B3 Chapter 287: Wealth of Growth, pt. 4

Returning to the barren stone of the Depths entrance room, Kaius was met with an infectious mood.

Unburdened by the complexities of his own spells, his companions had not been subject to a full blown skill vision. Each looked happy—the experiences they had been subjected to in the last few weeks forgotten.

An easy enough thing to understand, considering his own smouldering satisfaction at having taken another step on the path to supremacy. Each skill, each spell was a tangible reward—a reinforcement that their trials and struggle had been worth it. That the path they had set for themselves had been correct and true.

It was a feeling only heightened by the flame of Corporus in his soul—waiting impatiently for his approval to explode in Truth.

Waiting to continue with the foundation of his Aspect had been painful, but was no less the correct choice. Finishing their skill selection was vital, as had been solidifying the bonds that had begun to form with the latest member of their team. Especially since he needed Kenva’s oversight over what came next, and a better understanding of her skill set.

He needed her free of distraction, needed to know what she was capable of. It was too important.

Soul sight. The implications of that component of Farseer had clawed at his mind since her first vague explanations of her ability to sense the prison guards through walls. It was an ability that went far beyond his own Truesight, and one that might just provide them more insights into the process of aspect ignition.

Kaius couldn’t stop thinking about that glimmer of unknown power that had simmered inside of Porkchop and Ianmus during their own Aspect formations. An unknown ability—one that might just provide them with an advantage in completing their aspects.

Exactly what they needed if they were to be the first to complete all three, and receive the Honour he was almost certain existed for the feat.

If he was lucky, it might be something that might already be known to Kenva’s dynasty. Something she could identify immediately. Even if not, he hoped that with her unique sight, the ranger should at least be able to perceive the force on a deeper level than he had been able to.

Kaius cleared his throat, drawing the attention of his team—there was no point in stalling.

“I have one final upgrade to handle,” he started, smiling at his friends.

“Finally, I was surprised you didn’t do it first thing.” Porkchop snorted, drawing confused looks from Ianmus and Kenva.

“What do you mean?” Ianmus questioned, before turning to Kaius. “You earned another skill?”

Kaius laughed. He wished, but alas, with the monstrous penalties the system imposed for fighting beings so far below them in level, he hadn’t gained a single level in their escape. In all honesty, he was surprised at his lack of frustration at such a fact—if anything, it only served to cement his faith that his decision to focus on creatures of a higher level was the right path to reach the true heights of his class.

Especially with how much his experience requirements would continue to grow; there was a reason that so many people failed to reach the second tier, let alone third. Eventually it became close to impossible to make meaningful progress without taking a few risks.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head at Ianmus. “You know how I’ve been butting up against my insight for Corporus for months now? I finally ignited the Aspect as we fought our way out of the beast’s encirclement.”

“What?!” Kenva spluttered. “You’ve already unlocked your second? That’s ridiculous!”

Ianmus, on the other hand, just raised a brow and gave him a calculating look. “I’m more surprised you decided to wait so long—I would have thought that you’d have kicked it off as soon as we entered here.”

“We had more important things to do, and I wanted to wait until it was a good time to ask Kenva for a little favour.” he replied, shrugging.

Folding her arms, Kenva leaned on a nearby pillar and gave him a questioning look. “How on earth could I help you form one of your Aspects?” she asked.

“I wanted you to observe the process—with Farseer’s soul sight, I mean. When Porkchop and Ianmus went through their own, I saw a little glimmer of an energy I didn’t recognise. I was hoping you might know more about it, or at least be able to see it in better detail than I could with Truesight.” he explained, scratching behind his ear and shuffling to sit upright.

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Kenva narrowed her eyes in interest. “An energy? Curious, I saw no such thing during my own formation.”

“I didn’t either for mine, it seems to be something only directly visible with the eye, not from within the soulspace.” he replied, before giving Ianmus an apologetic smile.

The mage looked so curious it was verging on physical pain. Knowing that there was an unknown force and phenomena occurring right in front of him that he had no way of observing was as close to a perfect torture that Kaius could imagine for his friend.

“Strange. I’ll do it; you’ve got me curious.”

Satisfaction and anticipation throbbed hungrily within him. He’d had little doubts that the ranger would help—it was a curious mystery after all, and watching him for a few minutes was not exactly arduous—but now that he had no more barriers to starting his Aspect formation, the desire to jump straight into it was an almost physical itch.

“Well then, I best get started.” Kaius said, his smile turning hungry.

Without another word, he turned to his notifications—the shining want of his pillar tugging heavily on his mind.