Augmented Aspects: Chapter 147 Going Home (Almost) (Patreon)

Chapter 147

Going Home (Almost)

There was a slight hush, as I waited for the aftermath of the battle to subside. Before me lay the quivering body of the Viscount who had been drained of all mana.

Then I received the reward from completing the impromptu quest.

Quest Completed: A Duel of Magical Masters (II):  Dr. Octavia Spiritlight has won her duel against Viscount Grahm De’Carve. Viscount Grahm De’Carver will lose all rights to honor, integrity, titles, and renounce all claims to nobility. Additionally former Viscount Grahm De’Carver will be banished from the Deolar Elven Homelands. Rewards: Experience, Notoriety, New Skill (already applied), Stated objectives.

Experience Gained: 250,000 / 125,000 /125,000

Ding.

Level up.

Akashic Qi Master has increased to level 120.

Ethereal Simulacrums Master has increased to level 188.

Ethereal Healer has increased to level 224.

That was a lot of levels. I gained eleven levels in my Akashic Qi Master class, seven in Ethereal Simulacrums Master, and eleven again in my Ethereal Healer class. Meaning that I also got the Legendary bloodline bonus from twenty-nine total levels all at once.

I felt a flood of power wash over me, as I gained levels at an exceptional rate.

Physical    Base     Bonus

Strength    88      261

Dexterity    127     590

Endurance  121     338

Social  Base   Bonus

Personality 96   337

Sociability   92   341

Attractiveness   81   967

Mental   Base  Bonus

Perception 165  1013

Intelligence  166   1176

Willpower    159   1589

That was a lot of Attributes all at once. I also noticed a few things. First, and likely most importantly, I officially had my fourth Attribute over the thousand-point threshold. My next closest was Dexterity, which might be a bit, but I knew for a fact it would be doable.

The other thing I noticed was how close I was once again to maxing out my base Perception and Intelligence, despite being able to increase to the new limit of 175 each, they were now under ten points away from reaching their limits.

This once again reminded me that I had the one time use recipe to increase my overall maximums again just wasting space in my storage. There was also the second repeatable recipe available for a free Trait slot that I was going to mass produce with Mallory and the other guild members.

Those were the thoughts that hit me right after I took notice of my recent rapid advancement. Then of course came the fact that I wasn’t even done with all of the bonuses from completing this quest. That is when I mentally allowed my mind to open and focus on the remainder of the notifications that were still awaiting me.

Notoriety (I): You have established yourself to be one of the premier duelists of the Ancient Elven Empire. Even when severely restrained by the Gods of the world, you manage to come out on top. Effect: +10% Bonus to Intimidation, Coercion Checks, and +10% chance of Forcing Favorable Compromises.

This was an interesting feature and one that many people would associate the people like Mallory, as it helped them give off an intimidating aura when they wanted. This was sort of like an unnerving presence that the person innately wielded, making you want to get along with the person more favorably.

Honestly, I am not entirely certain how the Notoriety system would work, especially for me. Would this transfer to all my different forms, making it so each avatar I wore was capable of exuding the same overbearing presence?

Also, there was the other question I had about this feature being unlocked, as didn’t one generally have to do more than just win a duel to unlock such a feature? I mean these were meant for hardened criminals and the law enforcement officers who took in said criminals for justice.

Yet, I wasn’t able to focus too much on this new feature that I had to be aware of, as I still had another major notification left to accept.

Geographic Notification: The Gods have seen and have witnessed the formal duel and have hereby stripped Viscount Grahm De’Carver of all rights to honor, integrity, titles, and all claims to nobility. From here on out Viscount Grahm De’Carver will be simply known as Grahm. Time for Grahm to leave on his own accord, before his Attributes and Skills begin to drop at a rapid rate per time that he managed to overstay his welcome: 29:59, 29:58…

There was a thirty-minute timer for the Viscount, well Grahm to leave of his own accord. The only problem was that Grahm was currently squirming and quivering on the floor. His eyes were rolled back in his head, as with my flick to his cerebral cortex, I managed to knock out any semblance of control to his motor skills that might have remained after I drained him of all his mana.

It’s sad to say that it took me to this point, for me to realize just how outmatched mages were to a focused Qi user.

Also, it seemed that Qi users could train themselves to be the perfect counter to mages.

Now I know I have had similar ideas to this before, but it is one thing to think something and another thing to be able to easily drain the mana from an opponent right where they stand and leave them a disabled mass.

Also, I learned so many things that I could teach both my Qi students and Mana students. For not only was I thinking of ways to take down mages, but I was thinking of ways that I could as a mage, prevent being completely decimated by a skilled Qi user.

My mind was flooding with ideas and new tricks to try out.

Honestly, I was excited to get home and start practicing many of the different concepts that I had come up with immediately, in order to see what worked, what didn’t. Oh, and somewhere in there I was going to brew a lot of rare and hard to get items together to create my potions.

Then I was quickly pulled away from my musings when I heard the spell of silence that had so thoroughly enraptured everyone break.

“She did it.” One of the bound guards said.

“She took him out with a flick.” A second guard stated.

“Is that her?” A third guard asked.

“Of course, it is her, she is clearly wearing the uniform.” The first guard answered.

Sadly, it took my four guild members speaking like that to remind me of why I was here, and why I shouldn’t just run off and being practicing new Mage Breaking skills, and more importantly new Qi prevention techniques.

With my bound guild members talking to my left, I quickly regained my composure and took on a more regal stance.

“I take it this is sufficient enough for everyone to realize that I should not be messed with?” I ask, pointing at the still unconscious body of the Visco… well Grahm.

“Yes, you have made your point.” The King said, and there was almost a heavy weight to his words. There was the sound of defeat that filled each word he spoke, causing me to realize that I might have missed something. That is when he let out a deep sigh, before continuing.

“You can have your way.” The King said.

“Wait, what?” I ask, again realizing that I was clearly missing a step or two in this King’s logic.

“You have proven yourself to be worthy. When you first were exiled, you were weak and incapable of protecting both yourself and this kingdom. Now you have returned stronger, and victorious in your pursuits.” The more the king spoke the more his words seemed to have a weight of foreboding doom to them. Almost as if he was about to tell me that a major calamity was about to befall the lands that I was now deemed fully capable of defending against.

“That is why, I will no longer stand between you and your love for Rahul. You now have my blessing to marry that lich.” The king said.

Bleh.

I think I vomited solidified mana in my mouth, just a little bit.

“No!” I shouted, trying to speak over the bile that was rising up within me. There was no way I was going to be married to that impostor of Rahul, not even if it was to save my guild members. I would come up with an alternate plan.

“What?” The King demanded, anger filling his words as he too probably felt just as confused as I did a few moments ago.

That is why I decided to go an alternate route, while also trying to portray this character that I was now displaying.

“When you first exiled me, you were right in your actions father. I was far too young and unlearned in the ways of the world. I fell for the first person who I thought saw the real me. I have since come to realize that what I had witnessed was a lie. That everything I had been told were the self-flattering words of a man with middling ambitions and no true sustenance. I have also realized now that what I once thought of as love was a farce, and that I still need more time to find out who I am, and most importantly who I wish to become. That is why I cannot and will not continue a relationship with Mr. De’Gravitas.” I stated.

Silence.

There was a hush that fell over the room.

I don’t know if everyone was still in shock from the duel, or the fact that I had turned down my father’s acquiescence to my perceived earlier demand to be allowed to marry that Rahul impostor.

“You…” The King began, a slightly trembling tone to his voice.

Hearing him I could not help but wonder if I had somehow messed up. Was he aware that I was playing a role? Did he somehow find out that I was not the real Octavia. These were the thoughts that rolled through my head, before he finally finished his thought.

“You called me father?” The King asked a slightly questioning tone to his words.

Pausing I realized two things almost immediately, the first thing was that I had in fact called him father during my monologue. The second part was, that based on this king’s reaction, this was something that was completely out of character for Octavia.

Badump, badump, badump.

My heart began to race as I realized I was likely close to breaking character. That if I did not do this next part correctly this rescue mission would likely fail, and that I might in fact need a second rescue mission sent for me.

Realizing there was nothing I could do about the past, as I had clearly spoken the out-of-character word for Octavia, my only recourse was to double down.

“That is correct, father, I did.” I said, a note of defiance to my voice.

Whoosh!

There was a flash of light.

Mentally I understood the move used, it was a warrior’s attack ability called Speed Rush, that allowed a front-line tank to dash across large distances in a second. No magic, nothing to dispel, just pure movement. Even with the restrictions that were still in place on the King, he was quick. Also, the action itself was unavoidable, part of what made tanks so formidable.

Mentally I prepared for a bash, or stunning attack. I circulated golden Qi to form a protective barrier around me and my vital organs. The goal was not to completely negate any damage I received, but to survive for long enough to Teleport away, where I could heal and then eventually come back with a different plan to save my guild members.

Yet, I was not prepared for what actually came next.

Arms open wide, I tried to move, but again this was an unavoidable feature of the game world. Something that I had not built-up contingencies for or against, as I had never directly faced such an attack directly before.

Then impact.

Crushing.

He was crushing me, my bones, even while being reinforced with Qi were slightly cracking from the intense strain. He gave me a bear hug.

Just when I was about to defend myself, I realized he was crying.

“Oh, my baby girl. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you call me father once more. When you were sent away, I thought that was it, that you would never forgive me again. Yet, here you are, you grew up to be so powerful. If your mother was here, she would be shedding tears of joy.” The King said.

Squeeze.

With that I felt bones pop within my chest, as the over enthusiastic King squeezed me hard enough to cause my bones to pop and crack from the sudden strain.

Oddly enough, as the bones break and crack, I feel my golden Qi flowing into the open pores and filling the spots with stronger materials that both seems to bind the bones together, while actually being lighter in makeup and stronger in terms of durability.

Thinking about this, I imagine purposefully breaking my bones, only to have the bones be healed with Qi in such a way that I end up becoming stronger and more durable. This sounds like the exact wrong way to enact, that which doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger. Still, it is something to consider, and I am not certain if it will truly be worth testing out on others. Though now I do feel a bit better about ramping up the difficulties of my training, assuming that people survive the broken bones and lacerated organs that might come from such strict training methods.

“You have no idea how happy I am now that you have returned. I feel like a massive weight has been lifted from my chest.” The King says, grabbing me tightly by the shoulders lifting me up and then spinning me around wildly like I was some sort of stuffed doll.

“Father, please put me down.” I say, a bit short, but honestly I don’t want him to suddenly have a sense of bumble fingers and for me to get thrown off wildly into space.

Spinning.

After a second, I am put down, and with a gentle pat, he taps my shoulder, as if that will somehow keep me firmly planted on the ground.

I will say that getting spun about so violently is oddly not as disconcerting as you might think. Normally people get dizzy from the fact that the eyes have a hard time focusing on distant objects quickly enough, thus causing distortions in visibilities. However, my vision is completely tied to me and an ever-moving axis around me. Thus, spinning me, only does that, spins me. While the direction I am pointing might change, there is no distortion of visible objects that could cause disorientation, rather it is just me reorienting myself to the view. Slightly different, but that difference means that I apparently cannot get motion sickness. At least not from being spun about violently, good to know.

Realizing that the King both looks and appears to be acting a bit sheepish at his actions, I decide to go in for the kill.

“Good.” I say, giving myself a second to settle back down on the ground. “That brings me to the real reason why I was able to come back her alive in the first place.”

“The real reason?” He parrots back.

“Yes, you see during my time away, I joined the Midnight Hunter’s Guild, where I was recognized as the position of a Doctor, in magic.” I state, making sure to only state the truths as there are a lot of Skills, Powers, and Traits that could help detect the slightest lie. Here every word I have said is true, as Cassiopeia, but we will just gloss over that part and assume that I of course was speaking of myself.

“You did, that is wonderful.” The King said, excitement filling his words.

“It is, I fully agree.” I state, giving a slight pause before I go in for the kill.

“So imagine my surprise, when the guild who is using the spell I created to purify the lands, had its members taken capture when they were trying to find a way to contact you.” I state, while pointing to the four bound guild members that were still forced to remain kneeling while chained to the floor.

At that the King looked visibly chagrined.

“Free them.” The King called out and gestured towards the guards that were standing like make-shift executioners over my fellow guild members.

“She did it?” The guild members said to each other in hushed whispers that echoed out in the Throne Room like stage whispers from a play.

“Shh. We are not out of this yet.” The senior member of the guards said. He was the one that looked most familiar, as I was fairly certain I had seen his energy signature during the start of my original two-hundred-person class sizes. Thankfully those got cut down dramatically, though I do think something might need to be done if my guild members are going to then go and get into trouble almost immediately afterwards.

Soon the other guild members were up, at which point I began healing them. This world was so dangerous for most mortals that just staying here for an extended period of time would slowly whittle away at ones health.

Healing.

“You are a healer as well?” The King asked, a note of awe and reverence in his words.

I assume based on his and the reactions from those around us, that Healers were seen in high regard.

“Yes, I believe it is safe to say I am a fair healer.” I state.

At that, the other guild members scoff.

I can see that they wanted to say something else, but I suddenly felt a pang.

Mentally I kicked myself for realizing that I had taken too long, and now a feeling I had felt earlier came back to me. I felt the powers of the awakened Knight’s bloodline reaching out and interacting with mine.

As I realized this, knew things were about to get dicey, as the Knight might be skilled enough to recognize that my bloodline was not one that was previously associated with the royalty of the kingdom. Then disaster struck as I realized there was an entire entourage coming.

The Knight with his bloodline detection skills were there, along with the Lieutenant, and worst of all the accursed Lich. Seeing that we still had a few minutes, I began to try to get us out of there.

“Well, a pleasure seeing you again, dad.” I state, making sure to use an operative word that would elicit a warm response from the attention starved ruler.

“Oh, are you leaving so soon?” The King asked, moving forward to try to stop me.

“Yes, I think we need to get back immediately.” I state, and then give a quick nod to the captain who fortunately seemed to be quick on the update, as he added.

“Yes, our shift was over a while ago, and we need to report in.” The Shift leader said.

With that I created a portal for everyone to get out, using my first real spell I received related to my unique class.

Planar Shift.

Poof.

A portal appeared before the guards who immediately exited the dungeon and exited the area. I too was about to leave, when suddenly a voice that I never wanted to hear again called out to me. Just hearing the voice, I knew I was done for.

“You…”