Chapter 58: Bear with it

Chapter 58: Bear with it

At the Dome, Mercury was having breakfast. The schedules of many humans had been turned upside down. On the Moon, the sun wouldn't set for another ten days. It would remain daylight throughout the rest of the Reunion. Or night, depending on where you were. Despite his Vitality, Mercury preferred to continue listening to his biological clock. In his opinion, man needed a framework to be truly effective. You didn't work in bed, you didn't sing sitting down, and you got up early - after at least eight hours' sleep.

Just as he was enjoying a croissant dipped in chocolate milk, his secretary interrupted him.

"Master Mercury, news from Viracocha."

Biting into his croissant, he beckoned her to continue.

"Viscount Priam met with Artisan Boss before entering the Cathedral of the Revenants. They reached an agreement that the tailor respects. He postponed an offer from Prometheus to keep his word. According to our divinators, Priam has left Viracocha and is preparing to face Anatole and his army," reported the secretary.

"What's the last news about the clashes between the Earl and Anatole?"

"The Earl is certainly restricted by the System. His Viscounts are gradually losing the upper hand, and Anatole's chimeras are gaining power daily. If war were declared on the spot, Anatole would lose. But he's getting stronger every second, and every loss on the Earl's side strengthens the Cult. Add to this the mass kidnappings taking place in many domes, and the Revenants are more and more numerous. By tomorrow, Anatole will certainly launch a massive assault."

Mercury shook his head as he analyzed the situation. Everything was rushing ahead as the Reunion was ending in about three days. The Earl of the Dark Wood, the Revenants, and the Champion of Humanity were preparing for battle. Sphinx, the Lord of the Dome, was also likely to show up. Mercenaries and all warring factions would try to profit from the chaos.

It was enough to be the last to plunge one's sword into the weary heart of an Earl or Champion to be rewarded. The Merchant had no trouble imagining all those currently sharpening their swords. The first being Prometheus.

"Still no news of this Prometheus?"

"Nothing he hasn't revealed himself. Thanks to his Talent, he's gradually building up the most powerful human army. Only the Alliance has been able to compete since Victoria took over."

Mercury nodded. His own Talent had managed to partially inform him of Prometheus'. [King by Divine Right] made it possible to accept loyalty from anyone, thereby breaking the chains and contracts previously in place. Prometheus was currently using it to release certain warriors attached to alien factions from their promises.

The man was charismatic enough to attract human fighters to him. But even without that, between centuries of servitude in the service of aliens and a few decades in the service of a human, the choice was obvious.

Mercury's Talent and skills were geared toward setting up contracts between two parties. To him, Prometheus was a natural enemy. But worse than that, this man was painting a target on humanity. No alien empire, faction, or guild would agree to work with humans who could easily renege on their promises.

Worse still, these factions would seek to kill Prometheus to ensure that the foundation of their power would not be impacted. After all, certain champions of young civilizations had been bound by harsh contracts thousands of years ago. Today, these slaves were immeasurably powerful and dreamed only of revenge.

If Prometheus offered them this opportunity... Thousands of worlds would burn, and the collateral damage would be titanic. But we might as well concentrate on the present.

Mercury used his napkin to clean himself up and concentrated on the present. Having a trace of milk in the corner of his mouth was the kind of small mistake that could affect the image his subordinates had of him. It was unthinkable, as he drew his power from the trust others placed in him.

In the ancient world, Mercury had already understood that there was a fine line between being and appearing. When a man looked rich, he attracted investment. When a company looked stable, people put their money into it.

The world had changed, but not humans.

Calmly - why get angry when he couldn't control the situation? - he gave his orders.

"Share our information on the Revenants with as many domes as possible. We must take advantage of the absence of Anatole and his Abominations to crush the rest of the Revenants. As for Priam... Tell our agent to be careful. Priam is about to unleash his Tribulation, which will be humanity's first. If it's as impressive as I think, he'd better watch from far away."

The secretary bowed and left. Mercury took the time to finish his hot chocolate before getting up. He had letters to write and webs to weave. His power came from men, not from himself. The Reunion was progressing much faster than expected.

But before all that, he had one thing to confirm.

"Now, is the little sister telling the truth? Would Claire really have died several days before the Tutorial?"

Anatole watched his henchmen build a new camp. Among the Revenants, some mercenaries knew how to build efficient camps. They may have run out of excavators, but the Abominations were an excellent workforce.

Battles against the forces of the Dark Wood were being won more often, which meant that the Cult had to advance into the Wood. Anatole knew that the Earl awaited him in its depths, but he wasn't afraid. He had seen the absolute Depths.

The Urn trembled in his hand, and Anatole poured some water into it. He had tested with blood and noticed no particular effect. Water was more convenient, didn't smell foul, and didn't clot. It was perhaps less terrifying for his subordinates, but Anatole had stopped paying attention to them.

The water's surface blurred and Anatole saw the Crater - one of Viracocha's natural exits. A team of highly-trained, heavily-armed ex-soldiers protected the entrance. They were all dead. Anatole mentally asked the Urn to give him the appearance of the murderer, and the water became cloudy. Anatole vaguely distinguished a young man running across a lunar plain. All details were blurred, and the young man was blurred. Anatole stopped his divination as he felt a headache coming on.

He knew who had done it. There were very few humans capable of blocking his perception. The only one who could run unhindered and at the speed of a car was the Champion of Mankind.

"Viscount Priam Azura..." The question wasn't what he'd come here to do. Like all idealists, the boy must have thought that the sacrifices caused by the Revenants were horrible and indefensible. Anatole had no desire to argue with the Champion. He had an Earl to kill.

"But he proved to be as powerful as he was stubborn." If Priam had managed to survive his trap, he deserved to be taken seriously.

The Master of Revenants' instincts never betrayed him. It hadn't betrayed him when he'd arrived in a Judge's prison after the Tutorial. It hadn't betrayed him when he retrieved a fragment of that same Judge's essence. He had navigated the murky waters of Viracocha - the real city, where a God sat - had dodged the wrong places and questions. He had survived and allied himself with the Revenants, then converted himself. For his instincts told him this: it was the only way to realize his dream.

To do so, he had to complete a feat and make a wish to the Concepts. Some quest rewards or Achievements offered the user rewards related to their dream. Anatole had found his feat: defeating an Earl.

According to his calculations and the progression curve of nobility titles - Baron, Viscount, Earl - an Earl must have been the equivalent of a monster at the end of Tier 1. Perhaps even a weak Tier 2. Asking humans, users of the System for less than ten days, to defeat a Tier 2 was ridiculous. But it was the kind of impossible feat that would please the Concepts. To achieve the impossible, you sometimes had to get your hands dirty.

"Sometimes the end justifies the means. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't experienced a real dilemma."

Lvl Up: [Athletics] lvl 19

AGI +1

Lvl Up: [Art of Moving] lvl 19

AGI +1

As he prepared to activate [Bullet Time], Priam changed his mind. A glance at his attributes told him that a few extra Perception points would be enough to trigger a fifth Tribulation. Thus, he would have to be careful to avoid leveling up skills based on his Perception. Which means I'll be crippled for almost twenty hours... Unless I trigger my Tribulations early.

Blueberry snapped Priam back to reality as he returned to the charge. The warrior dodged again and attempted an attack with his spear. He quickly extended his arm, using every muscle to make a clean stroke. Priam smiled as he felt Micro and [Battle Flow] activate. Their combination allowed him to use his body fully while taking in his surroundings. The sensation of being closer to the world and his body was euphoric.

The hoplite weapon hit its target - the Viscount's back - and came to an abrupt halt. Despite Priam's strength, the Viscount's dense fur and thick skin were enough to stop the hoplite weapon. Priam squinted as he analyzed the monster in front of him. At least 500 of constitution and certainly some resistance, Priam analyzed.

Priam realized that the battle between the forces of the Revenants and the Earl was decimating their ranks but strengthening the survivors. The Viscount in front of him must have evolved rapidly over the last few days. Priam had just become a Viscount, and even if his power was great, he still had a long way to go before being the top dog.

Priam got into position, expecting another charge. Less than ten meters away - an insignificant distance for such fast opponents - Blueberry was sizing him up. Despite the pain, the beast was on his guard. Priam's expression hardened as he realized his opponent wasn't letting its instincts precipitate its downfall. The bear had realized that charging would be useless. After several seconds of waiting, Priam provoked it.

"So Teddy, are we tired?"

Blueberry opened its mouth and the world shook. Priam put his hands to his ears as his vision blurred and his inner ear malfunctioned. The beast's howl was so powerful it paralyzed the young man. When his ears gave way and silence fell, he staggered.

Looking up, he saw the bear glow. The blood it'd lost floated towards the animal, drawing runes on its body. Its wounds were still terrible and the monster was trembling. Despite its condition, Priam instinctively sensed that his adversary had just applied a buff.

Priam controlled his breathing and concentrated on Micro. Blueberry was undoubtedly the most powerful opponent he had ever faced and had just triggered a skill. There was no indication that it didn't possess others. Without an extra life, Priam intended to be careful.

In spite of himself, a smile spread across Priams lips. It was in this kind of tough fight, with no safety net, that he felt most alive. That he felt himself growing.

Man and beast watched each other in silence for a few seconds.

Priam concentrated on his mist, then tightened his grip on his spear. He had spotted a wound on the monster's back and intended to exploit it. The beast's flesh must have been less resistant than its skin.

He took the initiative by raising his hand and struck forward. Simultaneously he activated [Moon Mist] to ride it. Backstab!

The Boss lunged at him and prepared a titanic paw strike. The two opponents were now only three meters apart.

The hoplite spear struck empty air. Priam's eyes widened as he felt the mist resist. He hadn't been able to ride it. The area around Blueberry seemed to be locked. It's a Lunar Viscount too!

As Priam realized his skills were not absolute, Blueberry swallowed the distance between them. Its monstrous, sharp claws filled Priam's field of vision.

Shit.

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Strength 148

Constitution 251

Agility 158 (+2)

Vitality 284

Perception 289 (+1)

MENTAL:

Vivacity 174

Dexterity 177 (+1)

Memory 40 (+1)

Willpower 274 (+11)

Charisma 141

META:

Meta-affinity 135 (+6)

Meta-focus 98

Meta-endurance 81

Meta-perception 32

Meta-chance 114

Potential: 1389 (+66)

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 14 hours 54 min 8s

[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.

Time: 19 hours 14 minutes 2 seconds.