Cyril Sarnath
patreon
Chapter 170
🕑 Added 2023-06-02 19:12:42 +0000 UTC“We should have already reached the centre,” Keynes said as he flew above the forest. After the incident with attackers, he decided to stay higher in the air to give himself more time to react.
I agree, Alice said. There is something happening on the dominion level but I am unable to say what.
“I’ll have to land and regenerate mana for a while. You’ll need to come down first and find a safe zone.
A few minutes later, Alice returned with direction. Upon landing, Keynes felt the change in the air that affected him even through the Pure Body buff. The air was thick and hot, his clothes gone wet in a matter of seconds. He mentally cursed himself for the lack of foresight. He should have known that the dominion jungle might overwhelm his buff.
The second difference was the sounds. The cacophony was disorienting as the sounds seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He whirled several times, hearing growls behind him, knowing well through his spiritual sense that nothing was there. He checked the debuff and only the same one was listed.
I like this place, Alice said. It is vibrant and full of life.
Unlike the outer part of the dominion, this one was heavily overgrown. At the ground level, Keynes was forced to use [Night Sight] so little sunlight got there. Minor movements of the little creatures didn’t help either. Thousands of them moved about in all directions. He considered blasting them with his spiritual aura but another issue quickly raised to the surface; the debuff started affecting his thinking.
He jerked and blasted everything around with [Chaos Aura] after finding himself leaning against a tree. The thick layer of moss made it soft and welcoming.
“Don’t let me lose my mind,” Keynes said to Alice.
But I like it here… she murmured back. The debuff clearly affected her as well. They hadn’t expected that before and now it could spell disaster. Without Alice’s constant vigil, Keynes feared of falling prey to the dominion’s debuff.
With each breath he felt more energised but at the same time more content to sit down and enjoy the scenery. Strangely, the oversaturated presence of nature was the thing that kept bringing him back from the brink of dying. Nothing on Earth had so many tightly packed trees and bushes. The colours were so vibrant they seemed photo edited but they were real.
After pushing his thoughts forward with great difficulty as if threading through molasses, Keynes managed to clear his head. The dominion debuff either had a cooldown or some sort of saturation that weakened its effect.
Regaining his mental faculties, Keynes didn’t wait and rushed forward. He had a Level 1 long knife to deal with overgrowth that got in his way. But the knife didn’t last long as the flora was of Level 4 and blunted the sharp edge of the knife. He used it until it broke against a thumb-thick twig.
This also made him stop. Three Levels of difference was a lot but an ordinary twig shouldn’t break a steel knife. He checked the twig with [Inspect Plant] and found it to be an actual, rare flower called Iron Finger. He wasn’t an expert or had any skills that would allow him to learn more beyond the basic system label.
Of course the dominion was packed with rare and valuable stuff, but none of that was his goal. He needed to reach the centre. He resumed his walk and eventually Alice got back with good news. There was a safe zone nearby but the bad news was that it was occupied by two ascenders of Level 6, both rift essence. That was a risk. They were stronger than him and if they got this far, they likely had spells or very useful Talents. Nonetheless, sleeping outside the safe zone was suicide. Not only predators carefully followed his steps but the debuff could return during his rest.
I have no choice but to risk it, he told Alice in his mind, not wishing to alert anyone who might stand watch.
They will not be able to hurt you inside the safe zone, Alice assured him.
But they can drag me out during my sleep, he explained.
Ah.
Still, he didn’t have a choice. His body demanded a rest.
“Who’s there?!” one of the ascenders shouted when Keynes entered the safe zone. It was over fifty metres in diameter with no trees inside, turning it into a clearing. The ascender who asked a question was bulky and heavy bearded with sharp, piercing eyes. At least, his aura didn’t feel malicious. The other ascender was a woman, her face was hidden beneath a heavy hood of sturdy-looking material, clearly their attire came from rifts or this dominion.
“My name’s Keynes Kid.” Keynes raised his hands. “I need a place to rest. I have no bad intentions.”
The bearded ascender snorted. He stood with his arms crossed, understanding that fighting inside this zone was prohibited.
“Find another place then, this one is claimed.”
The woman didn’t say anything. In fact, she didn’t move at all, so tense she was.
“I don’t think there is another one,” Keynes replied.
“Tough luck, boy. Go or I’ll make you,” the bearded man’s voice hardened, edging dangerously toward a threatening-level.
Keynes considered turning around to avoid pointless drama but his body felt exhausted.
“This is a safe zone for a reason,” Keynes said, keeping tiredness out of his voice. “Violence is forbidden here and it is the last thing I have in mind.”After a few seconds he added, “please.”
If he was in any better shape, he would turn around and find another place to stay. But he was really tired…
What’s going with me? He asked Alice and she entered him.
Meanwhile, the bearded ascender took a few steps back, then kneeled next to the woman. Their heads touched and they exchanged whispers too soft for Keynes to understand. He didn’t even try to.
“Fine, you can stay,” the man said and then picked up and threw a large piece of dry wood. “But if you cross this mark, I will personally drag you outside and turn you into mince pie for monsters.”
Keynes didn’t argue as his body was already shutting down in the company of Alice’s soothing voice.
***
“What now?” Eseme asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Nothing.” Torvac turned his back on their unwelcome guest. Under no circumstance he stopped watching him. His Talent, once latched onto someone, would monitor the person or the monster with constant updates on a threat level, likely intention and even position within a hundred metre radius. “We stick to our business.”
But Esme was rarely dissuaded from her obsessive wariness. Torvac wasn’t in position to argue with her. She was the one who kept them out of trouble for most of the time. She had a spiritual companion that patrolled the area and advised her about security matters. Torvac himself didn’t accept a spiritual companion upon reaching the Medium stage. He didn’t want a ghost talking to him in his mind.
“Alone and so close to the centre. He’s a threat.”
“Of course he is. At this point, everyone is.”
Esme fell silent, clearing talking to her spiritual companion.
“I’m told that he’s…either a higher Level than us or a Perfect State ascender.”
A Perfect State ascender, Torvac mused. He was no stranger to the term as his current group invested into two Perfect State ascenders in the elusive hope of gaining a foothold in the regional struggle for power. He’d seen graphs and calculations and understood the projected growth of such individuals, so naturally he grew quite cautious upon Esme’s words.
“Either way, it’s two against one. He doesn’t stand a chance,” Torvac said, projecting confidence. Having Esme on edge all night was the last thing he wished for.
“I’ll watch him.”
“Fine.”
Despite his words, Torvac couldn’t sleep. What if it was some elaborate ruse and out there others waited? Still his Talent confirmed that this Keynes Kid was truly asleep. To this day, no one had managed to bypass his Talent and believing that anyone could do this now when Torvac was Level 6 with enhanced reading ability as his Minor Talent upgrade was foolish. And yet, Keynes Kid made his skin crawl. Almost as much as the dominion itself. Especially the diabolical debuff.
The night was slow and the invasive sounds of the forest didn’t help. For some unexplained reason, Torvac began wondering what would happen if the safe zones stopped being safe zones. They were a creation of the dominion and as far as Torvac knew, nothing in this dominion should be taken lightly. On their way here, they encountered many irregularities that seemed to multiply the closer they got to the centre, hence expecting the safe zones to vanish wasn’t a stretch.
Torvac’s eyes snapped open as Esme roused him out of sleep. Keynes Kid was awake.
It was early morning with daylight already seeping down, but with their high Perception, a little of shade posed no obstruction. They watched the intruder with care, searching for any signs of hostility. But there was none and as they kept observing him, they noticed something else.
“He has a spiritual companion,” Esme whispered.
“Or he’s a weirdo,” Torvac noted. Keynes Kid barely moved from the spot he’d collapsed yesterday. Though they saw him drink a potion. Potions were rare or expensive, or at least not for Esme and Torvac. In this world, everything was relative. Those who got lucky and found a rift item or a spell were able to capitalise on their good fortune and get rich. Like Esme, Torvac and adventures from their group.
“No. He’s clearly communicating with someone.”
“An ambush outside of the safe zone?”Torvac asked, though his Talent whispered of no ill intent from Keynes Kid.
“Maybe,” Esme admitted. “I will send my spiritual companion to scout the nearby area.”
Keynes Kid got to his feet and both Torvac and Esme froze, readying themselves for a possible attack, which didn’t come.
“We’re in a safe zone, remember?” Keynes Kid said not looking at them.
“We cannot trust you,” Torvac said.
“I understand and I thank you for not robbing me during the night.”
Robbing…hm. It didn’t even cross Torvac’s mind as the whole situation stank of an ambush. It still wasn’t clear what his deal was and it would be best if he left right now.
“No problem. Are you going now?” Torvac asked with a hint of hope in his voice, which he tried to mask. Keynes Kid turned toward them and Torvac’s Talent immediately spiked, informing him that the intruder was very dangerous. Still there was no hostile intent.
“How did you manage to resist the dominion debuff?”
Esme sharply glanced at Torvac. Okay, so this Keynes Kid was actually trouble. Torvac prepared his two spells [Earth Blow] and [Shield] though the zone prevented him from using them. Esme must have done the same as she took the fighting pose. Her spells were more close combat oriented with emphasis on delivering a critical blow at the right time.
“Isn’t that a bit too personal?” Torvac asked, not keeping hostility out of his voice. His posture also indicated his readiness to fight.
Keynes Kid only shook his head then left the safe zone.
“This boy is trouble,” Torvac said after Keynes Kid vanished among the trees outside the safe zone. “It’d be best to go the other way.”
“And leave the prize to others?” Esme asked, quietly with disbelief. “Our group invested in our mission. If we fail, we are as good as dead.”
Torvac knew this but with all the skills and items they had found on their way here, they were able to pay their group back several times over. Nonetheless, they still didn’t figure out the correct combination to unlock a passage into the centre and it was unlikely that other adventures caught up with the diabolical designs of the dominion.
