Leveling up the World

When in the wilderness it was said that hunters fell into only two categories: hunting or hunted. Right now, Dallion was both and neither. The countess, and possibly mercenaries of the Archduke, were after him, although not really. With open conflict on the horizon, both sides were conserving their strength for the big battle. None of them would go out of their way and waste effort on Dallion, as long as he didn’t venture into any of their domains.

As for Dallion himself, he had set off to hunt down the Star, though without a clue where to start. The people he had asked for assistance were either clueless or hadn’t gotten back to him. Nil assured Dallion that both Hannah and March would keep in touch through the echo’s creator, though there was no telling when that might happen. All that was left to do was to hope it happened fast.

A wild deer slowly made its way towards Dallion’s campfire. The creature had been strongly influenced by the curiosity that was streaming out from Dallion, playing his harpsisword. There was some irony in the fact that the melody attracting the creature was also preemptively mourning its death.

Step by step the animal approached, stopping five feet from Dallion. With one swift action, Dallion then sliced its head off before the deer could even catch what was going on. Moments later, the lifeless corpse fell to the ground.

You’ve become quite proficient, dear boy, Nil said, as Dallion proceeded to remove the skin and then butcher the animal.

Dallion didn’t respond. He knew this to be an attempt for the echo to start a conversation.

“I’m fine, Nil,” he said. “It’s not the first time I kill for food.”

It’s the first time you kill in this fashion. In the past, you always gave the prey a chance.

“No, I didn’t. I just didn’t lure them to me.” No common creature had a chance against a high-level awakened, and the echo knew it. “I can’t waste time.”

That’s not true, either. You have no idea where the Star is. None whatsoever. Spending a few hours hunting wouldn’t have changed anything at all.

That was correct, but Dallion didn’t feel like actively hunting. For some reason, it felt like a waste of time. Strangely enough, just waiting didn’t.

“Any news on the general?”

Not since last you asked, Nil sighed. Hannah is aware of the situation. When there’s something, she’ll tell my original and when she does, I’ll tell you.

“But you still don’t know what Adzorg is up to.”

As serious as your situation is, there are other events in the world as well. If my original didn’t have a need to block my knowledge of his doings he wouldn’t have gone through the effort. Spells don’t just spontaneously occur, you know.

I can tell you where the Star is. The aetherbird joined the conversation. I’ll even teach you about magic.

Dallion ignored the offer. Lately, the aetherbird had become more and more insistent. The more desperate things became, the more it took the opportunity to remind Dallion about how everything could be turned around. The worst thing was that Aether was right. All Dallion had to do was use the gem, and he’d gain the skill to craft spells, as well as a lot of information to boot. The consequences weren’t worth it. In several aspects, the aetherbird was starting to sound like the Star. Then again, given the time difference, it had probably already spent half an eternity locked within the realm of its own skill gem.

The deer tasted adequately. Cooking was one set of skills that Dallion hadn’t improved in despite vowing to do so. He knew a few basic tricks, which he rarely used. Right now, food was only seen as fuel, but not so much for existing than for leveling up.

While the rest of the deer meat roasted, Dallion grabbed his belt buckle and entered the awakening realm. With so few guardian items left, he was forced to use what he had at hand to improve his skills. Thinking back, it would have been nice to grab something from Nerosal while fleeing, maybe even a pebble. In the wilderness, even stones were void.

The combat was quick and boring. What years ago would have taken weeks and extreme effort was not done in a matter of true time minutes. It was only after improving the item to gold that any challenge appeared. Reaching platinum, Dallion stopped. There was no point in pushing beyond. According to Nil, and all the scrolls Dallion had read on the subject, improving something to a magical metal required tremendous effort even for nobles. Since the goal was only to max out his art skills, it was a lot more efficient to merely improve several items to platinum, instead.

Sixty-two improvements later and the goal was achieved: six of Dallion’s skills had hit the level eighty cap. Of the remaining four, only the scholarly skills had a chance of going higher. For forging, Dallion needed a forge, and as for herbalism and zoology, it was unlikely he’d come upon any new creatures in the area.

You’re in a good position, Nil said once Dallion had returned to the real world. You’ve done all that’s possible. The remaining skills won’t have an effect in realm combat.

The whole speech was supposed to be reassuring, but it had the opposite effect. In order for the battle to take place, Dallion was going to have to get close to the Star and then trigger the artifact. Last time, the Stat had someone hidden in his own realm, taking care of that problem. In the upcoming fight, Dallion needed to take the initiative.

After the last of the deer was eaten, Dallion burned everything that was left of the animal, then buried the remains along with the fire. Then he continued on in the wilderness. To the untrained eye, it seemed like he was wandering about aimlessly, but in truth there was a very specific plan, at least for the immediate future. It was only a matter of time before the usual mercenaries made an appearance. The gorgon duo were a given, as were most of those sent by other Archdukes in the empire. The big question remained Countess Priscord. She was aware of the skill gem Dallion held—the invaluable item that wasn’t supposed to exist. It alone had the power to provide what nothing else in the world could: the ability to cast spells even for those who didn’t have the trait. Seeing what had happened with Diroh, there even was a chance that a non-awaken could eventually gain the ability. However, just because the countess wanted the item so much was also the reason why she might want to divert all attention away from Dallion. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to use it—since he hadn’t so far—so leaving him along was the best course of action.

Has this all happened before? Dallion wondered.

Thinking back, Eury’s mentor had received minor punishment, considering what he’d done. Having one’s name erased wasn’t such a big deal for a hunter. True, a renowned hunter could demand a lot more money, but even a non-name hunter could make more than enough by most standards.

“He knew about you, didn’t he?” Dallion asked.

The hunter was a walking bag of issues. It’s a miracle he reached the level that he did. He was a good strategist, but little else.

“You’ll probably say the same about me.”

You don’t know what the term strategy means. Your lucky draw is being an otherworlder.

At sunset, Dallion changed direction again, heading south. So far, he had managed to avoid any wandering armies. With events to the north escalating to a full out war, it was normal for the empire to divert their attention. There was no telling what the Order would do, though. Up to now, they had been surprisingly neutral in many ways. Dallion still had no idea whether they despised him or wanted to recruit him. They had saved his life back in Nerosal, letting him stay with them undisturbed, while they didn’t have to. The countess couldn’t be pleased, but she knew better than to act on her anger. Going against the Order was the same as going against the Academy, or the emperor himself.

As night fell, all seven Moons shone in the sky. Also, the faint flickering of lightning became visible on the east horizon. Somewhere beyond the empire’s borders, a battle was raging between furies and some unspecified enemy. If cloud forts had made an advance all the way here, it was only a matter of time before the Wetie province was also engulfed in war. That wasn’t the best timing for the countess, for the emperor was more likely to tolerate the status quo, until the external threat was dealt with, at least.

Interestingly enough, a cutling decided to make its presence known. Possibly attracted by Dallion’s presence, it had decided to defend its territory. That proved to be a costly mistake. Three precise hits were all it took for the creature to get destroyed. Dallion had even used his Nox dagger to kill it off, after mortally wounding it with several spark infused strikes of his harpsisword. To his fortune, the kill proved enough for Nox to raise by another level, making him eight. The puma was quite pleased about it, as was Lux—the firebird never missed an occasion to support his “older brother.” Naturally, Aether also used the occasion to teach Dallion the ability to capture more familiars.

I’ll can tell you how to bring back your shardfly, Aether said

This instantly struck a chord, causing Dallion to stop mid-step.

“There’s a way?”

With magic, there usually is. Just like you, your crackling gave you a way to unseal people. Magic can let you do other things. You’ll need to boost your trait a bit before you do, but I think you knew that already.

There was no indication that the aetherbird was lying, though even if it were, Dallion wouldn’t be able to tell. The possibility was enough to make him hesitate.

Guardians don’t die. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to bring them back. Free me and I’ll do it on the spot.

“You’ve said similar things before.”

I vow in my Moon. Is that enough to convince you?

Dallion didn’t reply.

I’ll give you a day to think about it.

“I thought you weren’t petty.”

I’m petty as can be. In this case, I’m presenting a choice. You can’t kick this down the road. Decide now, or forget it. Either way is fine with me. I’ve waited longer before. Besides, the Moons are right about you. You’re interesting.

“Flattery?”

Otherlanders in general. You, like the Star, like to create your own rules.

“I’m not like that.” Dallion hissed through clenched teeth.

Not yet. You’ve been creating your own rules lately. Your power is starting to show, isn’t it? That’s the thing about you. The only way you fit in is to make everything snap to you and create a new picture. Anyway, take your time, but remember clock is ticking.

A hundred answers appeared in Dallion’s mind. He was tempted to combat split and voice all of them. Ultimately, he didn’t. There was still time for him to make a decision. Before that, he planned to give someone else a choice—one with a lot fewer prospects.

“Ruby, let me know if you spot any illusions.” Dallion rushed forward.

Sprinting was said to arguably be the least effective way of running. That was only true for non-awakened. At the current level of his body trait, Dallion could cross considerable distances without getting tired. That was what he did the entire night.

Shortly after dawn, the running came to an end. The buffer was enough to confuse and delay anyone following. From here on, all that was left was a nice long walk to the village Dallion had planned to visit.