Ch. 44 – Descent (I) (Patreon)

Felix went over to the Mailbox and, to his satisfaction, he had a message from Vicky.

[Loot Obtained]

·         Escort Core Upgrade

·         250 VC

“So how do we use this thing?” Felix asked.

Lucifer exited his body and held the oblong, football-shaped device. “Not sure. Maybe…” He began turning it and it clicked before vanishing. Lucifer glowed with a bright, crimson light and an aura of the same color appeared around him for a few seconds before fading. “Oh wow, okay. That feels…Hmm.” He turned to Tinuriel, “You’re the designated Escort currently, so we have to level you up.”

Tinuriel looked at Felix, “I desire these Classes that will increase my physical prowess.”

Felix recalled all of the Classes he had seen so far and the ones that Vicky had messaged him about. “We can do Warrior 10 and Champion 7.”

“Sounds good to me! This is going to feel hot…we should go to the pool.” The two followed Lucifer to the Recreation Room and went to the large, Olympic-sized pool. Tinuriel stripped down and jumped in. Lucifer held his hands up. “This is going to be very uncomfortable.”

Tinuriel nodded, “I can take it.”

“Alright, here we go!” A red stream of energy flowed from Felix to Lucifer, and into Tinuriel. She began to glow a bright, incandescent, neon blue as the water began to bubble and turn into steam. Tinuriel grimaced and took a deep breath, plunging her head under the water as it roiled and bubbled.

Felix saw her readout in his vision as the change took effect. First, over her head, he saw a list of information like what he saw in his vision post-level-up.

As well as a series of bars that appeared just under his own set of bars. Thankfully, the colors were consistent so he could easily discern his from hers. Thank God someone knew how to design a user interface.

 Tinuriel rose out of the water as the steam continued to billow around her, but she looked even more strong than before. Her muscles were even more defined and pronounced, she had grown a few inches in height, and she looked more youthful and vigorous than before. She looked down and flexed her thigh, “That is excellent.”

Lucifer turned to Felix, "She saw the Classes and new Skills in her vision. But, you should see them too - so you know her capabilities going forward."

"Damn. You could stack Obliterate, Eviscerator, and Execution and probably insta-kill most things," Felix commented. It's a good, straightforward build.

Tinuriel laughed haughtily, "Good."

Felix chuckled and tossed her a towel from a rack, “Dry off and get dressed. We have a party later.”

She winked at him and pouted slightly, “Fine, but you’re worshipping this body later.”

Blushing, Felix turned on his heel and walked out, Lucifer just behind him. “And when you hit level 21 you can take another Escort along.”

“It’ll have to be someone else we meet. Roy would be a good pick, but he’s busy being Dark Lord.”

“I’m sure you’ll meet more people on your adventures across the Multiverse.”

Felix went to the Shop and restocked on Elixirs once more. Getting kind of sick of spending all my money on these. But, he knew, staying alive was more important than having new Magics/Powers or equipment.

[Items purchased]

·         <Rank 5> Anima Elixir (x8)

o   4000 VC

·         <Rank 5> Vigor Elixir (x5)

o   2500 VC

[Monies Paid]

·         6500 VC

[Current Balance]

·         16490 VC

Lucifer left to prepare the festivities, and Felix went to sit on one of the benches overlooking his VBV. Glancing over at the portals just floating in space, he thought about ways that he could instead make a more improved central area. Hey. I want to add a Portal Room.

Done. You’ve got five Functions and two Rooms left over that haven’t been used.

The grey void of the VBV formed an enormous tower that shot up into the sky. Felix got up and looked inside. Several elevators ran on tracks on three sides of the interior of the tower, and portals with labels for the Universe and location in that Universe they opened to were housed within large, ten-foot by ten-foot sized doorways. He left and looked back over the endless space of the VBV.

How about we do a forest realm-

Oooh! Like that trilogy I watched a while back! I totally-

No, like Tinuriel’s home.

Well, we can have both. That’s another Room.

Off In the distance, the mountains moved once more – thanks to his prior instructions in going with Melanie’s suggestion, the mountains neatly cordoned off a new space, and within it an enormous forest just like Avelion sprouted up, with a large, walled settlement and the faint twinkling of elevated buildings within the trees as well.

I need to use some of these Functions. Let’s make some sensible changes. Diseases are cleansed in the VBV. Food, drink, and sleep are optional.

That’s four functions. The food, drink, and sleep are counted as separate.

Well then, I guess that’s all for now. I want to save one Function and one Room in reserve in case something comes up. What all do we have set up?

I'll show you.

Tinuriel walked up to him and picked him up, “Enough staring off into the distance. I want to test my new Might and break that bed.”

Felix laughed and held on tight as she carried them to his house.

The evening arrived quickly. Felix and Tinuriel got dressed in some dress clothes; she chose to wear a dress that left very little to the imagination. Felix felt underdressed in comparison, just wearing a decent suit like what he wore to prom way back in High School. But he was very happy with this woman instead of his lackluster prom date years ago. She was drop-dead gorgeous. He grinned like an idiot; smitten as she pushed him out the door.

The night sky of the VBV was filled with fireworks and shining, sparkling starlight. Lucifer flew over to the couple, “Hey! The feast has been all set up. It’s a localized affair – the two occupied locations, the Renaissance City and Medieval Town, are doing their own thing.” Lucifer led the couple over to the covered awning council table, pulling out their chairs for them as they sat before taking their seat.

Roy was dressed in a magnificent set of armor with a large, fur-lined cloak thrown over his shoulders. He had trimmed his beard back and cut his hair, the locks being held back by a silvery-white crown.

Melanie was dressed to impress, wearing a gorgeous dress with sapphires and rubies sewn into the fabric. Her crown was a simple circlet with an enormous ruby and sapphire overlapping and intertwined in a display. She had brought along several servants, who streamed from the VBV portal room to their table, bringing out food, drinks, and all manner of delicacies that Felix had never seen before.

They made merry long into the night hours. There was laughter and mirth, conversations about the future and the past, and excellent bonding between the group of friends.

“Where to next?” Roy asked as he finished off another slice of a pie made from some fruit that tasted like a mix between orange and lime.

“We are going to take a glider down to Avelion and open a VBV portal there. After that…” Felix let that hang in the air.

“There’s lots of options out there. With his higher Core Level, Felix has even more options than before.”

Melanie nodded, “What do you have to do to go home and rescue your sister?”

“Reach level one hundred,” Felix replied. Her reminder struck a chord within him. The reminder that he had a job to do. A Universe to fix. And to get there, he had to get stronger.

Tinuriel grabbed his hand, “We’ll get there together.”

Roy raised his glass, “I’ll toast to that.”

Everyone else followed suit.

The next morning the two woke up and traveled to Ethdellin. Brianne led them to the edge of the Eternal City, and from there they were given an escort and horses to the edge of the Tier.

Awaiting them was an intriguing contraption. A boat with several masts in the center, fins for steering and stabilization, and a wide set of canvas wings. An engineer standing next to it instructed them on how to steer it, and they pushed off, gliding down. Tinuriel seemed to be somewhat familiar with it, and Felix recalled her mentioning that she had used a glider once before.

From above, the Tiers were a completely different sight altogether. Sirinê (Tier 2) was a silvery disc with two prominent towers that thrust upward, one light blue and one deep red.

Mercantus (Tier 3) was a tiny sliver in comparison, but the ornate canal system reflected the sun and showed an amazingly ingenious pattern that prevented barges from hitting each other. It was the design that only someone who had played hours of civilization-building games could appreciate.

Dirge (Tier 4) was shrouded in the silvery-white Netherlight of Roy’s power, and thus they could not make out much of anything. But there was a sense of calm as they descended through the top of that cloudy covering, a soothing comfort like snuggling under a blanket in a warm bed on a cold night.

The mighty walls of Invictus (Tier 5) and the segmented Tier with a rigid caste system were a wonder to behold, the imposing edifices truly a sign of splendor and a testament to the skill of its masons.

Ryūganaru’s (Tier 6) mountains were crisscrossed with a variety of roads carved into the expansive rocky cliffs. Enormous castles stood atop the mountain tops, and their slanted, tiered roofs gave off a regal appearance.

Fortis’ (Tier 7) untracked wilderness and small city-states scattered amongst the untamed grasslands and hills instantly reminded Felix of flying over the Midwest USA when he had to travel for his grandfather’s funeral. That brought to bear memories of the beloved family member.

If only he could see me now, he thought. They had planned to travel the world using his retirement funds, but he developed cancer and died before they could travel the world and see all of the wonders it held. Felix looked out over the landscape, taking in the gorgeous views.

Bur-Hur (Tier 8) came next, and the hot winds from the desert Tier buoyed them aloft. The enormous wasteland was permeated by the large lines of the tunneling creatures that they had avoided before. Punctuating the landscape were enormous statues and sunken ruins. Tinuriel began angling them downward as they could make out the deep green of Avelion below.

They crossed over Limnalia (Tier 9) and the glowing, purple and blue mushrooms of the comparatively tiny Tier brought a smile to Felix’s face – the first time he’d started to feel a connection form with his elven Escort when they were traveling under the gilled canopy.

She angled them towards the foot of the cliff leading to Avelion (Tier 10), landing them in the tops of the trees just outside of the elven stronghold. Felix used Fallen Flight and picked her up, stored the glider in his inventory, flew them into the elven city, and gently set them down in the center. Tinuriel calmed the warriors that had made to intercept them and the two entered the king’s hall.

“Ah, Tinuriel, you return to us.” King Avelion XII sat on his throne with a young elven woman seated on his lap. He slapped her rear as she left, giggling stupidly. “And the Versewalker,” his voice turned sourer at that title.

Tinuriel bowed slightly, “Your grace. I have much to report. But first, the Versewalker has a proposal.”

Felix nodded, “I have this place, called the VBV, where I’ve recreated your forest kingdom.” He spent the next several minutes rattling off the various Features and Rooms he had installed there, and the king – at first aloof and seeming uninterested – gradually gave Felix his full attention as he described the permeation of magic granted by a literal deity of magic.

He held up his hand for Felix to stop, “As long as we can come and go as we please, then I do not see an issue with you providing this VBV as an option. But we are naturally aggressive people. We will need to come back here, to Avelion, very regularly to engage in combat with our violent neighbors on the Tier below.”

“That’s fine, you’ll have a portal to use as you desire,” Felix replied.

Tinuriel stood upright, “Your grace, I am taking my leave of Avelion’s army. The Versewalker has named me an Escort, and-”

The king threw down his goblet which clattered on the ground. He stood up and his face was filled with wrath, “You dare turn your back on your people!”

Tinuriel crossed her arms, “The Versewalker has fixed Heficyre. He defeated the Dungeon that was plaguing this city. He rescued an entire Tier from collapse. Isn’t it wise to have one of your people accompany him, to spread the glory of elvenkind’s martial achievements?”

The king sat down and tapped his fingers along the armrest of his throne. But he nodded at last, “This is wise council.” He turned to Felix, “Very well, she is dismissed from our army.”

Tinuriel bowed slightly before grabbing Felix’s hand and dragging him out to the town center. “Open the VBV here. I’m going to get my sisters.”

Felix did as he was instructed, used another Multiversal Charge, and waited next to the grey portal. He explained to the few curious elves that came up about what lay inside, and a few more adventurous ones went inside to investigate.

Tinuriel came up a few minutes later with two much smaller elven women in tow. Both were wan, drastically paler and had sunken cheeks and eyes. “Felix, these are my sisters. Veliel and Variel.”

“Pleased to meet you both.” Felix welcomed them into the VBV, following after. As soon as the two crossed the threshold, their skin lost its pallid tone, and they grew a few inches in height as whatever disease was afflicting them was cleansed and their bodies healed. Their sunken cheeks filled out and their eyes brightened noticeably as their bodies developed further. They both looked at each other, shocked and then shouted for joy and turned to hug Tinuriel.

Felix felt himself tearing up a bit at the sight. Penny will have that same experience, someday.

It's a nice, happy ending for her family at least.

Felix nodded and walked with Tinuriel and her sisters to the Forest City section of the VBV. Tinuriel stopped Felix, leaning down, and giving him a deep kiss. “Thank you for this,” she said in the most loving tone he had ever heard come from her.

“You’re very welcome.”

She lowered her voice to a husky whisper, “Maybe I’ll let you take the lead tonight.”

Felix chuckled and kissed her back, “Let’s make it a competition.”

She raised her eyebrows with a wicked grin, “Deal.”

END OF VOLUME 1!

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