Why do you look so scary?
That was Lev’s first thought upon seeing the stag just casually staring at his bubble. No anger, no bloodlust, no negative emotions. The being could see him as clear as day inside the invisible construct, and that alone was enough to make the hair on his neck stand on end.
No wounds remained on its pristine white fur. All of it was sleek and clear, the very definition of a being living in its prime. Its gaze, too, was devoid of distractions like pain or regrets.
The stag had recovered completely in the span of a short battle.
In a smooth motion that reminded Lev of a volcanic eruption, the being stood up to its full height. The bubble landed a few meters away, and Lev stepped out with a small smile on his face.
A standoff took place. He was openly sized up, which made his expression settle into neutral. Amusement appeared on the stag’s face, and they bowed at the same time.
Neither went deep, only showing respect for the other, not subservience.
“I greet the Sanctuary’s Favored,” said the stag through telepathy.
Lev scratched his head. “Uhm, greetings to you too?”
“You need not respond to the formality, human,” came the reply. “I am Kaius, the Indomitable Rage. You, human, have saved me from a fate worse than death. For that, you have my sincerest and utmost gratitude.”
The words were accompanied by another half-bow, this one more meaningful as the stag closed its eyes and showed just how much Lev’s efforts meant to it with its concealed aura.
“I did what I thought was right,” Lev nodded, unsure of what else to say. “Besides, you saved us all in return from the same fate, or perhaps something even more terrifying. There’s no need to thank me.”
There. Dismissed any notions of debts while also relaying my own thanks. I shouldn’t have anything to worry about, right?
“Humility does not suit a favored,” the stag remarked, making Lev freeze up for a moment. “It is not a bad quality to possess either, mage. Just do not cling to it too tightly.”
“I… okay? I’ll keep that in mind.”
With a snort, Kaius straightened, head now held high. “Long have I stayed away from my herd. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to ensure that my kind still stands.”
Lev stared at the stag for a moment before glancing at Drakys. The Exalted was strangely silent, just looking back at him with curiosity.
Ah fuck it. “Before you leave, Kaius, how about meeting a certain human? He is my superior and would want to know everything that transpired in the dungeon to prepare against such incidents in the future. We still do not know how the whole situation came to be.”
Moonlight reflected on the stag’s massive antlers. They moved in tandem with its head as the being gazed at Lev for a full second. He didn’t twitch or show nervousness, fully believing that a meeting between Kaius and Hakim would be for the best. They could learn much from each other, and a small part of him also wanted to see what Hakim would think of the stag.
Who wouldn’t want to know which one of the two is stronger?
Lev sure as hell did.
“That is acceptable,” Kaius eventually replied. As if waiting for that, an infinitely tall pillar of moonlight formed close to where Lev had beheaded the Night Hunter.
Hakim stepped out of it, his massive greatsword thudding into the ground and being dragged along.
Lev only paid half a mind to the Exalted’s entrance. The rest of him was focused on Kaius’ reaction, and it was a sight to behold.
A tremor went through the stag’s body. Its hair stood on end, and pupils dilated, fight or flight instincts visibly kicking in. Hakim, on the other hand, took his time to reach them, his unwavering eyes narrowed onto the stag.
Before he could even cross half the distance to Lev, Kaius bent his front legs and dropped to his knees.
“I greet the Chosen of Peace.”
Everyone heard the words as clear as day. They echoed around them, as delicate as a whisper yet as loud as a drum. Meanings fluttered through the air, smoothly translating the stag’s strange dialect.
“Rise,” Hakim remarked coldly, not even bothering to imbue any weight into his words. “It is unbecoming of a warrior to be so disgustingly ungrateful.”
“My apologies, Chosen. The favored did not want-”
“This is your last warning,” Hakim interrupted, his gaze becoming even more chilly.
Lev gulped, noticing how the stag refused to meet the human’s gaze out of both fear and shame. Things had taken a very unexpected turn, and he couldn’t help but feel at fault.
“Leave,” Hakim declared, contempt evident in his tone. “And think very carefully before returning.”
Kaius lingered for a moment, hesitating. Then he just bowed his head even deeper than before and jumped away, clearing hundreds of meters in a leap before vanishing with a loud shockwave.
The Exalted watched him leave, tracking the stag’s movement for another few seconds. Hakim turned to Lev once Kaius was no longer in sight, raising a brow when the barrier mage refused to meet his eyes.
“I will not blame you for not wanting anything more to do with a creature nearly thrice your level, Lev.”
Lev exhaled and finally looked at the man, a part of him observing how he couldn’t even feel the Exalted’s presence. It was thoroughly cloaked.
“It was so obvious that the stag was throwing its weight around. Pissing it off might have just erased me from existence, so I had to stay quiet. If you hadn’t shown up, I would’ve gone out to find it in the future and break its knees.”
That got a chuckle out of Hakim. “You believe you would’ve been strong enough for that?”
Lev just smirked. “Even half of me at the same level would slap it around. That is not in doubt.”
“It isn’t,” the Exalted nodded along. “If you survive long enough to reach that point, then your strength will only continue to rocket.”
Because life will keep throwing shit at me, yes. No need to remind me.
“Say,” Lev began, changing the topic. “Did that pillar reach all the way to the moon?”
“It did.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Hakim replied, motioning him to follow as he walked towards the Veil Hunter. “The part of it you saw is a negligible fraction of the whole thing. It was also only visible for show.”
“So you can step out of thin air next to me someday?”
“Anywhere under the third moon.”
Oh, so only the brightest moon is under Her purview?
Lev filed away that information, some of his curiosity sated.
“I greet the Chosen of… Peace,” the Hunter greeted while going on one knee, its lack of knowledge about the Goddess evident.
“Rise,” Hakim nodded, his expression much warmer than before. It even sported the hints of a smile. “Drakys has informed me about your circumstances and role in the battles and subsequent escape.”
“I only did what I thought was right, Chosen,” the Hunter replied, repeating Lev’s words. Strangely enough, that somehow seemed more a sign of respect than not.
“And for that, you have my thanks. Losing this particular group would’ve been a great blow to humanity. Know that whenever you may require aid for anything that will not endanger us, you may reach out to any of us. We will not hesitate to help.”
“It is my honor,” the Hunter bowed his head further before standing up. The formalities were now complete, and Hakim pulled the being aside to have a chat.
“That went well,” Lev mused, coming to a stop near Sherron.
She took a step towards him and grabbed him in a side hug. “Half of it did. The other half just pissed me off. If you guys weren’t here, Drakys and I would’ve fried the deer.”
“It is what it is,” Lev shrugged and dismissed the whole scenario. Hakim had dealt with it much more smoothly than anyone expected, which erased any negativity he might’ve felt towards the stag. The guy had been spooked more than enough, and despite how Lev had been treated, the stag really had saved their lives from a horrible fate.
“So, you made out like a bandit, I take it?” Sherron looked at him expectantly.
“Yep,” he answered, making sure everyone was listening so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself. “Killing the Night Hunter gave me a title that provides forty-five points to each attribute. My glaive mastery skill also evolved, and almost every class skill gained a level. Quite the haul.”
“Forty-five!?” Isabella gasped, looking at the two Exalted who seemed unpreturbed. “Of course, you both knew! Why didn’t we share the title?”
“This type of title is something anyone can obtain and is stronger the more you risk. Lev actually got fewer attribute points than Sherron’s and my title,” Drakys explained.
“So we can still fight an abhorrent and get the title?” Elias asked.
“A stronger variant, if anything,” Drakys agreed.
“Why didn’t you warn Lev, then?”
“He had other matters to take care of. Killing the Night Hunter was more of an afterthought. Am I correct, Lev?”
“You… somewhat are,” Lev nodded slowly. “Things would’ve been different if our previous encounter with the abhorrent hadn’t gone the way it did. I had a bone to pick.”
"We all did,” Melvine remarked.
“I wouldn’t have minded if someone else killed it,” Lev shrugged, and that was that.
Drakys had chosen to leave this one up to him, probably because he could detect that Lev was close to the first step of Harmony.
Even right now, his mind was constantly adjusting itself to the new minimum level of awareness. The same observations that demanded a chunk of his brainpower were now a breeze in comparison.
His armor, for example, was continuously supplied with a steady stream of mana in its passive state to keep the enchantments active at half their potency. Where he needed to actually keep track of the process, his willpower now accomplished the same task with barely any input. He could always feel the state of the enchantments without any additional mental load, which was quite amazing for the future.
Expanding his construct collection was viable once again, though he was going to refrain for now. Lev had plenty on his plate already.
Arrows, lances, orbs, walls, shields, shieldwalls, cannons, ropes, cables, pillars, nets, and a few others… Yeah, maybe this increase was meant to solidify my foundations instead, not add even more crap to my repertoire.
Decision made, he looked around. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Hakim, so he jumped into his bubble and moved a bit further away. Setting up a room inside, he enchanted it to be as hidden as possible before quickly taking a shower with some simple constructs.
A few minutes later, he was completely refreshed and in a new set of clothes, one less ruined than before. The skinsuit he had woven in advance had already been dismissed, for it had served its purpose.
Stepping out of the bubble, he found that the duo had already returned. Hakim was deep in discussion with Drakys, whereas the Hunter was looking at the silver moon with wide, astonished eyes.
Someone just got converted without any real effort, Lev joked to himself, happy for the being. Maybe faith would serve it well, especially because the Goddess was a very real, tangible entity in their lives.
“Did I miss anything?” he asked, taking his spot next to Sherron. They were all still standing in the open for some reason.
“Nope, they just came back. You will probably need to give a report to Hakim directly. Nothing more after that.”
“Freedom at last,” he sighed theatrically. “Here I thought we would have to risk our lives at least another three times.”
“Ha ha,” she rolled her eyes. “If it were possible, I would put you under house arrest in Whitefall.”
“Until something gigantic decided to roll through the city and put an early end to it?”
Sherron just looked at him flatly, still uncomfortable with how easily he accepted his likely future. “Yes, that.”
“You can still remain indoors if you have the strength to weather the consequences,” Hakim’s voice reached them. The man walked towards them with an easy gait, eyes roaming the now-cleaner Lev. “You survived without much trouble this time, but it was only the barest taste of what you will have to face in the future. Do you think you’re ready?”
Lev didn’t reply instantly. He looked at Hakim, observing his stance and seriousness, and then towards the still-intact barrier block with a dent. The Night Hunter had almost survived that final burst.
“Maybe,” Lev finally answered, turning to Hakim. “I’m working on it.”
Hakim nodded, as if expecting that answer. “It wouldn’t do for you to grow too confident. Good thing you have a decent head on your shoulders.”
He motioned for Kora to use the regeneration buff on Lev. She scrambled to cast it, dumping as much mana into it as she could from the very start.
“Luckily for you, I happen to have a few days of free time,” the Silver Night continued, “and you just happened to evolve a major skill. A neat coincidence, don’t you think?”
Lev wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be afraid or excited.