Chapter 389 (1/2)

After finishing off the Path, the completion notice popped up.

Congratulations! You have completed the Basic Soul Bond Path! There are many methods of growth, but your Path has intersected with another. The entity known as Neveah has become a part of you, and as your strength supports her, it is only with her help that you may proceed forward. It starts simply, but never forget that like her strength has become yours, so has her weakness. But do not tarry, for your Path leads ever onward, and without each other… only doom lies ahead.

Affinity with Neveah increased! She will have increased access to your thoughts and emotions. Communication between you two has become easier. Now, if you attempt to utilize a Skill with insufficient Mana or Stamina, you will take Mana or Stamina from the other to fuel the Skill, rather than have it fail. In addition, blows that reduce your Health below 0 will instead take Health from the other.

Randidly shook his head. Sure, he was glad he took the Path for the free PP and Skill Levels he received, in very relevant Skills, but the other rewards were somewhat lackluster. Perhaps it would result in increased coordination between them when making the Class, but that wasn’t a very concrete bonus.

The real reward, Randidly supposed, was the connection of their Attribute pools. However, the only Attribute that Randidly ever had any real trouble with was Mana, and Neveah’s Mana pools were pitiful. Her new body just wasn’t one that often utilized Mana in grand ways. Mostly it was used as a method of moving around, by that earth surfing technique that she used.

Stamina Randidly had no problems with, and generally he didn’t have his Health reduced, but he supposed it was possible that he would get into a fight where being able to call upon Neveah’s Raid Boss levels of Health would be extremely useful.

There was some additional PP remaining, but Randidly set that aside again. It wasn’t enough to finish anything, and he was relatively unimpressed by what he had received this time. Better to give it some time to properly develop, so he could obtain a powerful reward from one of these Paths.

Instead… now his attention had to turned to some of the more pressing issues with the Raid Dungeon dive. There were only 12 days remaining until the end of the time, and then there would be no Aether remaining in the Zone, or an extremely depleted amount of ambient Aether. His release would likely stave that off somewhat, but it was better not to trust that. And if push came to shove, he could do it again, but…

It felt dangerous. Like once a door was opened like that inside of himself, releasing the Aether to the world, Randidly could lose himself in the sensation of being a conduit for all of that energy rushing out into the world. Even now, it made him shiver. The vibrations were too strong. They would destroy his soul space and leave him nothing. Although perhaps it was possible that the strengthening that a Class would give his soul space would make it more feasible to do so in the future…

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Randidly stood and left his small cabin, heading into Donnyton proper. It was time to talk to Mrs. Hamilton and Donny. It was time to gather their party for the dungeon.

And while they were traveling to join him… it would finally be time to create a Class.

*****

Lucifer sat in a dark room, the windows covered, the lights out. There, with only the dull and muted line of light coming in from under the door, he polished his sword.

The new weapon was a long thing, a two handed sword, that was not necessarily pretty, in a reflective way. But in the darkness of the room, it perfectly melded into the shadows around it, fading to become a natural grey, almost immediately blending into the backdrop, like a chameleon.

That was the great conceit of this sword, Lucifer reflected. That the dull color could hide its size and efficiency.... That one small detail could make up for a dozen or so conflicting ones…

There was a knock on the door. Lucifer didn’t bother to answer. He had been in the room for almost 3 weeks now, just waiting, polishing his sword in the darkness. Franksburg had enough Classers now that unless there was something serious, they didn’t need to send for him. And besides, he was waiting....for something else entirely.

Again, Lucifer applied the oil to the sword, and then rubbed the worn rag up and down across the blade. Several ruined rags lay scattered around him on the ground. After three weeks of constant activity, the fabric on these things naturally would break down. Especially when someone with the physical strength of Lucifer was polishing the weapon.

He had already resigned himself to the fact that he would need to rip off portions of his shirt after this, to continue polishing.

The knocking was repeated, and Lucifer slowly looked up, his expression souring. But then the person beyond the door spoke.

“We’ve heard from Donnyton. They are asking for assistance with the Raid Dungeon. It seems like… the Ghosthound will be leading the party.”

Lucifer smiled in the darkness.

*****