(I) Allies
Chapter 90 of "Path of the Deathless" opens introducing characters: -46 (I)AlliesWhat remained of Guardshead Leuâs arrogance vanished, and in its place, anger emerged. That... Find out more!
-46 (I)
Allies
What remained of Guardshead Leuâs arrogance vanished, and in its place, anger emerged. That was a good benefit Shivâs Dread Aura offered. It didnât just allow him to magnify and strike other peopleâs courage, but also gave him a guess as to how scared they were at baseline.
Right then, Leu was terrified. But her terror was a different kind compared to Siggy, Tran, or Heatherâs. Her terror was something that pushed outward, like a cornered snake driven to bite and fight. It fed her anger and fury; provoked her to action. Leu moved fastâabout as fast as Shiv with an empty Momentum Core. Her stance shifted, and the air began to swirl fast around her as she clutched at something initially unseen. As Shiv narrowed his eyes, he caught sight of somethingâan outline revealed in the light. She was holding a near-invisible blade.
Awareness > 11
âWho are you?â Leu said, her voice a low growl. âHow can you know?â
âI ask you to speak with me honestly and your response is to draw a weapon?â Shiv asked, slightly annoyed.
âI wear divination-blocking Enchantments on me at all times. So, how? How do you know?â
Shiv paused. If that was true, why did he know? He wasnât sure exactly, but he had a guess. âBecause the System demands strife. It might want you to kill Confriga because thatâll be a nice moment of bloodshed and violence. And it let me have a glance because I might not be an active detriment against your plan. Maybe your counter-divination Enchantments only apply to people who donât want you to succeed.â
She hesitated. By this point, the other three Pathbearers in the room were reacting in different ways. Siggy was terrified and stuck between staying and escaping; Tran had his saber drawn, its edge gleaming like a rising star; Heather was preparing to shape a spell and get everyone out of there.
Shiv, though, was curious. He was fascinated and wanted to see where this opportunity led. His plan might have ended in utter disaster, but it seemed the world wanted him to keep playing this subtle game for a while longer.
After a momentâs consideration, he dropped his Perfect Semblance. Leuâs grip on her blade grew visibly tighter as his true visage was unveiled. Shiv decided to keep both his helmet and mask on. Because he didnât need mind-blowing surprises. Confriga was still in the process of leaving the building, and Leu thought she had all the variables under her control to assume an aggressive posture.
Dread Aura > 62
âMy name is Shiv,â he began. âPart of what I said wasnât a lie. I am looking for the Animancy Core. Thatâs one of the main reasons why I entered the gate. The second is the fact that I need to get to the surface, and this is the fastest way. The third is slavery and bastards offend me, so I intend to take this place or die trying.â Shiv chuckled. âIn fact, I look forward to a lot more in the attempt.â
He still couldnât read the demonâs features very well, but something about how wide her eye was getting made her seem flabbergasted. âWho⌠Are you a Necrotech? One of the Undying Masters who have split their souls? Youâre here to deal with Vicar Sullain, are you?â
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âRight on the last one,â Shiv said, grinning under his helmet. âWho I am⌠is a chef. And Iâm technically from the Republic. But I like to think of myself as my own man.â
âDo not mock me,â Leu hissed, the swirling whirlwind around her blade building to the level of a small typhoon. Heatherâs spell broke as she got flung into a bookshelf. Tran cursed as his wounded knee gave out, and he held himself in place using his saber. Siggy was already sailing through the air, dragged along the walls.
Shiv just stared at Leu with his arms folded. He could feel the winds pulling on him hard, but he defied them with Might of Mass. âIâm not. Stop throwing a tantrum, I actually want to talk. But if you want to fight⌠Well, I guess your Reflexes are probably Master or close. Aeromancy is at least Adeptâmaybe a Fusion Skill with your invisible weapon. But howâs your Toughness? Or your Physicality? I think your armorâs Magical Resistance will keep you protected from my Biomancy for a few hits, but what you have on is pretty fragile compared to Confrigaâs actual skill. We can fight. But I like my odds. How about you?â
With each word he spoke, his Dread Aura Skill ground tighter and tighter around her will. Leuâs muscles tightened for a moment. He thought she was going to attack purely out of instinct. And then, without preamble, she released the winds and releasedher weapon. Shiv frowned. It was probably floating in the air someplace he couldnât see.
Tran grunted as he rose to his feet. Siggy fell on Heather with a yelp as the latter was trying to rise using the bookshelf. Loose debris, books, and other scattered items littered all over the ground.
âAre you moving your invisible weapon behind me?â Shiv asked, mostly on a hunch. Leu went stiff.
Her eye narrowed. âHow potent is your Foreshadowing?â
Shiv laughed. âJust Adept. Actually. Try running me through. Itâll break some tension.â She stared at him like he was insane. âIâm serious. Mostly because I donât think you can do it. I donât think your weapon has the capability to even chip me.â
âAre you mad?â
âNo. Just curious. Come on. Do it.â
âNo. I refuse. Youâwhat are you trying to do?â
âIs that the weapon you planned to use on Confriga? If you canât pierce me, whatâs it going to do to him? Heâs at least Master-Tier in terms of Toughness with his armor. Itâll be pretty sad if you got the chance to avenge your hatch-brother or whatever and your little invisible blade just bounces off of him. Howâs it going to feel then?â
Leu stared at him for a beat. And then she made a dragging gesture, and Shiv felt something slam into themâstriking perfectly at his lower back. A blast of wind tore the remains of Oldsmithâs painting behind him apart. What felt like a constantly accelerating javelin ground against his Adamantine Adaption. To his surprise, the tip of the weapon actually sank a good inch in before his armor adapted and stopped it dead. That wouldâve opened his flesh at least.
Across from him, wind and lightning flashed as flickering spells pulsed between Leuâs hands.
Shiv couldnât help it. He laughed. âInvisible spells too? You must be pretty tricky.â
She hissed, straining with effort. âWhy are youâwhat kind of Evolution do you even have? Is your Toughness Heroic?â
âNo. Just Adamantine Adaption.â Shiv didnât know if it was wise telling her, but he was enjoying her reaction too much not to get another rise from her.
âWhy do you have a Master-Tier Skill Evolution meant for monsters?â Leu stopped driving her unseen javelin against him at the same time as she took a step back, and the winds in the room immediately died. She was still holding quite well, but she felt less than half as confident as when this conversation started.
And Shiv was a bit embarrassed to admit it, but he kind of enjoyed intimidating people. The stunned and fearful reactions sent a rush of amusement through him each time. âMaybe because I am a monster?â Shiv replied. âWho knows. But it was a good stab. Not sure if you can get through Confrigaâs body, though. He barely budged when I struck him, but I didnât exactly get to use my Momentum Core on him, so I canât really tell you how tough he really is.â
âMaster,â she spat. âHe is a Master without his armor. He has the as his Skill Evolution.â
âCool. I donât know what that is because an asshole named Roland Arrow stopped me from attending proper school. More details about me: I like cooking, fighting stuff, learning about Biomancy, an Umbral named Uva, bullying a certain Young Lord, killing evil bastards, and the whole being a Pathbearer thing in general. What I want is to get back to Blackedge after dealing with the Animancy Core so I can help stop the vicar, save the town, and then beat the shit out of Roland in front of everyone. I added killing Confriga to that list because of the child-torturing Necromancy bit. Now. You got to stab me and I told you plenty about me. So. Your turn. Start with your hobbies or something. I donât care.â
Heartbeats passed. The demon looked on at Shiv with stunned disbeliefâand she wasnât the only one. The Slayers and Siggy were rooted to the ground by shock at what Shiv just casually shrugged off. The walls behind him were barely standing after Leuâs brief strike. Shiv didnât even shift an inch.
Leu shuddered and let out a disbelieving breath. âI⌠Everything you said is honest? Truly?â
Shiv nodded. âYep.â
The demon considered him again, and her body language softened to a wary but non-aggressive posture. âHow⌠strange. But the System desires strife, indeed. It should not surprise me to encounter a at some point.â
âWhatâs that?â
âThe closest meaning you might understand is âSystem-Favoredâ or âChaos-Blessed.â Both functionally mean the same thing when considered from certain perspectives.â
Shiv smirked. âYeah. I remember Valor calling me that. Guess it's a bigger deal than I thought it was.â
âValor?â
âValor Thann,â Shiv said. âPeople also call him He Who Kills Eternity or something.â
And at the mention of Valorâs name, Shiv felt Leuâs courage nearly shatter. âGodsbane! Lordslayer! Realmbutcher! You know the Deathclad One?â
âYeah. Iâm technically his disciple now, but heâs kind of outsourced most of that training to another guy. Partially to train him through me. I suspect he just canât be arsed to teach me the very basics. I donât blame Valor, though. Training a novice chef is pretty hard, so I canât imagine teaching a novice Pathbearer is any easier.â
âDisciple,â Leu practically choked out. âIâŚâ She mastered herself, but her courage remained under siege. âYes. Yes, it is true. The vision you saw is no lie. I am here for retribution. This revenge, I have been planning for over 313 years.â
Shiv gawked. âWait, youâve been after him for over three ?â
âIt is immensely difficult to rise through the ranks of Lord Scornâs Legions. Lesser Marshal Confriga and Iâalong with the many others of our raceâam Translation of the closest meaning is like⌠We are extensions of his power and will, created by his magic to serve as the means to his ends across the Integrated Dimensions. I spent years honing myself, following Lesser Marshal Confriga through the ranks, from battlefield to battlefield. All to fulfill a forbidden wish. To avenge my clutch-brotherâthe only of my kin to survive our metamorphosis into adolescence. And now I have finally drawn close, yetâŚâ
Leu let out a weary sigh. âYet, it is as you realized. Despite my greatest efforts, I cannot best Lesser Marshal Confriga in direct battle, nor have I discovered a means to ensure his death through subterfuge. And thus you find me here; planning, preparing. Until now.â