by Aaron Oster
Morgan nodded, watching as she bent down to pick up another bundle, then open a small portal and deposit them there.
“You were explaining about beasts before you came over,” he said. “Would you mind continuing?”
She looked up at him and flashed her perfect smile. “For you, anything. Now, where was I... Oh yes, advanced beasts.”
She stood up and headed to the tree line where more spines were located and Morgan followed after her.
“Advanced beasts are extremely dangerous and far rarer than the intermediate ones. They are both powerful and intelligent, and an advanced beast of equal rank would not be able to be bested by a single person. Advanced beasts don’t much resemble any animal found in the wild. Rather, they are a mix of several different ones that are blended together to create an extremely dangerous opponent. Even you should be wary about tackling one alone and, even with Sarah, don’t go up against one that is even a single rank above you.”
“Are they really that dangerous?” Morgan asked, mind going to the azure-crystal wyvern core in his pocket.
“Yes. Even I wouldn’t take one on alone unless it was at least 5 ranks under my own.”
They must be truly dangerous if Katherine was this serious about it. Who could have killed the two rank 39 advanced beasts, whose cores were set as prizes in a tournament?
“The most powerful of all the beasts are pinnacle beasts,” she continued.
“I thought pinnacle beasts were just a name given to beasts who had reached the maximum rank,” Morgan said, brows coming together in confusion.
“Another common misconception,” she replied, waving her hand as she pulled up the last of the spines.
“Pinnacle beasts are in a class all their own. They are each one of a kind and have actual names. They are so rarely found that entire expeditions are sent after them when we get wind of one. They have intelligence comparable to that of a human and power that far exceeds even the strongest supers and mages.”
“How strong are we talking?” Morgan asked.
“Strong enough that I would be loathed to take on a rank 19 alone.”
Morgan’s eyes widened when she said this and she nodded her head in agreement.
“I’ve only ever seen one pinnacle beast and that was over ten years ago. My father got wind of one and sent his most powerful soldiers out after it. I insisted on going along, as I was extremely curious. It didn’t take long for us to find it. All we had to do was follow the path of destruction in its wake. When we first came upon it, I didn’t think much of it. It resembled a human in size and shape. The only differences were skin color and facial features. But when the soldiers launched their first attack, it transformed.”
She shuddered slightly at the memory and continued with her tale.
“It was horrible. There were forty soldiers ranked from 34 to 42. Not even half of them survived. I was presented with the core afterward and found out that the beast was only rank 27. The amount of available energy was staggering. I had only awakened my ability a few months before, so I was still at a relatively low rank. That core had enough energy to push me up into the 30’s.”
“Seriously?!” Morgan asked, now both excited and a little afraid at the same time.
He wanted to fight one. These pinnacle beasts sounded like the ultimate challenge and if he could defeat one on his own.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Katherine said with a grin. “And don’t worry, if I ever find one, I’ll be taking you along with me. I expect you’ll do the same for me. We will be getting married, after all.”
“Never agreed to that,” Morgan said as Katherine opened a portal.
“I really should get going,” she said, placing a hand on one of her shapely hips and looking around the clearing. “It’s risky for me to be here, though it was definitely worth coming over.”
“For the magesteel,” Morgan said with a nod.
If it was as valuable as she said, then it must be a risk worth taking.
“That. And to see you, of course,” she said, flicking him on the nose and laughing lightly.
“Oh, okay,” Morgan said, “I have one more question before you go. I’ve actually been wondering about this for a while. If supers and mages have such long lives, why aren’t there more people at the maximum rank?”
“Let me answer your question with one of my own,” she said after thinking for a few seconds. “How many people actually awaken an ability? Of those people, how many actively try and improve?”
Morgan shrugged.
He had absolutely no idea.
“About eighty percent of the population will awaken an ability,” Katherine said, answering her own question. “Of that eighty percent, not even ten percent will make any real effort to increase in rank. Of those that do, not even one percent will reach the rank where their lifespan will be increased.”
“I thought all supers and mages automatically had an increased lifespan,” Morgan said.
This bit of information was quite troubling. It meant that he only had a limited amount of time to reach the required rank. Otherwise, he’d just die of old age.
“Most do and that’s why so few even try. You will have to reach rank 19 for your first big jump in life expectancy. Once you break through, your life expectancy will go up by around a hundred years. After you break through 29 it’ll further increase by another two hundred. I’m not entirely sure what a supermage can expect, though, as your rank won’t stop progressing at 50.”
Morgan nodded at that and Katherine gave him a grin.
“Any other questions before I go?” she asked in a playful tone.
“None for now, but thanks,” he said, returning the smile.
It was good to know that he had someone he could count on for information any time he needed it. Sarah knew a lot, but this experience had just shown him that there were many things she didn’t know.
“I’ll be going then,” she said.
Then she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She pulled back, noting that his demeanor nor expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.
She would have to tell him soon of the damage that had been inflicted on him, but she didn’t want to say anything yet. Not until she’d found some way of fixing it.
“Thanks again for all this amazing magesteel. I’ll send you something nice as a thank you.”
She winked at him, then stepped through the portal.
16
Morgan felt at the place where she’d kissed him, wondering at the strange feeling he was once again experiencing.
What was it? Maybe this was how all people felt when receiving a kiss. He really wished he had something to compare it to, as the feeling was beginning to nag at him.
He shook himself once more, as the odd feeling faded, and concentrated instead on something he’d been trying to do for a while, checking how much energy he had in total and finally move up to rank 11.
He pulled all his cores from his pockets and taking a few seconds to look at each, he quickly did some math in his head. By the time he was finished, he was astonished at the amount of energy available to him.
He had a total of seven cores, including the ones Katherine had given him. Altogether, they netted him just over 150,000 energy. That was enough to boost him at least ten ranks, if not more. The only thing he didn’t know was how much breaking into rank 19 would cost. For now, he would just move up one rank, as he didn’t want a potential loss of attribute points.
He pulled the azure-crystal wyvern core from the pile and put the rest away. Pulling up its status, he looked at the available energy.
Name: Azure-crystal wyvern core
Rank - 39
Total available energy - 68,376/68,376
This core was taken from an azure-crystal wyvern. As this core is from an advanced beast, the amount of available energy has been massively increased.
The amount of energy never ceased to amaze him. He thought about absorbing only part of the energy and ano
ther screen popped into view showing how much he’d need to move to the next rank.
Energy to next rank - 10,328/20,000
Morgan concentrated on the amount of energy he wanted to use and a message popped up in the core’s status.
Would you like to absorb 11,500 energy from the azure-crystal wyvern core?
Yes/No
Mentally selecting yes, Morgan felt a shudder run through him as he ranked up. Along with that feeling came the familiar sharpening of his mind and reflexes, as well as the feeling of strength, coursing through him. He examined the core one last time, noting the available energy had dropped to 56,876/68,376. Tucking the core away, he excitedly opened his own status to see the changes.
Name: Morgan
Supermage: Rank - 11
Energy to next rank - 1,828/22,000
Ability - Divine Gravity & Air
RP - 650/650 (Regen - 6.4 per second)
Strength - 60
Agility - 72
Constitution - 63
Intelligence - 65
Wisdom - 64
Skills - Enhanced flight, Heavy impact, Gale force, Condensed wind blade
Traits - Gravity field, Recovery
Extra - Gravity storm
He did a quick run through of his skills next, but there were no increases in power.
There was one change, though. His condensed wind blade had gone from a cost of 350 RP to 340 RP. This wasn’t a huge decrease, but if it kept going down as he ranked up, the cost might eventually become manageable.
Morgan closed his status and looked over to where Sarah was still passed out on the ground.
He really should wake her, but she looked quite comfortable and he was loathe to incur her wrath.
He was about to walk over to rest against a nearby tree, when he stumbled, as a flash of memory slammed into him.
Cold. Dark. Pain. A woman with black hair. The sound of shouting men. A cool hand over his eyes. Nothingness.
Morgan came to himself as the memories faded, leaving him with nothing but a dull throbbing pain in his head and a profound sense of loss.
He already had a feeling that those were memories from the missing years of his life, but what could have triggered them? Was it something he saw, or did the increase in rank boost his wisdom enough for him to remember?
The headache began wearing off as he slowly got back to his feet.
Whatever was happening, he needed to remember more. That meant that he now had another reason to rank up as quickly as possible. For now, all he had were more questions. Foremost among them, who was the woman with the black hair?
He couldn’t remember distinct features, but there was a feeling he didn’t recognize attached to her. He knew whoever this woman was would have answers to all his questions. He needed to remember more, if only to figure out who she was.
He shook himself once more to get rid of the feeling of loss, then walked over to wake Sarah.
It was already past nine and they really should be going.
He tried, unsuccessfully, to wake Sarah up, finally just slinging her onto his back and heading deeper into the forest.
There was some sort of settlement just a few days away. There, they could get directions and restock on supplies.
He wanted to get there faster, but decided against running, because the motion would likely wake Sarah. In the end, he floated a few inches off the ground and sped off through the woods, heading in the direction of the settlement.
***
Arnold peeked out from between the trees and let out a sigh of relief.
This morning had been one of the most stressful of his life. First, Sarah and Morgan had faced a pack of jungle cats. Then an intermediate beast. He’d been afraid that he would have to jump in at one point but had been relieved when they’d defeated it. His relief had been short-lived, as Katherine had shown up just minutes later.
His fear had abated when all she’d done was collect the cat’s spines, but it had spiked again when she’d shot him a warning glare right before stepping into her portal. The warning was clear. If he failed and Morgan was hurt, she would hunt him down and kill him.
Arnold took a moment to look around the clearing, then took off at a brisk jog, glancing down at his tracking device to make sure he was on course.
If he wasn’t mistaken, they were headed for the trade town of Garr, which was about four days away. He would need to be wary, seeing as he hadn’t spotted any assassins since their first encounter back in the Central Kingdom. He’d be an idiot if he thought that they’d lost them. If anything, it made him more nervous that they hadn’t attacked yet, which could only mean one thing: they were setting a trap.
This thought alone was enough for Arnold to pick up his pace a bit.
He couldn’t let Morgan out of his sight for even a moment. It would be a lot more difficult once they reached the town, but for now, it wasn’t too hard to keep close without being spotted.
He reached up, wiping the condensation from his brow and grimacing in annoyance.
It wasn’t actual sweat. It would take a lot more than a brisk jog to make him sweat at his rank. It was the damned climate of the East Kingdom. It was always hot and muggy here, and the condensation kept collecting on his skin. He wiped his forehead once again, reminding himself what was at stake. He would either get a bag stuffed full of platinum or lose his head. If he had to choose, he’d take the platinum.
He slowed as he heard the telltale swish of air from up ahead, meaning that Morgan was flying not too high off the ground.
Smart of him to do that. He’d avoid all the mud and wouldn’t risk being seen by anyone by flying over the trees.
He grimaced as his boot sank into the soft ground with an audible squelch for what felt like the hundredth time that morning and ripped it free with a grunt of annoyance.
He was so caked in mud that he likely resembled it more than himself at the moment. That bag of platinum better be a heavy one.
***
Sarah woke up just after noon. She was confused at first, but after the fog of sleep cleared from her mind, she was quite pleased to find that Morgan had let her sleep.
“How long have I been out?” she asked, yawning widely.
“About four hours,” he replied, as he wove in between the trees.
“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling a bit guilty.
“You don’t have to be. It was no trouble. In fact, I’ve found that it’s easier to travel through the air than on foot. The ground is soft and muddy. Since the air is so damp, any physical exertion would have left me drenched in sweat. Flying doesn’t require any, so long as I don’t go over the weight limit and the constant breeze keeps me cool and dry.”
Sarah blinked, noticing for the first time how damp the air truly was.
If they had been on foot, it really would be a lot more difficult. She could feel how the breeze, even damp as it was, worked to keep her skin mostly dry and cool. She also had to grudgingly admit that the new armor the princess had provided was doing an excellent job in regulating her body temperature.
“How much further can you go before your RP runs out?” she asked, trying to get her mind away from the touchy subject.
“I’ll have to land in about fifty seconds to regenerate my RP,” he said.
She could detect a slightly bitter tone in his voice when he said this.
“What’s wrong?”
He let out a sigh, speeding up slightly as the trees started becoming a bit more spaced out.
“The new enhanced flight skill is great. The only problem with it is, I can only stay in the air for around 160 seconds at a time before being forced to land.”
“I realize that it can be annoying, but I’m sure the cost will become more manageable once you rank up a few more times.”
Morgan nodded, then drifted slowly down to the ground.
“We may as well eat while my RP regenerates. I haven’t had a chance since we fought those beasts earlier.”
She fished out some dried meat and hard bread from the bag, before tucking it back down her shirt. Morgan began speaking as soon as they sat down and she listened in rapt attention as he explained all that had happened.
“You told me that you wouldn’t call Katherine!” she exclaimed once he was finished.
Morgan shrugged in reply, biting into the tough jerky and tearing off a piece.
She glowered at him, but his expression didn’t change.
Why did he have to be so infuriating?!
“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” she demanded.
“Not really. I needed help and you were asleep. Besides, the information she provided was excellent.”
He popped the last piece of meat into his mouth and stood up.
“We should get going. We still have a lot of ground to cover.”
Sarah blew out a long breath, but climbed onto his back all the same. They flew on in silence for a time, landing every few minutes and walking so that Morgan could replenish his reiki. Finally, the silence was just too much to bear.
“Why do you trust her more than me?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t,” Morgan replied.
Sarah was a bit taken aback by the abrupt answer, but she wasn’t about to be dissuaded.
“Really?” she asked, putting as much sarcasm as she could into her words. “Then why is it that the moment I’m asleep you call her?”
“You looked tired and I didn’t want to wake you up,” he replied.
Sarah clenched her jaw in frustration.
She wasn’t getting anywhere with this line of questioning. She had to try something else. Maybe she could guilt him into giving her a straight answer?
“I feel as though you don’t value my opinion since your meeting with her. She’s more powerful and more knowledgeable than I am. So be honest, do you like her more than me?” She bit her lip when she asked this question, feeling her heart rate increase as she awaited his reply.
