39 The Steel Legion (2/2)
I sighed again before relaxing. I sat down before glancing around the room. I pondered about what I wanted. What did I want? It was a good question.
I wanted to control what I would and wouldn't do for one. I wanted to be able to have friends I could trust and a home to go back to. Since Schema took Earth, I didn't think it was possible anymore. Deep down, I already knew there wasn't any going back.
There in the pits of that despair, I found something. It was a dark, malevolent feeling. It didn't want to build. It wanted to destroy. That sinister emotion wanted to break everything that took away all the chances I had. I'd never have a family. I'd never have friends. Every day would be another fight for survival until I died.
There was an crazy part of me that enjoyed the idea of that. That part wanted to just let the simple cycle of escalation take over. It was like a way out of being used. I could just use everyone around me in turn.
They could become my stepping stones, my way up and out of this hole I'm in. I could use them as protection, growing until I could then use them as they used me.
As those thoughts filled my mind, the red bands lessened until they disappeared. The madness swam through my mind like a torrent, begging for battle and starving for slaughter. The dominion magic swelled in my palm, flooding out of my hand and onto the floor. The rune in my palm created an even greater outpour, swarming the room with the energy.
Skill unlocked! Dominion(lvl 1) - Why fight with one when you may fight with many? +1% increased ease of converting mana into DU(dominion energy)
The mana sent ripples through the concrete, bending the stone. The tables near me bent then snapped under the bending force. The energy resonated until one of the metallic instruments near me snapped, the metal squealing.
”Excellent work Daniel. I never expected so much potential in you. Your own affinity outweighs my own.”
Torix placed his hand on my shoulder, snapping me from my sudden stupor. The madness retreated, returning me to normal. Even though I didn't understand it, I couldn't deny how useful it was. It gave me tools I wouldn't have otherwise. It made truly difficult things quite simple. Not just mana either. I could carry out carnage like that without remorse or guilt.
It scared me a little, but revealing it to Torix seemed like a bad idea. Why exactly? I couldn't pin an exact reason down. My gut was telling me not to. So far, it hadn't told me wrong up till now.
Torix pulled me out of the corner as he raised an arm, ”Oh how much you'll be able to accomplish. With that much mana, this world will bend with a wave of your finger.”
Just like you wanted me to? The thought flashed in my mind before Torix continued,
”Telekinesis should be a paltry task considering how much mana you summoned. For that style of magic, you need only give that mana a sort of will. Envision a change you want, then force the world to obey with the will of your mind. It's quite satisfying.”
I nodded, ”Alright. What about the gravity wells stuff?”
”For that, you must think of the universe like a giant, stretched piece of rubber. A gravity well is like a rock placed on the sheet. It creates a depression that pulls other forces into it. You must imagine creating an indention in that sheet, forcing a pull in the area.”
”Oh fuck. That sounds hard. Like, super hard.”
”It is very, very difficult. You should get it within a few years though. Nothing that several thousand hours of practice can't fix.”
I winced at the prospect. Gaining levels would be a far better way of progressing than that shit. Mixing both of those processes would be better anyway. I nodded my head,
”Sounds like a plan. I think I'll go see if I can't get a handle on the dominion magic first though. Leveling it would help patch up a few holes in my build.”
Torix released my shoulder, ”Good, good...Ah yes, there's something I wanted to bring up with you while you're here Daniel.”
I raised an eyebrow before he continued, ”The time I used my charisma on you. I didn't mean to create tension between us or create paranoia in you. I wanted you to move on from the death of your friends. I wasted centuries trying to find my own son. I didn't want you making the same mistake.”
He spread his arms and let them slap against his sides, ”If I knew you'd work through it so quickly on your own, I'd never have even tried. You likely are struggling with trusting anything I've said up till this point, questioning my every word.”
It was like he was reading my mind as he continued, ”But I just want to make it clear what I thought of the situation. You don't have to fear me. Even if I am your master, you are still my student. I want you to grow, not to become some sort of slave for me. I've got plenty of those already.”
I pursed my lips for a moment. He seemed sincere, almost vulnerable. After making sure I wasn't seeing things, I murmured, ”Hmmm...Okay. Thanks for talking about it. To be honest, you basically read my mind.”
He brushed off the accusation with a wave of his hand, ”Your willpower and resistance to mental magic is very high already. You'd know if I planted something in your mind, I assure you.”
Now I would, but what about before I reached this level of resistance and willpower? I shook the doubts from my mind before saying, ”Hell yeah. Well I'm off to figure some of this magic shit out.”
Those doubts had built up in my mind over time. I didn't like dwelling on them, since they made me question everything anyone said. It had a way of pulling me away from the only friends I had left, so I silenced that doubt. I'd trust Torix and company for now, thought I wouldn't be as gullible as when I first met them.
With that handled, I walked over towards my personal room and focused on dominion magic. The hardest part of the process was being able to summon that madness. My entire fighting style revolves around focus. I countered and crushed my opponents, overwhelming them with striking. This other stuff required relaxing my mind, which made the entire process unintuitive.
Still, I managed to get some sort of grasp on it. Over time, summoning it turned from an arduous process and into a sort of switch. When that feeling really clicked, a skill notification popped up,
Skill gained! Primal Frenzy(lvl 1) - People are like coins with several faces. You learn to master your mind, allowing for frenzy. +1% to ease of changing into frenzy mode. 1% less control lost.
That made the mode a bit more useful for sure. The lack of control made it dangerous and risky. Most of the time, I'd be better off without using it. It was my way of gaining control of dominion magic though, which would prove more than useful. I figured it was worth the risk.
Surrounded by walls of sheet metal, I sat cross legged as I struggled to wield the new toys I had. I just unlocked the frenzy mode, the feeling of carnage pumping through my blood. I wanted to feast and kill and consume. A knocking ebbed on my door before a steel legion grunt opened it and said,
”We've finished setting up operation containment. The others are ready if...”
I turned to him before standing up. I walked over, snapping myself out of my frenzy, ”Thanks for letting me know. I'll head on up.”
As I walked away from him, the grunt pressed his back against the wall and slid downwards. He mouthed under his breath,
”Monster.”
I ignored him as I walked into a nearby hallway. After pacing for a bit, I reached into the central room. The crushed walls that the overseer left were patched up already, though the hodgepodge of tin they used to fix it looked super shitty. Althea, Torix, and Kessiah were all talking around the room as I paced up,
”Yo guys. What's up?”
Kessiah cracked her neck, ”We're finally about to come out and fuck Yawm up. One piece of his kingdom at a time.”
Althea and I nodded before Torix spoked with mana enhancing the sound of his voice,
”Daniel, Althea, and Kessiah will be charging forward. You all will travel behind them with the mounted machines, pulling the containment backwards. Your orders are clear. Do not try and fight the minions of Yawm. That is the job of these three. Understood?”
The troops saluted Torix, their loyalty ironclad with absolute fear. Torix turned to us,
”Hope you'll be able to fight what Yawm's created. Good luck.”
The three of us walked out towards a gigantic garage door. Kessiah pulled it up, the garage door banging against the roof with a deafening echo. The three of us sprinted forwards. Now everything was in order. We would finally fight.
In my mind, it was time to break Yawm. One bone at a time.