August Intruder- Chapter 210- Where Desolation Leads (Patreon)

There was always a calm awakening to things. Melmarc could still remember what the world had felt like when he’d woken up after the attack on his home as a child. The world was a softer color. Some would call it duller, but he did not think the word was fitting.

The world was simply no longer as harsh.

Staring at Ark, he could describe it in the opposite direction. The world stronger. Colors were more vibrant. Things were more… solid.

“I think we should be nicer to our uncle,” he suggested, to Ark’s complaint about how Uncle Dorthna was no longer picking his calls.

Melmarc could remember Uncle Dorthna not answering his text just before he had been teleported. He had been more than happy to chuck that up to Uncle Dorthna being busy in some way. It was interesting to see that Uncle Dorthna was either in some kind of trouble or was simply ignoring them.

Once upon a time, their uncle had said that it was in the place of a person to survive their own problems on their own.

“Mel?” Ark’s voice was a sharp touch in the room. The doubt was strong, unyielding. It was as if he hoped yet did not dare to hope.

Melmarc didn’t look away from him. He could see how tense Ark’s shoulders were. Ark was probably blaming himself for whatever it was that had happened to him that Ark obviously could not have done anything about. It made Melmarc wonder just how long he had been unconscious for.

“Cut Uncle Dorthna some slack,” he repeated. For all their uncle’s seemingly overwhelming ability, he was still just another living being, powerful though he may be. If he had things going on in his life that led him to ignore their calls, then so be it.

Melmarc watched Ark’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed visibly.

Slowly, very cautiously, as if trying not to scare off a dangerous animal, Ark got up from the chair that he was sitting on. There was worry in his eyes.

“Mel.” Ark spoke as carefully as he moved. “Are you good?”

There were black flecks in Ark’s seemingly brown eyes that Melmarc had not noticed before. And there were a lot of them, scattering all over his pupils. That was new.

“Mel,” Ark said after another moment, “say something.”

There was something else in Ark’s eyes beneath all the worry and sense of failure at his responsibility of protecting his brother.

Fear, Melmarc noted.

But it wasn’t directed at him. Ark was worried that he had lost something. The question was what it was.

Melmarc’s eyes settled on his brother’s shoulders as he wondered. They had grown bigger somehow, bigger than they had been the last time he’d seen him. He was sure of it, as sure as a man was of the hair on his head.

There was a touch of desolation in Ark. He had lost something. At least he felt like he had, like something was gone, and it was all his fault.

Ark took a very careful combat stance. It was almost imperceptible. But Melmarc recognized it. It was in the tension in his shoulders. The way his fingers seemed to intentionally separate themselves from each other.

Melmarc knew that form. It was Ark’s grappling form. Ark was about to tackle him into some kind of grapple. Possibly a submission or some kind of choke hold.

Why?

But before the answer to that, there was something else he was curious about.

“Where’s Spitfire?” he asked.

Ark deflated in a very heavy sigh. “For fuck sake, man,” he groaned.

Melmarc raised a confused brow. “What?”

“Answer when someone’s talking to you,” Ark answered. “You almost gave me a scare.” He paused, squinted at him. “You’re good, right? Last time you weren’t doing much of any kind of talking so I assumed…” he shrugged. “You know?”

Melmarc shook his head. “I don’t, actually.”

“Your eyes, Mel.” Ark gestured at him. “Last time they were pure white, now they are pure black.”

Melmarc paused. “My eyes are hazel.”

“Uhuh.” Ark rolled his eyes like a tired mother. “And now they are black.”

Melmarc blinked. “Let me see.”

Ark was already holding his phone out to him. Melmarc took the phone from his hand, turned on the camera app and took a look at his eyes. Ark was right, his entire eyes were black, pupils and all. It was like someone had poured black ink into his eyes.

He blinked, wondering if he could blink them away.

He could not.

“We definitely can’t let any of the nurses see you like this,” Ark said. “Especially with everything that’s been going on.”

That caught Melmarc’s attention and, for a moment, his own current worries were relegated to the background. The nenit he’d met in the portal had said that his world was not safe before he’d gone to fight the Oath.

That also reminded him that he had in fact fought an Oath.

Had he won?

As if reacting to his curiosity, his interface popped up in front of him.

[Assisted Quest Desolate Being Completed]

[Assisting Quest: Desolate Being.]

A group of Sentient beings have walked into a scenario beyond their ability. They have found themselves in a desolate world where all that thrives are those without mana, children of men not old enough to harness mana. Desolation has gone mad, their mind ruined by his destruction of his own world. What happens when an Oath kills their August Intruder?

Do not let them find out.

[Quest Objective: Defeat the Oath of Desolation 1/1]

[Reward: +5% Mastery.]

Melmarc stared at it for a moment. It wasn’t as if he would’ve done anything differently if he had gotten the notification, but it would’ve been nice to know what he was walking into. In all honesty, it was kind of Veebee’s fault. The thought made him remember Veebee.

He hadn’t gotten to say goodbye and that made him feel a little bad. It wasn’t like it was his fault, but it was something.

At least it was good to get an understanding of what he had gone through.

With a shrug of will, he sent the notification disappearing.

“Checking your interface?” Ark asked.

Melmarc nodded, adjusting on his bed so that he sat more comfortably. Something pricked his hand mid-motion and he paused. Raising his hand, he looked at the back of it. Attached to his hand was a canula, attached to that was a IV bag. He looked from it to Ark.

Ark shrugged. “You were kind of unconscious and covered in bruises. It was kind of touch and go for a moment there.”

“Touch and go?” Melmarc wondered why that would be.

“Dude,” Ark chuckled a little as if he was simply giving some kind of school gossip, “What exactly happened? Have you seen your shoulder?”

Melmarc looked down at it.

That’s a lot of black, he thought, watching the black motes of mana as they practically leaped from the wound into the air, dissipating into seeming nonexistence.

Slowly and gently, their leaps subsided until they no longer existed. And just like that, there was nothing but a black injury that was almost completely healed.

Melmarc felt Ark’s eyes on him. It forced him to look at him.

“What?” he asked.

Ark shrugged. “Just wondering how you did that? Did you get a new skill or something? Can you heal yourself now?”

Melmarc shook his head easily. “Wouldn’t it be trippy if I got something like him. But no. I didn’t get any new skill.”

He summoned the next notification with a shrug of will.

[Anomaly detected]

[Foreign mana detected]

[August Intruder Melmarc Jay Lockwood is contaminated]

[Attempting to decontaminate]

[Decontamination is in effect]

Reading the notification reminded Melmarc of when he had gained his first class. He could still remember the pain that had come with this notification. He could not be happier about being near death. He hadn’t liked the pain he’d felt then, and he definitely would not have liked the pain if he had been awake for it now.

[Decontamination attempt terminated.]

[Attempting to retain foreign mana]

…

[Seeking alternate solution]

[Alternate solution found]

[Attempting alternate solution]

[Attempting to Assimilate]

[Assimilation is in effect]

Melmarc paused. Oh.

Was this going to be like [Rings of Saturn]. Was he wrong when he told Ark that he did not gain a new skill?

Staring at the notification, he knew that it had appeared during the time that he was unconscious. He wondered what skill he would’ve gotten. Hope kindled in his heart, it had looked like a powerful skill.

His mind flashed back to pain and horror. Something terrible. He remembered fighting for his life as something black tried to eat him alive. The pain had almost been indescribable.

Despite it all, the only thing he could focus on right now was just how powerful it was. it would make an amazing addition to his skill set. Then again, maybe it would just be offered to him in his next skill selection.

“Still haven’t told me what you’re looking at,” Ark pointed out.

Melmarc took his attention from his interface and looked at Ark. Ark looked skittish. He kept on glancing at the door.

“My eyes?” Melmarc asked.

Ark paused. “Sorry, what?”

“My eyes.” Melmarc widened them for emphasis. “Is that what’s got you all bothered?”

He remembered Uncle Dorthna telling him that he’d gotten into a fight with him when his eyes had gone white at home. If he remembered correctly, Uncle Dorthna had cast some kind of spell on him to keep that from happening a second time.

“I’m not going to go on a killing spree, Ark,” he said. “I’m not feeling killing spree-ey.”

“I know that,” Ark said, unbothered. “I’m worried about what a nurse will think if they come in here and find you with demon eyes. I’m the [Demon Lord], not you. Heck, what happens if it’s Pelumi?”

“Why would Pelumi come here?” Melmarc asked, confused.

Ark rolled his eyes. He turned and talked to the empty bed beside him. “I tells him that the nurse could lose their mind if they see his eyes and he focuses on the girl. How classy.”

Melmarc blinked, then frowned. “I talked about Pelumi because I wanted to know why Pelumi would visit.”

Dissonant.

Melmarc frowned. Oh, fuck off.

“If I know you’re lying,” Ark said, “then you definitely know you’re lying. Anyway, can you do something about your eyes like you did with your injury?”

“I’ll try.”

Melmarc focused on the interface. So far, it had been reacting to his thoughts. Maybe if he thought hard enough about losing the eyes, something would pop up.

The next notification popped up.

[Identifying foreign mana]

[Identification complete]

[Replicating mana root]

[Replication complete]

[Assimilation is in effect]

…

[Assimilation complete]

Melmarc made an impressed noise. That was as quick as it had been when he’d gotten [Rings of Saturn] offered to him.

So what did I get.

[Congratulations! August Intruder, you have gained your first August Intruder skill.]

…

[You have gained Oath skill Lay Waste Ahead]

Not all things should be. The August Intruder releases a wave of desolation upon everything in their path.

Lay Waste Ahead (Mastery 00.00%)

Upon activation of skill you have increased resistance to Oath skills for 2 seconds.

Blast deals stun effect on affected enemies.

Blast deals stun damage on enemies dependent on the level of destruction caused.

Skill possesses 00:02:00 cooldown.

Skill perks:

Mental +3 Balance +1 Endurance +3

Melmarc stared at the description. It looked like just the skill the Oath of Desolation had hit him with. A smile touched his lips. Despite everything he was experiencing, it certainly felt great to see himself getting more powerful.

“I actually got a new skill,” he told Ark.

Excitement lit up in Ark’s eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it as if in sudden realization. The excitement simmered down. “How about we deal with the eyes first,” he said calmly.

Melmarc nodded. “That will be best.”

He moved on to the next notification.

[Update detected]

[You are an August Intruder]

It was as if the interface was reminding him of his position, informing him that he was above certain things. That was certainly interesting.

[Oath skill Lay Waste Ahead is now August Intruder skill Where Desolation Leads]

[All perks of Lay Waste Ahead do not take effect.]

That’s a bit disappointing.

[You have gained August Intruder skill Where Desolation Leads]

Not all things should be. The August Intruder releases a wave of desolation upon everything in their path.

Where Desolation Leads (Mastery 06.00%)

Upon activation of skill you have increased resistance to all Sentient skills for 4 seconds.

Blast deals stun effect on affected enemies.

Blast deals stun damage on enemies depending on the level of destruction caused.

Skill possesses 00:02:30 cooldown.

Skill perks:

Mental +6 Balance +3 Endurance +6

…

[Balance 14 > 17.]

[Mental 22 > 28.]

[Endurance 8 > 14]

“That’s kind of creepy, but I’ll take that.”

Ark’s voice pulled Melmarc’s attention away from his interface. Having already read it, Melmarc dismissed it as he looked at Ark. “What’s kind of creepy?”

Ark nodded to him. Your eyes are coming back, but it’s in a cool but creepy way. Melmac held up Ark’s phone and checked the camera.

Black smoke left his eyes like steam. It was cool yet ominous. In its wake was nothing but his normal hazel eyes.

Once it was done, he blinked, checking to see if there was anything left behind. He saw nothing.

“I guess that handles that,” he said. “Now, back to my notification.”

“More specifically,” Ark interrupted, “what skill did you get.”

“Some skill named [Lay Waste Ahead.]”

“Are you sure I’m the [Demon Lord]?” Ark teased.

“Then it changed to [Where Desolation Leads],” Melmarc added.

“Impressive,” Ark said. “Still Demon Lord-ish but I’ve never heard of skills changing.”

Melmarc shrugged. “I think it’s an [August Intruder] thing. It was an Oath skill then became an [August Intruder] skill. Just one moment. It gave me stat increases so I just want to check.”

Ark moved over to Melmarc, sat beside him. “The time has come to see just how much my baby brother has grown.”

Melmarc gave him a curious look. “Do you always go around calling me your baby brother?”

“Are you or are you not my baby brother?” Ark asked with a grin.

Melmarc had the answer to that. Then he had his answer to that. Sadly, his answer would lead to dissonance, so he chose to give no answer. “Let’s just see what we’ve got.”

With that, he pulled up his personal information.

[Name: Melmarc Jay Lockwood]

[Class: Faker – Enraged Kin (Mastery 02.19%)]

[Rank: B]

[Growth Potential: Unranked]

[Existential Designation: August Intruder +3% mastery to all skills]

Titles

[Slayer], [Mad God], [Mana Blessed], [Hope of ????]

Skills

[Knowledge is Power (Mastery 36.00%)], [Bless Your Kindness (Mastery 29.14%)], [Rings of Saturn (Mastery 29.99%)], [Secrecy (Mastery 19.61%)], [Mana Dilation (Mastery 7.32%)], [Not So Fast (Mastery 5.50%)], [Weight of Jupiter (Mastery 9.27%)], [Extended Kindness (Mastery 5.82%)]

August Intruder skills

[My Gift to You (Mastery 00.90%)], [Where Death Lives (Mastery 00.00%)], [Where Desolation Leads (Mastery 06.00%)]

Perks

[Optimum Existence (49.99%)]

The August Intruder draws on all necessary traits to achieve a perfect form.

Stats

[Agility 8, Balance 14 > 17, Mental 22 > 28, Mana 53, Strength 17, Dexterity 7, Accuracy 6, Speed 5, Constitution 10, Endurance 8 > 14]

Traits

[Purified], [Pure Blooded]

[Calculating…]

Melmarc’s jaw dropped, lowering with every piece of information that he read. Almost all his skills were at their ten percent marks, simply one step to being upgraded. He remembered how Uncle Dorthna had told him that the ten percent mark requirement for a skill to upgrade was not a rule of the interface. It was something that simply happened all the time, so people assumed it was a rule. He had gotten this information when [Rings of Saturn] had not upgraded after ten percent.

Still, it left him feeling some type of way, a way that he did not understand, could not put a finger on.

At 49.99% mastery, he wasn’t sure what [Optimum Existence] was about to become. The uncertainty was washed away by his skills. As impressive as they were, they were more impressive. There were Delvers who went their entire lives without gaining more than six skills.

Growing a skill every ten percent was not as easy as it sounded. People had to really push themselves to gain new understanding of combat skills and increase their mastery. Some Delvers died before they could. Others didn’t have the growth potential to support it. Some just never did. But here he was, still sixteen.

And I’ve got eight.

Eleven, if he counted the [August Intruder skills] too. It was beyond a dream come true. His eyes moved to his shoulder once more. Then his mind was pulled back to his life in the [Ruins of Caldath].

Yes, it had come at a great cost, suffering and struggles. But it had come. He’d never dreamed of becoming this powerful, and yet here he was.

He was…

Melmarc blinked as his eyes settled on the final part of his personal details, just below the unknown [Calculating…] section of it.

As if knowing what he was looking at, Ark leaned in and let out a low whistle.

“That’s a lot,” he said aghast. “What did you do, rob the existence bank?”

Melmarc could not answer. He just stared at it.

[Total EP 19004]

How the hell did he get that much [EP]?

His interface popped up to answer.

[You have Slain Balusad Tavet (Oath of Desolation) (A)]

[You have slain an Oath]

…

[You have gained EP 18000]

[Balusad Tavet (Oath of Desolation) (A)]

Melmarc was still confused. Caldath hadn’t even given him up to ten thousand. Then again, he hadn’t killed it alone, so there was that. If he remembered correctly, the summoned help had done most of the heavy lifting. It would only make sense that the lycanthrope had gotten most of the [EP].

But eighteen thousand was a lot.

How much am I worth?

The question had come out of nowhere, heavy and full of foreboding.

Ark was calm once more, impressed but calm. “I guess we can reactivate mom’s Oath hood, then,” he said.

Melmarc brightened. That was true. If he remembered correctly, it only cost about ten thousand [EP] to reactivate it.

That would be…

His thoughts froze in his mind as his eyes settled on a new notification. He frowned, stared at it, frowned some more.

[You have encountered Jabari]

He read the notification twice more. He blinked, staring at it.

Jabari?

"Mel, your eyes," Ark said, a touch of worry in his voice again.

Melmarc heard it but found it hard to give it his attention.

Jabari.

His frown deepened.

Who the hell is Jabari?