A Soul Reaping Lightbearer
I don't own squat, all rights reserved for Tite Kubo, Will Wight and Shirtaloon (largely his world/rewrite)
Chapter 2: Changes & Powers
There were new items in Jason's inventory, but his only interest was in something that could fix his broken bones. Looking over the icons in his inventory, nothing stood out that might help. The healing unguent worked best on open external wounds and probably wouldn't do much to mend broken bones.
Suddenly Jason remembered the wizard drinking what he called a recovery potion. With a grunt of pain, he forced himself up off the ground. He held his left arm to his body with his right, Asauchi blade still in his grip, seeing as every tiny movement of his arm cause pain to fire clean across his chest. Every breath agitated his broken clavicle, making breathing difficult.
Leaning against the door's frame, kicking aside the dead snake's skeletal remains, Jason leveraged the door all the way open with just his right arm. That unfortunately meant releasing his left arm, causing agony to fire through him the whole time. But it was a familiar pain that he once used to motivate him to survive dire situations, like the one he currently found himself in.
Not sparing more than a moment on the wizard's corpse and his pain, he made his way to the desk he had seen the wizard get the potion from. It wasn't hard to find, being one of the few pieces of furniture not overturned. Jason navigated the debris of the trashed room, making sure he didn't have any more surprises. The drawer was still open, and inside was a small rack for vials like the one he had seen the wizard drink. Only two vials remained, and Jason carefully picked one up.
Item: [Recovery Potion (bronze)] (bronze rank, rare)
Potent potion with strong healing and mana recovery effects (consumable, healing).
Effect: Recovers health. Effect reduced on silver-rank or higher individuals.
Uses remaining 1/1.
The vial was small, about the size of a rifle cartridge. Jason carefully leaned the sword against the desk, ready to snatch it if needed, and removed the vial from the rack. Then he pulled out the stopper with his teeth and tipped it back in a gulp. It tasted remarkably like strawberry schnapps and his unruly stomach, having been churning in discomfort since his clavicle broke, settled the instant the potion arrived.
The stinging sensation Jason now associated with magical healing started seeping into him, especially his clavicle and injured shoulder. It was worse than what he had experienced before, whether because of the nature of the injures or the potency of the potion. It didn't bother him; compared to the pain he was already in; this was nothing more than a tickle.
You have used a recovery potion, restoring health, stamina, and mana.
Until the remnant magic fully dissipates, consuming further health, stamina or mana potions will result in toxic side-effects.
By using a potion above your current rank, the effect is increased, but residual magic will take longer to dissipate.
Jason traded the empty vial for the sword and returned to the floor, leaning his back against the desk as his bones mended and his shoulder popped back into to place with an audible pop. The pain was gone, and mobility was restored, but his left shoulder felt delicate and weak.
In the periphery of his vision was a trio of small icons slowly shading over. When he focused on them, they grew larger for him to examine. They were all squares with a picture of a potion on each, one red, one yellow, and one blue. They were mostly greyed-out, but the grey was slowly dropping off as a timer underneath each counted down, with just under ten minutes remaining.
"Cooldown timers. That's useful."
He pushed himself to his feet, much easier now that he wasn't in agony with every movement.
"Alright," he told himself. "Still a bit raw, but back in fighting shape. So, what's next?"
He went and picked up the magic lamp and shone the light around to better assess his surroundings. Once the dead body of Vroshir Acolyte was within the lamp's beam of light he walked over to get a closer look. There was an eerie stillness to it that only came from death. An overly familiar stillness that he'd seen many times over the years.
He knelt down and felt that the corpse was still warm, "Too soon to close his eyes," he sighed out.
Would you like to loot [Vroshir Acolyte]?
He thought about the snake, its skeletal remains jammed between the heavy door.
"It won't do the same to him, will it? I don't want human meat in my inventory."
He thought about his horrible circumstances and realized he needed everything he could get his hands on that could help him survive.
So, he took a step back and said, "Alright, loot the body."
[Landemere Vane's Key Ring] has been added to your inventory.
[Robes of the Astral Verdict] has been added to your inventory.
[Wind-step Desert Boots] have been added to your inventory.
[Oasis Bracelet] has been added to your inventory.
2 vails of [Crystal Wash] has been added to your inventory.
6 [Golden Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
26 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
158 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
537 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
728 [Lesser Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
"Where were you carrying all that? That's over a thousand coins."
The wizard robes the dead man was wearing had vanished, leaving him in a pair of boxer shorts. Jason pulled the robes back out of his inventory and held them up to examine. They were layered dark blue robes covered in the blood of their former owner.
Item: [Robes of the Astral Verdict] (bronze rank, rare)
Robes designed for summoning (armor, cloth).
Effect: Increases the damage dealt by dimension spells.
Effect: Summoned creatures have increased damage reduction.
Effect: Damage reduction against disruptive-force damage.
Requirements: Must be bronze-rank or above to equip robes.
You do not meet the requirements to equip this item.
That was a shame as he could have passed himself off as one of the cultists, making it easier to sneak around. He returned the robes still wet with blood to his inventory and started to search the room as he needed to find anything he could to aid his rescue of the adventurers and defeat the cannibalistic inhabitants.
He started by examining the magic circle in the middle of the room. It was large, around three meters across, the metal set directly into the floor. The lines were intricate and complex, like someone had started with a pentagram and gotten severely carried away. It was also damaged. Some of the metal had been pried up, other sections warped as if by great heat, although there was no indication of burning anywhere.
The circle wasn't useful to him, so he started going through the rest of the room. He started with the big desk the potions had been in. There was the remaining potion and a few tins of healing unguent, which he took. Unlike the plain tins he got from monsters, these tins were branded with some kind of logo.
"Greenstone Alchemy Association," Jason read from the bottom of the tin. "I guess alchemy is real too... Why not?"
The rest of the drawers contained piles of notes and diagrams that seemed related to the magic circle. Oddly, Jason could read the individual words despite never having seen the language before, but they didn't make any sense to him as a whole. From what he could gather they were on some set of magical principles, as arcane to him as high-end theoretical physics.
He moved on, searching through toppled bookshelves and overturned tables. There was a variety of what looked like curios and display pieces, mostly tossed to the floor and broken, but nothing useful. He picked up a few of the books, flipping through the pages. There were a lot of them scattered around the room, their bookcases knocked over or even smashed. They seemed to be written in a variety of languages, but Jason had no problems reading any of them. Each new and unfamiliar text came as easy as if he'd been reading it his whole life.
"That's a little disconcerting, but useful. It'd be a real pain to have to learn how to read all these new languages."
Although he could read the words, that wasn't the same as understanding it. Every book he picked up seemed to be about magic theory, making them as impenetrable as any advanced textbook from a field he knew nothing about.
Moving a large, overturned table from where it had been tossed against the wall, Jason discovered a display cabinet with a glass door. Despite how hard things had apparently crashed into it, the cabinet was wholly unaffected, the glass remaining clear and without a single crack. Inside were four books, each on its own small easel stand. Compared to the other books Jason found, these looked more impressive, with intricately embossed leather covers.
Trying to open the cabinet, he found it was locked shut. After a few attempts to break the surprisingly sturdy glass, he remembered the key ring he had looted from the wizard. Pulling it out of his inventory, Jason discovered it was like a dungeon keeper's key ring from an old movie, a huge array of keys dangling from a large metal hoop.
Item: [Landemere Vane's Key Ring] (normal rank, common)
The keys for various locks throughout the Vane Manor, as well as personal keys for Landemere Vane's possessions. A mixture of ordinary keys and magical keys (tool).
Effect: Open specific locks.
"Hmm, so your name was Landemere," Jason muttered to himself while eyeing the corpse in the room. He shook his head, knowing the danger of knowing too much about the person he had killed and returned to the task at hand.
The keyhole on the cabinet door was quite small, so he tried the more delicate-looking keys until the lock clicked open. The cabinet wasn't very large but there were only four books in the entire case, set out for display rather than efficiency. The embossed leather didn't have titles, instead bearing patterns like the magic circle on the floor. Jason took out one of the books at random.
Item: [Astral Magic II] (bronze rank, uncommon)
A magical book that can impart the knowledge of intermediate level astral magic (consumable, skill book).
Requirements: Bronze rank, ability to use skill books, basic ritual magic theory, intermediate ritual magic theory, basic astral magic theory.
Effect: Imparts intermediate astral magic theory.
You do not meet the requirements to use this item.
Jason was vaguely familiar with skill books from video games that instantly gave out spells or special abilities. He couldn't try this one because he didn't meet the sizeable list of requirements.
"That should greatly shorten the learning curve."
He started checking the remaining books. From the descriptions, it seemed the four books covered two different fields of magic, with one book at basic and intermediate level for each subject.
Of the four books, Jason could only use one.
Item: [Ritual Magic I] (iron rank, common)
A magical book that can impart the fundamentals of performing magic rituals (consumable, skill book).
Requirements: Ability to use skill books.
Effect: Imparts basic ritual magic theory.
You are able to use skill book [Ritual Magic I].
Use Y/N?
Reading the description, he lingered on the requirement of being able to use skill books, which he met. Remembering his character sheet, he pulled it up and started looking through the listings under racial abilities.
The Mysterious Stranger ability seemed to give him the power to use skill books, along with essences and awakening stones. He looked at the book in his hand. According to its description it would give him knowledge. That meant it would alter his brain, but didn't his ability to read weird languages mean it was already affected? Was it already affecting his decision-making processes?
For the time being, Jason stowed the books in his inventory. He could always look at them later. There didn't seem to be anything else he could make use of, so he decided to take stock. He found an undamaged chair and table, setting them up as far from the body as he could. There were a lot of tables for one room, although it was a large room.
After sitting down, he started pulling out the items he had picked up but not looked at yet, placing them all on the table. He began with the items he looted from the snake. Mercifully, the night-scale leather wasn't as drippy as one would expect from a freshly skinned animal.
Item: [Night-Scale Leather] (bronze rank, uncommon)
The skin of an umbral mountain snake (crafting material, leather).
Effect: Crafting material for clothing, armor and accessories.
It was dark and matte, thick and cool to the touch. It was also surprisingly flexible. Like the snake, the leather was much longer than it was wide, coming out of his inventory rolled up like a traditional bolt of cloth and bound by a length of thick cord.
"Did I loot the string from the snake too? That's weird, but no weirder than everything else that's happened to me lately."
The snakeskin was listed as a crafting material, as was the night fangs that turned out to be the snake's fangs. While the venom glands were also considered to be an alchemical ingredient and the meat for magical cooking -which tickled his culinary hunger. The dark quintessence turned out to be small black gems.
Item: [Dark Quintessence] (iron rank, common)
Manifested essence of darkness (crafting material, essence).
Effect: Crafting material for items with darkness attributes.
They had the look of uncut gemstones, but the shine of polished onyx. They even came with a pouch to hold them.
"Well, at least it's convenient."
The rest of the items he received as quest rewards, mostly from quests he completed by killing the umbral mountain snake and looting Landemere. There were two bottles of a clear liquid with glass stoppers called crystal wash. They would remove all foreign matter from his body, like a shower in a bottle.
Convenient but not very helpful at the moment.
He pulled out the boots that were black leather but with no laces and the soles were perfectly smooth with a bunch of runic script making swirling patterns.
Item: [Wind-step Desert Boots] (bronze rank, rare)
Boots magically imbued with the power of wind to keep them cool and comfortable while allowing for controlled steps through desert sand (apparel, leather).
Effect: Wind is released from the soles of the boots to keep the wearer's feet level even on the loosest, deepest of sand.
Effect: Fuel with mana to cause a short burst of air to lift and maneuver wearer.
Effect: Adjusts to perfectly fit wearer.
Requirements: Must be bronze-rank or higher to equip.
You do not meet the requirements to use this item.
Not being able to put on those boots was a bigger disappointment than the robes. The boots would prove far more useful in traversing the desert and could increase his mobility. Such a shame, as was the lack of water quintessence to use the oasis bracelet as it'd keep him cool and protect him from fire.
The remaining items were both quest rewards for exploring the well. The awakening stone of the Titan was a smooth, rounded stone about the size of a fist. It was a solid blue of various textures that gave off the impression of solidity and protection.
Item: [Awakening Stone of the Titan] (unranked, legendary)
An awakening stone sharing the affinity of the protection (consumable, awakening stone).
Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.
Effect: Awakens an essence ability.
You have 0 unawakened essence abilities.
You do not meet the requirements to use this item.
The other awakening stones said much the same but from the Builder and Spider instead. Names that sounded like they could hold symbolism with the Creator.
"Suspicious, but I'm going to be dealing with cannibal wizards, I could use all the power I can get."
On that note, Jason reconsidered the Creator token. It would summon some ghost thing from... who knows where and give him powers. He was out of his depth considering that he was dealing with magic. So, he decided to use something that could give him some more context.
You are able to use skill book [Ritual Magic I].
Use Y/N?
After some thought, he said, "Yes."
The book floated out of his hand and into the air. The cover flung itself open and the writing on it started removing itself from the page, changing from black to gold as the disembodied text floated into the air. The pages started turning, faster and faster, gold text pouring into the air. Turning pages flicked over in a rush as the golden text formed a corona around the floating book. Then the flutter of pages started slowing, until the last page turned, and the book fell to the ground, every page blank.
The cloud of golden text swarmed over Jason like angry fireflies, disappearing into his body as it landed on his flesh with stinging bites. His mind was bombarded with information too quickly to process, leaving it lost and adrift. The pain and disorientation finally passed, leaving him in general control of his faculties, but dizzy and confused. He had no idea if seconds or hours had passed. He was weary to the bone, limbs as heavy as his eyelids.
Your stamina is low.
Two horizontal bars appeared at the periphery of his vision. One was blue while the other was orange and about empty. Next to them was a silhouette of a person that was mostly green, but the left shoulder, spreading just a bit into the chest, were yellow.
"Alright, so the orange bar is stamina, the little body is health and the blue bar is... something?"
Current mana: 100%
"Okay, I have mana. I think I'm getting a handle on this. What exactly is mana?"
Help: Mana
Mana is a resource required for many essence abilities. Low mana will lead to mental exhaustion.
Maximum mana is based on the [Spirit] attribute. Bind an essence to the [Spirit] attribute to increase maximum mana.
Mana recovery is based on the [Recovery] attribute. Bind an essence to the [Recovery] attribute to increase mana recovery rate.
Now he had a better understanding of ritual magic and some basics of magic itself. It wasn't as comprehensive as he'd had hoped, but it did help him understand that summoning things from beyond the world to serve as a familiar was common and mostly safe. Even if it came with risks, that didn't change what he needed to do.
He pulled out the Creator's token, reading over its effects again.
Jason just stared at the prompt, weighing his options. It would most definitely be a boon to use it but bonding his soul to a Ghost of the Creator or whatever, didn't sound all that appealing. He'd never believed in the concept of a soul but that still didn't mean he wanted to let something into it. Something that would change him on a fundamental level.
But he had been nearly killed twice, his cock pierced by barbs and was no closer to escaping or finding the adventurers.
In the end, he'd have to trade tomorrow's safety for surviving today and pulled out the white tablet from his inventory. So long as he successfully bonded his soul to a piece of the Creator, he could be given the powers he needed to up his survival chances. The most important being a shield and ability to save him from death.
The Creator sounded nice but touched uncomfortably along the lines of God and religion.
One he would have to let into his soul.
You are able to activate [The Creator's Summoning Token].
Activate Y/N?
"Bugger it," he relented, "go ahead and do it."
The tablet grew extremely hot as it lit up like a bonfire, forcing Jason to drop it. But instead of falling to the ground it flowed up and back before exploding into an orb of pure white light the size of a car, nearly scrapping against the room's walls and ceiling.
Despite the blinding light, Jason's eyes couldn't look away as it didn't actually blind him, and it gave off the feeling of primordial creation. Like it was the light of all existence itself bearing down on him, filling him up with unrepented hope and life. All his aches, pains and worry disappeared as if they'd never been there in the first place.
Around the edges of the white sun were ripples in reality, as if it'd harmoniously splashed into reality. Jason wasn't afraid of it, though cautious all the same. He wondered what it was he'd just summoned and what would happen if he didn't have the spark to bond with the Ghost of the Creator.
The orb instantly condensed down to the size of his head and coalesced into a floating machine entity slightly larger than a human hand came into being. It consisted of a spherical core with a single glowing "eye", which was surrounded by a "shell" of several pieces that were slightly separated and rotating around the center sphere.
The shell consisted of eight roughly tetrahedral segments colored white with orange highlights.
The Ghost made a mechanical sound as grides of light poured out of its eye and scanned Jason from head to foot and deep down to his soul. He could feel it analyze his very being. Then the scan stopped, and the Ghost made a positive beeping noise.
"Spark of Soul-Light detected," the Ghost exclaimed, "I've found my partner."
Then the little machine of light fully separated into pieces and shot into his body in the form of light. They bonded together, forming a neural symbiosis between them. But it didn't stop there as Jason could feel the power of the Ghost's light saturating every cell of his body, and its light filled his soul with a soothing, healing power that seemed to ease the old wounds that have battered it.
You have the [Spark of Light] necessary to bond with [Ghost] and become a half-transcendent being.
[Ghost] is offering the essence combination: [Solar], [Arc], [Void] and [Genesis] for you to absorb before the transfiguration is completed.
Warning: Once you become a gestalt entity you will be unable to absorb essences.
Absorb essences Y/N?
Jason could feel a buildup of power within himself, but was held back by an invisible force, waiting on him to decide. It irked him greatly that if he refused the chosen powers, he'd be unable to get others. Of course, the Court of Seven was forcing him in a particular direction. He'd already allowed the ghost inside his very soul and there was no turning back now so, why not gain more powers. If it had power over him now, adding a bit more wouldn't matter. Besides, who wouldn't want magic powers?
Jason gave his irritated mental accent.
You have absorbed [Solar Essence].
You have absorbed 1 of 4 essences.
Progress to iron rank: 25% (1 of 4 essences).
[Solar Essence] has bonded to your [Recovery] attribute, changing your [Recovery] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all solar essence abilities to increase your [Recovery] attribute.
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You have awakened the solar essence ability [Golden Shot] (solar).
You have awakened 1 of 5 solar essence abilities.
Ability: [Golden Gun] (solar)
Conjuration (projectile, resonating force)
Cost: Extreme mana
Cooldown: 20 minutes.
Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)
Effect (iron): Summon a temporary flaming pistol with three shots that fire a supercharged solar bullet that does extreme damage per shot or restore a large portion of the health and stamina of an ally. Inflicts [Burning] on enemies and [Rejuvenating Flames] on allies. Reduced effect on bronze rank and higher targets.
[Burning] (ongoing damage, stacking): Fire that eats away a small amount of health per second for as long as it burns. Multiple instances have an accumulative effect.
[Rejuvenating Flames] (heal-over-time, stacking): Fire that restores a small amount of health per second as long as target burns. Multiple instances have an accumulative effect.
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You have absorbed [Arc Essence].
You have absorbed 2 of 4 essences.
Progress to iron rank: 50% (2 of 4 essences).
[Arc Essence] has bonded to your [Speed] attribute, changing your [Speed] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all arc essence abilities to increase your [Speed] attribute.
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You have awakened the Arc essence ability [Thundercrash].
You have awakened 1 of 5 arc essence abilities.
Ability: [Thundercrash] (Arc)
Special attack (melee, disruptive force damage)
Cost: High mana and stamina.
Cooldown: 20 minutes
Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)
Effect (iron): Shrouds your body in arc energy and launch yourself at enemy slamming into them, releasing an arc storm that electrocutes them. Targets within storm are additionally weakened and stunned.
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You have absorbed [Void Essence].
You have absorbed 3 of 4 essences.
Progress to iron rank: 75% (3/4 essences).
[Void Essence] has bonded to your [Spirit] attribute, changing your [Spirit] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all void essence abilities to increase you [Spirit] attribute.
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You have awakened the void essence ability [Shadowshot].
You have awakened 1 of 5 void essence abilities.
Ability: [Shadow] (void)
Special attack (debuff, area-of-effect attack)
Cost: high mana.
Cooldown: 20 minutes.
Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).
Effect (iron): Tether a large group of foes to a Void Anchor, keeping targets trapped within a defined area of anchor. While tethered targets are slowed, have their resistances lowered and all incoming damage they receive is doubled. If anchor is destroyed it will explode, unleashing transcendent damage within its area-of-effect.
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You have automatically absorbed the confluence essence, [Genesis Essence].
You have absorbed 4 of 4 essences.
Progress to iron rank: 100% (4/4 essences).
[Genesis Essence] has bonded to your [Power] attribute, changing your [Power] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all genesis essence abilities to increase your [Power] attribute.
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You have awakened the genesis essence ability [Cosmogony].
You have awakened 1 of 5 genesis essence abilities.
Ability: [Cosmogony] (genesis)
Aura (holy, unholy)
Cost: None
Cooldown: None
Effect (iron): All your and allies' constructs, weapons and gear within the aura have increased resistance to damage and increased effects, while enemies' constructs, weapons and gear within the aura have their resistance to damage reduced and effects lowered. Enemy resistances are further reduced for any debuff or affliction they are suffering from.
A light started emerging from within Jason's body. It was a strange, grey light, washing out the colors of everything it touched, from the tapestries on the wall to the pool of blood around the corpse.
You have absorbed 4/4 essences.
All your attributes have reached iron rank.
You have reached iron rank.
You have gained damage reduction against normal-rank damage sources.
You have gained increased resistance to normal-rank effects.
You have gained the ability to sense auras.
You have gained the ability to sustain yourself using sources of concentrated magic.
Then the light coming from his body turned silver as it poured from his mouth and his eyes as his mouth was wide open in a silent scream, shining through his skin to make his veins and even his skeleton visible. The pain began early, not just from his body but his soul. It was a level of agony he'd never experienced before and he suddenly felt like he was back in a damp basement, being tortured. The feeling of emotional anguish as he was being forced to watch children he'd tried to save being beheaded, one after the other. His son withering away, unable to understand why he was so tired and hurt all the time. Unable to fully grasp that he was dying.
Lowering his small coffin into the earth as his sister wailed in agony.
All of it consumed him in that deep, soul searing pain that felt like his body and soul were being torn apart and then woven back together. All while the light grew brighter but beneath it was the warmth and comfort of the Ghost that quickly burst through the pain, soothing it to a more bearable level.
Jason's newly acquired clothing disintegrated around him, his skin becoming increasingly translucent. The veins and arteries in his body were absorbed, vanishing as his body moved away from the human norm. Only his bones and the scar over his right eye remained visible in his increasingly transparent flesh.
Jason's flesh completed the transition to translucency, making his scar stand out all the more. The white bones of his skeleton were transformed into silver metal and tiny red and black particles started weaving throughout his body. Once that process was complete, an amorphous murk appeared within his translucent form, like a stain. It moved to the surface of his body and splattered out, landing on the floor in gobbets of rancid ichor, forming sizable puddles of stench as it just kept pouring out in larger and larger gobbets.
Jason staggered and fell to his hands and knees, mind consumed in absolute pain, more and more of the impurities flowing out of him. His body once more started to take on a fleshy opacity. The light coming from his body slowly dimmed to nothing.
You have successfully bonded with [Ghost] of the Creator.
Your race has changed from [Outworlder] to [Lightbearer].
Having soul-bound with Ghost has caused several racial gift evolutions.
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Racial gift [Astral Affinity] has evolved to [Nirvanic Transfiguration].
Ability: [Nirvanic Transfiguration]
Your body and soul have been combined into a gestalt entity both physical and spiritual in nature. This state gives you inherent resistance to effects that utilize the soul-body disconnect and soul erosion/corruption. The nature of your body makes you immune to all revival effects besides your own revival abilities and transcendent effects. Your soul has a significantly increased resistance to corruption.
Your aura has gained the ability to repel the negative effects of the aura of void creatures. The strength of your aura has significantly increased.
The strength of your attributes has significantly increased.
Your resistance to hostile dimension effects and disruptive force damage has been increased. This is an enhancement of the [Astral Affinity] ability.
The effect of your dimension effects and your transcendent damage has been increased. This is a legacy effect of the [Astral Affinity] ability.
Physical reality around you is more stable. You are able to sense nearby astral space apertures and proto-astral spaces coterminous to your location.
You are able to traverse astral space apertures, including those that are closed or have been sealed.
You are able to directly enter proto-astral spaces coterminous with your location or directly leave a proto-astral space to a coterminous location.
While within the astral, you are able to create and maintain a small zone of physical reality around you. This does not grant the ability to enter or traverse the astral.
Ghost has access to all your racial abilities.
Your Ghost will be able to restore large amounts of your health, stamina and mana. The cooldown between each restorative effect will shorten with each advancement in rank.
When suffering lethal damage, your Ghost will revive you, restoring your body to a state of full integrity. This effect cannot be triggered again until you have increased in rank from the last time it was used. This ability will change on reaching diamond rank.
You have gained a permanent transcendent shield -resistant to all damage types- that ignores rank disparity. The strength and recovery of which will be congruent with your rank.
You have gained a heal-over-time effect that recovers a small amount of health, mana and stamina. This effect's strength is congruent to your rank.
You have gained immunity to iron rank afflictions and increased resistances to higher ranked afflictions. This effect will grow in congruent with your rank.
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Ability [Mana Engine] (Lightbearer)
Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Quest System]
Acquire more/rarer items from looting monsters.
All mana costs: essence abilities, rituals, racial abilities and summons are greatly reduced. Mana capacity and recovery rate is significantly increased. Able to revert health into mana.
Accelerated learning capability of magical theories.
Currently active quests can still be completed but no new ones will generate.
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Ability [Shinigami Soul Vault] (Lightbearer)
Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Inventory]
You have a dimensional storage space.
As a gestalt entity your body and soul are in a state that is both physical and spiritual. This has made your dimensional storage space a physical space that you and others can enter by calling up a gate.
Only those who implicitly trust you will be able to enter your soul vault. Anything short of complete trust will prevent them from entering. You may seal the vault against any or all individuals. It is not possible to break into the soul vault by anyone without existing access to your soul, such as through Entropic Seed or divinely granted essence ability.
Anyone in your spirit vault is under your power. They cannot use abilities or affect anything within the vault, including you and each other, with limited exceptions.
You and bonded entities such a Ghost or familiars can affect people within your vault in almost any way, except for violating their souls, although you can attack their souls. They may be protected from your influence through a connection to a foreign element in your soul, if present, such as an Entropic Seed or divinely granted essence ability.
You can expel or trap anyone within your soul vault, although individuals with a significantly greater soul sense than you may be able to force their way out. Individuals may resist expulsion through a connection to a foreign element in your soul.
Your soul sense has been greatly increased.
Your essence abilities and aura gain the ability to directly affect the soul. When individuals are killed by your abilities their soul is cleansed and immediately transitioned to the Astral.
At a cost of low mana per second you can move through the air as if it was solid ground.
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Ability: [Tactical Map] (Lightbearer)
Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Map].
Self-updating map. Unveils as areas are explored.
A small, semi-opaque map allows tracking of nearby allies and enemies.
This is a tracking effect.
Your perception has been greatly increased.
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Ability: [Siva Integration] (Lightbearer)
Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Interface].
Siva nanites have been infused with your body and soul, strengthening your physicality and granting the ability to summon nanites to breakdown matter and create physical structures, such as buildings, constructs and weapons.
All genesis abilities have increased effect and cost through the use of siva nanites.
Interpret reality through a recognizable medium. This is a legacy effect of the [Interface] ability.
You have access to a contact list. You can form a party by sending invitations through the contact list. This is an enhancement effect of the [Interface] ability.
Party members can access interface features so long as they remain in the party. This is an enhancement effect of the [Interface] ability.
Party members have access to party chat and voice chat. These functions have limited range. This is an enhancement effect of the [Interface] ability.
Identify items, monsters and individuals directly by touch or through Ghost's scanning ability. This is an enhancement effect of the [Interface] ability.
Able to Loot dead targets. Ghost is able to Loot for you from a distance. This is an enhancement effect of the [Interface] ability.
[]
Ability: [Protection of the Titan] (Lightbearer)
Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Mysterious Stranger]
Language adaption. Essence, awakening stone and skill-book absorption. Immunity to identification and tracking effects. This is a legacy effect of the [Mysterious Stranger] ability.
Creates transcendent armor scaled to your current rank carrying the embodiment of the Titan's Protection at a moderate mana cost to conjure.
Increases power to all shield abilities; racial, ritual and essence.
The armor has been Siva touched due to [Siva Integration] ability, giving increased efficiency to Siva Nanites and self-repair function to armor.
Jason wasn't able to put much stock on all the changes to his abilities as he started projectile vomiting the foul sludge. So terrible it was that he failed to realize that he had his hair and tattoos back. Finally, he fell unconscious, dropping into a pool of his own body fluids. A terrifying stench was coming off of him that could have given the rainbow smoke a run for its money. Even in unconsciousness, pus and vomit fought their way free of his body, forming a puddle larger than Landemere's simple blood one.
Jason woke with a start, a god-awful stench making him gag. It was the worse scent he'd ever smelled, like a pig corpse that had rolled around a pile of crap and trash sludge. Arguably as bad as the rainbow smoke. He got on his hands and knees to crawl and get away from it, only for the stench to follow him. Looking at his bare body, the only recent addition of pants destroyed, to see it covered in grime.
Then he saw the pool of the same grime on the floor beneath him.
That was when he realized the stench was coming from it and him. He stood looking for something he could use to get rid of the filth clinging to him. He was unsteady on his feet, stumbling and almost falling as he took a step, squelching in more of the ichor all around him. He felt profoundly different, like he was connected to the universe as new senses awoke with newfound strength.
He'd never felt so fit, healthy and strong before in his entire life.
Unfortunately, his sense of smell was also stronger, making the smell of rotted flesh coated in sewage stuck to his skin and puddled around him all the more prominent. He'd idly noted that everything seemed crisper, sharper to his sight and every little noise was amplified above his norm. Which only made his current condition worse as could see the grainy clumps of the slug and hear it slosh on his skin. He ended up ripping off a tapestry from the wall and wiping off what he could from his face and hands. The sludge was a horrid mix of things that stank to high heaven and that he didn't want to know what it was composed of.
The entire tapestry was ruined before removing just enough to feel like he wasn't wearing a second skin of it on his head and hands.
"This isn't helping," he growled out angrily. "And the smell isn't going away. Ughh, what in the bloody hell is this gunk? Did it all come out of me?"
He shuddered at the thought.
The floating eye manifested out of Jason in an instant flash of white, red and black particles and answered, "Yes, that substance is the impurities of your body being expunged." Its segmented shell moved and its glowing blue mechanical eye flashed with every word it spoke.
"Impurities?" Jason replied incredulously. "I'm not that impure. I eat healthy and exercise more than most. I drink... well not as much anymore and don't do drugs so, there's no way that all came from me."
The Ghost just floated quietly for an awkwardly silent moment before speaking, "The amount had more to do with the extreme to which your body was purified, and the fact that the process of becoming an Outworlder remade your body out of low-quality magic."
"Wait, remade my body? Is that why my tattoos and most of my scars are gone?"
"Yes, Guardian, they were gone."
"Were?" Jason couldn't see much underneath all the slug on his body, but he wiped away the spot over his heart to reveal the memorial tat of his son. He could also swear that his skin felt thicker. Then he felt the top of his head with his cleaner hand and found his short-cropped black hair, though it felt denser, almost metallic. His hand went down his face to feel his eyebrows and wondered why he didn't have his beard. As if in response to his desire, his goatee grew in right then and there.
"What the... How is this happening?"
"Your new racial ability, Siva Integration has altered the both of us," the Ghost informed.
That was when he also noticed how the Ghost's appearance has changed. Its shell was black on the top parts with tiny red wires going around them, and the sides were a matching solid red with little black diamonds and pyramids.*
Before he could voice his response, a screen popped up to describe the racial ability. Reading through it a few times to verify that he wasn't reading it wrong.
"So, I have nanites as a part of me now... like the final boss from the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance game?"
"Yes, though your skin is denser now it won't be like steel until you rank up," the Ghost explained. "It's closer to stone at your current rank."
"You know about the metal gear games?"
"I know everything you do as we are a gestalt being. Practically the same."
"You have access to my memories?"
"I have access to all of you as you do me," the Ghost clarified. "We are intrinsically linked, seen as a single gestalt entity."
"Okay..." Jason said uncertainly but he could feel the Ghost like it was a part of him and there was this different something inside him. Like he could feel his blood flowing throughout his body and remembered the Siva. "The ability says I can create stuff with the nanites."
"You can, as you can manifest them and have them replicate by breaking down matter and form whatever non-organic thing you want," it explained.
"Anything? Like guns, tanks and fighter jets."
"So, long as there is enough matter and within your power constraints, but I believe fighter jets and tanks are too complex for your iron rank power to handle. Guns are possible though."
"Good to know," Jason mused but then he remembered the start of the conversation. "Wait, we're getting off track here. My body was destroyed. Uhh... what exactly does that mean?"
"When you were pulled from your iteration through the astral, your body was annihilated as physical reality can't survive the pure magic of the astral. Only your soul, an object of the purest magical substance, survived the transition of the astral to this world. Acting as the blueprint of your body and mind, your soul reconstituted your body from the ambient magic of the world, like a monster."
"Wait... my body was destroyed?"
"Yes."
"So, I died."
"From a biological point of view, yes, you died."
"And I'm no longer human?"
"Yes, when individuals pass through the astral and are reborn in a new world like you were, they become outworlders. Then by allowing me to bond with your soul, the Creator's primordial energy recreated you into a gestalt entity called a Lightbearer."
Then the Ghost's eye glowed brighter than normal and his character screen popped up.
Jason Asano
Race: Lightbearer
Current rank: iron
Progression to bronze rank: 0%
Attributes:
[Power] (genesis essence): iron (light enhanced)
[Speed] (arc essence): iron (light enhanced)
[Spirit] (void essence): iron (light enhanced)
[Recovery] (solar essence): iron (light enhanced)
Racial Abilities (Lightbearer):
[Siva Integration]
[Mana Engine]
[Shinigami Soul Vault]
[Tactical Map]
[Nirvanic Transfiguration]
[Protection of the Titan]
Essences (4/4):
Solar Essence [Recovery Attribute]
Arc Essence [Speed Attribute]
Void Essence [Spirit Attribute]
Genesis Essence [Power Attribute]
"Huh," Jason said curiously, "My race did change again, along with all of my racial abilities. I'd be more surprised if I actually knew more about magic, but as far as I am concerned anything is possible. I do have magic nanites inside me now."
"That's a wise outlook to have Guardian," the Ghost agreed. "There are many unexplainable aspects of existence that even the Warlocks have yet to decipher."
"Warlocks?"
"They're the magic experts and researchers of the Abidan. They spend most of their time studying the underlining systems of magic and developing new arrays and rituals."
"Abidan?" Jason drew out, even more confused. "You keep saying things like I'm supposed to know what they mean."
"Oh, sorry about that Guardian," The Ghost apologized. "I forgot to download the basic information packet to your brain."
"Wait, my brain!"
Jason didn't get much further in his concerns when his mind was hit by a sudden sharp pain, like someone had just plunged a knife into his skull. It was followed up by a flaring, burning sensation as knowledge flooded his brain.
Jason must have blacked out as he woke on the ground, curled up in a ball and grasping his head in both hands. He groaned pitifully as he rose back up to his feet, a fresh coating of sludge on his body as he landed in the large puddle of the rancid substance. After wiping his face again, sputtering out the bit that got in his mouth, he gave the floating eye a scathing glare.
The damnable robotic eye just floated there, nonplussed by Jason's glare. He kept up the glare for a solid minute before he rubbed his face in exasperation and sighed out, "You could have warned me before cracking open my skull and pouring in enough knowledge to knock me out cold."
"My apologies, Guardian. I forget how fragile iron ranked organic minds are but at least you're not confused about the Abidan, the Creator, Vroshir and the astral magic that brought you here."
"Fair, but I didn't appreciate falling face first into my own... impurities," he dead panned.
"Everything comes at a cost, Guardian," the Ghost defended itself. "You got cosmic secrets very few mortals ever get to know, and all it cost was some minor pain and being dunked into your own filth."
Jason wanted to argue but he knew that the Ghost was right. Every skill, item and relationship he has ever had, came at a cost. Training, work, money and actions to get them. Tyler's life for all those he'd taken. A cost for everything. Hell, he even died to gain magic powers. He'd learned a lot about his situation and the broader workings of reality so, it was an easy price to pay.
Though it was also disconcerting to know all reality was created by a single, paracausal entity that was in a never-ending battle with its opposite that sought to devour all existence. The Abidan being the organization made by mortal beings that grew strong enough to leave their iterations and into the astral. Then bonding themselves with the Creator, a Great Astral Being and aid it in expanding reality and fighting off the Darkness of the Void.
It made him feel extraordinarily small and insignificant but was soothed by the possibility of rising to that level himself. At least of the level of Abidan Judges, not the Creator of all physical reality.
"How long was I out?" Jason asked, moving past the annoyance and depressing thoughts.
"Seven minutes, forty-eight seconds."
"I know now that my rank-up was magically loud, so how long before we're noticed?" Jason asked the Ghost. "I know of the fact not the nuance."
"We most likely went undetected as this is a dedicated ritual room," the floating eye explained. "Shielded to prevent the ritual effects from messing with the area's ambient magic too drastically and the senses of essence users. What little was felt was most likely written off as another ritual performed by the now deceased Vroshir acolyte. Which was well done, Guardian. Vroshir are threats to reality that need to be destroyed."
"Yeah," Jason admitted. "That also means we have some time to get ready."
Jason then noticed a small circular, semi-opaque map in his periphery, revealing his current position as the center. With a thought, he pulled it up and expanded it, revealing where he has already explored. There were two red dots near the edge of the maze, most likely the two cannibals he'd overheard at the well.
"Neat upgrade," he mused. "Very useful in combat and will be helpful in dodging cannibals. Let's see what else changed."
Then he pulled up the Nirvanic Transfiguration ability and read through their effects.
"You can use my racial abilities?" he asked the Ghost.
"Yes," it simply answered, and Jason honestly didn't care.
He proceeded to read his Shinigami Soul Vault's abilities. There was a lot to that one, like Nirvanic Transfiguration but hard to grasp. "I can enter my soul?"
"Yes."
"Like physically enter it."
"Correct."
"How? It'd be like crawling into my own stomach... an impossible feat."
"You operate on an existential level that is no longer limited to literal, physical understandings of reality. To simplify: because of magic."
Jason just sighed and decided the exact way such a thing worked wasn't important. Besides, the whole walking on air thing sounded great and he even gave it a go by jumping up in the air, pulling on the instinctual feeling of his new abilities. It was like breathing and when his feet landing on a solid surface in the air, he grinned. There was a minute, barely perceptible blue glow where his feet met air with every step. He leapt higher, than lower and then turning horizontally so as to make the air into a wall to kick off of. Then twisting to kick off the air to slow down his forward momentum.
It was when he'd smacked his head into the ceiling during his enthusiastic air parkour, nearly biting his tongue off, that he decided to stop and return to the floor.
Even though his head and tongue stung, he smiled, "Now that is magic."
Jason could already imagine all the uses of such superior mobility could give him in combat. Hell, even everyday life it'd be useful.
However, there was one sticking point that even his new air walking power couldn't keep at bay, and it had to be discussed, "I need to know if I'm suddenly some form of follower of this Creator bloke? You see, I have a few issues with kneeling to some all-powerful, immortal god... and religion in general. Do I have to pray to the Creator and be all obedient. Because, and this is a fair warning, I don't do blind obedience. Caused all sorts of issues back when I was in the military. Probably why I never made it past Lieutenant despite all my success."
"The Creator does not communicate or demand anything from its Guardians," his Ghost explained. "Several Lightbearers have actually gone rouge and became warlords that oppressed entire higher worlds of people, even joining the Vroshir. The only requisite the Creator has for receiving its light, its power, is having the spark of light within them, and following the tenants of the Eledari Pact. The Lightbearers chose to form the Abidan and serve in protecting reality and the Creator. You have no obligation to join the Abidan upon ascending, just never directly intervein with the fate of healthy Iterations from then on."
"That sounds good, but I really wished you'd told me about that before I let you literally into my soul," Jason deadpanned.
"You already assumed such a possibility when you activated the token that summoned me," the Ghost reminded him. "Even knowing all that you do now, you'd have still bonded with me for the power to protect others. Losing your son-"
"Don't," Jason growled, pained fury heavy in the single word.
"Despite your loss," the Ghost continued softly, laced with deep sympathy and understanding, "you are, at your very core, a Guardian. Protecting others, removing the evils of the world gives you purpose."
Jason gritted his teeth as he knew it was true. It was his lack of purpose that made him truly feel empty, more so than his son's death. Which sickened him all the more. The Ghost knew everything about him, it was in his head after all. So, there was no point in arguing with the floating eye. He moved on by looking at his mana engine ability which was a mixed bag. On one side, it was an OP boost to his mana and abilities while increasing his ability to learn about magic, which he'd need to learn. The other side was that he wouldn't be getting free stuff anymore for doing what he already planned to do.
Between the two, he'd pick the mana engine over the quests. More available options in battle that could very well save his life were better than some free money and items that'd make his life easier. No point to being rich if you wind up dead.
In that same fashion, the protection of the titan was a boon over the mysterious gunslinger ability. He'd already gotten the weapons the ability would give and now he had armor.
"Do you have a name or is it just Ghost?" Jason asked his soul bound companion, moving along and figuring he should know the name of someone that close to him.
"No. I do not have a name. I am a Ghost formed from the Creator's light. It's not my name."
"Seeing as we're so close, do you mind if I give you a name?" Jason asked the being bound to his soul.
"That's fine Guardian. I've known several Ghosts that have been given names by their respective Lightbearers. It'd be an honor to finally have a name all my own."
"Just Jason is fine, preferred in fact. Actually, you keep calling me guardian when my race says Lightbearer. Why is that?"
"Because that's what Lightbearers have insisted on being called for well over three trillion years now," the Ghost informed. "Originally they were called Lightbearers but seeing as they dedicate themselves to guarding reality, they chose to adopt a more fitting name."
"But aren't they all Abidan?"
"Yes, but not all Abidan are Lightbearers. A rare few souls have the spark to bond with the Creator's Light. Even so, Diamond rankers that wish to join aren't turned away from contributing to the expansion and protection of reality. Joining whatever division their skills can best contribute to, receiving racial gifts to aid them in their endeavors."
"Okay," Jason drew out the word awkwardly. "Moving on. Do you have any ideas as to what you want to be called? It's your name after all."
The Ghost just floated there, its shell rotating as it looked at Jason, "No. I await your decision, Guardian Jason."
Jason sighed at the ghost's inability to not call him a guardian. "Hmm. As for your name..." he rubbed his chin in one hand as he thought. "...hmmm... Gordon. Yeah. That seems good. Nice to meet you, Gordon."
The newly named Ghost's shell parted wide as it rotated and made what appeared to be a happy beeping noise. "Gordon. I like it. Thank you, Guardian Jason."
Jason had wanted to ask a million more questions -the most prominent being how to get home, but now wasn't the time seeing as he was in enemy territory and had wasted enough time already. Though he still wanted to know one thing. The information dump lobbed into his brain didn't include magic theory of any kind. It was more and along the broad strokes of the multiverse system of reality and how he'd been sucked from his universe by a magical accident of some kind from this universe, most likely from this very location.
But thankfully, the skill book he absorbed had and his boon for learning magical theory from his mana engine ability seemed to have given him greater insight into what it'd gave him.
"Gordon, do you know how I was brought to this world?"
Gordon bobbed up and down and made a few beeping sounds before moving to scan the ritual circle.
"Based off the residual magic from the ritual circle, the summoning ritual done here failed. The summoning missed its intended target and accidently brought you here. Which was for the best as whatever a Vroshir acolyte was trying to bring here would be bad for the world. It's also why lesser monster are roaming about as the fluctuations in the ambient magic caused by the ruined ritual, manifested them."
Quest: [No, Shirt, No Shoes, No Service]
Objective complete: Discover the reason lesser monsters have infested the area 1/1.
[Simple Shirt] has been added to your inventory.
Quest complete.
100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
Jason mentally dismissed the prompt, more concerned about being sucked from his world to this one, not even caring that he was still naked and covered in filth. Or that the prompt was right in that his current quests could still be completed. His body had been destroyed as he traversed the astral, his soul being strong enough to make the trip, but something had stepped in and gave him the tokens and katana.
On that note he realized he had items that'd awaken more of his magic powers. The awakening stones of the Builder, Spider, Titan and Keeper. With the new context from his Ghost, Jason understood they were from Judges of the Court of Seven. Even the Asauchi was a weapon of the Abidan made by one their Judges.
"Huh, so, some of the most powerful beings in all existence are gifting me things," Jason mused suspiciously. "First the token that summoned you and the one from the Phoenix that I can't fully identify... can you?"
"No, it's too high a level," Gordon answered. "I am limited to your current rank."
Jason narrowed his eyes at the floating eye, "You know what it does, don't you? It's from the Phoenix that serves your... uh... father?"
"Creator," the Ghost corrected, "and yes, I know what it does."
He waited for Gordon to elaborate, only for it just bob up and down quietly. His brow twitched irritably as he ground out, "And that would be?"
"To resurrect you upon dying."
"I thought you do that."
"I do, but at your current level of magical power I'm limited to just once per rank until you hit diamond rank."
"Right... not entirely sure what diamond rank is but I can infer that's a powerful stage of power."
"Yes."
"So, the phoenix token is an additional get out of dying card," Jason stated oddly. "Between all the investments in keeping me alive and these stones that will give me powers from some of your head honchos, I'm feeling like the Abidan are trying to manipulate me into doing something. You wouldn't happen to know what they want from me, do you, Gordon?"
"No, I do not," Gordon answered so firmly that it made him suspicious.
"Are you lying to me?" Jason accused.
Gordon's eye flashed brightly and its shell rotated irritably as the little guy was affronted. "I'd never lie to you, my Guardian. We are bound to each other so completely that we're practically the same being. My loyalty, any Ghost's loyalty will always be to their bonded partner above all else. Not even the Creator that gave us life could get me to lie and betray you."
"Alright, alright," Jason raised his hands up in surrender, "you're not lying to me. I believe you, I can even feel how upset you are about just the idea of lying to me. Which is weird, but I'm sorry for making the accusation."
The glow in Gordon's eye returned to normal and its shell slowed down to its normal pace, "You are forgiven, Guardian."
Jason held in the sigh and asked, "Can you guess what they are up to?"
"With the Abidan, it has to have something to do with preserving physical reality. The pact with the Creator makes them incapable of directly interfering with physical worlds unless they are directly attacked by the Vroshir or Fiends. But the Vroshir has devised ways to work around it by using mortal proxies, gifted with powers, items, and knowledge on how to peel away pieces of reality attached to worlds. Technically leaving the world intact, though damaged, but through mortal means.
"The Abidan have been gifting essences, awakening stones and racial abilities. Though, you're the first mortal I've ever heard of being allowed to bond with one of my kind. Not counting all those racial gifts from various Judges. Usually, an individual only gets the attention of one or two, maybe three Judges. This entire situation is new to me, but you must be important if the Creator even chose to gift you with me. It never interacts with those of physical realities."
Jason rubbed his temples at the complexity of it all, him being a cog piece in some master plan between waring multiverse factions, only to smear a drop of sludge. He then remembered the horrid state he was in. Unfortunately, there was no sink, and he wasn't exactly in the right place to be having a shower.
That was when he remembered the shower in a bottle item, he looted from Landemere. That was also when he remembered his inventory was now an entire inner world he could physically enter through a gate. He could even feel the racial ability, able to will the gate to form and let him in.
He idly thought how inconvenient it'd be to have to enter a gate into his soul just to get a single item out. Then the familiar inventory screen popped up but with the gridded slots having no limit and extra slots by the currency but for the monster cores. He immediately found what he was looking for and pulled one of the clear vials from his inventory.
"That's a relief," Jason breathed out.
Item: [Crystal Wash]
An alchemical solution that removes all foreign material from one's body by tipping the solution over your head. Does not work on clothing (cleanse, solution).
Uses remaining 1/1.
"Finally, something going my way."
Jason pulled out the stopper and tipped it over his head. A clear, viscous liquid poured out and rapidly started spreading itself over him, thinning as it worked its way down. It excised the blood, pus and vomit from his body, cleaning with an intimate thoroughness. An odd expression crossed his face as the liquid cleared out the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. He could smell a fresh fragrance coming off his body as the liquid evaporated into nothingness, its job done. He felt cleaner than he had ever in his life.
Though, he did notice that the bile on the floor was starting to recede towards him, the crystal wash pushing it away once hitting the ground. So, he walked into the air and away from the foul stuff, over the adjacent blood pool under Landemere's corpse.
Once clear he lowered himself back down near the door, far away from the stench of the century which still tickled his nose in the enclosed, but thankfully large room. He checked his tactical map, not showing any red dots and read up on his new essence abilities. The golden gun was what caught most of his attention. A gun even limited was a blessing in his opinion. Shadowshot had its uses when dealing with numbers, making them defenseless for his golden gun or Thundercrash abilities. Which sounded like a high-risk high reward gambit but less so with the tether power. The aura power seemed it'd boost his armor racial ability and whatever he created with his nanites.
He then turned to the awakening stones in his inventory. He wasn't leaving until he had every advantage he could get.
He held the Keeper one in his hand.
You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of the Keeper].
Absorb Y/N?
"Gordon, will absorbing these stones cause more expunging of impurities or knock me out?"
"No, they won't. At most they might be strenuous and slightly painful for someone of your power level."
Jason was about to give his consent when an idea popped into his head, "Can I absorb them in my soul vault?"
Gordon bobbed slightly in thought before answering, "I wouldn't recommend it. The swell of new power could be disorienting, possibly dangerous. Better to absorb them outside your soul."
"Alright, better safe than sorry." Jason refocused on the stone in his hand, "Yes, absorb the stone,"
The dark stone turned icy cold and soft before melting into his hand and crawling up his arms. It wasn't exactly painful, more like dunking his limb in ice water.
You have awakened the solar essence ability [Radiant Overdrive].
You have awakened 2 of 5 solar essence abilities.
Ability: [Radiant Overdrive] (Solar)
Special ability (solar, boon).
Base cost: Extreme mana and stamina per second.
Cooldown: None
Effect (iron): Your body is suffused in radiant solar energy, generating a radiant light that can cause a small amount of damage to dark creatures and undead entities. While in this enhanced state all attributes are exponentially increased to the point that your subjective time is dilated. Increases wearer's resistances to afflictions and dark abilities.
"So, a super boost and increased resistances," Jason read. "Sounds good... but how good?"
He could feel the powers inside him, as if they'd had always been there, waiting to be awoken. He knew them instinctively. They were poised and ready to be used, eager even. With just a thought he used the new ability, and he radiated a bright, hot light like he was made of sun-fire. The entire room went from barely lit to blinding bright, banishing all shadows. He felt superhuman as he saw, heard and felt everything to a degree he couldn't even fathom.
It was almost overwhelming.
Thankfully, his mind was also increased so as to keep up with the new sensory information he was getting. Though, it was upon seeing Gordon floating in the air, practically unmoving did he fully realize how great the increase was. Where the Ghost's shell movement was so fast and minute, he normally couldn't catch their movements visually, he now saw them all. It was like Gordon was moving in slow motion, one still frame at a time.
Then when he moved it felt like he was moving normally but in reality, he was a blur of motion. He'd ran around the room, on the air twice before Gordon's shell made a single rotation. He dropped the ability as pure exhaustion overtook him and his head pounded with a world record headache.
Your mana is low.
Your stamina is low.
"That... was... amazing," Jason wheezed in gasping breaths. "But... boy, did... it... really take... it out... of... me."
It took a moment for Gordon to fully process what happened, the sensory data and memory having slowed in reaching the Ghost during Jason's moment of overdrive. If he'd been inside Jason, Gordon would have been in overdrive as well. "Yes, Guardian. Keeper abilities tend to have a lot of high-speed movement abilities that dilate subjective time. But at your current level it'll be extremely exhaustive, limiting how long you can maintain such a state."
Jason just weakly nodded his head, focusing on recovering. He watched his mana and stamina bars climb back up at a faster rate than last time. It still took a few minutes for them to both completely refill.
"Alright, on to the next stone."
He decided to go through the more mondain sounding ones and end on the better sounding titan stone. The next being the awakening stone of the Spider that looked like there was silvery webbing shifting about the enter sphere. It gave off an impression of expanding senses, like it was stretching out to see, hear, smell, taste and feel everything around it, but deeper somehow.
You have awakened the arc essence ability [Electromagnetic Sight].
You have awakened 2 of 5 arc essence abilities.
Ability: [Electromagnetic Sight]
Special ability (perception)
Base cost: None.
Cooldown: None.
Effect (iron): See all electromagnetic spectrums of radiation.
Jason blinked as his eyes shifted oddly, tingling with a feel of sparks touching the edges of his vision. Then he noticed a myriad of colors and waves in the air, the full range of electromagnetic radiation. It was discombobulating, an explosion of new sights that hurt worse than staring into the sun.
He slammed his eyes shut with a pained grimace.
"Are you alright, Guardian?" Gordon asked.
"Ugg... too much. I see too much," he groaned.
"Oh, your new perception power isn't typical for organic beings," the ghost realized. "I tend to see in a similar capacity, and I can help moderate it for you. If you want me too."
"Yes, please. Anything is better than the blinding rainbow of colors and waves."
The Ghost made a mechanical noise and then vanished inside Jason before he felt a shift in his eyes, but one that seemed to reach his brain. It was an odd sensation, as if his eyes were being finetuned to the right frequency, which, they kind of were.
{Done,} Gordon informed inside his head through thought instead of sound. {You can open your eyes now, Guardian. I've set them to the normal light spectrum humans are accustomed to.}
Tentatively, Jason opened his lids, prepared to slam them shut again in a moment's notice. Thankfully, everything looked like before, just even crisper and sharper than before. Not quite as much as in his radiant overdrive state but still better than humanly possible.
"Thanks, Gordon, that's much better. And where are you?"
{No problem guardian. I'm inside your soul which is infused with your physical body now, allowing me to boost or alter certain aspects of your senses. So, whenever you need, I'll adjust your sight based on the situation and your commands. I recommend learning how to control your new vision power on your own when you have the time. I can't exit you until then, or you'll lose control of your sight again.}
"I'll get right on that when I'm not facing the possibility of being eaten, and what do you mean by adjust as needed?"
{I can, and once you learn how, you can change your sight to see ultraviolet rays, infrared or even X-rays. More importantly, it will allow you to see magic.}
He wasn't sure what seeing magic would entail, or what ultraviolet or X-ray could do... did that mean he could see through objects and people like superman? Jason shook away the thought and focused on what he knew about infrared.
"Does that mean I can see in the dark, like night-vision googles?"
{Better as infrared can also observe changes in thermal levels, like blood flow or how hot a substance is. Though it will make differentiating shapes that are at the same temperature level difficult.}
"Dully noted," Jason said. "Are you fine being inside me as I absorb the remaining awakening stones?"
{Yes, Guardian. The absorption process will not harm me.}
"Good. Next up is the Builder stone."
You have awakened the genesis essence ability [Omnificence]
You have awakened 2 of 5 genesis essence abilities.
Ability: [Omnificence] (Genesis)
Conjuration (dimension, matter)
Cost: Varies
Cooldown: Varies
Effect (iron): Create any nonliving thing you can imagine within the confines of your current power. All creations are limited to iron-rank level or below. The larger and/or more complex the creation is the greater the cost and cooldown. Normal rank creations of simple design and materials are permanent while more complex creations of rarer materials will breakdown within a month. Iron rank creations have a maximum life expectancy of four weeks. Cost can be reduced through Siva Integration ability.
"Create things at will... that does sound like genesis," Jason mused. "Isn't that the same thing as what my nanites do?"
{In a way, yes. The difference is that your new essence ability uses your mana and is limited by it. While the racial ability uses Siva nanites that has to breakdown matter to replicate enough to make something. By using them in conjunction it'll have an exponentially higher effect than on their own.}
"So, they're two ways to do the same thing but synergize to do it better."
{Exactly, Guardian.}
"Let's see," he gazed down at his naked form. "Clothes seem like a good start."
He was about to create some jeans, a simple shirt and shoes when he figured that seeing as he was in hostile territory, military fatigues with built-in knee and elbow pads would be better. Ones better fit for desert settings than forests or urban. He was about to add Kevlar armor and combat helmet with 3M Combat Arms Earplugs when he remembered the protection of the titan racial ability would allow him to conjure magic armor.
Then he decided to try out the essence ability on its own as it was just clothes and not something complex. With a pull on his mana and a thought a folded set of standard issue ADF brown and black camouflage fatigues and a pair of black boots appeared in his arms.
"Finally, some real clothing," Jason breathed out in relief, though he felt it'd be about dozen odd minutes before being able to use it again. Upon seeing his new ability with his interface power, he saw that it had eleven minutes until the cooldown ended.
As he slipped on the pants, regretting that he didn't have the foresight to also make boxers, he noticed they were made of cotton and nylon fibers. Simple, yet he'd have to wait eleven minutes before activating the genesis ability again, and it ate up about a tenth, maybe less of his mana. Multiple items may have been a contributing factor, but it'd still be a while before he could simply create a tank, if at all. At least Gordon suggested that a gun should be possible. Perhaps by using the nanites the cost and cooldown would drop down to nothing.
But those were questions for another time.
After lacing up his boots, again scolding himself for not including socks, he stood straight and rigid like a soldier. He was finally starting to feel more like he was in control. Possibly from the indoctrination process of becoming a soldier and the pride one had in their uniform, but it was still an improvement over naked and lost. Though, he also noticed that his skin was darker, like he'd gotten an allover tan. It was a side-effect of the body strengthening aspect of the Siva nanites and he just shrugged it off.
Jason was still lost, but clothed and armed with magical weapons. His odds at saving the captives and killing the blood cultists was looking up. That was all that mattered to him, strings attached to them or not. Though, his odds would be better with a gun.
You have equipped [Military Fatigues] outfit.
Outfit tab has been added to your inventory.
"Outfit tab?"
Jason checked his inventory, which now had a second screen he could access with a tab at the top labelled 'outfits.' He was now used to navigating the screens with a thought and opened the new section. It showed a silhouette with various slots for equipment, most of which were empty. There was also a column to the left, empty aside from one entry listed as 'new outfit.'
"How does that work?" he muttered to himself.
Help: Outfits
You can designate sets of gear as outfits, allowing you to quickly switch between them. Outfits can be modified by adding or removing items from item slots. An outfit can only be equipped so long as all items in that outfit are in the inventory or already equipped.
Jason shook off the oddity and just accepted the utility of the new function. With his enhanced vison he saw the full-length mirror that had web cracks along its edges and saw himself for the first time since waking in the maze. His hair was in his preferred cut; short on the sides and back, but with plenty of length on the top, especially the fringe. Though it did gain a metallic sheen to it. His skin was a shade darker making him look more Asian and his tattoos were crisper, like they had been touched up. Only the three burn-like scars on his neck were visible with the fatigues on but he assumed they got the same treatment.
But none of those caught his attention as his eyes had drastically changed. His pupils were red-lined diamonds like Siva Nanites and his irises were glowing silver. He was about to ask what had happened but stopped as it was obvious. The whole becoming a gestalt entity and the Siva nanites infused into his entire being.
"Looks good. A little intimidating actually," Jason nodded his approval and moved on.
Last but not least was the titan awakening stone and this one had a feel of solidity, unwavering resolve to hold the ground and never yield. It sung to his very being as all he ever wanted was the power to protect. To save those he could, that couldn't save themselves and where children weren't slaughtered to punish those that stepped out of line.
It was naïve to thank he could prevent such things from ever happening, and he'd learned when the ideal was misplaced or needed to be held back... the hard way. Even so, he'd strive to help all those that he could, as best as he could. Loss had smothered those desires but now that he was in the thick of it and people needed him to save them from truly evil people, it was shining through.
He'd killed, but he wasn't a killer.
He was a Guardian.
A protector.
A soldier dedicated to the safety of the civilians living under his and allied countries' banner. At least that was what a good, proper soldier was.
You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of the Titan].
Absorb Y/N?
Jason took a deep breath and replied, "Yes."
You have awakened the void essence ability [Ward of Dawn].
You have awakened 2 of 5 void essence abilities.
Ability: [Ward of Dawn] (Void)
Special ability (shield, boon)
Base Cost: High mana and stamina.
Cooldown: 6 minutes.
Effect (iron): Shape void light into a mostly indestructible spherical shield to protect self and allies from harm for 25 seconds. You and your allies gain an instant of [Armor of Light] once inside the shield.
[Armor of Light] (boon): While inside Ward of Dawn you and your allies gain significant damage resistance. This effect fades within ten seconds once leaving the shield or it drops.
"That's more like it," Jason approved. "I got some heavy hitting attacks to deal out damage, a trap that slows and weakens my enemies, armor for protection, a state for greater mobility, better vision, and now a defensive option encase I get bogged down. Nicely rounded out, even with a creation power that could add some versatility."
{That's how essence powers tend to trend, Guardian,} Gordon chimed in. {Balanced out and synergized with one another. You'll see more of that as you further awaken your abilities.}
"Good to know, Gordon."
Jason was about to conjure the armor when remembered the Asauchi blade he still had. It could be bonded with his soul to create a unique weapon only he could use. He was reticent about letting a spirit into his soul but that was a moot point now as Gordon and nanites were already in it. That and he had to be iron rank to bond the weapon. Which he was now.
You are able to bond [Asauchi] to your soul.
Warning: As a gestalt entity you will not gain a soul spirit as your soul is intertwined with your physical body. You will still obtain a soul weapon with unique abilities based off your soul.
"Uh... Gordon?"
{Asauchi are technically blank spirits that become a representation of a person's soul that can be physically manifested. This revolutionary creation allows for a person to then fuse with it and become a gestalt entity like us. Before then only by bonding with a Ghost of the Creator or through the use of the Darkness' Hogyoku could a living entity become a being of physical and spiritual nature. Though the Arrancar made by the Darkness are still somewhat unstable from the chaos of the Void -like Hollows but not as severely- and require the raw power of the soul to sustain themselves.}
"How do they do that?"
{Same way as Hollows; by eating souls,} Gordon answered grimly. {They just require less.}
"That's terrible," Jason grimaced as he now had irrefutable proof that souls were real... unless he had gone crazy and this was delusional dream.
{You're not crazy, Guardian Jason. This is real and I'm here with you.}
"Whatever, so I can still bond the sword?" Jason changed the subject.
{Yes, but no spirit will form for you to manifest and fuse with, changing its core function. You'll receive its first release state: Shikai, becoming a unique soul weapon upon bonding with it as designed. However, Bankai, its second release state, will require a self-revelation on the very nature of your soul, of who you are. It's harder than it sounds, Guardian.}
"Alright... Will it be some sort of sword?"
{It could be, but bonded Asauchi can become any type of weapon from swords to spears to bows and yes, even guns. The deciding factor is the user's soul.}
"Great, let's do it... Ah... how do I bond with it. There was no prompt about doing it like with the awakening stones and the skill book."
{You're going to have to pierce the core of our being with the blade. Roughly, through the stomach.}
"What?! You want me to stab myself like I'm sort of samurai committing seppuku."
{You won't be killing yourself, though it is a ritual that willingly opens up your soul to the Asauchi and gives it your blood to form the bond.}
"This is insane. I'm not stabbing myself."
{That's fine, Guardian. You don't have to bond the Asauchi. It is still a transcendent sword in its base state.}
Jason groaned as he his skills with a katana were abysmal. He was only okay as he was skilled with knives but there was a distinct difference between the two and one skill didn't fully translate to the other. He had magic powers, even on that's give him a gun... for only three shots every twenty minutes. He could feel how to use them but that still didn't make confident in using them.
"Bugger it," Jason threw his arms up in frustration. "I've gone this far. Why not go further down the hole."
He raised the katana point aimed towards himself, "This is bad idea," and plunged the blade into his stomach.
Pain on flared for a second as he glowed a luminescent blue grey, the energy flowing into the katana in his hands until it glowed too bright to look at. He felt a connection form as the weapon became a part of his very soul. In explosion of transcendent light, he opened his eyes to find he was holding a seven-inch combat knife with a black steel guard, black hilt-wrapping in the center of the hilt, green leather grip, and a small ring on the guard's blunt side.*
"Uh... what? Just a knife."
Item: [Seitoshi Okami-tachi] (iron rank [growth, transcendent], legendary)
The sealed form of your soul weapon (Asauchi, weapon).
Effect: This weapon does transcendent damage and effects the soul. Has an increased effect on undead and void creatures.
Effect: Those killed by this weapon has their soul cleansed and transitioned to the astral.
This weapon grows with its user without the need of an ascension ritual as its powered by the raw magic of your soul.
Shikai release incantation: Reap our prey and protect the pack.
"Oh, it needs an incantation... right... magic," Jason deadpanned.
For whatever reason he felt like he had to hold it with both hands, one on the grip the other his pointer finger went through the ring and grabbed the blunt side, "Reap our prey and protect the pack, Seitoshi Okami-tachi."
The combat knife glowed and shifted; his hands parting as it turned into a pair of sci-fi futuristic bladed pistols. They had a rather normal sized barrel (black) and handle (green) -though curved slightly inward- as a typical military issue USPSD pistol but with a thick curved guard (black with five glowing green squared sections spaced down it) coming down from below the end of the barrel and had an attachment near its bottom connecting to the handle. From the top of that curved guard, about two inches out from the barrel was an extended curved seven-inch black coated green energy blade.*
They were like someone fused a magic trench knife with a pistol.
Item: [Seitoshi Okami-tachi] (iron rank [growth, transcendent], legendary)
Soul-bound dual guns carrying the power of your soul (Asauchi, weapon).
Effect: Fires rounds of life and death energy at a low mana per shot cost that damages enemies and heals allies. The blades are sharpened deadly life energy knives. Attacks from this weapon inflicts [Ravenous Death] on enemies and [Rejuvenating Life] on allies.
[Ravenous Death] (damage-over-time, stacking): A death energy that infests the target and devours their life/animating force. Repeated instances have an accumulative effect. This is holy affliction.
[Rejuvenating Life] (heal-over-time, stacking): A restorative life energy that restores health. This is a holy boon. Repeated instances have an accumulative effect.
Effect: Can be reversed to channel a moderate amount of mana into them to increase their size to that of dual swords.
Effect: Combine both guns, channel an extreme amount of mana into them and chant; [Riaritipiasa] to unleash a condensed beam of life and death energy that completely erases all matter it comes into contact with.
Effect: This weapon does transcendent damage and effects the soul. Has an increased effect on undead and void creatures.
Effect: Those killed by this weapon have their soul cleansed and transitioned to the astral.
This weapon grows with its user without the need of an ascension ritual as its powered by the raw magic of your soul.
This weapon is bound to your soul and cannot be used by others.
Upon your death and transition to the astral this weapon will lose its released state and reverts back to an unnamed Asauchi.
Jason gave an appreciative whistle, "Now this is more like it." He aimed them and even gave a few practice swings like they were curved knives. "Hmm... wolves of life and death... not bad. At least it wasn't dragons. That'd have been a bit on the nose."
"Now, let's try out that racial armor."
Even though the racial ability was different from essence abilities it had the same instinctual feel to it. Thus, with a simple thought armor manifested around him, draining his mana significantly. Jason felt the confined feeling of being covered head to toe in a suit of armor, yet it felt like a second skin instead of a clunky metal medieval suit.
It felt like it was a part of him, like one of his own limbs.
In the mirror he saw his new magic armor. Despite being able to see everything like normal, the helmet had a multifaceted visor with a red double segmented diamond with two bars going behind the top of it taking up most of it. The rest of the black metallic helm was equally faceted. The chest plate was thick with red swirling particles inside a thick diamond center with thicker panels to each side and more red particles along abdomen. Shoulder guards and forearms had more of those black diamonds interspaced through them and sharp points. The armored gloves had a sleek metal appearance and dark fabric material between plates. The legs and boots were similarly the same but thicker and a tattered black and red colored cloth on his right hip that went down to his knee.*
It was a badass and admittedly creepy looking futuristic armor that screamed magic soldier and Jason loved it.
"This is... bonzer! Being manipulated or not by the Abidan seems like a fair trade for these perks."
He raised his dual guns and found two reticles appeared in a shooter game's HUD like in Halo and Call of Duty. Panning them around in different directions he found the reticles followed the movements.
"Neet."
With the dual guns in hand and the armor he looked like a futuristic soldier ready for action... with magic powers.
Jason turned back to the double doors leading out. He was as equipped as he could be for what laid beyond them and hopefully it'd be enough to save those adventurers...
...and come out the other side alive.
* Amalgam Shell with some siva on the sides.
*Kensei's Shikai: Tachikaze.
*.Hack/Sigh Haseo's Dual Guns should give you an idea of what they look like.
*The image of my Titan used for the story, minus the chest, helm and cloth on the hip -those will come later. For more clarification: Insurmountable Skullfort with the Mindvault ornament, flex enhancement replicates on Synthoceps arms, potentiate Treads ornament for legs, and Hallowfire Heart with the Aurora Sacrifice ornament for chest.