brighter he turned it, the more his skin took on a subtle gleam, pure and blemish-less. It was the Law of Steely Refinement showing through.

His features sharpened too. Precise casting defined him, made him sharp—it brought out his jaw and his cheekbones, muscles, the separation on his arms, down his legs. He found a mirror in the palace and took a moment to inspect himself. Everything just seemed... cleaner. The lines on his body flowed smoothly, symmetrically, like a statue carved of marble.

He found he could superheat his body too, like a metal. He can make his grip incredibly hot. Any part of his body, really—his thermal regulation was off the charts. It was the Minor Law of Heat Mastery at work.

He could also make his skin texture harder or softer at will. When he dimmed his Steel Laws fully he seemed almost like any other human. You could only tell the difference if you inspected him very closely. Or cut into him—then it'd feel like cutting into kevlar.

He wondered how much more durable he was now. Nothing in that Gorge had really tested him. And while it was fun releasing all that pent-up annoyance on those birds... he did miss having a real challenge. Something to push him to the edge of a fight, something that really roused him.

Next up was Abyssal Crater. When he saw it on the beacon map, it presented as a C-ranked dungeon. But when he zoomed in on it, a little plus popped up next to it. C+… He wondered what it meant. Stronger, he hoped.

He'd soon find out.

***

Next up was his new Major Fire Law, Ethereal Flame. And since it was mostly the stuff of the soul, there wasn't much he could apply it to. He thought about layering Spirit's Incandescence on something like Rising Sun Slash, but it proved much harder than adding Forging to Spirit Steel Body.

Forging and Spirit Steel Body just felt like they should go together. But Rising Sun Slash was a physical thing, and adding a soul part… was too much of a leap.

What he could do was buff Rebirth in Flame.

He made a little pale fire dance on his fingertips. Then he poured in the rest of the Laws of Ethereal Flame. They came easily.

Skill evolved!

Rebirth in Flame [Epic] -> Fiery Renewal [Epic]

He made a cut down his hand and tried it out. It was a little better than Rebirth in Flame, healing-wise. But now it could burn through poisons too, poisons of all sorts—even lingering foreign essence that might stop a wound from healing. It could cleanse a wound as well as heal it.

It didn't seem exclusive to him either. He saw no reason he couldn't use it on someone else. Could come in handy.

***

That done, he returned to the palace and found a note Reina had left for him. She invited him out to a mid-afternoon picnic. There was a map attached of a city he didn't recognize. It had directions.

Zane scratched his head. Then he went outside and saw the city on the map.

Reina had worked some kind of miracle.

When he left Portland, it was a war-torn wasteland. Black was the color of this city. The burnt-out buildings, the blackened barricades, the ashen streets.

Now he felt like he'd walked onto the set of The Lord of the Rings or something. Dark and light greens were everywhere. Green was woven into the wood housing, under the rooftop gardens, all along the pebbled roads. Vibrant purple flowers peeked out of wide swaths of well-trimmed grass, swaying softly in the wind.

Reina had told him some of her plans when they were sleepy, in bed together. She wanted to give Portland some of its old life back. He strolled down a pebbled path, past rows of quaint wood houses, smoke puffing up from the chimneys. He started walking down a riverfront.

A wide, strong flow of clear blue water ran straight through the middle of the city. He came across a lovely, historic-feeling wood bridge spanning its breadth. On the other side was a lumber town hall and a little nature reserve flitting with birds. There were dirt sparring arenas and a little cluster of dojos, vines woven through their roofs.

He saw some folk standing on the bridge, staring vacantly up the river in a daze. Some still looked haunted, like they couldn't believe where they were.

There were still huge chunks of the city undone. He saw them mostly across the river—the edges of this little green haven fading to black wasteland. But still… he shook his head. Nuts.

As they walked, he saw a little woodland treasure area called Tranquility Park teeming with essence—motes of soft glowing light drifted about between groves of massive dark green trees. People lay there resting. Some red tomes. He saw some of the resistance fighters he'd met sitting there on benches, watching the gurgling of an essence fountain.

Past that were the food stations, modeled to look like those quirky old cafes Zane imagined once peppered the city.

That was Reina for you. She got all the little details right. It still baffled him that she seemed to like him. He scratched his head. He was pretty much a Neanderthal next to her.

On his way back from his little stroll, an old man in a tattered vest came up to him, a shy little blonde boy at his side. The boy introduced himself as Jacob. He gave Zane a flower unlike any he'd seen in the city. It was duller and smaller, a little white-petal thing, kind of wilted—the boy said it was the only flower he'd found back when the city was still a war-torn waste. It was the boy's lucky charm. The thing he held onto as he cringed under the barricades, waiting for the Spell-fire to stop.

"Thank you Mister Sage," mumbled the boy. And he gave it to Zane. "This's for you."

Zane felt a soft warmth in his chest. He ended up putting it in his Bag of Holding, right next to all his other treasures.

It also gave him an idea.

***

Hours later, he arrived at the little grove where he and Reina would have their picnic.

The first thing she pointed out was that he looked different. He explained the changes to his steel body, and she studied him for a bit.

Then she said, "You said you could adjust it?"

"Yeah."

"Could you lower it a little?"

"Sure."

He did, and the sharp edges softened some. His skin did too. He asked her why.

"Maybe it makes you a little more handsome. But you were already handsome," she murmured. They sat beside one another, leaned against a thick tree trunk. She put her head on his chest, her favorite resting spot. "I like you like this," she said, closing her eyes, sighing happily. "I can cuddle you easier."

Slowly, he stroked her hair, and they just lay there for a while.

They ate the sandwiches she'd made and murmured softly to each other. And by the end of it, just when they were about to pack up, he nervously reached into his bag of holding. Zane was not someone who got nervous. Reina just did strange things to him. His heart was going weirdly fast.

He brought out a crown made of bright, spotless steel. It gleamed gently in the soft afternoon light.

"What's this?" said Reina, blinking. She must've inspected it. "It's... not a treasure?"

"It was a treasure," said Zane, scratching his head sheepishly. "I melted it down. And... made this. For you."

He melted it down by hand, and molded it by hand, and tried engraving little flowers onto the thing. He wasn't sure they looked much like flowers.

She just stared quietly. He felt he should say something. "You know, 'Reina.' It means queen... right? So…”

It had taken him almost five hours, an embarrassingly long time for such a little thing, and a lot of tries. Way too many tries. He kept breaking them or twisting them. His hands felt way too big with these clumsy sausage fingers. He felt kind of stupid hunched over the tiny thing, trying to coax the steel into something pretty. He was so much more used to breaking things than making them.

He thought for a while about what to give her. But all his treasures were pretty much useless to her. In the end, he realized nothing he gave could possibly show his appreciation. All he had to give was his time, his body, and... a stupid little crown.

At least he tailored it. She loved resting her head on his chest, and he loved stroking her hair. So he had a good idea of her shape.

She was so quiet, still staring. "Zane..." she whispered.

"I put two major Laws into it," he said. "Unyielding Might and Pure Forging, so it should never break or rust."

He tried to make it sound unique. But the more he looked at it, the more amateurish and ridiculous it seemed. He wasn't a craftsman. This was stupid. He wasn't sure why he even bothered—

She threw herself at him and kissed him, bowling him over. Then she was on top of him. She kept kissing him.

He wasn’t the best judge of these things, but he got the sense she was pretty happy with it.

***

Before he set off the next day, he got a message.

Hey there! This is your buddy Elias. Just checking up! Couple things. First, I've got some swag for you—this awesome B-ranked treasure. Trust me, you'll love it. I hear you're doing a road trip. Drop by, will you? I'll have it ready for you when you get here. As it happens, I've got some special guests from abroad staying with me for a bit. We can have dinner, schmooze a little, it'll be a great time.

Also! Heads up!

There's this Faction called the Tomb Kings running out of LA. You might've heard of them. They're the second-strongest Faction in America. They've got pretty much all of Southern California locked down and chunks of Nevada too. You wouldn't believe these people. They've got like a dozen World Rankers. And their boss is this nasty dude, World Rank #11, Mike Masters.... once you get past 20, they're all monsters. It's insane. There's a world of difference between someone like me or you and him.

I say this because they've been flexing a lot lately. They've sent teams crawling all over Northern California. I think they're trying to find something. Not sure what. They've claimed a shit ton of Safe Zones around these parts, though.

Now, you shouldn't have to worry about them! They're insulated from you. By me. They pretty much have to get through me before they get to you. And don't you worry! I'm taking measures to make sure they can never do that. Some of those guests of mine are part of that, actually.

Most of their focus isn't on us anyway. They have this crazy war going on with the Mexicans and their Cartels… it's a mess down there. Very bloody. Not my thing.

Again. You shouldn't have to worry. But I'd just be a little careful! If you see any 'Tomb King' Faction members crawling around, steer clear!