The Path of Ascension

Chapter 249

Matts first glimpse of Ventillyria was not what he expected. The way Luna had described the planet, he had expected a only semi-settled world, but the Tier 22 world was teaming with humanity to a degree that rivaled any other well-established world.

He was doubly surprised with how many people in sect robes he saw. At least one out of a thousand were imitating the other Great Power's culture to an alarming degree.

Matt looked at Luna, but she just blinked back at him, as he now suspected her three reasons for coming here were either utter bullshit, or secondary to this. With that in mind, he started digging through the recent news. What he found didnt surprise him; the Sects had apparently spent a great deal of effort to spread their influence to this region of space in the recent decades. If they were trying to create a fifth column inside the Empire, it seemed a futile effort. The defending garrison was composed of Tier 27 fighters, and few if any locals could be of use in that case.

Besides, most of the sympathizers seemed to be young and low Tier. The strongest person he felt in sect-style robes was only a Tier 9, and while his sample was small, he doubted many of the older cultivators were as impressionable as the youth were.

Or at least, he hoped so.

He didnt know what would happen to a planet that voluntarily chose to defect to another Great Power, but he found it unlikely to work in practice. He really doubted that the Empire would just give away a planet if some of the population said they wanted to defect. It was more likely those wanna-be defectors would be sent on a one-way transport to the border before being told to have fun.

That bitter reality made the current social movement of the populous seem odd and well, essentially useless. The Sects had to be throwing resources at this small opposition faction, but for what end?

To better plant spies? He thought that unlikely, as this world was the first place anyone would look for them.

To fund a terrorist cell? That was possible, but Matt knew from his Folded Reflection life that it was much harder to make a terrorist than a sympathizer. The Empire generally provided for their citizens well and ensured that no one could reach rock bottom, which prevented people from getting too desperate. That left any terrorist cell trying to find the people who had slipped through the cracks, which, to be fair, wasnt impossible. Matt had recruited a few of them in his Folded Reflection life, but it was hard, even on a populated planet like this.

More likely, Matt figured the motive behind their meddling was to create sympathizers who would one day grow up and possibly take positions of power throughout the Empire, and would be a little more lenient on the Sects or their maneuvers.

Even that seemed unlikely, but Matt had no better explanation for their actions.

His browsing did show him why the Sects had chosen this world. The local noble had been badly injured in a rift and died shortly after an unsuccessful healing, just a few decades ago. His two oldest children were squabbling over who would get the throne while their aunt occupied the seat of power and was trying to cement her claim as the rightful heir. She was currently uncontested, as she was the only Tier 30 in the house, rendering the childrens claims fruitless and without true merit. For now.

As a result of the infighting, local security was at an all-time low despite none of them deliberately interfering.

That left this location uniquely targetable, and with its high Tier manufacturing capabilities, this planet was home to a number of high Tier crafters who helped fuel the local war effort. Most of that was centered on repairs, but this location was capable of producing new equipment on occasion, in addition to functioning as a local supply depot.

He could see why the Sects would want to target Ventillyria, and wondered if the Marquess death had something to do with them.

The military reports he had access to clearly showed that the local crafters production rates had been slowing by at least five percent since all of the Sect propaganda had become entrenched.

Officially, it was blamed on the sympathizers who held up shipments of raw resources and goods, but Matt couldnt prove that true or false from what little information he had. The crafters could very well be chafing under the Empire's rule, and could deliberately be slowing down production.

It was just impossible to know from simply reading the reports.

They were nearing the outskirts of the city when Matt watched a group of Tier 4 men in Sect robes harass a younger Tier 3 man for some perceived slight.

He wanted to interfere, but knew it wasnt a good idea. They werent doing anything physical, and he knew that if he did do something, they would most definitely report it to their superiors. Even if they thought that he was just complaining, Matt didnt want the sympathizers to know they were there yet.

While he had good control, Aster didnt, and was about to march over there and yell at them, but Matt held her back.

The missions he had done in the last decade had shown him that it was sometimes better to be more circumspect than he wished, but it was usually safer.

Not now, Aster. They arent pushing the rules.

Aster shrugged off his hand but didnt approach. That doesn't mean it's not bullshit.

Liz nodded. I agree, but strong words dont give us a reason to interfere. She then turned to Luna, who had been walking silently behind them. Is this what you expected? You said there were spies, but this seems a step beyond.

Luna didnt speak until they reached the edge of the city and set down their house in one of the set-aside spots. I had seen the reports, but it was a slight surprise to me as well. This place is a powder keg that could go off at any moment.

Matt looked to Liz and then Aster. How do we want to handle this? Aster, you havent been with us on the missions the last few years, so feel free to chime in if you have questions or suggestions.

Aster nodded and pulled out her pocket notebook, which Luna smirked at.

Liz started out with their usual questions. Do we keep it low-key, or start breaking noses?

Low key. This place seems too volatile, and the Sect factions are too established to just start punching answers out of them.

I agree. Best to move carefully. Let's get an identity or three going, and well try renting out a few Tier 17 or Tier 18 rifts around here. That should get us in touch with the delver population, which should help us interact with some wanna-be Sect people.

Aster raised her pen, and Liz nodded to her. How are we going to handle my identity when were using the Quill and Torch masks? I assume that will be our final covers?

They all turned to Luna, who shrugged. We will do what all teams do, and try to hide you as best as possible, which generally means having you not appear in public. Youre perfectly able to do tasks unrelated to Quill and Torch, if you wish, though its not precisely my role to find such jobs for you. If someone does notice your involvement in the official Path missions, then it will become known that Quill and Torch have an ally with an ice bloodline, as Queen is suspected to have, but it is hardly the end of the world.

Aster sneered, but Matt could feel that she was already adjusting her tail to be more wolf-like through their bond, along with making her coloring more gray instead of white.

Ok, good to know. I can use my full abilities?

Yes. Theres no reason to hide what you can do. Remember, the masks are to protect you and allow you to go out and live a normal life during breaks. They arent vital, so if someone sees through it, so be it.

Matt turned to Luna and asked, While we are buying rift slots, are there any you think we should get? You said you knew the rifts here.

Luna waved her hand, and the screen on their living room wall showed a number of Tier 17 and 18 rifts. There are a few excellent rifts for training on the list, and if you buy these, we can have you delve every three days in a one-month repeating cycle.

Aster noticed it before he and Liz. Some of these rifts are in the ocean. Does that mean the rifts themselves will be underwater delves?

Luna grinned. For the most part. This is, after all, a Tier 22 planet, and anyone here to delve is immortal. Underwater rifts are unique in their challenges and rewards. They arent popular, but there are people who swear by them.

Aster snorted. It counters all of us, you mean. I delved into an underwater rift a few times as a guide, and I hate them.

Matt grinned. Rifts that spawned underwater were usually rifts devoid of air and land to stand on, which meant a drastic change to one's fighting style if you wanted to successfully delve them. Melee fighters had their attacks slowed, and mages who relied on energy spells had their attacks weakened in range and power. Mages who used more physical elements, like Aster, suffered less, but their attacks were still slowed to a noticeable degree.

Water was practically incompressible, so it was much more taxing to zipper through water than through air, and he expected he would be getting a lot of practice shortly.Liz, on the other hand, would need to keep her blood wholly separated from the water. If too much mixed with her blood, it would stop being blood, and shed lose control over it.

Aster would need to part the water in front of her faster attacks, like Matt, or she would need to get used to drastically slowed and shorter range spells.

Matt was looking forward to it.

Scanning the other rifts Luna had indicated, Matt thought there were interesting choices, and even a few he thought might be easy rifts. Luna wanted them to get used to fighting as a group together once more.

After all, Aster had a human form now, and that drastically changed how she would fight with them.

They discussed what they were going to do for a little longer before Aster took a few minutes to get settled down in her old room. Once she had put away her things, they all used their masks to change into disposable identities.

Armed with them, they went around to local guilds, corporations, and government sites, where they inquired about the rifts on Lunas list.

They were able to get most of them, but a few were backordered for decades, and even throwing around loads of money wasnt enough to buy out a single teams slot. They could have used their Pather privileges to skip the line, but that would only get them a spot if one opened up directly. If a team sold their slot, that privilege meant nothing, so they didnt bother, as it might draw unwanted attention to them.

When they went to register for the underwater rifts, Matt got to experience a new side of the Empire. The underwater rifts were, well underwater. Most people liked to be close at hand to the rifts they delved, which caused underwater cities to spring up on the ocean floor.

It took them a while to take a train down through the ocean, but after a little while, they arrived in the city. It was similar to the underwater auction site that he had been to on the vassal war planet, but this one was a dozen times larger and had outside areas cleared of water through formations that created bubbles of air.

A young woman in formal clothes at the information desk nodded to them before asking, How can I help you three? We currently have a dozen free rooms available in a number of configurations. We also have an auction happening in four days if that is better suited to your interests. If you are here for leisure, we have a number of well-respected spas and other such amenities.

Aster walked forward and asked, What about rifts? Who manages them around here?

Im sorry, but while there are two rifts owned by the Relsor, the rest are owned and managed by the local guilds. I can get you their contact information if that is what you wish.

Oh, I would love that. Speaking of the guilds, is the Vibrant Banners one of them? We are new here, but Ive heard of their guild leader, Ulrade the Beast. Hes quite impressive.

After Aster had gotten all she could out of the woman, they entered deeper into the city, and once inside the walls, they took their time to explore the numerous shops and stalls set up. There was even an open market where delvers had laid out their goods for perusal while they lounged back, eating and drinking to their hearts' content.

Matt paused when he saw a very interestingly enchanted item. It wasnt a rift item, but rather something Talent made. At least, that was what he suspected judging from the mana flows radiating around it.

After picking it up and analyzing it, he looked to the group selling it. Where did you get this? Its very interesting.

A woman who looked to be in her early thirties waved a single finger. I made it, and you have a good eye. It's a breaker talisman. Single-use, but it can blow through damn near any armor. We use them and sell them to anyone who delves rift A7B14. Iron crab at the end of the rift, and he's a bitch to kill if you can't break through his shell. I sell them in bulk if you are interested.

Matt shook his head. Not really. Im interested in your methods. Using Ahwhen piercing rune and a Gerald sticking rune is an interesting combination. Sure, you get a touch more power out of the combination, but the Ahwhen piercing runes damage falls off almost immediately if they arent directly touching the target. Id have gone with a more standard Wendy's piercing rune and a Balder sticking rune. It's a touch less damage, but itll work no matter how it lands on the target. That is, unless the odd mana flows have something to do with a Talent?

The woman leaned forward and waved the three of them into their little circle. A fellow practitioner! Im impressed. Most people don't notice the issues, and I dont tell them. You are partially right about the Talent, but it's mostly a difference in design. That one is a display model. She waved her hand and an identical stick appeared. This is the real one.

As she handed it to him, her two teammates watched on with interest, clearly waiting for something.

Matt looked at it before whistling in appreciation. He wasnt even faking it. Now that's interesting. Youre using part of its shell as a homing function. Thats not a runic Talent, its an archery Talent. Something with tracking and or homing in on a target, but you learned to imbue it into your runes.

The woman laughed and seemed genuinely surprised that Matt had figured it out. Good deduction, and correct! I obviously won't go into detail, but yes, that is the crux of it. The names Beverly; that's Shane, and that's Yosef.

The other two nodded at their introductions, and Matt returned the introductions. My name is Ken; that is my wife Tulip and little sister Kelly.

Shane winked at Aster, who returned the gesture, but before they could start flirting, Yosef asked a question. So, are you guys here for a rift?

Liz nodded. That's our intention, at least. We talked to the woman by the entrance, but she basically said the rifts are all bought up, and no one is looking to sell.

Beverly finished off her drink and agreed with Lizs statement. That's generally true, but not exactly correct. What kind of time frame are you looking at? What kind of rift? What kind of limitations do you have? Weve been here for close to a century, and know damn near everyone actively delving this area.

Matt smiled and thanked her. We are looking for a short-term delve, and we are flexible on the rift slots and rift types. We arent looking to push ourselves much. Just get our feet wet, pun intended, with underwater rifts. We realized that we had been immortal for a while, but have never really traveled from Apples Harvest, so we wanted to travel around and see more of the Empire. Try new rifts and all.

Shane perked up at the mention of one of Tur'stals more famous planets. I grew up right next door to good old Harvest. Great place, but I get why you wanted to leave. It might be a Tier 16 world, but everyone is taking life in the slow lane there.

It was a good thing they had actually visited Apples Harvest in their early travels, so the three of them were able to banter their way through pretending to be locals.

In the end, Beverly's group was able to help them secure a rift slot from a team who had just taken a bad injury, and were looking to rent the slot out for a year and a half to both offset their medical bills, and ensure they didn't lose the rift slot through inaction. Rifts needed to be delved to prevent monster breaks, so any team who missed too many of their scheduled delves would lose said slot. It led to incapacitated teams doing precisely what this one was doing, or just outright selling the slot and waiting for something else to open up.

The three of them also made plans to meet up with Beverlys team, who offered to act as local guides in the coming weeks. They had, after all, been on Ventillyria for a hundred years, and knew the local haunts better than they did.

It would also be useful to see what the other team knew about the Sects' growing influence in the area, which was a topic on all their minds.

Before any of that happened, they first had to change identities into Tier 18s and start delving.

Matt was as excited as Aster was, and their excitement fed off one anothers until the two of them were giddy and couldnt sit still. Thankfully, there was no line for the standard Fire Bull Tier 17 rift they had purchased.

When they entered, Luna simply stood to the side and said, Clear the first bit as you would, and well go from there. I need to see how you interact in an actual fight.

Matt took the forward position, with Liz holding a middle position between himself and Aster.

After they were all buffed and ready to take on Tier 17 monsters, Matt rushed forward and stabbed the first lone monster in the shoulder with a clean lunge, using just his physical strength to close the distance in a blink.

The bull screamed in rage as it tried to gore him with its horns, but Matt was already spinning. Anchoring himself with his Concept and using his blade as a lever, he threw the monster to the ground where Liz pounced on it, driving her spear into its neck.

Even as it bled out, its blood started to form spikes that were driven back into its body.

Aster stood there with a spike of ice, ready to launch.

Matt winced, as he already knew they had failed the first test. They hadnt acted with Aster in mind, and immediately fell back into the habit of it just being the two of them.

He sent her apologetic feelings through their bond, but Liz outright stated it. Sorry, Aster. We didnt even plan for your assistance.

Aster shook her head as her icicle fell into powdered snow. No, that's on me as well. I should have started debuffing the monster, but I got ready to save you guys like you were one of my students to protect. Falling into a routine we've been out of sorts with won't be easy.

The next encounter on the ashy plain was a herd of a dozen bulls, and this time, Aster started the fight with a [Dispelling Wind] that caused the bulls flames to dim and flicker.

[Meadows of Rime] almost immediately followed that up, but with the general flames and monster element, the skill was less effective at creating blades on the ground, and had its range limited.

It was still useful, as Liz used the blood she had gathered to aid her in her attacks, but refrained from using it to cast with. Meanwhile, Matt tried to limit his spell usage to what a normal melee fighter would have access to. A Tier 17 rift wasnt really enough to push them to their limits anymore, and they could manage it pretty easily with some general restrictions that Luna had set down for them over the last few years. Those limitations, more than anything else, helped them realize and shave away any flaws they had in their combat styles.

Matts imposed mana limit on external spells forced him to hone his blade work. Liz was limited to [Blood Manipulation] as much as possible so she was forced to pick and choose the uses of her blood, as Luna wanted her to fight with as little blood accumulation as possible as practice for future fights where she might not have access to a storage item.

Aster was at an elemental disadvantage with the rift type, but she proved her worth when Matt was going to take a hit from the side, courtesy of a bull that cast [Bull Rush] and accelerated wildly. It wouldnt have killed him, but it might have broken a bone or two with the flaming horns enhancing its armor penetration. Aster had been able to pull him out of danger with a well-timed [Lifeline], preventing any issues altogether.

Now out of the way, he lunged forward to skewer the bull in the heart as it rushed past, and Aster cast [Cutting Hurricane] at the same time. A move which gathered the attention of the rest of the herd, which immediately charged Aster in unison, sensing that she was the biggest threat.

Things had officially gone sideways with the support being charged by all the monsters.

Matt cursed as he cast [Mana Slash] twice in quick succession before changing his blade to its mage form, where he used its bolstering effect on his wind spells to send out two [Wind Cutter]s backed by [Hypersonic Edge]. Three of the bulls fell to the ground with grievous injuries to their rear legs, but there were still more charging at Aster.

Three versions of Aster appeared and darted off in different directions but while that caused a few of the monsters to chase the illusions it wasnt enough to get Aster out of danger.

Seeing that Liz used some of the blood that she had accumulated on the ground to cast [Bloodthorn Vine], creating a patch of vines that entangled the monsters just enough to slow them down. Her [Blood Clone] then appeared under the monsters and stabbed two of them in their softer undersides before being trampled.

Between the two of them, there were only two bulls remaining, but Aster still needed to leap into the air to dodge their glowing horns that shot out gouts of flame. Just as she was going to land, one of the bulls spun and kicked the ground, sending out a [Magma Spear] right where Aster was going to land and forcing her to throw herself higher into the air with her Concept. Before it could even get back to all fours and make a run at Asters new landing spot, Liz had thrust her spear through its eye, killing it instantly.

At the same time, Matt redirected the attack into the ground with [Lava Manipulation], even as Aster cast [Glacial Spear] and obliterated the final bull that had charged her.

Seeing the monsters were all dead, they all turned to Luna, who simply blinked at them.

Her silence seemed worse than anything she could have said, as she just watched them, and all of them felt the tension build.

Matt shrugged with a sigh. Let's take out the swarm of bats, then go hit another group of bulls.

He hadnt missed the harmattan-like bats that had formed out of the floating ash that their fighting had created just as Aster jumped into the air. But they were still coalescing, and the few that had already formed hadnt charged yet.

Aster cast [Cutting Hurricane] the instant the last of the bats formed, scattering their bodies, but the monsters werent so easy to kill. They instantly started reforming before shooting fire and wind spells at them, kicking up more ash and adding to the group's numbers. No matter what they hit the monsters with, they seemed to just scatter and reform moments later. They were starting to become more of a problem than a nuisance as they unleashed attack after attack.

Liz ended up finding the way to kill them when she hit one with a larger than normal glob of blood that wasnt hardened into a cutting edge. The monster finally died when it was completely drenched and no longer able to reform. With the method to kill the bats discovered, Matt used [Create Water] for a few seconds, and the three of them used [Water Manipulation] to capture the monsters out of the air with giant sheets of water before burying them in a hole that Matt dug with [Earth Manipulation].

They all looked to Luna, expecting her to say something, but she was stoic as ever, so they continued to the next pack of fire bulls.

They were more careful when fighting the monsters, so as to not send ash into the sky or fly themselves. But while relying on their [AI] to shot-call, they worked together and started slipping back into old habits. It wasnt exactly the same with Aster's human body; she was a larger target, but she was also now better defended. With her armor, she could take hits that would have been devastating to her in fox form and with hands she could use more traditional weapons that had been impossible for her to wield as a fox.

On their third pack, things started to actually feel good. When Matt dove into the herd of bulls, he used [Diffusion Shield] combined with a low-powered [Dispelling Wind] from Aster to weaken the fire projectiles that the monsters attacked him with, letting [Cracked Phantom Armor] take the flames without worry and greatly reducing his burdens as the tank of the group.

With the monsters' attention firmly on him, Matt cast three quick [Bolt]s, letting the lightning arc between the monsters and stunning them for a few brief moments. That small delay in their response was all the time Liz needed to ram into the flank of the group, bolstered by a [Swift Strides] cast by Aster. With the boosted speed, Liz was able to weave in and out of the fight long enough to deal damage and kill one of the bulls before retreating. The buff helped her ensure that she never caused enough damage to get the pack to turn on her, letting the monsters focus on Matt.

She had to block a few times, but that was exactly why she had the shield. Each time she did so, it once more proved itself worth every credit they spent on it, as it easily blocked the physical charges of the bulls combined with their magical flames. All without letting an ounce of heat or force affect Liz at all.

By the time the final monster fell and they finished absorbing the essence, Matt was feeling a lot better about their teamwork, but that was when Luna poured a bucket of cold water on his head.

That was pitiful. We can do better than that. Aster, damage is important, but you need to trust Liz and Matt to do that. You dont have enough damage to outweigh your contributions by just using debuff spells. Weakening [Dispelling Wind] to not kick up ash was a good idea, but why didnt you just create a barrier above the ground to prevent any ash from rising in the first place? That goes for all of you. You all have [Air Manipulation] and could have done the same. Additionally, you could have used your ice spells and intentionally let them melt, getting you water to use in a similar manner. Matt, youre in the center of the fight, but you arent a tank. You can act as one, but you should have been able to deal more damage, even with the limitations I put on your usage of spells. There was no reason for you not to be using [Hypersonic Edge] during the fight to cut through their thick hide. It might not be an actual armor piercing spell, but it's close enough that it would have helped you. Liz, why werent you more aggressive? Ive seen you dive into harder packs of monsters just last month. Just because Aster is back, you don't need to hold back waiting for Aster to cast on you. Trust her to get the boosts onto you before you reach the monsters. She's the support; she needs to conform to your actions just as much as you do to hers.

Luna pointed off to the side, where another pack of monsters roamed a mile or so away. Keep what I said in mind and go take on that pack. Aster, I want you to fully focus on supporting Matt and Liz until you are more comfortable in that role. Then, and only then, do I want you to work on adding damage to the fight.

With that resounding critique of their fight, they once more threw themselves into battle, just to have more flaws pointed out by Luna.

By the time they killed the boss two days later, they werent quite back to the level of synchronization as before Aster left for college, but they were doing much better. They were actually anticipating each other's movements after delving just this single rift, which helped their combat capabilities a ton.

When combined with the skills Aster had picked up during her time away, they would be a much more dangerous team if they could stop tripping over each other's feet.

Despite all the issues, Matt was happy with their progress. It was nice to have Aster back, and they were returning to their peak form quickly. By the end of the month, he hoped they could be back to where they were before she left, if not better than that.

The only good thing was that they were only 70 years old, and halfway through Tier 15. With 8 more years to reach Tier 16, they didnt have to rush to advance and could hone their basics a little more.

He had almost forgotten Ventillyria and its Sect issue, but seeing the robes on one of the guards reminded him of their other duties.

There was always something else to do, but that was what kept life interesting.