And so the big day arrived. The final exams. I arrived at the testing grounds early, stopping only to stock my scroll supply back to ten and then heading out. Winnie was already gone, but I hadn’t really expected her to be on my team for this. The limitations on team size apparently varied year to year, but it was usually around ten, and this year was no different.
I arrived where my group was meeting about twenty minutes before the start, double checking that everyone I needed had arrived.
Benny, Abel, Dayna, Bethy, Jessie, Fade, Alanna, and Crell. Plus Callie and I that was ten. I studied everyone, impressed at the advancement. B-rank across the board, except Fade and Crell, who had actually made the jump to A-rank.
I raised an eyebrow at my best friend. “You sure you want to do this?” I asked him bluntly. “You’re welcome, obviously, but you know shit always goes extra wrong for me. You JUST hit B-rank, there’s no way you’re ready for this fight.” I let a note of pleading slip into my voice. I wouldn’t forbid him from coming with us, I couldn’t do that to him, but I didn’t want him there either.
“Bite me,” he said, in as gentle a tone as he could manage. “And trust me. I’m ready for this. Ask Dayna if you don’t believe me.”
I raised an eyebrow at my elf friend. “You’re party to this insanity? I guess that makes me feel a little better. You have better judgement than this idiot. Tell me, what’s going on? How did he get so strong so fast? Where is his companion, and what role did you play in all this?”
She turned to look at Benny, who sighed. “Alright, fine, tell him. Shane, put Murmur up at least, and give it a bump.”
Shrugging, I reached for my strongest stealth demon, pushing him up to A-rank. And not JUST A-rank. Peak A-rank. Any god paying attention would be able to hear, but given our current company I didn’t think there would be any who had the time. Other groups were flooding in still, and things were getting hectic. Once we were protected, I nodded to my friend, and he glanced around surreptitiously.
“Alright, fine,” he said again. “The reason I hit B-rank so quickly is because I’ve been developing a new ability. Or rather, I’ve been expanding one I had. You asked where Toast is, have been asking, and the answer is simple.” He tapped his chest. “Right here. Toast is here with me. At all times.”
“Some kind of fusion technique?” I asked with interest. I hadn’t really considered that.
He shook his head. “Wouldn’t have worked. My body wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Not as it was. Which is why I contacted Dayna. She was over at the weapon department, but she’s been studying magic tattoos, I’m not sure if you know.”
“I’m aware,” I said dryly. “We DID go on a quest together. What does that have to do with Toast?”
“Do you know what a Phylactery is?” he asked excitedly.
I searched my memory. “Soul container?” I said uncertainly. “Like some undead use to contain their spirits. I think the lich we met back on Callus had one. Or something like it.”
He nodded. “Exactly. Well, I’d been doing some extensive research while I was away. Toast is a necromantic construct, and I can integrate necromantic constructs permanently into my body. But I obviously couldn’t put a whole dragon inside my physical form. For one, my slots don’t work like that, and splitting him up would be impossible. So I talked to Killian. I considered soul stitching as a potential solution, but it wasn’t compatible with my ability.”
“Which is why he approached me,” Dayne said. He had the idea to combine his necromantic engineering with my tattoos and soul stitching, to make a linked series of soul vessels. He would tattoo magical receptacles across his body in places where he could integrate the parts, and-”
Benny glared at her. “Do you want to tell this, or should I?” He said sarcastically. “It’s only the single greatest achievement of my entire life.” She gave him a chagrin shrug and he continued. “Anyway, like she was saying, I designed a series of soul receptacles that could be integrated with my slots like an adapter and then stitched them all together. I needed to consult several professors, take a few classes, and spend quite a bit of time in the lab, but eventually…I finished.”
I gaped at him. “Is THAT how you ranked up so fast? The reputation from pulling that off?” No wonder he hadn’t been worried about anyone powerful overhearing. I was betting if he got that much renown most of his teachers knew already. “How did you even MANAGE it? I’m guessing you used that as the basis for your Chronicle, too?”
He grinned. “Yeah. I’ve developed a bit of a reputation. Especially since I broke through. Toast and I combined are a nasty combination. Not invincible at our rank or anything, but we won’t slow you down, that’s for damned sure.”
I rolled my eyes. “Alright, cough it up then. I need to see all these changes for myself.”
He snickered, but quickly fished out a piece of paper and filled it out for me, passing it over and grinning smugly as he waited for my reaction.
Benicio Cortez- B-rank. Ability: Legendary Necrotech Integration- Allows the integration of existing artifacts into the users body for the purposes of strengthening and enhancing them, four items per placement. Allows the integration of souls into created technology.
Bonded Companion: Toast (Dracolich)
Might-4,615,044
Impact-215
Fantasy-623,486
Vitality-726,441
Focus-2,720,141
Perception-343,582
Creation-1,263,471
Progress to next rank: 10,292,380/ 100,000,000
Chronicle: Death Dragon Dissertation
Soul strength: Obsidian Soul Body
Current integrated tech. 30/40.
Torso: B-ranked intangibility for short bursts, Three times multiplication of Might for ten minutes.
Right fist: triple punch, right infinite edge axe blade.
Left forearm: B-ranked energy barrier or variable shape, space ring.
Left fist: master slow acting tranquilizer effect, left infinite edge axe blade.
Right foot: Density shifting to create heavier kicks and more powerful jumps.
Left Foot: momentum neutralization to allow stopping instantly.
Head: slight cognitive boost to allow more thinking time, Three times multiplication of Focus for ten minutes.
Back: ability to grow a shell to tank damage.
Chest: Pair of golden B-rank spider legs that arch up from the shoulders.
Waist: Belt of spiritual calming, Three times Multiplication of Perception for ten minutes. Heart: Illusionary double, Three times Multiplication of Vitality for ten minutes.
13 slot soul construct: Dracolich embodiment matrix
Skills:Minor Cooking Mastery, Legendary Inventing, Legendary of Necromantic Engineering, Legendary Path of the Dracolich, Lesser Haggling Mastery, Minor Stealth Mastery
Path of the Dracolich-Solid. Technique: sword art, Dance of the Dracolich
I was impressed. Not because of the changes, those were decent but I’d grown a lot myself, so the raw numbers didn’t do much to sway me, rather, I was impressed by the fact that he’d earned them himself. Whereas I had coasted on my reputation and a series of big dramatic feats, Benny had struggled his way through B-rank with nothing but his own wits. Being a Dragon host made the Might an obvious acquisition, but he’d made such a huge impression on his fellow crafters that he’d netted almost a quarter of his total in Focus, with a whopping one million in Creation.
Passing back the paper, I nodded solemnly. “Impressive, man,” I told him earnestly. “Seriously, that’s amazing.” The academy had given him a springboard for all that gain, but he was the one who made the leap.
Jessie cleared her throat. “You know,” she said loftily. “I’m impressive TOO. You didn’t even ask about MY Chronicle.” She winked at me. “I won’t stand for this kind of blatant favoritism. I demand you praise me immediately. It’s not fair Benny gets all the love.” She raised her chin arrogantly, clearly demonstrating that she was joking, but I WAS curious. Not to mention it made sense to get as much information about my teammates as possible going into this. I hadn’t asked for stats before because it was rude to most people, but Benny and Jessie were open to sharing and I wasn’t saying no.
“I figured that went without saying,” I told her wryly. “But sure, I’d love to see what you’ve accomplished, Jessie. But be warned, my expectations for Benny were VERY low. You’ll have to do a lot better than that.” I jerked my thumb at my best friend.
Callie snorted. “Don’t listen to him. We’re proud of you no matter what, B-rank so fast is a big accomplishment, you must have been a hit in the healing department.”
Jessie flushed. “I did ok,” she admitted. “They really liked my powers. Luckily the teachers were all really nice and willing to take me under their wings. I learned so much about healing, and my Vitality went up a ton.” She fished out a piece of paper and followed Benny’s lead, writing out her stats quickly and passing them over.
Jessica Evans- B-rank. Ability- Legendary Trait: Undying Lifestorm Thirionad. A spirit of the wild, bonded deeply with the Undying Lifestorm Ursa Randall. The beginning of a line.
Might-3,355,625 (x2 effective multiplier from racial trait)
Impact-215
Fantasy-522,758
Vitality-5,409,587 (x3 effective multiplier from racial trait)
Focus-819,755
Perception-625,765
Creation-423,958
Progress to next rank: 11,157,663/100,000,000
Chronicle: Blazing Restoration Folio
Path:Path of the Green Sun- Solid
Lifebound partner: Undying Lifestorm Ursa- Randall
Soul strength: Obsidian Soul Body
Skills: Legendary Lifeweaving, Intermediate Horticulture, Legendary First Aid, Grandmastery of Herbalism, Expert Flower Arrangement, Legendary Beast Taming, Legendary Path of the Green Sun
Pretty similar, though I noticed Jessie had managed to push herself up another million past her rank up. Given what she could do, how high her Vitality was, and what her major was, I wasn’t really surprised, but I was definitely still impressed. “That’s AMAZING, Jess,” Callie said excitedly, wrapping our friend in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you. And I don’t feel the need to mock you at the end of that statement to save face like SOME people,” she stuck her tongue out at me.
“I didn’t even SAY anything,” I complained. “How am I getting shit for comments I never even made?”
Snorting, I turned to my other teammates. “No requirements, but if anyone else wants to share now is the time?” They all just looked at me, and I shrugged cheerfully. “Yeah I kind of figured, but it can’t hurt to ask. Now, before this thing kicks off, we should-”
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to share my brilliant plan, because a loud voice cut through both the nearby din AND my Murmur domain. “Attention students,” came the clear, ringing baritone of a figure I instantly knew was one of the Deans, even without knowing who. “It is time for all teams to gather in the field inside the arena. Please follow me.”
The man, a tall, slim scarecrow of a person with pale skin and long dark hair, gestured for us to follow and then turned and walked away without another word.
I turned to frown at my friends, but since this is what we were here for, we had no real choice. With a shrug, we joined the milling crowd of other teams in a mass exodus as everyone filed through the open gates of the arena.
Once we were inside, everyone was gathered into a large group and told to wait as the man vanished. We stood there for a minute or two until, finally, a ripple passed over the sky. In the distance, twelve figures appeared, standing on platforms along the interior of the arena, towering over all of us. Swallowing, I settled in to wait for them to address us directly. I had a feeling this next part was going to be…intense.