Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Chapter 491: Ryun

To Forge Wrath

Ryun's power thrummed with his entire being, his emotion seethed through him. His hammer rose and fell, and the emotion didn't abate. Not even the body of a Grand Spirit was enough to contain it. He knew that he couldn't keep this anger inside, it was tearing him apart, but he didn't know how to remove it. He had never been a person that was closely in touch with his emotions, he didn't know how to deal with it all other than lashing out. And now... Now he was too powerful to allow that. He couldn't let his power lash out uncontrollably.

Within his mind, something was clicking into place, memories and instinct, ideas and inspiration. He had a shape of something inside of his mind, he just didn't know exactly what it was. A vessel, for certain, a repository for these emotions that he couldn't control. The Wrath, the Scorn, the Guilt, the Desire to protect that overwhelmed him.

It was flowing out of him, but too slow, too little. He needed more. He opened himself to his other half, to Selia. Her voice got louder, but still it was lost in the storm of emotions. That was fine, he didn't need her voice, he knew that she was there, that she would always be there. His support, his other half.

No, he reached for something else. His Presence of the Eternal Hunters flew out of him, and he pulled on their bond. They had to be close, for their presences to touch for them to use each other's power, to be one. But... That was... Wrong. Why? Why would they need that, they were two pieces of one whole. Distance was nothing to Oblivion, it was nothing to Creation. They were one.

He knew how to destroy, now he needed her help to create something.

He sent it all to her, in a wave of scattered ideas and thoughts, all tainted by emotion, but she understood. Of course she understood, they were one.

Something opened up inside of him, a connection through True Death, he felt her connection to it grow as they became one once more. Two halves of one whole, both Sages, both understanding. But they were more than that now. One was Oblivion, the nothingness that surrounds everything. The other was the spark of life, the fire and blood that created. Like the Three at the beginning, when they gave pieces of themselves, their blood, when they gave thought and flame to their creation and birthed it in Oblivion.

Bright Star rose, and fell. The body of a Spirit changed, it shifted, a river of ever changing threads weaving together into a shape. It wasn't enough. Ryun reached from across his territory, to his stores. The Essences that Zenker had left with him, the rare materials and elixirs, he took them all. He poured everything into what he was building, but it still wasn't enough.

He needed more, he was no good to anyone like this. He had nearly fallen for it all, had given in to desperation, he couldn't allow that, Tali deserved more.

He had to do more, to rid himself of this weight that was pushing him to insanity. His Paths, his Skills, it was all part of his Soul. It shaped him, it had caused this. He nearly reached out to his Qi, to his Aspect of Oblivion, to Ayin. He felt like he could just use it on himself, eradicate these emotions inside of him forever. Somehow, he knew that doing that would mean losing something precious.

Instead, he turned his mind to other ideas, scrolling through his memories, through conversations and knowledge that he possessed. His Willpower pushing his mind perks and skills to the limit. Somewhere in there, a new idea formed in his mind.

Every perk that he had was a piece of him, etched on his Soul, every ability and technique, every skill. Like carvings, like Runes, like the engravings in Ra'azel's prison, formations and arrays. The language of creation, of power. How had he not seen it before?

Every action in the world required a spark, an intent and meaning, and that came from the Soul.

He reached down into himself. He had taken a piece of his Soul before, a tiny sliver of his being and infused it within his creations, his spiritual tools.

Each of those items was a failure, it was lacking something that the old smith sought after for his entire life. A spark of life, intent, meaning, soul, a spirit.

He didn't know if he was right, if it would work, but he reached out to Selia fully. Two became one and what one thought the other knew.

Immediately they knew each other, they knew that they lacked something and that they were close to realization. They had both been on their own paths, finding themselves. One in a world where a giant being sat on top of a mountain of ash, drained and desolate as it had bled to create a future for its legacy. And the other on a journey of spirits and souls. Both had come with understanding, they knew what it was that they wanted to do, what the meaning of their Souls was. Once, one of them thought that he could be the one who was Enduring in Pursuit of Worth. And she was the one who created for others, like that old lindwrum that bore the weight of the generations that came after him, who let them drain him so that they could prosper.

They needed more power, more understanding, but it was also time. They reached for their Essence, for their cores, and they advanced. There was no choice for the next advancement, their combined state blurred them together and what they needed came forth. Their understanding of each others Essences grew and their work was made easier. They gathered the Essence again, the crystals filled with weaker Essence in their storages, the unbound and pure in their soul, and what they had collected over the years. Essence flowed freely between them, fueling each other. Their cores churned, cycling as they purified the Essence into what they needed it to be, reshaped weakness into strength. And then they advanced once more. They already knew what it was that they would gain, the choices were arbitrary, simply a way in which their power would manifest. But they made them anyway, based on what they needed.

One of them was SHE WHO BEARS ALL BURDENS, and the other was HE WHO ENDURES TO BEHOLD THE BEGINNING OF ALL.

The advancement washed over them, power rose within. They reached within their Reaper body, where the gate had opened, a pathway to the power of the Scythe. They drew that spark of creation, the Sanguine Flame of Laqruud Qi, the life-blood that gave a future to an entire species. They shaped a technique with two types of Qi, opposites that were always drawn together. They reached for the part of their Soul that existed within the Reaper, for the part of where that technique resided. It was instinct and inspiration in equal measure.

The technique flowed out of the one, and an Avatar formed out of Qi of life and oblivion. Into the Avatar they poured the piece of Soul that held the meaning of the technique, they carved it out of the Reaper's soul, along with all the excess Wrath, the boiling Scorn, the deep Guilt, the overwhelming wave of Protectiveness. And all of it they poured into the Avatar.

Their hammer rose, and hit the threads of Change. They pulled it with a thought and skill, they shaped it onto the Avatar, and their technique collapsed. It mixed and submerged. They shaped together so fast that not even they truly understood what it was that they were doing. It flowed out of them in waves. The Wrath was gone, the anger remained. The core of the feelings was not what they had wanted to take, doing that would had crippled the Reaper part of themselves, they knew that.

Hammer fell onto the threads weaving together, Essence of Change pulsing and changing with every strike. It needed more, it was hungry, the emotion within it needed fuel. They pulled items out, copies and originals, everything that they had, and they poured it all into their ever changing creation. With an effort of will Ryun carved formations into it, attached arrays, he wrote the engravings in a language he learned in the Ethereal Felltower prison, at the core of it he wrote a rune. The single one whose purpose he recognized in the armor of the Unchained, the word for the Soul. He linked it all together in ways that his waking mind couldnt quite understand. It all seeped into the Essence, the core of Change.

And then, it was done.

Their connection lessened and broke, and they were two again.

Ryun looked down on the anvil, where their creation sat still. He had no shell, he was a human shaped nothingness. His Essence and skill was his eyes, interpreting what was in front of him. It was a palm sized orb of utter darkness. Every once in a while, a green flickering flame could be seen deep within it.

"Ryun?" Selia's voice echoed inside of his head, the haze that had plagued him for weeks was gone. He was angry still, he felt hopeless that he had failed Tali still, but he could think again. It felt... Liberating. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," he sent back. "Thank you for this. I would've been lost without you."

"That was horrible," Selia said. "I've been trying to get through to you for days. You shouldn't have blocked me."

He winced, she was right. He shouldn't have done that. He had slipped too far on his own. He opened himself up fully to her now. "You're right, I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."

He felt her agreement come through, and then her feelings changed. "Ryun, what did we do? I... I can't really remember."

He could, barely. Not what they did, but how at least. He shared it back with her and felt her grow quiet as she digested his memories and thoughts. Ryun took a step forward and reached for the orb on the anvil and pulled it up into his palm, looking at what they had created.

Growth Spirit InstrumentThe Bearer of Enduring Scorn

Requirements: Bloodline of Oblivion and Sanguine Flame of Laqruud

Traits: Truebound; Linked; Spirit;

The spirit created by the sacrifice of blood, soul, and emotion of its creators, it slumbers and waits to grow powerful enough to wake.

Effects: The Bearer of Enduring Scorn can change shape. Its power adapts and changes based on the power and Aspects that its bond holder possess. Once bonded, the spirit is linked to the bonded's Soul directly.

The Bearer of Enduring Scorn possessed a fully developed Core and Conduit system mirrored from its creator, and it can be used as a focus to shape techniques.

Stats: Variable

Base Bonus: Variable

Cost: Soul, Mental, Essence drain when used.

There was a lot that was... Unclear about whatever it was that he had created. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel its power just by holding it. Slowly, he reached for it, trying to bond with it. He felt the orb wake up and lance a wave of perception through him, for a moment it paused, it almost felt like it would reject him. Like it found him wanting somehow. But then he felt it reach the place in his Soul where his link with Selia resided, the place where they had somehow opened a door to her Aspect and allowed him to use it. The perception remained there for a moment, and then, almost begrudgingly it acquiesced. The perception fell back, as if going back to sleep.

The black orb started to dissolve, like a liquid it seeped over his arm, then started to spread. It alarmed Ryun for a moment, but it didn't hurt at all. It flowed over the nothingness that was his body, sheathing it in a smooth black material that flashed with deep green. It didn't stop spreading until it covered him whole, like a layer of skin, like a shell. Then it reached his Soul, and Ryun felt a sensation that he had never felt before. It struck him like lightning, it was like a shot of pure power straight into the core of his very being. It settled there, as if it was a part of him, as if it had always been a part of him. And he gained awareness of a second system of conduits and a core within him. It was empty, but it was there, a mirror of his own. It was a weird sensation, but he pushed passed it, and instead looked down on his arms again. He had eyes again, created by this new shell.

He moved, and it moved with him, he couldn't even tell that it wasn't his skin yet it felt foreign, some other type of material that was both tough and malleable at the same time. It was more than just that, he felt like his physical senses had been amplified a hundredfold. Before he even finished the thought, the shell rippled and changed, and the shell became skin, flesh and... He heard blood moving beneath the skin, heard a heartbeat. His real body pulled back, shrinking to make room for it, it was instinct, traveling at the speed of the Soul, which this new instrument was a part of.

His amplified physical sensations went away with the change, but he felt sensations that he hadn't felt in a while. Not since he lost his real body. He hadn't realized just how pale the sensations he felt for so long were. His shell before had been just an imitation, Essence pretending to be skin because his Soul ordered it too. This was so much more.

He shook his head, he couldn't wait to do more experiments. To see what this was truly capable of.

"Uh... Ryun?" Selia's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Why is there a black substance spreading all over my body?" Selia sent, her voice approaching panic.

Ryun blinked, then sent his perception down at his Soul. He found his link to Selia, the part that connected him to his other half. A part of the Bearer of Enduring Scorn was seeping through. The item hadn't bonded just him, it had bonded them both. That made the requirements make a bit more sense, as well as what it was searching for.

He explained the situation to her and then as she tried to experiment and figure out things, he turned to his notifications.

Congratulations!

Youve invented a new object type.

Reward: Smith of Advancement II

End and Creation (Path Perk)

You've focused on mastering the Aspects related to the end of all things. You gain a slight understanding of all Destructive Essences. Through your link with your other half you gain their understanding of creation Essences at half the effectiveness. +25% to wisdom.

True Name (Path Perk)

Youve delved deep and discovered your true name. You hear any instance of it being spoken no matter the distance, you may listen in on the area where it was spoken, and once every three months you may step through reality to reach the spot where your name was uttered. +25% to all stats.

Craft Your Bloodline:

Add as many of your Body related Perks as you want to your Bloodline. All the added perks will be consumed, and a new, improved Perk will be created. The result depends on the quality and compatibility of chosen perks.

The Bloodline Perk will be passed on to any of your offspring, they will be born with it. If the other parent possesses a Bloodline Perk as well, the result will be either one or the other perk, or a combination of the two.

They had advanced, and he didnt quite know how to feel about it. In the moment, they had felt like it was necessary, but now He shook his head, it was done. He had lost on some cycling, but if he was being honest, his Core was as deep as it ever needed to be already. He would still be able to cycle and deepen it, even now, but it would just take more effort. He looked at the Bloodline window for a moment, and then pushed it away, for now, and looked at the rest. His perks were interesting, and the only one with a choice had been his True Name, and he made one that made the most sense. There had been two options, with the other one giving him more power when he acted in accordance with the purpose of his True Name. Both of them had taken the same choice when they had been joined. He didn't regret the choice. He would've done the same. If he had this perk before... Perhaps Tali could've already been found. Remembering her made him wince, guilty that he had stopped his search for even a moment to look at his new creation. His anger rose again, and he felt the desire to destroy things again. Spending all that emotion in their craft had lessened its impact, but the emotion came from his Soul, and that was still here.

Selia must've felt his emotions, because he felt her reassurance flow through.

"Did you find the Unchained? Ryun did you learn anything?"

"No," Ryun sent. "She didn't want to betray her cause. I..." He sent her his feelings, what he had done, he didn't fear Selia knowing. There were no secrets between them.

"Oh, Ryun..." Selia sent, then after a while she continued. "I have news, it's why I've been trying to contact you for days."

Ryun tilted his head, listening.

"I've found Maleatus," Selia sent. "He's imprisoned."

Ryun blinked. "Where?"

"The Exalted Empire. Fenera said that he stole something from the Warden's Citadel that the Herald of the Machine wanted. He was... Angry that Maleatus got there before him. It would seem that him joining us during the war was motivated by more than just helping."

Ryun wasn't surprised, the Herald of the Machine was a bastard. "We need to talk with Maleatus, he is our only remaining lead."

"I know, I've been trying to secure his release, or even just a conversation as you asked. Fenera tried to help but the Herald isn't budging, he keeps a grudge, as you well know. I've offered him wealth, even territories of the Sect, anything and everything that I could think, and that Anrosh approved of, of course. Not that she would say no to anything. She wants Tali back just as much as you."

Ryun grimaced, his anger rising. "The Herald won't allow us to see him?"

"He is... Stalling," Selia sent. "You know how he is. I offered him our next Dome spot, and I could tell that he was interested in it, he didn't refuse, but he said that he needs time to think. I've expressed to him how important this is, perhaps that was a mistake. He now knows that we need something from him."

Ryun felt his Qi surge through his body, cycling furiously.

"Whoa Ryun! Stop! Wait... is this what it feels like to cycle Oblivion?"

Ryun paused, then realized that he had unconsciously sent his Qi both through his own conduits and those of Scorn. That Selia could feel it meant... He shook his head. He couldn't get distracted.

"Selia, where is the prison?"

"Ryun, you can't," she could feel everything that he felt. When he didn't say anything, she continued. "Erdania says to stop and think about what that would mean, for everyone."

He paused, and took his other partner's advice. Erdania lived her life with freedom and abandon, rarely thinking about consequences. If she spoke of caution, even he knew to listen. He tried to isolate his anger, to look at things objectively. Ultimately, he knew that his decision was the only one that there could be. They didn't have enough time.

"I must, the consequences are something that I am willing to bear," he sent to her. "I'm done, Selia, Erdania. They came for us and ours, and I am not going to stand aside and wait. Not now, never again. No more second chances. No more chances at all."

Zach's way worked for him, but Ryun wasn't like that. His way was different, and that was okay.

"Alright, if that is your decision, we agree," she sent her thoughts, her emotions, and he knew that her words were true. She would bear his anger, his decisions, as her True Name proclaimed.

"You've assembled a group for the rescue?" Ryun asked.

"Of course," Selia said.

Ryun turned around from the wreck of his territory and left. It was time to find Tali, no matter the cost.