Loot—Upgrader: An expansion of your basic ability connected to Save for Winter. All loot will be a minimum of rare tier, with epic tier being the most common. Epic items will have a 20% chance of upgrading to legendary tier. That chance increases to 60% for consumables. Likewise, looted items will have a 2% chance of upgrading to ascendant tier, with a 6% chance for consumables.

  Rather than wasting time explaining, I shared the notification with everyone. The conversation came fast and furious, but in the end, as nice as it might have been to more easily build up wealth for my newly founded house, I chose Loot—Upgrader. The chance of getting ascendant-tier gear was just too much to pass up.

  When I chose it, I got another notification.

  As special consideration for the first time using this upgraded ability, and as a thank you from the dungeon with ulterior motives, the majority of the loot has shifted to consumables, and all your loot has been upgraded to ascendant tier.

  Note: The Ways have influenced this outcome. Make of that what you will.

  Now, I absolutely had to get into that chest. It sprang open as I tripped the latch, then dissolved, leaving the loot on the ground for everyone to see. There were twelve potions, a pair of metal discs, a dagger, and a pair of hooked swords.

  I gestured for Selena to pick up the swords first. Her hands were trembling as she reached out. “My father only got his first ascendant weapon after his time of compulsory service was over. To have one now…”

  Her words faded away and her face glassed over as she read the description of the weapons. We didn’t have long to wait before she pushed the notification for all of us to see.

  Twin Hooked Swords (Artifact, Set)

  Ambient, six hour recharge

  Perception +100

  These blades function as a set and grant the user a trait which they otherwise would not have access to.

  Geared Up: This trait is normally reserved for the royal line of the Void fey, but an exception has been made for these swords. All stats will be boosted by 23% while these swords are on your person.

  Left Sword: This sword grants the user the ability to cast the Void Rift spell once per charge. This will create an opening from any physical realm to the Void, or vice versa.

  Right Sword: This sword grants the user the ability to cast the Reality Schism spell once per charge. Reality Schism will create an alternate reality where the user can attempt to manipulate events. The user can choose to overwrite their base reality with the new one. The changes possible are only limited by the user’s imagination, but there will be resistance from the base reality depending upon the extent of the changes made.

  Both swords have seventy-five percent increased physical damage, and ten percent of the damage caused is converted to spiritual damage. Spiritual wounds caused by these weapons will be afflicted with the Soul Decay status if the target is reduced below ten percent health, making them almost impossible to heal from.

  Selena was practically crying. While these items were called ‘artifacts’, it was clear they were consistent with ascendant gear. My mind was already racing with the possibilities weapons like this could bring. The stat boost alone would have made them worth it. The increased damage was impressive, as was the fact it could cause spiritual wounds. As for the two special effects, they would require some experimentation, and the cooldowns made them trump cards rather than regular attacks, but I could already see uses for both, including a possibility to get us home.

  Clay didn’t even wait for me to call his name before he picked up the dagger. As Selena had, he projected the notification right away.

  Dagger—Ender of Mortal Clay (Artifact)

  Channeled, Ambient, one hour recharge

  Agility +100

  This weapon is the antithesis of mortal existence, but cannot harm beings of ascendant tier or stronger. Any wound inflicted by this blade cannot be healed by anything weaker than legendary-tier magic, and even then, success is not assured. Normal biological healing will never be sufficient.

  This dagger gives the user the ability to cast the Assassinate spell once per charge. This spell gives a 10% chance to completely extinguish the life force of the target, increasing proportionally to every percent of health the target has lost.

  This dagger can inflict Curses of Weakening with each wound, so long as the user channels one hundred levels of mana per minute into the weapon. The curse will lower the target’s physical stats by 1% per second. The curse cannot stack, but can be inflicted again after the one-minute duration.

  The damage caused by this dagger will completely bypass any armor or magical defense of elite tier or lower. It will likewise bypass 75% of any master-tier defenses, 50% for grandmaster tier, and up to 25% of the defense provided by an artifact. The base damage inflicted is doubled.

  We all congratulated him on his new weapon, with Samvek even giving him a pat on the shoulder. It certainly would have been useful against the behemoth. Even if Assassinate had failed, the ability to deal wounds that wouldn’t automatically heal was huge. It was difficult for me to say who got a better item. The nomenclature for these items came from the Fey System, so that complicated the issue.

  More than once, I had wondered why their items granted so few stat points, but then I remembered they had fewer stats, only seven to our ten. I supposed that meant the relative value of each stat point was greater because they covered more ground, whereas ours were split up. I still preferred the way the Heavens did stats, but that might have been because it was what I’d first become accustomed to.

  After that, it was on to the two discs.

  Iron Golem Control Discs (Artifact, Growth)

  These consumables can be implanted into newly crafted iron golems. No other metals can be included in the golem’s construction. Each disc will be attuned to the user and will grant absolute control over the golem. They will also assist in the animation process. The created golem must be at least twelve feet tall.

  The golems created with these items may evolve and grow, from iron to mithril to adamantium. Significant XP will be required. Evolutions will come with changes in ability.

  Starting Level: 500

  Iron golems take no damage from electrical attacks, but a sufficiently powerful electrical attack will slow them for thirty seconds. In turn, they are healed by fire-based attacks, and any slowing effects are dispelled by fire.

  Golems created with these discs will possess a breath weapon, which creates a cloud that curses any who come in contact with it. The curse weakens Durability and Endurance by 5-20% depending on severity. The curse may stack over time. The breath weapon may be used once per minute.

  Starting Stats:

  Strength: 10000

  Agility: 500

  Durability: 10000

  Endurance: 10000

  Magic: 2000

  Will: N/A

  Perception: 1000

  The description for these discs was unfortunately lacking when it came to how to control the golems, but they at least provided me with the basics. Hopefully, Tad would be able to form a golem body out of iron for us to try these on. A pair of such golems wouldn’t be enough to defeat Tad’s enemies on their own, but they would surely help.

  Next, it was on to the potions. I definitely saw the influence of the Ways here as well, but I wasn’t going to turn down the advantages just because it had ulterior motives.

  8x Potions of Awakening (Artifact): These potions will provide the ascendant-tier energy necessary to awaken an individual. Authority will still be required.

  I guessed that the power we’d poured into the dungeon had gone a long way to solving Tad’s problems, but there were still four more potions to look at.

  Potion of Ascension (Divine): This potion will allow a single individual to gain 500 levels (up to a maximum of level 750) and break the bonds of mortality. In order for the effects to not overwhelm the imbiber, they must have a patron manage the flow of power.

  3x Stat Boon (Artifact): An individual may only consume one of these potions during their mortal life. Each potion grants a boost of +1000 to any stat chosen by the user.

  Note: this will translate into 1429 stat points under the Heavens System.

  The rewards were nothing short of amazing. We would have to discuss how to divvy the potions, but I was leaning toward Samvek, Lexa, and Oliver for the stat boosts since they hadn’t received other loot. The Potion of Ascension was meant for me, I was certain. There were problems with that, though. I hadn’t considered it before, but if I ascended like this, I’d undoubtedly gain a Fey System class, and that would be what would ascend. I would still only have a legendary class core under the Heavens System. While that would add extra power, I didn’t know how much of a change it would make for me. I wondered if it would be better to give it to Tad.

  I was going to need to think about it, but for now, we needed to leave the dungeon. There was still a keep in the distance that gave me an eerie feeling, and I very much wanted to visit it, but now wasn’t the time. We needed to touch base with Tad and find out what we could make of the loot we’d just collected.

  I said as much to everyone, and they all agreed. Lexa was always quiet, but she didn’t even look at me. Instead, her eyes were locked onto where the loot had been. Was she feeling left out? It was difficult for me to read her reactions, even with my Charisma. I guessed I’d just have to find out the old-fashioned way.

  Interlude Three: Drawing Closer

  Allanna’s breath left her as she looked down into the bowl of water in front of her. Her mother’s face glared back at her.

  “What do you mean you aren’t looking for him any longer?” the image asked.

  “At least not until it’s safe. An ascendant from the Order has arrived on Aerth. I knew you wouldn’t want me to be harmed or cause a disturbance by confronting him.”

  The frown on that face Allanna knew so well only deepened. “Don’t talk to me of what I want. What I wanted was for you to have brought your nephew home. Have you even tried?”

  “I created an awakened and sent him after him. He even found Tad, but the boy refused to come back with him. I had to end the servant for his failure.”

  A hand passed over the face on the other side of the scrying spell. “You are so lucky that I’m not able to come to Aerth right now. This is no game. I will not tolerate you failing at this. If you thought you were going to earn my favor with this mission, you should know that right now you’re on the verge of being disowned. Get Tad. Bring him home.”

  The connection severed, and Allanna found herself staring down into a bowl of plain water. She let out a string of curses, then triggered her magic. This was going to be the stupidest thing she’d ever done, and all for a mutt of a nephew.

  The magic wrapped around her, and in an instant, she’d traveled to the coastline. She’d have to take a ship from here, because using too much magic would alert the other ascendant.

  This sucked.

  The Void yawned before Tion as he traveled from the world he called home. The Void Court wasn’t just one world. It was everything his mother owned. It was all of the power she held, and every mote of willpower she possessed. But it was nothing compared to the majestic emptiness of the Void.

  There were presences a great distance away. In the Void, intention mattered, and Will was the currency of the realm. As he slowly made his way to Aerth, he was primarily focused on not being seen. He and his beloved had already discussed what to do about Tad. His mother wanted to wait, and her mother had sent an untrustworthy sister.

  Now the planet was blocked to divine-tier beings. There was something going on, and they had decided that Tion would go. He was better at stealth than his Adrianna, and thus better equipped to sneak in and find Tad. If it came to a battle, Adrianna would burn cities to save their son, but he was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

  Azuria stood up. The evolution was complete. The process had been everything Cami had warned her of. She looked back over her notifications.

  Wing Path is focused on mobility and speed. Your Agility will be boosted by 25%. You will also gain access to a variety of new abilities, including but not limited to Improved Sprint, Long-Range Flight, and Void Flight.

  Cost: 175 DKP

  Before her bond with Samvek, that would have been a staggering amount of DKP. It was very hard to gain on Ileria. But thanks to her bond, she’d had more than enough to spare.

  That didn’t mean the process had been easy. The itching had started out as awful but manageable, and for a moment she had dared to hope that Cami had been wrong about just how bad it would be. Soon, she’d found herself scratching uncontrollably, rubbing her back against some of the dungeon rocks until she nearly brought the ceiling down. She might have screamed in pain once, but she preferred to think of it as a roar of defiance. At least that was what she’d tell anyone who asked.

  When it had finally passed, just as Cami had warned, her wings, her beautiful wings, were gone, leaving only bloody stumps. Then another notification had appeared.

  Removal stage of wing evolution completed. Regrowth will follow. Choose a wing type.

  Improved Sprint: Base flight speed is increased by 25%. Double your movement rate for one hour per day.

  Long-Range Flight: You may now fly for three days without stopping.

  Void Flight: The Void is the space between dimensions, between worlds. With this ability, you may travel to other worlds, or leave the prime material plane.

  It had seemed so petty to simply call that the first stage—her wings were gone! But Cami had calmed her. Sometimes you had to clear the rubble before you could build a better hoard. So she had pushed through, choosing Void Flight as her evolution.

  Her wings had grown back better than before. They still captured her blue tone, but at the same time, they were trimmed with a smoky blackness that framed her beauty. When the wings had fully grown in, she’d flexed them, feeling the power within them.

  You have evolved your wings to Void Wings.

  Gains:

  Agility +20%

  Perception +20%

  Base Flight Speed +20%

  Void Flight—You may fly into the Void

  They might not be as impressive as the emperor’s wings, but then he was a god, and she was merely an ancient dragon, although she was nearing the wyrm status thanks to the gains she’d made from her bond.

  Thinking of the little furry man she was bonded with made her wonder if she was becoming like some of these humans she had heard tales about. What were they called? Oh, yes. Cat ladies. Was she becoming a cat lady?

  Azuria snorted. She was a dragon, and the greatest kind—a blue. She could never be anything as silly as a cat lady, and while Samvek was like a kitten to her, he was a warrior-born and had proven worthy of their bond.

  She bowed her head to Cami, who teleported away as soon as she was sure that Azuria was safe and the evolution had gone well. Off to do demigoddess stuff, no doubt. Well, Azuria had her own task. She had the wings, now all she needed was a bit of practice. Distance would be no bar to her now, and she would follow her bond to Samvek on whatever primitive world he was stranded on.

  He had better be ready to give her scales a good scratching.

  Vespa Saggen knelt before Arbiter Kalix with her head to the ground. She had just completed her report about the encounter with the two strangers. The encounter that had resulted in the death of two members of the Order. It wasn’t like they weren’t all soldiers and prepared to lay down their lives. Those who died in the name of their god were never condemned.

  It was those who were left behind who had to bear responsibility, and that was a problem. Not only was she that person, but her brother had been one of those who fell. No attachment was more important than their god, but they were still encouraged to keep family ties. The Lawgiver taught that healthy relationships brought stability to their lives and allowed them to fulfill their potential as mothers and fathers.

  The fact that Kalix hadn’t spoken since her report ended left her uneasy. She didn’t dare look up, just kept her head down, awaiting his command. Everyone knew that ascendants saw time differently, but it was still like torture to wait while minute after minute passed. She knew she likely wasn’t the only one in town with such fears.

  “You may raise your head, Inquisitor Saggen.”

  She held in the sigh of relief she wanted to exhale. He had used her name and title, so she wasn’t to be stripped of her position. Perhaps she would get the chance to strike down those who had killed her brother.

  “Tell me, Inquisitor. If you were in my position, what actions would you take now?”

  That could be a trap, but she chose to take it as a genuine question. “I don’t pretend to understand the limits of your power, but we should be raiding every building until we find this festering cancer within our midst. This world has been consecrated to the Lawgiver.”

  “Exactly. You don’t understand the limitations that I am operating under. So I will inform you, all of you, and explain why your failures must not continue. Surely, you have sensed the saturation of mana on this world?”

  She nodded, unsure what other answer to give.

  “Yet has it caused you to wonder why the native population is so weak? Why their levels are so low, and why they have no awakened?”

  Of course she had wondered. It was something often commented on by the awakened who had been brought to Aerth. She went for the safe answer. “It is as the Lawgiver wills it.”

  “Just so. And now, I’m going to tell you another secret. The Lawgiver was born upon this world, a very long time ago. From the lowly ranks of a put-upon race, out of favor with the fey tyrants who choose only elves, dryads, and their ilk as followers, he managed to rise to become the most powerful god of the system. And he has decreed that this world be kept as it is, so that he can return here whenever he wishes. You know that many low-level worlds couldn’t support even my presence, let alone that of our god.