"How's that arm feeling?" Levi said, tapping Reginald's new prosthetic.
"It's like walking around with a cannon ready to go off any second. It will take some getting used to." Reginald focused his magic for a moment, and the black prosthetic started to be covered by his skin. "That will at least keep people from asking too many questions. I am grateful, Lord Ignis," Reginald said with a bow.
Ignis waved a hand, "It's nothing. If you're to be involved in this matter, might as well keep you up to snuff. Levi, I have things for you and your family, but those are for tomorrow. Tonight, let's enjoy ourselves." "You've already done enough Ignis we.." Ignis cut Levi off with a wave of a hand "Cheers" Ignis said. "Cheers." Levi replied.
The night wound down, and everyone went to bed in their own rooms provided by Ignis and his realm magic. After everyone went to sleep, Ignis entered a long grand hall with rows of tables and benches, pints and kegs. The smell of roast goat and mead filled the air, candlelight flickered all around. The scene was a joyous one. At the end of the long hall were six stairs that led to a large table that ran perpendicular to the rest, plates of food and pints littered the table. Beyond that were three more stairs and a large throne that looked over everything. The roof had an opening over each table to let the starlight in. The sky was clear, and the moon was full. Stars twinkled and sparkled. Ignis walked among the tables, his face contorted as he held back tears. He slowly made his way to the throne. He climbed the first set of stairs and looked at the table before him. After a moment, he walked to the throne and slumped into it.
"I will avenge you... I will avenge you all," he said softly. As he looked out on his hall, the figures of his friends and family were forever solidified in this scene made by the same obsidian-type material. This was the last time they were all together before the lesser gods and demons killed them.
"You lack experience! Your form and grasp of the concepts are there, but when under pressure, it all buckles!" Ignis yelled as he summoned another wave of obsidian-like constructs.
"Do you ever run out of mana!? We've been at it all day!"
"AHAHA! This is my realm, Levi. I am the sunrise and the sunset," Ignis bellowed.
"Could've just said no," Levi mumbled.
This went on for a week. Levi would battle multiple waves of enemies, then he would battle a strong opponent. The waves' tactics and fighting styles would change; some had a mix of enemies. Levi gained no levels from this, but he did gain fighting experience and knowledge of his new abilities.
"You infuse yourself with lightning and Abyssal magic... why?"
"The lightning boosts my reaction time and speed; the Abyssal boosts defense and strength."
"Indeed, but there's so much more here. Have you wondered why you haven't been offered a boosting skill yet?"
Levi hadn't put a lot of thought into his skills and the options he was given at the time. The situation was too stressful and fast-paced to worry about that.
"No, not at the time, but now that you say it, given the amount I've used it, I feel as if I should have. Maybe I'm missing something?"
"You certainly are. Try to feel the flow of mana as it converts to lightning. Feel the cold chill of Abyssal magic harden your defenses. Obtaining specific skills like this is about fully understanding the concept of it. You weren't offered it because you don't truly understand it. Feel the flow of mana, understand what each magic is trying to do, then amplify it. That is your homework. Let's end today's lesson."
Levi nodded and gathered himself up to head back to everyone. He arrived back at the suite Ignis provided to find Armorica, who had also been training her healing and working on forming new buffs. She was leagues ahead of Levi in terms of mana control and spell theory. She had gained three new buffs of her own creation.
"Jeez, he hammered you today. Let's wash up and see what's for dinner Savine, Emma and Reginald are preparing it." "Hopefully it's edible I'm starving." Levi joked.
There was a large hall with long tables. The air was filled with an assortment of smells from roasts, wine, and desserts. Reginald, with the help of Emma, Savine, and Ignis, put together a beautiful spread. Even though Ignis could just bring dinner into being, this being his realm and him the god of it, they wanted to take their time using magic through the process, learning basics of mana control. The hall was abuzz with voices and laughter.
"You made this!?" Levi exclaimed.
"Why are you saying it like that? I can cook!" Savine snapped back.
Char was holding onto the bench, walking her way down the rows of tables and people. When she got to Ignis, she grabbed ahold of his robe and tugged on it, then raised her hands to be picked up.
"Uhm... uh okay." Ignis reached down and picked Char up, holding her away from him like she was poisonous. "Uhm, okay, let's find Mommy." Char kicked and wiggled, wanting to snuggle. She kept resting her head on his forearm. Char eventually wore the titan down, and he brought her in and sat down. She promptly fell asleep in his arms.
Armorica came over and placed a hand on Ignis's shoulder, "Been a long time since your boys were this small?"
"Armorica... I've been here so long. I... those memories sealed themselves away, they had to for me to survive this long. But you guys have unlocked them, and I thank you for that. Back then, you must understand, there were no gods, no status quo. Whoever was the strongest was right. War was never-ending. I buried myself in it. I fought for a thousand years. Then one day, I returned home, and I didn't leave. I sat and meditated with my wife. We enjoyed each other's company and relaxed for the first time in ages. When I was able to let the tension of war go, that's when I got the system notification I was ready to rank up to godhood. My wife soon after obtained it. We had the boys after we ranked up, and as more titans became gods, the world began to stabilize itself from all the war."
Armorica sat down next to Ignis.
"They were giants, even for titans, and so adventurous. Watching them grow and walk their paths was and still is one of the greatest things I could be a part of."
"What were their names?" Armorica said softly.
"My wife's name was Toril, a goddess of thunder—a true calamity on the battlefield and yet so loving off it. My firstborn son was named Erik, then Sven, and last was Torsten."
"Beautiful names," Armorica said. Ignis handed Char over to Armorica and thanked her for bringing up the memories, but he had something important to tend to. Armorica was uncertain of what he had to do and hoped she didn't pry too hard.
They finished dinner and cleaned up, then headed back to their suite. Levi went into the training hall and Savine helped get Char to bed with Armorica. Levi was working on his infusing technique, focusing on the flow of mana and directing the magic within his body. It was not going well. Levi was good at smashing things but struggled with the finer elements of magic.
"Start small. Try to practice as if you're casting chain lightning. Follow the flow of mana," Armorica said, poking her head in. She knew this would be difficult for him.
"I don't think about it, I just... do it. It's instinctual at this point."
"Exactly. It became instinctual. You no longer even think about it. Now you have to follow that instinct, find where it comes from. It might make you stronger," she said, shrugging her shoulders as she walked away.
"Easier said than done." Levi sat for three hours. He could feel the flow of mana towards his hands, then it converts to lightning magic. It becomes chaotic yet tame at the sametime. He started to infuse himself and focused on the mana. It flowed all over and swirled. The lightning magic and abyssal magic collided and consumed one another but still in harmony. He tried to increase the mana forcefully to get more out of the process and increase the boost given by the technique, but it all fell apart. The abyssal magic consumed the lightning magic and began to go haywire and even consumed some of Levi. His health dropped quickly, and he stopped the flow of magic, which ended the technique.
"Well damn, that hurt," he sighed.
He stayed up and practiced all night on the technique and mana flow. A bronze ranker could stay up for a week before they would need to rest, and they wouldn't need more than a few hours to feel rested. The higher ranks, the less you need to eat and sleep as your body starts running off of magic. This went on for a week, Levi training and practicing on his own. One night, he was increasing the amount of mana infused, and he felt like he was on the cusp of really understanding the technique when he got a system notification.
[You have obtained a new skill]
[Storm's Fury]
Boosts reaction time, strength, defense, speed, and spell damage. Able to increase and decrease the percentage increased. After 30% health, damage will begin to be a result. After use, there will be a time of weakness based on percentage and time.
"Whoa, that's a wild skill," Levi laughed.
He got up and headed out to go find Ignis. It was late, but he figured Ignis would be awake given he's a god and everything. He roamed around the halls, looking in the usual spots, when he came across a large single door he'd never seen.
"When did that get there? And a single door? I didn't know Ignis knew doors could not be massive double doors," he chuckled to himself.
He knocked then pushed the door open. Inside was Ignis at a grand forge, hammer in hand, working a large chunk of metal into a square hammer head. Ignis looked at Levi and waved him over. BANG BANG BANG. Levi stood next to Ignis, who set the blacksmith's hammer down and had picked up the metal with a pair of tongs and was inspecting it.
"You're going to need a new hammer, Levi, especially if you're going to be running around with a new boosting skill," Ignis said, giving Levi a glance.
"Your realm, I get it."
"Go to the wall and find a handle for this." Levi walked over to the wall and found a massive shelf with thousands of choices.
"Hey! Which one?!"
"I said go pick one out. It's not my hammer, figure it out!"
Levi stood before the wall and had no idea, so he grabbed one randomly.
"NO!" Ignis roared.
Levi set it down, then walked around and grabbed another.
"NO!" Levi sighed, closed his eyes, and focused. The whispers were calling to him.
"ThIsSs OnE. HeRe. PiCk," the whispers snarled. Levi was startled he actually understood the whispers from the abyss. He felt the pull towards a handle. He walked over to the shelf.
"PiCkkk. HeRe." Levi reached out and grabbed the handle. It was cold to the touch even while the room was sweltering. It seemed to be made out of metal that a tree grew around, twisting up and encasing it in places. The wood was dense and dark.
"This one," Levi said.
"That one, huh? Seems like the abyss favors you."
"What does that mean? What do you know about abyssal magic and these... whispers? You know something. It's time to spill it."
"I do know only a few things. My son Erik had the abyssal affinity and spoke of guiding whispers. They never asked for anything, but they definitely tried to influence decisions and guide him into situations. There is a lot in this world, even gods as old as me, don't understand. The abyss is one of them. What I can say is there are entities in the abyss, as old as this world, but since they don't have any foothold in the material world, I'd assume they are restricted to the abyss. My son had made contact with one of these entities. I don't know the details, but it was a positive encounter. He received a blessing from one, and a powerful blessing at that, more than I hope to give. I would advise caution when dealing with the abyss. Now hand me that handle and let's finish this hammer."
Levi handed the handle over, and Ignis inspected it, then infused some magic into it and combined the hammer head with its handle. Sparks flew from the connection point; black ethereal tentacles poured from the handle.
"Holy shit," Levi muttered.
"Now you need to grab the hammer and infuse as much lightning and abyssal magic as you can into this without one overtaking the other. Like your boosting skill, we're looking for harmony," Ignis said.
Levi grabbed the handle and the tentacles wrapped up his arm. He began the infusion and the tentacles went berserk, wiggling and thrashing around. The metal of the hammer started crackling with electricity. The tentacles were gorging on the abyssal magic being infused.
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"Keep it steady, lad! We got a long way to go!"
"What?! How much longer?"
"Till you run out of mana and fall down!" Ignis laughed.
Levi kept the same pace, infusing slowly to control the flow evenly between the affinities. Hours passed. The head of the hammer, at this point, had so much lightning magic in it, it was glowing red. The tentacles were... large. They passed through the table and Levi, sending a shiver up his spine.
"Uh, Ignis... were you literally meaning ALL my mana or figuratively?"
"AHAHAHAH. Oh, I do mean ALLLLL," Ignis said with a glare.
"Okay, here we go," Levi sighed. His mana was almost empty. The process took about three hours. Ignis was busy reading a book with his feet up on the table, leaned back on the chair, smoking a pipe, when "CLANG, TING, CLANG." the hammer fell to the ground and Levi fell face first onto the floor.
"Oh shit, probably should've grabbed him," Ignis said, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, let's take a look," grabbing the hammer. "Well, that went better than I thought."
Ignis woke Levi with a mana potion. "Why does my face hurt? Did you let me hit the ground?"
"Uhh, no, remember... my realm. Must be from exhausting your mana," Ignis replied. "Take a look," Ignis said, handing the hammer over to Levi.
[Maul Of The Devourer] - Epic
+50 to all stats
Increased health recovery
Able to change shape to desired shape and size, can only be changed into blunt weapons.
Amplifies lightning and abyssal magic
"The head of the hammer is made from a metal that came from a meteor that passed through a high magic storm many ages ago. The handle was once a handle of a soldier's weapon that got wedged in a tree in a long-ago battle. That tree grew around the weapon. Occasionally, in high magic areas, the ethereal and material worlds overlap and things are passed through. The handle was one of those things, sitting in the abyss, absorbing abyssal magic till it once again made its way back to the material world."
"Ignis... it's..."
"I know," he replied.
Levi was showing off his new hammer to Reginald and Armorica in the dining hall.
"Holy shit, Levi, that thing looks like it's straight out of a nightmare!" Reginald said, "You cried, didn't you?" Armorica said with a glare.
"A little bit," Levi admitted.
"I have something I want to test out if you're up for it, darling."
"Oh, now I know you're up to no good. What is it, darling husband?"
"I want to try activating my boosting skill to the point it hurts me enough to trigger Cataclysm. I want to try and maintain a state of increased boost along with Cataclysm over a longer period of time. With the added health recovery of the hammer and my advanced health regen, I think I can sustain forty or fifty percent while in Cataclysm mode," Levi explained.
"You are fucking insane. You want to almost kill yourself so you can stay in a state of almost dead to gain more power over longer periods... Levi, you can't get greedy. You have to remember why you need more power... to protect us, to change this world for the better. If you lose yourself in the process, it's all pointless," Armorica said.
"Levi, you have a lot at stake and a lot of new abilities and knowledge. You should train more before you implement something like this," Reginald added.
Levi put his hands on both of their shoulders. "I promise to keep my goals and dreams for a new world at the forefront of everything I do. At this point, I want to see the synergy between skills, nothing more. I'll move cautiously with these skills," Levi replied.
"Okay, we can do it," Armorica sighed.
"I knew you'd come around!" She gave him a look, and he shrunk a little.
They went into the training hall to do the experiment. Armorica was at the ready with a healing spell, and Reginald was just there to watch a show.
"Okay, I'm going to start at forty percent, to get my health low enough," Levi explained.
"I'm ready," Armorica said.
He started by activating his boosting skill. His aura blasted out, and everyone could feel his magical presence pressing down on them. Purple and black lines were visible on his neck and arms.
"Holy shit, this is wild! I feel like I could actually destroy that mountain! The health drain is moderate, the mana drain is very low."
"What a fucking skill, Levi. I can already see this going to your head," Reginald said, shaking his head.
Levi fired off some abyssal lightning spells at some targets that crumbled in seconds.
"The damage is outstanding. I can't imagine what a hundred percent would be like."
"Reginald, we're going to have to make the doorways bigger to fit his head through!" Reginald started laughing uncontrollably. Armorica was a very serious woman and didn't joke around too much, but when she did, it was hilarious.
"I'm glad you're both enjoying this," Levi said. "This really is starting to hurt. I'm at thirty percent health right now. The problem is I don't know the threshold for Cataclysm or if it can be activated this way."
"This has disaster written all over it," Armorica sighed.
As Levi reached twenty percent, the skill activated. Lightning started jumping off him, ripping chunks of the floor apart. His eyes were swirling black and blue orbs. He was flooded with power like he'd never felt.
"It's working! Ahaha, it's actually working! The health drain has stopped, and the mana drain is a lot less than before," Levi said. "Let's get some targets up and sling a few spells."
"I'll do one better," Ignis interrupted as he summoned essentially an army. The room expanded, and they couldn't see the walls anymore. They were standing in a field with an army of constructs before them, ranging in levels and fighting styles. "This will be the true test: defeat the general at the rear without help. We'll hang out up here and watch the show!" Ignis said as a chunk of land around Reginald, Armorica, and Ignis floated into the sky.
Levi had a sinister grin. He had a lot of pent-up frustration to let out, and an army would make a suitable punching bag. Levi cast abyssal armor, and he was wrapped in black armor with a purple sheen and red inlays. It was different than before; it had no spikes and was much more elegant than before, yet still ominous looking. Levi looked down at the hammer in his hand, about the same size as Armor's Bane, a one-handed hammer. He infused a bit of mana and a mental thought. The hammer grew and changed into a large two-handed spiked maul, a black mist poured from the head of the maul. Levi's grin turned into a large smile. Like a true lightning strike, he was gone, and the frontline was decimated. Parts of constructs flew in all directions. Large bolts of lightning cracked and struck all over the battlefield. When Levi made it to the middle of the army, he leapt to the sky as if he had the ability to fly. A bolt of pure darkness struck him, went down to the ground below him, then spread out, killing everything in a massive area.
"Seems like no matter how much I exert myself, my health won't drop. I wonder... can I?... I probably shouldn't... fuck it." He thought to himself and pushed Storm's Fury to fifty percent. "OW FUCK shit damn! Okay, okay, I get it," he said, speaking out loud to... the universe as he dialed Storm's Fury back to forty percent. "So fifty is out of the question for now. Maybe when I get used to the skill, I can do forty-five," he thought aloud.
He shrunk the hammer down, and it hung from his belt now, still black and pouring a black mist. Levi looked around as the enemies started closing in around him. He charged two abyssal lightning spells, one in each hand, and dashed in the general's direction. When he met the front line, he unleashed both spells in front of him. It was devastatingly effective; one hundred constructs were gone in a blink of an eye. Levi charged two more and kept moving towards the general. Levi was cutting through the army of constructs with impressive speed. He neared the rear, where the general sat lazily in a large chair. He knew this one was different. The army was for him to get used to the abilities and the massive increase in power. This guy was the true test. He stood to his full height, towering over Levi. His body was black obsidian with one ivory arm and one gold arm. He had an obsidian short sword and shield with a spear on his back. Levi could feel the aura it gave off; it was a late-grade bronze aura. Levi changed Maul Of The Devourer into a large two-handed hammer that's face had... a maw. It was a big opening in the hammer face filled with teeth and oozing black slime.
"What the hell is this? I wanted the spiked maul again."
"Trust me, little human, this form will work a lot better than
"Of course, I made a sentient hammer," Levi sighed.
The general, having had enough, drew his sword and readied his shield. The wind blew large dust devils around them. The general advanced cautiously, and Levi began moving back and to the side. They were sizing each other up and fighting for position. Around them, the army formed a large circle and watched. The general, having one hand concealed by the shield, had an earth spell charged and was trying to get into range. It happened faster than Levi could react. The general made his move. He released the spell, and large walls erected around Levi, trapping him in a tunnel with the only way out blocked by the massive construct.
"This is bad!" Levi thought.
"Calm down, infuse me with abyssal magic," the terrifying maul said.
Levi was unsure if he should really listen to the... hammer, but "what could go wrong plus Ignis is here if anything got out of control he would stop it... right?" he thought.
Levi started to infuse the Devourer with abyssal magic, and it fed off the magic and grew in power. The next hit was going to be devastating.
"Swing like nothing stands in the way of your enemy," the voice snarled.
Levi braced himself for a massive attack. When he lunged, the ground blew apart at his feet. Black lightning exploded out, striking the walls and ripping chunks off. The hammer tore through the wall at his side like a hot knife through butter. The general, seeing the attack coming, braced himself. Levi crashed through and swung. The general unexpectedly jumped back. The attack landed on the shield, sending the giant flying back. Levi followed up with an upswing that also hit the shield, breaking his guard. The hammer, already above Levi's head, was in a perfect position for a downward strike. The general dropped the shield. With his hand already high, he grabbed the spear on his back without hesitation. The hammer passed the spear tip, both aiming to kill, both finding their target. The spear ripped through Levi's armor, piercing through his collar bone and down into his chest. Levi's hammer slammed into the general's left shoulder. The Maul Of The Devourer tore the arm off and actually ate it in the process.
The general hit the ground and rolled. Eventually, he got to his feet. Levi stood, grabbed the spear, and ripped it out, checking his health.
"Mother fucker, that hurt!"
"Don't stop the attack," the Devourer bit out.
"I'm down to ten percent. I take another hit like that and I'm done, and you'll be put on a shelf in a god's store room for a millennium."
"Scared little boy!" the Devourer snarled.
"Mean fucking hammer!" Levi shouted out loud.
The general dashed towards Levi. He focused on the hammer and shrunk it down to a heavy one-handed hammer. The general stabbed forward at Levi's chest, forcing him back.
"I can't be careless here," he thought to himself. A ball of pure black lightning formed in his palm. The general swung up at his chin. Levi blocked with the head of the Devourer. The slime wrapped the blade and dragged it into the small maul on the head of the hammer. Levi, after realizing what was happening, slammed his elbow into the general's chest, creating an opening. He brought the hammer down and swung up at the giant construct's chin, blowing off chunks of obsidian.
"This is it! I'm not stopping!" he thought.
"Keep swinging!" the Maul said.
Levi's swings were relentless. Chunks of obsidian were torn off, either eaten or blown off by the force. The general wasn't taking the attacks lying down; he was landing punch after punch with his golden arm. Levi smashed the hammer down on the general's head with everything he had. Blue and black lightning crackling off him, his swirling black and blue eyes piercing through the dust kicked up by the melee. Levi slammed his hand into the side of the general and unleashed an abyssal lightning spell, dumping almost all his mana into it. Black lightning shot through the construct and exploded outward. The general's body cracked, and the golden arm was snaked with black burn marks when it suddenly broke apart and crumbled.
"Ignis! Did you have to make him so strong!?" The army around him crumbled into black dust and was swept away in the wind along with the general.
"But did you die!?" Ignis yelled.