Chapter 5-152: One Level and One Stat at a Time... (1/2)
“I think you’re going to be on a LOT of fanboy lists after that exposé, Helix,” Sir Pellier said gruffly, trying not to laugh at Helix’s antics.
The blue-haired Djinnblood was dancing around, wanting to go into the studio there and make his own alterations to what was going on, but everybody was preventing him from doing so.
Father Bower just nodded gravely. “The Helix Method. Multiple Classes spiraling around one. It’s a great name. Everybody’s going to know what it can do, and using him as an example was inspired. She’s right, he’s not some super-gifted genius Morningflame or something. He’s another free-spirited Sorcerer just trying to do what he can to get stronger.” Father Bower shot Helix a sideways glance. “And if whoever gave you that shit advice about using your Human/2 that way becomes known, he’s going to be shit on by the whole world now. You know that, right?”
Helix stopped his dance of irritation, his lips pursed.
“People are going to find out. They always do. That guy has a whole world of comeuppance coming for him,” The Mick mused from where he was standing by and just watching it all in amusement.
Topaz was also just watching all this knowingly, and laughed long and low. “He’s going to disappear. He’ll change his face and his name and just vanish. It’s like being called Benedict here in America, except for the whole world. Nobody likes a malicious asshole who takes advantage of someone. He’s done.”
Helix was trying really hard not to smile, and seemed a bit mollified with how things were turning out the more he thought about it. “I don’t even have to say anything, do I?”
“No. It won’t matter what you say, or even if you forgive him loudly and public-like. He’s going to be going in the Lexipedia as the definition of an arsehole, and that’s all there is to it. Some people can get very overly-righteous about this stuff,” The Mick said wisely. “And the fact you were a fool sells this all the more. Everyone can sympathize with a fool, put themselves in your shoes, following good advice because you wanted to fly. You were wrong, you got put through something nobody wants to,” that picture of his face after he blasted the wraith with his boosted Energy Grasp and lost his Level was sitting off to the side, a stark and agonizing reminder of the cost of doing the wrong thing, “and you paid the price to get back on track. Lessons learned that way stick with everybody.”
“I’m betting that there are going to be a lot of people visiting Walls, trying to set up the same thing so they can get on the right road,” Sir Pellier said softly.
Everyone nodded as they watched the video go into the next step. It would be like a grand, horrible rite of passage. Did they have the will to do it? If not, they were going to be stuck forever...
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“The Forsaken. Ominous term, right? Forsaken by what? Whom? Abandoned? Misjudged? Maltreated?
“Nope, not it at all. They are all Forsaken by choice. This video is for all the Primos humans out there, letting you know that there is hope.
“There is a path for power for you out there. If you’re older, it’s going to be hard, very hard, to take the Path. You can do it, with the Hammer route, if nothing else. It IS possible!
“But this video is all for you. Not for Powered, and people like me, the ones who won the magic lottery. This is for you... for the people who don’t need magic to be awesome.
“This is for the Nulls, Sources, and Voids among you, waiting to be born. This is especially true for you younger people who are still Ones, because you can still make the Choice!
“The Choice happens exactly twice in your Life... when you are a One, and when you hit Seven and take your Human/3 Racial Level.
“That is it! Final, stop! Take it early, commit your life to it, or slave away and somehow reach Seven so you can kick yourself in the posterior for not doing this sooner!
“The souls in the Shroud say there’s an old saying out there... Powered kill armies, and Forsaken kill people. If you think you need magic spellcasty chi-bashing soul-breathing boowah to be powerful, it’s time you learned otherwise.
“There’s going to be some Powered who are going to scream at me for revealing this to you people. You know what? Piss on them! There are at least thirty normal folks for every Powered alive, and you know something else? That ratio doesn’t change! Human Powered are born are roughly one to thirty that Primos are, and what’s more, they are never born to Human Powered!
“Your own people have noticed this, which is why you see a LOT of Human Powered marrying non-humans... they want their kids to be able to Cast, to use chi, to fly. You know, enjoy the fun stuff in life, right?
“Well, here’s what the Primos can become. Sure, you have to give up being a potential Warlock. Given how many of you there are, and the limited number of Warlock Pacts, and the fact you’ll probably be dead shortly from fighting as one... it’s a better road.
“Let’s start out with Nulls.
“I’m not the first person to start teaching Nulls. Sama Rantha set up a school in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and Commander Briggs has been teaching them at the Light of Dawn. You may have heard rumors that they are going to be building a major school to teach Forsaken combatants, and I will be the first to say that is definitely going to happen!”
There was a cut to the two so-mentioned standing by a burning church of Imprus, waving at the camera. It panned left and right, to where a big crowd was watching, several Imprusar were shouting angrily, and the firefighting crews present were all looking on as the building burned, ignoring the Clerics and lay disciples with stony faces.
Then Briggs and Sama slapped their hands in their fists, and headed over.
There were some showy spells Cast, none of which did a thing to the two of them, and they beat the Imprusar bloody without any hesitation, right on camera, and nobody did anything but cheer.
“You see her? That’s the Golden Hag. She’s the toughest Null on the whole planet. She could walk through a cavalcade of spells, ignore them all, come out the other side, and feed you your teeth.
“That’s Sama Rantha, Null bitch and the best swordswoman on the planet. Those Imprusar should be so, so happy she didn’t draw on them!
“Let me tell you what Nulls can do and become. Most of you Primos? You’re gonna be Nulls, just like her, tough as nails...”
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“Commander Briggs there is a Source. He’s a leader by example. It’s dumb but true that Nulls follow Sources. Sources pave the road to the future, and lead the way. I’m not about to get in the way of that, right? And what he can’t do, hah, he’s got Sama with him. Whatever he can’t do, she most certainly can. Not getting in the way of her, either...
“So, here’s what Sources can do...”
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“Lastly, we’re coming to Voids. Unlike most Forsaken, Voids can be Awakened without making a choice. That’s because the Land loves her Voids, and the mortal races need them.