Chapter 11: Destroying the Nest

Chapter 11: Destroying the Nest

Luke killed three more harpies that night, gaining a total of eight points from his kills. Even when he worked himself to collapse, he hadn't gained that many. Except he preferred working himself to exhaustion than killing the downed creatures.

Opening his status, he agonized over where to put his points before dropping half of them into the Strength Stat and the other half in Agility. Tempted as he was to unlock the secrets of Arcana, the Stat was a void. Recalling the difficulty with which he pulled the bow, it was better, at least for now, if he increased a Stat that he could actually use.

Status | Quests | Inventory

Name: Lukas King

Tier: Mortal

Mana: 168

Rate: 10% per hour

Strength: 22 > 26

Agility: 16 > 20

Constitution: 21

Arcana: 16

Stat Points: 0

Bloodline: Locked. Conditions not met. (1/10 000)

Charges: 7/10

He felt the difference immediately. Feeling both more limber, and stronger. Rolling out of his sleeping bag, he put both fists on the ground with his elbows tight on his body, and pushed himself up. Not feeling any pressure, he put his entire weight on one fist, and put his other hand behind his back. Lowering himself as slowly as he could, and then pushing himself back up.

Too easy.

He unfurled his fist, so that the weight was on his fingers alone. He pushed himself back up, marveling at the ease of the movement.

So this is what it feels like to be strong huh.

Look at you go!

Quickly climbing to his feet, he turned and saw Laxas. Watching him from the cart.

Good morning. He nodded to the older Inner Disciple.

Are you ready for today? He asked, his tone growing flatter. You hid it well, but I noticed you werent doing too well last night. I get the feeling. Killing isnt fun. But it needs to be done. Ive seen what happens to places like these, when monsters come knocking. Theyll strip this town bare.

I get it. It's just It feels cruel. Luke ran his hands through his hair. Wincing in disgust as he felt the dried and crusty harpy blood caked against his skin. One of his kills had been extra bloody.

Thats because it is. Laxas said, picking an arrow from the carriage and slapping it against the palm of his hand. The work we do is ugly, but it needs to be done. Its the price we pay. We hide the truth, and in doing so, make all these people vulnerable, as such it becomes our duty to protect them.

You mention you worked in the mines. What was that like?

Hmm. I liked it. A lot of the people still working there will probably stab me if they heard me say that, but its true. I wasted my time in the Society, but when I got to the mines, I understood what I had to do. I had a purpose. To leave. They didnt make it a secret that all we had to do to get out of the mines was reach the mid-stage of the mortal tier, and they even gave us tools to exercise with to achieve that goal. Most people didnt bother with them. I could never understand why that was. Even now it bothers me. Those people chose indenture, and then they whine about it when their bodies become too frail with age, and they become too weak to progress. It made me not want to stay there. Being surrounded with such sloth.

Lukes eyebrows furrowed, as he mulled over his words. People are dumb.

Truer words have never been spoken. He glanced at the morning sky, the suns just beginning their ascent. Wake the others, we should get going.

How far away is the nest? Arn asked, only for Arya to tap his shoulder. A finger held over her mouth, telling him to shut up.

Taking the cue, the group of five walked in silence upstream along the river. Careful not to rattle their equipment.

Then why did you?

Luke stayed silent. It wasnt like he could tell her that his sword made him stronger after every enemy he killed, and that he knew that because he was the thief Arke was searching for. One who had made off with an incredible prize that was guiding him towards godhood.

It felt like the right thing to do. If you're not advancing, you're regressing and all that. Staying in the Society and picking flowers for chump change was a waste of my time. He answered eventually, mixing elements of the truth with lies.

Its not a waste of time. When you learn to sense your mana, a lot of doors open up. A lot of the Societys easier tasks are meant to give you a foundation in higher fields of study. The skills and knowledge you gain by picking herbs for example, are useful when refining them into pills and potions. Theres a familiarity that's needed with nature, and the environments that the plants grow in, that translates into combining those plants for the purpose of alchemy. An understanding that you cant gain just by flipping through books. Theres so much information and nuance to nature, that only a small fraction can be learned through study. The smells, how they face the sun, what the light looks like when it reflects off of their petals, what the soil feels like, and not just what it's composed of. Theres so much that books cant tell you. Or if they do, they only give you a small glimpse of what's actually there.

So you're an alchemist then?

I am. She said, her face turning slightly red.

How come youre out here hunting harpies then?

Plants arent the only things that an Alchemist works with. Mana refined by the bodies of different animals, gains certain properties that can be harnessed. Just like plants, you can learn a lot by directly observing the environment they live in.

Huh. I guess I was just being narrow minded.

Wisdom comes from experience. When I was an Outer Disciple, I thought that what I was doing was a waste of time too.

So two weeks ago? Luke teased.

Im very good with a bow, you know. She pulled the string back, the arrow pointing at Luke menacingly. He looked at it cross eyed. Theres another harpy over there.

Suddenly Luke was back to reality. A smile that he didnt even know he was wearing, slipping off his face.

Right. Were here to kill stuff. Not talk to pretty girls. Its weird that the two arent mutually exclusive though.

After all the harpies were dead, they returned to their makeshift shelter and disassembled it, before meeting up with the rest of the team.

How many? Ethan asked.

I counted eighty-nine bodies. Said Laxas.

Eight hundred and ninety merits then. Not bad. How are we doing the split? Even or standard? Arn leaned in.

Laxas and Aryas eyes met, as they had a silent conversation.

Standard. He replied slowly. Both Arn and Ethan deflated slightly at the news.

Whats the difference? Luke asked.

Even, we all take an equal share. Standard, it gets sorted by rank. Lets see. Ethan cupped his chin thoughtfully. Five people, one low, two mid, and two high. Luke, you get ten-percent, so eighty-nine merits. Me and Arn, will take fifteen percent each, and those two will split the remaining sixty. He looked at the two Inner Diciples.

Not bad, sounds good. Luke nodded, never having expected to get an even share of the merits in any case. Not when hed shot down a fraction of the birds the other four of them had. If he was being honest, just Laxas or Arya alone were probably capable of taking out the entire nest. Except for the part where they woke up, and scattered. Having more people shooting them down had been useful there.

Besides, hethought to himself, the real reason I came here was for the mana.

Status | Quests | Inventory

Stat Points: 32

He had earned a frankly astounding amount of Stat Points, in a very small window of time. If he counted the ones from killing four harpies the night before, then he had gained more points in one day than he had in two weeks of ruthless grinding.

Quest Alert: Escape the Island of Carim

He blinked at the sudden appearance of the quest.

Well look at that, a solution to all my problems.