The fighting wasn’t done yet. Nobody within my army expected it to be either. Despite the cries of joy from some of those who left so long ago. Finally, close to being reunited with their families after so much hardship. We were at the final hurdle now…I hoped.
I heard then saw Grastad in his bear form, standing on his hind legs with a bellowing roar to declare his return home.
We were just outside the damaged walls of Far Reach near the castle, which was currently occupied by desperately defending deep dwarves.
Our army was streaming over the rubble and through the gap into the town to fight the final fight. I however had other plans. If we just kill the fuckers with my Sphere of Influence and protect ourselves from further incursions, then I’d do it in a heartbeat. I had no idea how it worked, but Devotion seemed to think it was a huge deal, so without further ado, with stomach doing somersaults, I activated the skill.
< Warning >
Unable to Activate Sphere of Influence until area is fully controlled.
85% Occupation of any claimed area needed.
Current Occupation: 82%
“Shit!” I hissed. I knew I wouldn’t be so lucky, but it shouldn’t take too long to correct that percentage if we pushed ourselves. I still expected more guests at any minute.
“I shouted both through my bond and through my mouth at the same time, projecting my voice as best I could As I rose up into the air.
“Everyone! We need to kill as many as we can as quickly as we can before I can make this place a lot safer Sorry to ask, but I need you all to fight like you’ve never fought before!”
“It seemed everyone took my message to heart, and a roar went up across the town from every corner.
“I looked around at my friends. Karius and Harle had already joined their army and set off leading them into the town. As had Wind of the Wild and Grigor with the Wultr. Only Danivra, Olata, and Sania remained. I’m going to hit the castle. It seems to be the last bastion of the deep dwarves in Far Reach. If we can reach the roof without dying, we can work our way down.”
The replies I received constituted grim determined expressions and the four of us flew off toward the castle roof.
“Let us clear the vermin from our house,” Sania said as we approached the top of the castle. It was filled with deep dwarves firing down blasts of power, and launching parts of our parapet into the massed soldiers beyond their own. Beyond, I saw the 90-foot bloody, grimacing Mal, holding out his hand and smashing a glowing blue bolt of fire at the troops out the front of the castle. A number of Shields went up protecting many of the Dwarves he aimed at. And a number of crackling black blasts were sent back at him, clearly causing him pain, but he kept up going and he didn’t look in serious danger, so I refocused on the roof.
Unfortunately, as we got closer, I was able to make out the invisible shield covering the top of the castle with Singularity sight.
“Stop!” There’s a shield. Just aim at those on the floor while…
< Warning >
Your Soul bonded servant’s physical form has died. As his master, his Eternal Soul will be tied to you until a Physical form is ready to reform
I couldn’t believe what I was reading, but I didn’t have time to obsess over it yet. Dismissing it I thrust it from my thoughts to focus on more pressing issues. Which sadly wasn’t shooting the impressively defending dwarves below. It was reacting to Danivra’s mental scream. “Portal! Outside. I turned to where she pointed to see a black and gray portal begin to open up almost exactly where we had entered.
I spent a few seconds cursing while attempting to dismantle the growing portal. I managed to stop it growing but not dismantle it as whoever was building it, fought me from wherever they were. I surmised Onnekus.
“Clive, What’s wrong?” Sania asked.
“Fucking Darkness is on the other end of this thing, I reckon. Get Joel. Drop the damn castle. I know he knows how!”
The portal had begun to grow again, and I had to stop speaking to contain it. I wrestled with it for what felt like an eternity. It was a task that no one could help me with either and Darkness was making a fist of this battle and I was beginning to feel exhausted in a way I never had before.
“You sure about this Clive? It’s your home,” Joel said.
“Fucking drop it!” I replied through gritted teeth.
I heard the cacophony minutes later as the Castle came tumbling down.
“It’s done,” Joel said, sounding devastated.
“Plenty dead?”
“Hell, Clive. Yeah plenty dead.”
At those words, I swallowed and let go of my attempt to hold the portal. It began to swell again as I focused on activating the Sphere of Influence. A bright burst of Ethereal energy burst from my body in all directions.
< Congratulations>
You have activated your own Sphere of Influence. 13.8% Foreign Occupation removed.
Sphere of Influence is permanent and will not admit those who you do not wish to accept into your home.
Sphere of Influence is permanent and cannot be moved or altered until Ascension to Onnekus.
Sphere of Influence will fail should your Ethereal Soul be destroyed.
Mythic bonus 100,000 Experience points.
My mind boggled at the Mythic bonus, the disappearing army of Darkness within Far Reach and the Portal. I had just killed a crap-ton of people.
People were cheering and so they should be. I wanted to cheer, I really did. But I just felt completely wrung out. Sagging to my knees on the rubble of our ruined wall after the immense use of power, we were safe. We were back and I just got 500,000 fucking points and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep right where I knelt. Sania dropped beside me, draping over my massive demon shoulder to kiss my massive spiky ass face. The warmth of her body, against me, the touch of her skin, it felt really good. Then I was then faced with the death toll. I couldn’t possibly take in the long list since the battle began, but it was huge. I lazily dismissed all the kills I’d made. All of the uncreating I’d done until I got to the final numbers.
You have earned a total of 1,103,980 Experience Points.
You have enough XP to raise 186 levels
You have 137 levels unavailable until you choose your Demon Lord Prime Evolution Path.
Progress to Ascension Tier 6: Demon Lord (Level 150)
The Demon Lord tier allows for:
Higher Maximum level across all stats.
Increase in Spiritual Utility +20%
+10 to all Physical Stats.
< Demon Lord Tier Paths >
1) Cursed ground.
Cast a field of energy around you, which drains the
Stamina of all antagonistic forces within the area of effect by 50%.
Duration: 1hr. (Every 1 level above the base Pit Demon Rank provides a 1 minute duration increase.)
Area of effect. 120sqft. (1 foot increase every level above the base Pit Demon Rank)
Path of Defense:
Gives 2 minutes of Indestructibility. Plus one second per level above Demon Lord Rank base rank.
12-hour cooldown
Path of Attack.
Choose Weapon that best suits your fighting style and bond it with your inner power. While in this state, Weapon will be indestructible. Weapon can only be defended against with opposing Neuma based defense.
Weapon of Ascension active time: Unlimited.
Path of Domination
Your word is law. Any demon below Rank 5 will obey your command.
(Unless command is in direct conflict with the word of their God.)
Path of the Chameleon.
The proportions of a Demon Lord are prodigious. With this path, you can alter your appearance to that of any lower tier Demon.
I had to say both the last two options had strong arguments going for them, with Path of Domination edging it logically. But feeling Sania’s body pressed up against mine still, I wanted to be able to have a personal relationship with her even if I was a demon. I needed to live among those of Far reach too. And so my selfish desires won over what would clearly be an insanely useful power, to command demons and I chose Path of the Chamaeleon.
< Congratulations >
You have Evolved to Demon Lord Level.
< Warning >
Two prime cores detected within one physical body. Eject or balance Prime cores. You have ten seconds to choose, or your secondary core (light-based) will be ejected.
- A) Eject
- B) Balance
Warning: Balancing will result in a new race being created. Including complete reconfiguration of all Racial Traits, Skills, and Paths.
“My goddamn life,” I was about as ready to make this decision as a person in a burning building deciding whether to jump out of the window onto concrete and had just as much time to decide. I was inherently greedy though, and opted for keeping the Light-based core come what may.
Then, of course came the pain. Why the fuck did everything have to hurt so much in Falritas. My body felt like I was being torn apart by a thousand flaming hooks… again. I screamed and writhed again, and then it ended abruptly.
< Congratulations >
You have undergone an Ultra Rare Race Change. Alo-im
Ultra-Rare Bonus: Alo-im race change.
The Alo-im IV tier allows for:
Higher Maximum level across all stats.
Increase in Spiritual Utility +50% (Core Capacity)
+17 to all Physical and Mental Stats from base level.
Unique Racial bonus:
Resistance to all forms of Neuma based attacks.
Innate affinity with all forms of Neuma.
+50 Constitution to Slashing and Piercing damage.
Physical Regeneration.
Additional Racial trait: +40 to Intelligence, Agility and Strength.
To complete your progress to Ascension Tier 4: Alo-im. Please Assign four Pathways.
< Path of the Alo-im IV >
Path of Attack.
Sword of the Alo-im. Neuma based weapon.
A long sword crafted entirely from Balanced Neuma. Equally effective against all forms of Neuma.
+1Damage scaling: +1 Intelligence.
+1Damage scaling: +1 Internal Connection.
Current Available Damage:
Path of Attack.
Vortex of Dusk and Dawn: Use your Combined Neuma to create a 40ft wide chaotic vortex of energy which drains the Neuma of those caught in its wake while causing up to 8% of Max health damage.
The closer to the central point an enemy is, the more powerful the effect.
Vortex pulls intended targets caught in the area of effect 10ft closer to the center.
Path of Defense.
Null Shield
Create an area of Null energy which prevents use of Neuma based skills for all inside.
Current Shield area based on Level: 210 ft.
Area of Effect increases +10 with each Level above Alo-im rank 3
Duration: 40 minutes
Recharge: 6 hours
Path of Defense.
Shield of Dusk and Dawn .
Create a second skin of Neuma Energy that protects your body for up to 50% of Neuma attacks and 90% of all Physical attacks.
Duration: 1hr
Recharge: 6 hours
Path of care.
Heal wounds.
Use Combined Neuma to repair Physical Damage to others.
Path of Care.
Empathic Catharsis
Create an area of energy which purges Negative emotions such as fear and self-doubt. Area of effect 40ft.
I’d have liked to talk to the others, but it didn’t seem to be possible and I didn’t want to leave them unchosen in case something happened or I couldn’t choose again. This was different to anything I’d undergone before and so I read through them all again. I’d lost the Claws of Rending Salvation, but I already had the cleaver and a lot of other powers, so I skipped past the Sword of the Alo-im. Then went immediately back and chose it. Everyone was allowed an impulse buy now and again and it sounded cool as fuck.
Next up I chose the Vortex, because again it sounded cool and deadly. Null shield was an automatic winner, and for the last I was edging towards healing. The Shield of Dusk and Dawn would have been great if I didn’t have the Ethereal abilities but seemed to be of little use and the Empathic Catharsis sounded a little mind altering, which had potentially serious moral implications. After a good think, I chose Path Care - Heal Wounds
The world came rushing back to me after the Pathways formed inside of me and somehow, amazingly, I wasn’t suddenly in a totally different place, chained up or being hacked apart. I was still safe, among my people. My notably smaller head now resting on Sania’s lap as she stroked my hair.
Thousands of people standing around us, watching me with wide eyed wonder.
“Alright,” I grumbled. “What the hell do I look like now?” I said standing up to find myself a good foot taller than Sania and most of the other people around me, but nothing crazy. The Nystiobek and Wultr all towered above me.
I looked down at myself, and while being light purple was a surprise, my free-swinging unmentionables took priority. I quickly swept up the rags I’d been wearing to provide some dignity even if my arse was still on show, then quickly used Spirit Gaze to look at what I’d become. I was damn impressed.
My entire body was a light purple. My hair, a vibrant gold with a crown of small, black horns protruding through the unruly mop, so dark they seemed to drink in the light.
I seemed almost disproportionately thin at the waist and wider at the shoulders than I had before in any form. In fact, my entire frame apart from those shoulders seemed to be far leaner.
I returned to my body to be greeted with more notifications. The sheer amount of points I had to allocate was frightening. More than I ever had before. From coming here. Mainly because of the amount of deaths caused.
< Congratulations >
You have progressed to Level 288
You have 1860 points to Allocate.
The Potential to go overpowered here was extremely tempting. Judging by the Nidarak I’d faced had this many points to suddenly invest, it was no wonder they were all impossible to kill. Yet still, the knowledge of the Immortal Shell coming was enough to detract me from overcooking Constitution. In an effort not to become horribly unbalanced, I put 100 in each of my stats, which left 760 stat points remaining to really boost some areas.
I chose to boost all the Physical stats again apart from Constitution, with a further hundred points into each leaving 260 stat points left. I put 100 into Perception and 60 into Intelligence before keeping 100 points back to invest when I needed an extra edge somewhere. I scanned over them one last time and was satisfied with my choices.
Clive (3). Founder of Far Reach. King Slayer (Dwarven). Protector of the North. Ally of Devotion. Alo-im IV
< Level 287 >
Physical statistics:
Strength: 387
The capacity to exert and resist force.
Dexterity: 285
Skill and ease in hand-based activity.
Agility: 357
How effectively the body can move into a range of different positions.
Speed: 317
Rate at which the body can move.
Stamina: 317
Period over which the body can effectively sustain prolonged activity.
Constitution: 467
The ability to withstand physical punishment.
Mental Statistics:
Intelligence: 337
Knowledge and its application
Charisma: 152
Charm, coerce, inspire.
Perception: 280
Awareness of surroundings
Spiritual Statistics:
Ethereal Awareness: 0
Attunement with the Gods and spirits of Gulithea. (Necessary for Ethereally supplied magical ability.)
Internal Connection: 200
Attunement with oneself. (Necessary for cultivation of one’s own inner power)
Singularity: 249
Innate understanding of universal essence (Neuma). Will increase with personal level. (Cannot be leveled by other means.)
World sense: 9.1% Knowledge of Gulithea.
Experience Points to next level: 200/14,400
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