B6 Chapter 697: The Lake (Patreon)

A heaving sea of fur and scale ebbed and flowed on the banks of the oasis, essence beasts grunting and growling as they jostled for the closest position to the waters they could manage. Scraping past the flank of a tall, antelope-looking beast with stone horns, Kaius eyed the creature warily as it snorted in irritation. He did not, however, give ground.

Using Porkchop’s bulk to forge their path ahead, Kaius kept Ianmus and Kenva sandwiched between him and his brother’s side. All of them had their Authority shining at full strength. It didn’t get very far, battering against an ocean of souls all attempting to establish their own claim on the space. Still, their presence was amongst the most stable on the banks. The creatures might have been Silver and Gold, but they didn’t have the wealth of enhancements that Kaius and his team enjoyed, and they definitely hadn’t practiced using their essence abilities in the same way. It was all instinctual.

“I hate this,” Kaius murmured as a waist-high canid beast snarled at their presence. 

“It does feel a little bit like we’re rabbits trying to cuddle up with a fox, doesn’t it?” Ianmus mused, his staff held firmly in both hands.

“We’re fine!” Porkchop insisted, towering over most of the crowd. “Beasts are simple and predictable. For them, this is a meal like any other, and there's enough for everyone. Even the most dimwitted insect will have instincts screaming at them to play nice. A fight here means an almost certain death, and would only serve to worsen their chances at the water.”

It was exactly that ‘certain death’ that had Kaius worried. The banks were packed. Every minute, more beasts clambered down from the canopy, or perched in the branches above, waiting patiently as the glowing sapphire water pulsed to ever brighter potency. There weren't just second-tier beasts, either.

Across the shallow lake, Kaius watched a hunched and hulking creature lope through the crowd on its knuckles. It was a pillar of grey fur and stark white antlers, rising an easy three strides above the rest. Every other beast parted before its path, respecting the potency of its Platinum aura. Equals in its power were scattered across the very edge of the banks, rare third-tiers who had come to sup on the coming bounty.

No Mythrils though, and the Platinums he did see were all early in their progress through the tier. 

Kaius eyed the stronger creatures warily. They were much less patient than the rest of the crowd, nipping and smashing at their neighbours who had the temerity of getting too close. It left a thin bubble of space surrounding each one.

“You sure a fight’s not going to break out?” Kaius asked, nodding at the grey furred beast across from them. It reached out with a stubby hand, snatching up some sort of jungle lion and flinging it unceremoniously over its shoulder to take its place on the bank.

“Posturing,” Porkchop said confidently. “None of the Platinums have used Skills, or even really injured anything. They’re just asserting their place at the top of the ladder.”

Kaius took a slow breath as Porkchop suddenly growled and honed his Authority. He physically and spiritually loomed over a stubby, gargoyle-looking Gold on the edge of the water. The creature looked up, then back at them — before it shuffled over and forced a High Silver reptile back into the crowd.

Letting out a slow breath, he forced himself to loosen the deathgrip he’d had on his pommel since they’d started their approach. He could concede that he hadn’t really seen much in the way of actual bloody violence.

It was still unnerving. There was an energy in the air that raised the hair on his neck, unexplainable by the potency of the massive Treasure in front of them. Like they were standing in a pot that was on the verge of boiling over.

Attempting to distract himself, Kaius focused on the lake itself. It was even more magnificent up close, as clear and radiant as liquified saphire. It was far more shallow than he expected, too. Even towards the centre, near the trunks of the jungle-giants that rose out of its depths, the water was at most waist-high. Clearly, whatever magic had formed it was stopping the liquid from seeping into the bone-dry sands beneath his boots.

Every few seconds, light pulsed from the depths of the shallow lake. The bright shine was growing more frequent, and the pulses heralded a strengthening of the overwhelming power that roiled within.

“It can’t be much longer now, right?” Kenva asked, crouching down to inspect the water closely. “Even if it's not much stronger than most Treasures we’ve seen, the scale of it is ridiculous."

Kaius couldn’t help but think of the Treasure’s source. The description had mentioned quintessence. That was a power he associated with two things alone — the almighty System, and god-like Ascendants. Just what was this ‘blushing heart’ that the region had been named for, that it produced a divine energy?

Maybe it was what lay in the centre of this jungle, hidden behind the mists that only he could see with his Truesight. If it was, it was a damned good thing they’d made the choice to steer well clear of that zone. Anything that could produce quintessence was far outside of their qualifications to deal with.

Feeling slightly troubled, Kaius watched the pulses of light grow into a crescendo. The crowds around them reacted, a blurring wall of excited calls crashing over them.

Another pulse came and faded, the shine vanishing entirely. The banks went dead silent — even Kaius couldn’t help but hold his breath, feeling like a bow held at full draw.

Light shone from the crystal waters, solid and unwavering. Pandemonium broke out.

Bodies fell from the branches above like monsoon rain, and excited cries swallowed them from every direction. Kaius ducked low, grabbing at his blade as the crowd surged forward and an antler beast leapt straight over their group. 

“Hells,” Kenva yelped in surprise.

To his side, Kaius realised the stronger beasts already on the banks held their ground, dipping their heads to the water as the creatures behind them pushed past or jumped over to get at the waters themselves.

The sands trembled at the sudden stampede, steadying only as every square handspan of water was occupied by a beast that was hurriedly drinking its fill.

“Guess we’re not bathing in it,” Kaius said.

Committing fully, he dropped to his knees and plunged his mouth into the water, gulping it in as fast as he could manage.

At first, there was only the chill of an alpine spring. It contrasted sharply with the dry heat of the desert, making his teeth ache and cooling his skin as it lapped against its neck. The sensation was quickly replaced by lances of wildfire as raw, untamed energy cleaved its way into his body, leaving blistering agony in its wake.

Riotous and mutagenic, unfiltered potential rammed its way into his centre and poured into his soul. Watching the torrent of white water descend to his soul, Kaius felt a moment of fear that he would be extinguished. 

Instead, it ignited like an alchemic solvent. 

Kaius jerked as his innermost blaze detonated and held, the raw expansion swallowing his Aspects and orbiting Skillshards in an ocean of golden fire. 

Energy continued to surge from the waters he consumed, transmuted within that forge-flame into a steady stream of potent essence. 

Widening his eyes at the volume and violence of the energy, he started to cycle.

It bucked in his grip, barely controllable. He bent everything he had, utilising all of his mastery of essence and every scrap of Will he had to bend the stream of power out of his soul and towards his first pillar.

It rocked his Aspect like a siege weapon, crashing against it in a wave before flowing on to the next. Kaius worried what would happen if his control slipped — but he refused to let that happen. There would be no complex compression or weaving of the stream like he had managed up until this point.

If it was to be a refinement of brutality and raw strength, then so be it.

Growling at the sickening vertigo that washed over him, Kaius watched as his Aspects were battered and mauled. Corrosive energy wore away at their edges, forcing yet more energy into their already saturated forms. 

At a certain point, he could do no more than ball his fists in the sands and hold on for dear life. His pillars were shuddering, cracks spreading across their glinting surface. They were flaws that let only more essence in.

Some instinct told him it wasn’t enough — that if he let the process fail now, the result would be disastrous. Sweat soaked his brow, but he steeled himself. Dipping down, he took another deep gulp of the water, only half-aware that the level of it had dropped considerably since his first drink.

Essence ripped through his Aspects like a lightning strike.

Kaius grit his teeth, feeling them creak under the strain.

Finally, his pillars fractured entirely — and soaked in every available scrap of essence they could to be suffused entirely.

*Ding! Sufficient Essence Saturation of Aspects Achieved! Begin Refinement?*

The artificial flare to Kaius’s soul dimmed — but his pillars still burned. Each Aspect warped, changing before his eyes as they were consumed by searing Refinement.

His existence soaked in the excess energy released by the transformation, changing his body and soul to move him just that hair closer to perfection — a more solid foundation for the Reliquary and everything that would come after.

Soon enough, the wave of Refinement receded, and the final remnants of the Treasure’s energy were consumed in their totality.

*Ding! Refinement Completed! Stellar Foundation achieved!*

Kaius was left sweaty and panting as he marveled at the change left in his Aspects. Rather than the flawless and immaculate exterior they had at the Purified stage, now each pillar was a column of glossy and ephemeral glass. 

Motes of light drifted through their dark interiors, like constellations he might have seen in the sky on a clear night. It explained the name, he supposed. Each of them felt resplendent in their perfection, an adamant construct that could be built upon later.

Kaius quite literally couldn’t find a flaw in them with his spiritual senses. Even the Purified foundation had felt…incomplete in a way that this didn’t. What in the bloody hells was he supposed to do now? He was damn sure that any cycling he would do would be unable to force even a single drop of essence into the Aspects. It was instinctive, like some sort of proprioception.

Taking a deep breath and sitting up onto his heels, he glanced to the side and saw Ianmus sitting similarly. His friend smiled weakly, his face pale and sweaty. Porkchop and Kenva still seemed in the throes of their own refinement — as did the vast majority of the beasts around them. 

Some, however, were already rushing away from the pool on shaking legs. There was even a crimson parrot flitting through the air like a drunkard leaving embers in its wake. It lurched, narrowly missing a branch as it soared through the canopy.

Taking another breath, Kaius pulled up the waiting description.

Stellar Foundation:

Aspect Refinement - Fourth Stage

To mould pillars of icy purity and frozen potential is to obtain perfection as any mortal would understand it. Rejoice — but know that transcendence will require more.

The Stellar Foundation represents the penultimate step of Refinement, an achievement that few reach without luck, talent, and guidance. Your baseline and connection to essence is further improved. 

Be warned, it is few who can push beyond this point. Mundane dedication and talent will not shape true Flawlessness, only fate will. 

Additional Infinitesimal improvement to baseline capabilities.

Additional Minute Essence Resistance gained.

Additional Minute improvement to Essence control and awareness.

Additional Slight improvement to Essence generation.

Additional Slight empowerment of Aspect abilities.

Additional Slight improvement to Authority and Authority control.

Kaius eyed the description, a small smile twitching on his face. The limit for most? He’d have to see for himself how true that really was. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done the impossible — and fate seemed to have it out for him, so who knew what sort of circumstances he might find himself in in the future. There was an awful lot of opportunity to be found here in the Shardworld, and the Proving itself was bound to bring its own rewards. 

Blinking the description away, Kaius saw Porkchop rousing and shaking his head blearily. Kenva seemed to have finished her own process too, each of them toting newly dense Authority that revealed their new stage of Refinement. 

Around them, more and more beasts were rousing themselves. None of them waited patiently to recover, retreating into the desert and trees as fast as their wobbly legs could carry them. 

It was probably smart to pay attention to their wisdom.

“Let’s get out of here,” Kaius whispered as he slowly pushed himself up. “We can celebrate this later. We don’t have much more time until the Proving, and we have beasts to hunt.”