Hyperion Evergrowing-Chapter 206: Potentials

In three months Leif had gained eight levels, three of which having come from just the past week. His [Scion of Eons] monster class had jumped from level twenty eight, all the way to thirty six. Leif’s other classes hadn’t changed, [Noble] had long ago reached its level cap of ten, while [Inspiring Brawler] and [Adept of Self-Restoration] were both still at twelve, as he was employing a technique to suppress their ability to level up.

His next milestone would be capping his monster class at level forty, which would result in his next evolution. From there he would need to reach level fifty in the evolved class, which, according to the system, would finally allow him to attempt the transformation into a humanoid body that all awakened could undertake.

In an ideal world he would have reached that point already, but now that he was exiting the stretch of wilderness that separated the Empire from its northern vassal kingdoms, Leif suspected his opportunities for experience gain would plummet. He was fortunate that his monster class could gain experience through methods other than combat, but there really was nothing like ripping one’s way through a dungeon until the thing gave up trying to fight back fairly.

When he had reached level thirty in his monster class, he had finally gained the long awaited aura skill that all monsters and beasts received upon rising to that level. It was a way humans could, at a glance, tell the power of a beast or monster; a sharpened, focused presence indicates that they possess an aura.

Almost two years ago Marcus and Siegfried had initially mistaken him for a much higher level than he had been. Leif’s [Aura of Nobility], which at the time was his only aura skill, had convinced the two academy students as to the validity of his identity as a man turned monster.

The sounds of the nearby crackling bonfire and distant shouts and song as the subjugation force celebrated their triumph pulled Leif from his contemplations. It reminded him of a similar scene when members of an Academy expedition had met a clan of white haired, horned demikin. That encounter had ended up being just as fateful as his prior one in the depths of Pherin’s mythhold, with the demikin’s bloodline patriarch having become a friend in the aftermath of the battle at Far-Reach.

Leif’s system window, a mostly opaque grey box with gold and red trimming partially obscured the scene before him, the new cloak Lucia had managed to find wrapping around his off-white body. He didn’t feel the cold of the night, nor the warmth of the flames, but he could sense how the people around him reacted to both. Their discomfort at the biting night air, the relaxation of heat as they drew closer to the bonfire. He found it interesting how once this situation had sent his mind into a spiral of negativity, while now it simply was. He felt more in control now, more comfortable in his own body, and the calmness brought about by that fact was present in his aura.

An aura was a projection of the soul, and while every living being possessed one, it was aura skills that allowed for an individual to bestow upon their presence additional effects. [Aura of Nobility] had given Leif the ability to project his intent, or a version of his intent outwards. [Aura of Recovery] reduced the feeling of pain and hastened the physical recovery of those within his presence.

When Leif had combined them, fusing them into a single skill, the result had been [Aura of Benevolence]. While the skill’s name was somewhat self flattering, its effect had been nothing short of a boon. It had allowed him to project honesty and authority, conferring many of the benefits from [Aura of Recovery], just enhanced.

At level thirty he had received two options, [Aura of Blighted Sanguinity], and [Aura of Amber Cadence]. The former had given off the impression of blood, a predatory, almost brutal imprint coming from the system's limited glimpse as to what the skill would grant. A life of bloodshed he may live, it wasn’t a path he intended to pursue beyond necessity. [Aura of Blighted Sanguinity] was perhaps a skill that would have served him well, but its counterpart had all but drawn his full attention.

Leif had been given a choice between extreme violence, and something altogether more interesting. Time. In the end it had never been a choice. [Aura of Amber Cadence] had fit him like a glove, its ability to slow those within his presence at the cost of taxing his aura had not only been incredibly potent, but downright fun. [Temporal Glare] had been a skill Leif had been offered back at level twenty five, but he was glad he hadn’t picked it.

With how much he had invested into [Charisma], and the training he had undergone with Lars at the Twin Heart guild in Ahle-ho, he had accidently frozen a small songbird mid-flight when he had first tried to use his new aura. Naturally with practise and experience the skill had grown, jumping from rank two to three in less than a week. When [Aura of Amber Cadence] had reached rank four, matching his other aura skill, he had begun the skill fusion process immediately.

It had been incredibly expensive to hasten the merge, a large chunk of the Mana shards he had collected had vanished in only a few minutes, their power entering his body and soul like a trickle of icy water. There was an argument to be made for keeping the aura skills separated, that if he taxed [Aura of Amber Cadence] he could swap to the other. There was wisdom in that, but skill slots were at a premium, and the time and effort needed to raise two separate aura skills into the higher ranks were incalculable, though likely titanic

Regardless, the fusion had succeeded. And what a success it was.

===

Aura of Prolonged Influence IV:

Aspects: Aura (Time)* (Life)*, Social*

The generous presence of your being holds authority over time and restoration. Those held in the sway of your aura may be slowed, their perception warped, their ability to physically interact with the present reduced. Doing so lowers the efficacy of the users aura for an amount and duration proportional to the strength of the targets.

The speed and efficiency of healing effects bestowed to those in your presence may be increased, or reduced.

You may project a lingering knowledge of your noble sincerity, honesty and intent to those within your aura.

You can control your aura in ways that are impossible without an aura skill.

===

When skills were merged a portion of each constituent skill was often lost during the combination. The end result would be a mix of both more and less than the sum of its parts, and in Leif’s experience this rule was true no matter what type of skill was fused. One’s intent created the shape for the new skill, but the new creation could never exceed, for a lack of a better term, the size of the pieces used to make it.

That was true, until now. He wasn’t sure how or why, but this aura skill was somehow more than he had expected. From the skill’s description, and the weeks he had spent testing and experimenting, it was clear not only that it hadn’t lost anything in the fusion process, but it had likely gained.

It was times like these that Leif wished he could be back in the Academy library. He had spent days absorbing as much information as possible from the countless theses, essays, hypotheses and records he had read and studied, but it was like trying to drink the ocean with a spoon. It was entirely possible that this was a known phenomena, that it was well studied and understood, but he didn’t know.

There was a thud as someone flopped onto the log Leif was using as a seat. The Scion turned to see a man with a short scruffy beard, little better than stubble, his gaze unfocused and mouth open as he poured the last drops of a bottle down his throat. It took a heartbeat for Leif to recognise the adventurer, one of the subjugation force’s leadership, though without his bow and armour he looked more like a vagrant than the formidable warrior he actually was. Leif tried to remember if the man had ever introduced himself, but no name came to him, so it was likely he never did.

“Ahh, that hits the spot. I don’t usually work sober, so this past week has been a real pain.” He said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Though I suppose I have nothing to complain about, we’re all alive after all. Well, mostly, cheers to the heroic dead!”

He raised his now empty bottle, and several nearby people did likewise, though none had actually heard what the man had said.

“Glad to see you’re in high spirits.” Leif said, turning his attention back to his system. The screens, while visible to him, could not be seen by anyone else. Displaying one’s system information to others was an ongoing project the Academy was working on, or it had been before the archipelago had been invaded.

“Nah, I’m out of spirits. Look.” The adventurer said, turning his bottle upside down.

“My condolences. If I had any on me, I would share.”

“Ah, it’s all good. Shouldn’t get too drunk anyway, I’m on watch later. Name’s Vanis by the way, but most people call me Van.”

“Leif.” Leif said, wondering exactly what the adventurer considered too drunk.

“You know, I heard they party like crazy down in the Empire. That there are festivals in Mekrylis that last for three days and nights, with trains of food and drink moving through the streets.”

“I wouldn’t know, I never visited the capital.”

“Shame, shame. Thought you might have since you jumped into that dungeon headfirst by yourself. What’s the imperial dungeon called again? The… crucible, I think?”

“The crucible is right. And no, I’ve never had the pleasure. I’ve met people who have though.”

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“Damn, really? I’m so jealous, there’s almost no way to make the push for one hundred out here.” Van frowned down at the bottle in his hand, as if suddenly remembering it was empty. Without a word he leapt to his feet, almost fell over, and stumbled away.

Leif watched him go, as much with his esoteric senses as his vision. Drum beats were coming from further into the camp, clapping coming in time with every thump. There was jubilation and excitement emanating from the direction of the sound, so he stood and moved towards it.

Sure enough, a circle of some twenty people had formed, the centre of their formation open enough for the three pairs within it to… He wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing, it was some sort of dance, though it involved more jumping and stomping than it did twirling or swaying. The pairs moved in unison until they were so red in the face from exertion that the surrounding people in the circle pulled them out. The duo that lasted the longest received a cheer that echoed through the camp, then the rhythm of the drums and clapping changed, this time faster, more frantic, and three more pairs entered.

This tickled at the back of his mind, a not quite memory forming, distant and ephemeral. Leif felt as if had seen this before, perhaps even participated, but if he had then it had been a lifetime ago. The familiar weight of loss settled onto his shoulders, but it was a light burden compared to the crushing force it had once been. The pressure built, then broke like a wave against the shore as he acknowledged its existence.

He watched for a while longer, then returned his attention to the system. At thirty five, a level he had reached only days prior, Leif had gained the penultimate skill he would receive from his [Scion of Aeons] class. He had been trapped in a series of ever tightening caverns by the dungeon when the level up had come, but frankly the skill options had been disappointing. Not in that they weren’t potentially powerful, but that they hadn’t presented a solution to his then problem.

Leif had ended up picking [Echoed Generosity], and based on the skill’s description he leaned towards it being the correct choice.

===

Echoed Generosity:

Aspects: Empowerment (Time)* (Life)*

You may duplicate any empowering, protective or healing effects on a target other than yourself, increasing their potency or granting an echo of those same effects to another target in your presence.

Echoing an effect restores any expended duration of the effect.

This skill has a delay on its re-activation depending on the potency of the echoed boon.

===

At the skill’s most simplistic, it effectively allowed him to duplicate his core skill, bestowing the attribute bonus an additional time. Leif still needed to explore this use of the skill, since it could result in him boosting a single attribute so high that it could potentially cripple, or even kill a recipient. When he had used [Echoed Generosity] for the first time, he had immediately swapped the attribute he was empowering, allowing the increase to [Might] he had bestowed to Lucia to linger while he likewise boosted her [Alacrity].

This use of the skill had been predictably effective, but there were other uses he wanted to test. Specifically; would [Echoed Generosity] carry over the bonuses of spellcraft or cultivation infused skills. If so, the effects could be frighteningly potent. He could put everything he had into a [Amber Aegis] shield, then duplicate it. Hopefully the skill would upgrade in the future to allow Leif to target himself. If it did… Well, he would have to wait and see.

Level thirty five had come with two other options. [Grove of Hope] had been tempting in that it may have allowed him to quickly replenish his vitality even while trapped underground. But the impression he had gotten from the skill was that it required an existing ‘grove’, and there had been nothing of the sort in his immediate surroundings.

[Gilded Mark] had been the final choice, but he hadn’t been sure exactly what it offered. It had felt like a long lasting healing, and potentially debilitating effect he could bestow through touch. And while it likely would have been a fine choice, there had been no reason at the time to pick it.

“Umm, excuse me, sir.” Someone said, and Leif turned to see two women, likely support staff for the subjugation since they lacked the physiques of combatants. They seemed nervous, and immediately Leif feared the worst. He’d hoped that wearing a mask would stop any advances short, but after an instant to sense their intentions he relaxed. They were after something else. Well, the one who had spoken was.

“Yes? Can I help you?” He asked, stepping away from the circle of clapping people to make it easier to hear.

“Umm, yes. We’re collecting omens from those who fought, and we were hoping to get yours.” The first woman said, the second nodding along in agreement.

“Omens?” Leif asked, for the second time that night a familiar tingle of memory brushing the back of his mind.

“Do you not know?” The second asked, looking puzzled. “Are omens not something people care about in your homeland.”

“This is my homeland, but it’s been years since I’ve returned. Please, remind me.”

“It’s how lucky your last level up was.” The first explained. “The more attributes, the better luck.”

“Your luck can carry over into other things. Good weather, financial fortune, even love.” The second added.

Leif crossed his arms and looked down at them. Neither woman was particularly tall, so it came off as more of an intimidating loom than he had intended. “Seems personal.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” The first said, waving her hands as if to ward away any anger their question may have caused. “We had just hoped, since people are saying you saved the expedition…”

He exhaled in amusement. “It’s fine, I’m not offended…” Leif was about to insist that he hadn’t saved anything, but it would have been hypocritical to do so after what he had just told Lucia. “The answer is two out of six.”

“That’s good!” The second woman said, smiling up at him.

“Is it?” Leif asked, sensing that she likely would have said that no matter how poor his answer had been.

“It’s not bad.” The first amended. “Most people only get one, and sometimes even nothing. So two is good.”

“I doubt somebody as strong as you has ever gotten nothing.” The second said, stepping forward.

“I have, actually.” Leif said, and it was true. “But you’ve caught me at a bad time, I have things I must take care of. Enjoy the rest of the night.”

And then he spun and walked off. It wasn’t the greatest departure, but it also wasn’t a lie. With his soul back in good health, he needed to recreate his arsenal of wooden weapons, and it was preferable to do so sooner rather than later. He left the camp, passing the palisade wall that was its perimeter with little difficulty. He pretended he hadn’t noticed the two people being intimate behind a tent, and found a spot where he wouldn’t be interrupted.

[Create Gilded Wood] was a relatively recent addition to his collection of skills, but in combination with [Wood Manipulation] it was one of his favourites. With an effort of will he created a spinning sphere of ivory coloured wood, it manifested into thin air right above his palm, magical matter made from nothing but the skill nested within his soul.

The material wouldn’t last forever, nor would it persist for very long without his presence. Leif hadn’t determined the exact length of time it would take, and it was now double whatever it had been thanks to his [True Persistence] innate trait gained from Mana reinforcement.

He pushed more wood into existence, weaving it into a tightly packed shaft, then he shaped a spear tip. The material flowed like water, eager and willing to obey his every minute command. Leif made a second, then third javelin, pulling each into his spatial ring once they were completed. He made two swords next, these far heavier than the weapon he had created for Lucia.

It was simple, repetitive work, and it was relaxing in a way he couldn’t put a finger on. His attention drifted as he let the skill settle before he began to weave one of his compressed wood bombs. He looked over his attributes, classes and skills, and found himself content. Progress would come, growth was inevitable. While spending another few months to half a year in the wilderness to reach level fifty in his monster class was tempting, he had other obligations.

For the moment, he simply read over what he had.

===

Core Skills: 1/1

Benevolent Actions

Mana Reinforcement:

True Persistence

Monster Classes: 1/1

Scion of Aeons: 36/40

Skills: Gold Iron Physique / Sympathy from Experience / Consuming Aeons / Font of Life IV / Tree of Respite / The Amber Path / Amber Aegis / Wood Manipulation / Meditations on Eternity / Create Gilded Wood / Aura of Prolonged Influence IV / Echoed Generosity

Classes: 2/4

Inspiring Brawler: 12/20

Skills: Inspiring Tenacity and Prowess III / Fists of Awe / Fist Projection

Adept of Self-Restoration: 12/20

Skills: Surge of Life and Growth / Delay the End

Auxiliary Classes: 1

Noble: 10/10

Skills: Legacy

Attuned Items: 1

Large Spatial Ring