B2 Chapter 230: Thy Strength…, Finale

Still lying prone on the cold stone floor of the Trial of Will, Porkchop huffed in amusement as Kaius smiled wide at his achievement.

“You got it? That’s great! What’re you waiting for?” Kaius asked hurriedly.

“Nothing—I’m going to initiate it now, there’s no need to risk giving someone even more time to secure that Honour.” Porkchop replied, still feeling that now familiar pang of anxiety at the thought of losing the system’s reward.

Kaius nodded, scooching back. “You go right ahead, you’re safe here.”

Porkchop gave his brother a quick nod, before he turned his attention to the waiting presence of the system hanging in his mind.

He accepted the waiting notification.

Slipping into his soul space, he saw the waiting pyre burning atop his pillar Corporus. It was a stable thing, reeking of duty and determination.

It was strange—the scents it gave off, the weight it held…it reminded him of a dozen different figures. The Matriarchs and Patriarchs. Ekum. Even Rieker. There was a little of it in all of them.

Porkchop reached out with his will—driven as much by curiosity as he was the gentle guidance of the system.

As he connected to his aspect, he drowned in visions.

A thief, baring his teeth as the axe came down on his wrist—blood, pain and infirmity a worthy price of seeing their family fed through the winter.

A stallion, fighting through the haze of exhaustion and blood loss to feel the splintering crack of the wolf’s skull that had harried his herd.

A greater beast he had no name for, tearing its way through two opposing armies that threatened to drown its peoples home in ash and fire.

A general, ordering his men to their death in order to prevent the loss of more.

A visionary, smiling as the noose slipped over their neck, certain that their death would be one of the last.

A king, leading the charge so that the soldiers behind would not falter.

All those and more washed over him in a storm of duty, sacrifice, and indomitable will. The scars of flesh and mind, the weight of ages, and the scorn of many tried to beat them down, to force them to change course. A dozen dozen figures rejecting what was, and what should be, in an endless struggle to force the very world itself to accept the reality of what they were.

Fighters to the last breath, be it blade or time.

He saw them. Their plight, their struggles, and their unyielding determination to throw themselves into the crucible again and again to achieve what they must.

He saw them, and understood.

Corporus surged like a pyre, and Porkchop burned.

Fangs of mutation ripped into his flesh, sinking ever deeper as tendrils of energy sank into his bones—only to scorch them to ash. Wrapping around his marrow, Corporus flared.

Impurities dissolved, and the refined remnants were morphed—changed to better suit the image of perfection his Aspect held.

The pain was exquisite, reaching to every facet of his body. It was a scouring unlike any other he had experienced. A judgement that had observed him in totality and found him wanting. A change, foisted upon the deepest and most essential parts of him.

It blistered the skin, and scoured the nerves, blurring into a single moment of incomprehensible discomfort that left no space for words or reactions.

Porkchop bore it silently—a price more than fair for the strength he needed.

Slowly, the tendrils of agony retreated from his flesh, leaving his marrow polished and concentrated in its wake. He could feel it, the raging vitality that had been left behind. From that deepest part of his flesh, it suffused all.

Viciously potent blood surged, nourishing his body, and filling him with renewed vigour. An indefatigable resilience making itself known to him.

**Ding! Corporus Aspect Founded – The Indomitable Mantle**

**Ding! Significant Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded an Honour: Trailblazer II**

Porkchop’s eyes snapped open.

He chirped in delight, chest shaking as a wave of relief coursed through his veins.

The Honour.

He’d earned it. He wouldn’t be left behind.

Filled to the brim with buzzing energy, he surged to his feet, diving to where Kaius was watching him with a restless expression on his face.

“I got it! I got the Honour!” he yelled, pressing his brother down by his shoulders.

Kaius wriggled, trying pointlessly to escape—he’d neither the strength or mass to present a real challenge in a wrestling match anymore, disappointing as that was.

“Get off, you oaf!” Kaius yelled, before he craned his neck to scowl at their onlookers who had started to laugh.

Porkchop pulled back, grinning.

“Give me a second, I’m going to check what the Aspect does.” he said, settling down onto his haunches before he pulled up the description of The Indomitable Mantle.

The Indomitable Mantle:

Pillar Corporus – Seed Stage

A king may die, a general may fall, and a firebrand may hang. Their mantle does not—it endures.

Blade and fang, war and destruction, exhaustion and infirmity—all mean little in the face of duty and bond. The marrow-deep ache of sacrifice, the grinding wheel of attrition, the agony of effort beyond limits—all are withstood when action is required.

The Mantle seeks no glory, vanity, or reward. It is a shield first, a bastion second, and a force of nature last. It does not flinch when the weak cower, nor retreat when the strong demand it. Not because it is unthinking, not because it is fearless, but because it must.

Let the storm rage. Let the enemy come. Let the weight of the world bear down.

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The Mantle endures.

As an Aspect of Corporus, The Indomitable Mantle reforges the body with the resilience and will of those who do what they must. It does not prevent wounds—it ensures survival despite them.

Corporeal Reinforcement: Titan’s Marrow

The Pillar Corporus reinforces the marrow, purifying the body with the might of Titans. Improves ability to withstand and survive grievous wounds and reduces fatigue.