Chapter 11: Culmination

Chapter 11: Culmination

I wake up, roll out of the way, and activate Temporal Echo. With diminishing returns being what they are, it's no longer worth fighting the mantis myself and besides, I don't trust myself not to make a mistake. My mind is still spinning, going over those last few moments again and again.

It's not just the song. It's not just the implication behind the names of the two monsters. It's also very much those two things, but

I gained Firmament credits. Why?

No matter how much I roll the thought around in my head, I don't know. Maybe it's the number of Firmament abilities I used, but if it's possible to gain Firmament credits through practice, then the gains should all be folded into Harpy 1's death. Maybe it's the fact that I faced off against an opponent a full magnitude stronger than I am.

That's the best guess I have at the moment. Harpy 2's song is eerily similar to the way the Interface crushed me two loops ago. I don't think they're necessarily related, but...N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

[ You have defeated a Broken Horror (Rank E)! ]

Not even a single Firmament credit. I grimace and let my Temporal Echo fade away, picking up the scythe and forming a plan of action. I'd expected that anyway, with the diminishing returns.

If we're going to defeat the harpies, we're going to have to kill both Laments at the same time. There's no more time for training, no more time for hesitation I need to use every single one of my assets.

Which means it's time to bank everything.

I glance over my stats, hesitating for a second. But I don't want to bank everything mid-combat. It's hard enough as it is to figure out what every skill does, and I want the time to pick through my choices, not just pick the first one that fits my situation.

It feels... almost like a waste? But I think it's time.

I start with Strength.

[ 47 Strength credits spent! Rolling for results... ]

[ Select between:

Crystallized Strength (Rank C)

Adrenaline Rush (Rank D)

Strength Enhancement (Rank D) ]

I'm starting to see a pattern for these credits. Nothing concrete, and some of my data doesn't fully line up; my first Firmament skill is ridiculously highly ranked for the amount of points put into it, if the pattern so far is any indication.

I pick the higher-ranked skill for this one. I can't tell much from the names alone they all seem to be generic enhancements, and one of them is literally named that so all else being equal, I'm going to assume the one with the highest rank will do the most for me.

[ Crystallized Strength obtained! ]

Next, Durability.

[ 37 Durability credits spent! Rolling for results... ]

[ Select between:

Steel Body (Rank D)

Frozen Moment (Rank D)

Barrier (Rank D) ]

I take a moment to think about this one.

Steel Body would be unilaterally useful; it's the upgrade to Tough Body, if I had to guess, which means I'll naturally get it if I can upgrade that skill again. Frozen Moment is vague, but might protect me for a fraction of a second. Or freeze everyone around me, but that doesn't sound like a Durability skill.

Barrier is the most obvious of them all, and strikes a nice balance between Frozen Moment and Steel Body. A general upgrade would be good, but I doubt it's going to be good enough, and I think I can get it by other means. Frozen Moment is... risky. If I get a good Reflex skill, I might be able to use it well, but if the moment ends too early or I mistime it then I'm screwed.

A barrier I can keep up, and I might even be able to use it to protect Mari and especially Tarin. I doubt I'm taking out those two harpies by myself, as much as I'd like to.

[ Barrier obtained! ]

My first Reflex skill is next.

[ 58 Reflex credits spent! Rolling for results... ]

[ Select between:

Mental Acceleration (Rank C)

On the other hand... I've gotten Temporal Echo more than once already, and with less points spent. If I can get a copy for less points, then I should. I'll have to test it out, but all signs point to the idea that getting Temporal Echo for the third time shouldn't be that hard.

Firmament Manipulation it is.

[ Firmament Manipulation obtained! ]

I take a moment to look over my new skills and consider the results. The rating scale I have in mind seems largely accurate under ten for F-rank skills, under twenty-five for E rank skills, under fifty for D-rank... under a hundred for C-rank, though I have no proof of that.

There's some chance of rolling a skill that's at least one rank higher than your current bracket. Critical rolls boost the rank of a skill, and clearly something happened to let me get a D-rank Firmament skill so early on in the Trial. I don't know what to make of that yet, but I'm banking on it happening again.

Of the five categories, Durability is the closest to that hundred-point milestone. I should consolidate that as soon as I can what happens when I hit a hundred points banked is a feature of the Interface I'm still not sure about, and the sooner I understand it the better. All I remember is something about a bonus.

I've gained Crystallized Strength, Barrier, Mental Acceleration, Triplestep, and Firmament Manipulation. But getting new skills is one thing. I have to test them out, get used to them...

The best way to do that will be through practice. I'll spar with Tarin again, if he's willing, but first, I need to make sure these new skills aren't going to kill anyone.

Or trip me up.

I start towards the nearest tree, and note the difference almost immediately.

Firmament wraps around my feet when I move. What should take thirty steps takes only ten, and I'm suddenly right next to the tree, deep-purple wood towering over me. I take a breath and invoke both Barrier and Crystallized Strength, dual Firmaments ringing inside of me a flash of blue surrounds my fist, and I feel more than I see the effect of Crystallized Strength, like a lattice of Firmament wrapped around every fiber of muscle.

It's painful.

But when my fist hits the tree, it does so with an explosion of sound. Bark shatters outwards, a solid half of the trunk cratering inwards; the entire tree sways, and I hear the telltale cracking of wood as it begins to topple. I note the line it's about to fall in, and realize it's going to land almost directly on top of the mantis' corpse.

I Triplestep, realize halfway across that it won't be enough, and move up a level to Firestep; the compounded speed takes me to the mantis' corpse in an instant. I pick off the scythe, use a burst of Crystallized Strength to yank off the other one with a crack, just in case I need it, then glance up.

The tree falls towards me, almost in slow motion. Mental Acceleration.

Curious, I wait for it to fall, stepping just a hair's breadth back and letting the tree breeze past in front of me. Another Crystallized Strength, this time backed with Firmament Manipulation to pack as much Firmament as I can into my arm, a Barrier to protect my skin...

The Barrier I used breaks from the sheer force of the blow. My knuckles bleed, but the Barrier's protected me from enough force that none of them are broken.

The trunk of the tree cracks in half from the sheer force of the blow, and the entire thing rotates, landing almost forty-five degrees off from the power of my fist alone.

I stare at it for a moment, and then let myself feel a bit of hope.

Third try. Last try.

I won't let them down.

[ Loop 8 in progress. ]

[ Status:

Name: Ethan

Strength Skills: Crystallized Strength (Rank C)

Durability Skills: Tough Body (Rank E), Second Wind (Rank B), Barrier (Rank D)

Reflex Skills: Mental Acceleration (Rank C)

Speed Skills: Firestep (Rank C), Triplestep (Rank E)

Firmament Skills: Temporal Echo (Rank D), Firmament Manipulation (Rank D)

Credit Distribution:

Strength: 0 (47 banked)

Durability: 0 (84 banked)

Reflex: 0 (58 banked)

Speed: 0 (79 banked)

Firmament: 0 (31 banked) ]