(Arc 2 Complete!) Path of the Last Champion [Sci-Fantasy LitRPG, Party Dynamics, Earned Power]

"There are some really good things in here that we should focus on first," Kur said, scanning the list of recommended 2NET resources as they waited in the queue for the lift after the lecture.

True to his word, he had imposed the ban on the party chat except for strict party needs, and Nar was more than glad for it. After a solid twenty minutes of mental back and forth he had started to nurse a growing headache, and even Tuk had been happy to return to normal, spoken conversation.

"There's stuff here on weapons, on party formations… Even on taking and DPSing," Kur said, flicking through the index Professor Thim had sent them all. "You can even see people teaching skills?"

"What?" Cen shouted, her eyes going wide.

"There are requirements though… Not everyone can learn everything, obviously, and I think we should focus on what our individual masters and instructors are teaching us, but it could be some for the future. That said…" he frowned at his screen. "Pile, that's so damned expensive!"

"You have to pay?" Tuk asked, frowning.

"There's some free stuff, but it looks like it's all basic. The best stuff is locked behind paywalls," Kur said, sighing. "It's all very expensive, and some of these things require a monthly subscription in order to retain access to the resources."

"Damn," Viy whispered, as Rel released a low whistle. "These people really love their XP…"

"And how," Kur muttered. "But there's loads of free resources too, thank the Crystal. There's loads of arena matches and wars, and streams of dungeons and raids... Says here that there's free tiers for a lot of these, though they are stock full of… Ads? Well, who cares as long as it's free, I guess."

"We might be able to learn a lot from this 2NET, then," Gad rumbled, nodding to herself. "I do wonder about the professor's warning though…"

"Nothing in the list seems dangerous… But I guess it's focused on useful stuff," Kur said, rubbing his chin.

"Hey, hey, Kur?"

"Yes?" Kur asked, raising an eyebrow at the ring tosser.

"Is there anything on food there? Like aura food?" the trugger asked, his light brown eyes beaming with excitement.

The party leader raised his other eyebrow in surprise. "Yes? There should be, I guess..."

"And what about aura?" Cen asked.

"There's an infinite amount about everything in there," Kur replied.

"Does it tell you how to make booze?" Mul asked, massaging his head. "I think we're going to need…."

"There should be, but please don't?" Kur said, frowning deeply.

"Is there Church stuff on it?" Rel asked.

"I… Think so?" their party leader replied, though very unsure this time.

"Oh! Oh! I bet there's nasty stuff in there too!" Viy said, with a wicked giggle.

"What nasty stuff?" Tuk asked.

"I don't think you want to know, Tuk," Rel said, her face going pale.

"Oh…" the ring tosser said, his face going grim. "Oh…"

"Not that kind of stuff!" Viy protested.

"You mentioned those "streams" about dungeons?" Gad asked, retaking control of the conversation before it could devolve any further.

"Yes!" Kur nearly shouted, happy for the rescue. "Apparently recording yourself in the dungeon and then live commentating it as you play that recording for audiences is quite a popular means of generating extra income…"

"Should we do that?" Nar asked. "XP is XP, and we always need more of it."

The tall man shook his head. "Our apprentice contract forbids us from doing that."

"It does?" Nar asked. "Why?"

"Operational secrecy again?" Gad offered.

"Yeah. As elite delver apprentices, we're Tsurmirel's up and coming frontline, and they still fear us getting poached out there… We haven't met anyone yet from other guilds, but it's going to start happening more and more from now on," Kur said. "With that said, I'd say that streams will remain as something that we watch for the time being, rather than do. Plenty of XP to be made from killing, gathering and harvesting, and that's what we should focus on."

"And besides these streams, is there anything on actual dungeon information?" Gad asked.

Kur shook his head, flicking across his screen. "Because we need to buy the guides and maps from the Explorers and Cartographers Corp, all of that stuff needs to be purchased, and fortunately, Tsurmirel will foot that expense."

"There's that at least," Mul muttered, the sentence too short to trigger his suppressor.

"Yeah… Oh, there's the Explorers' database and you can filter the dungeons based on several criteria, from level, to beast, to type of aspects, to harvest and gathering materials present," he said, frowning at something on his screen. "So that's how you decide on which ones to take… I did wonder. Oh, you need to pay a monthly fee to access it too?"

"Our poor party fund," Cen said.

"Crystal," Viy muttered.

"It's alright. It's alright," Kur said with a sigh. "Just leave it to me. I'll figure out all of this Pileshit. For now, all of you just focus on your training, alright?"

The pale blond party leader received a chorus of yeses as they finally got onto the lift.

"Anyways, today is still free time, so do whatever you want," Kur said, as the door sighed closed and gravity tugged at them. "Just make sure you're in bed and asleep early enough tonight. We're starting the dungeons early tomorrow morning, and if I hear anything about our schedule, I'll call everyone back to the common room."

"Yes, sir!" Tuk said, throwing Kur a salute, just as he had learned amidst the HOUNDS aboard.

"Hey, Nar!" Viy said, bumping into him. "You've been asleep for days! How about we have a little training sesh after lunch to get you back in shape? Plus! I got a surprise for you!"

Nar grinned at the spearwoman. He had planned to distract himself with the 2NET, and to search around to see if he could find anything combat worthy to either inspire him or to help him train harder, but Viy's proposal seemed like a much better use of his free time.

"You're on!" he said, but then her smile turned into a vicious grin. "Ehr… What's this surprise?"

*********

"Are you ready?" Viy asked him.

Nar gave her an uncertain nod, his back to the empty expanse of blue sky outside the wall-spanning window, and lowered himself into stance, ready to pull out his sword at the first sign of a surprise attack. Viy's singing laughter echoed across the training room.

"Relax! I'm not going to attack you!" she said.

"I don't know!" he protested. "Just show me already!"

"Alright! Alright! Here goes!"

It came out of her storage ring in the space between him blinking his eyes, and for a moment he didn't know what it was that he was staring at, but then, his brain began churning.

"Is that… Is that your new weapon?" he asked, eyes wide as he approached her to get a better view.

She grinned in reply and pushed the weapon into his hands.

"Woah! It's heavy!" Nar said, his eyes widening further as he took in the new weapon.

It was made entirely of dark, silver metal, aurium, he realized, as there was nothing else it could be made out of, and while at first, he had thought it to be a longer, thicker spear, it was clear that despite being some sort of polearm, it was nothing like Viy's previous weapon. Not at all…

For starters, alongside the long and thick spear point, it had a razor sharp and malevolent looking ax-head that was at least the width of two-outstretched hands, while from the opposite side of that ax, there was a heavy looking hammer head with a jagged, spiky surface that looked as though it was just begging to pulverize something into bloody pulp. Add in the impressive weight of the weapon, as well as its longer length in comparison to Viy's spear, plus the extra, sharp spike that jutted from the butt of the weapon, and Nar could only stare in wide-eyed shock at the brutal promise of devastation that he beheld.

"Savage, isn't it?" Viy asked, grinning as she gazed over her new weapon with an admiring glint to her eyes.

Nar nodded. "What is it?"

"A halberd," she said, taking the weapon from his hands.

She jumped black and twirled the weapon with ease, both two and single handedly, and Nar blinked at the heavy whooshing sound the movements caused, his eyes darting from spear tip, to ax, to hammer, to spike and even the length of the weapon itself.

"It stabs like a spear, hacks like an ax, and smashes like a hammer!" Viy said, delight evident in her voice. "And, it's got the spike on the butt too, for extra surprising nastiness! And look! I can put all of my [Strength] into it now, and I can attack however I want!"

"I can see that…"

She laughed at his shock.

"Other than [Aura*], all of my attribute modifiers are now in Body Attributes," she revealed. "[Agility] got the second one, then [Speed], [Strength] and [Stamina]. Which means I'm melee through and through. And what better way to do that than with a weapon like this?"

"I can see that…" Nar muttered again. "Crystal. You're going to be devastating! What in the Pile is going to be able to take a hit from that to survive?"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Viy shook her head. "A lot of things, unfortunately. According to my master, it only gets worse from now. Harder. Tougher. The beasts and the monsters are going to get stronger and stronger, and by getting stronger ourselves, we're actually just keeping the balance. Keeping ourselves fighting worthy as they push us to the next level as soon as we get comfortable in..."

Nar snorted, shaking his head, then a laugh startled him.

"What?" she asked, stopping her masterful display.

"This… You!" he said, stepping closer, the first genuine smile of the day sprouting in his lips. "This thing is perfect for you? Isn't it?"

Her bright smile said it all.

"I had a bit of a feeling that the spear wasn't quite right…" Nar said, examining the brutal weapon again. "But with this… It's perfect for that insanely amazing way that you fight in!"

She nodded, clearly pleased, but then Nar frowned at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked him

Nar took a step back and frowned even deeper at her. "You don't expect me to keep training with you, right? You're going to kill me!"

She let out a laugh of surprise and relief.

"What are you on about! Of course I do! And of course you will!" she said, smiling with a visible hunger. And having said so, she lowered herself into a fighting stance.

"Right now?" Nar asked.

"I did say you needed to get back into fighting shape!" she threw at him. "So, come on! We're fighting tomorrow and I'm still learning how to properly handle it! Help me!"

Nar made a face but he pulled out his sword in compliance. And oh, how puny it longed next to Viy's new monstrous weapon.

*********

Nar's eyes widened as he pulled back just enough to avoid the whooshing hammerhead aiming straight for the side of his neck, ready to punch his head clear of it. And before he could fully regain his footing and mount an offensive, Viy altered her blow just enough to push forward and attempt to cut him with the passing spearhead instead.

He almost shook his head in disbelief as he pushed the spearhead past him with his sword.

Fighting a halberd wielding Viy was like night and day compared to her spear combat. Where before she had been relentless, the spear an impossibly agile, flexible and near insurmountable length blocking him from reaching her, with the halberd now in her hands it was as though he was being buffeted by the raging gales of the confluence.

She twirled the massive weapon with ease, thrusting, cutting and smashing down with unpredictable abandon. And she was still using her whole body as a weapon itself as well. Every time he committed to an attack, darting into the split-second openings of her enormous swings, he had to keep his immediate path of retreat or his defense ready, as attacks came from anywhere of the four weapons joined together in the halberd and her own body. Even the halberd's long shaft was effectively used, and Viy's [Speed] and [Agility] negated a lot of the cumbersomeness and weight of the weapon.

Nar grit his teeth and jammed his sword upwards, stabbing it just under the ax-head and holding Viy back through sheer [Strength] and his body-enhancing aura cycling.

"How am I still not hitting you?" she grunted, breathless.

"If you did, I'd be dead!" Nar retorted, his arms shaking as he kept the weapon down. "Just how many gains did you get?"

She grinned, slowly but unrelentingly pushing him back. "A lot! And my [Strength] is just as good as yours now! I finally caught up to that annoying bonus of yours!"

"Crystal…" Nar thought, forced to pull back from the losing [Strength] match.

He dodged under the swipe that would've cleaved his chest open, and threw an uppercut that she had to dance out of the way of.

"The spear was bad enough, but this thing is just unfair!" Nar said through gritted teeth, and

Viy laughed madly, and again came for him swinging that monster.

"Not yet! But it will be, when I learn to use it properly!" she shouted.

Nar couldn't help but smile back at her, and the two of them twirled, snapped, and lashed at each other in their deadly dance of gleaming dark silver and flashing purple. She had ostensibly called him out to train in order to get him back into fighting shape, having slept for the better part of the last five days, but he found no issues getting right back into it. If anything, the significant gains he had earned from the corrupted dungeon sung through his every fiber, his heartbeat steady and mighty in his chest, and the blade sure and alive in his hands like it had never been before.

His [Stamina] roared through him, empowering him to all new heights, and even the 20% passive increase to his [Vigor] that he now gained from his new, epic [Combat Cycling] skill, further whispered to him, promising to keep him going for longer and harder than he had been able to before.

Almost without intending it, he fully turned on the offensive, his blade dancing around Viy's halberd, blocking and probing, fighting and faking, and then darting in when she least expected to find the gaps in her still green understanding of the new weapon she now wielded. And while she had him beat in a straight match up of [Strength], his superior [Speed] and [Reflex], coupled with his overall attribute density across the board still gave him the superior edge.

"Oh, damn it!" Viy muttered, her steps faltering as Nar's sword nearly stabbed right through the solar plexus.

The pale human came to a careening halt and Nar eyed her warily as she crouched down, gasping for air, strands of loose dark hair sticking to her sweaty, red face.

"Are you alright?" Nar asked, his heart thundering in his chest, but still capable of much more.

"Yeah!" she panted. "How are you… Not tired? The [Combat Cycling]?"

Nar shook his head.

"It only gives me 2 extra points, and at 13 points I'm still under your 16," he said.

"Then… What the fuck?"

Nar crouched at her side, chuckling. "How much more [Stamina] do you think you're burning through in order to throw that thing around like you are doing?"

"Oh… Oh! You're right! That did burn a lot of [Stamina]," she said, her eyes unfocused as she checked her status. "Damn it! I didn't think about that…"

"How long have you had it?" he asked her, trying to keep his tone neutral.

She snorted and swiped at him with a hand he easily avoided. "Don't be an ass! I just got it yesterday!"

"Oh… Fair enough then."

She heaved a heavy sigh and fully sat down, dropping the monstrous weapon at her side.

"Phew!" she said. "That was a work out! It's so much better when I have someone to spar against. When I have you to spar against!"

"It was something," Nar agreed, casting a baleful glare at the weapon he would now have to content with every time they sparred.

Viy certainly had the stats to wield the deadly halberd to its utmost potential, especially seeing as four of her attribute modifiers had all been gained in Body Attributes, and true, while she perhaps needed to make several gains in [Stamina] and [Vigor] to increase the duration of her fighting capability, he had to admit that the halberd suited her. And a whole lot more than the spear had.

The way she danced with it was savage, brutal, and even more mesmerizingly beautiful than it had been before. Had he not been the recipient of those mighty blows he would have certainly been staring, mouth agape, at the ease and speed with which she made the weapon an extension of herself. At the unpredictable way she chained her attacks, making full use of every inch of the weapon and her body, and at how easy she made it all look. Especially given she had only just gotten her hands on the weapon.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, grinning at him.

"I think I don't want to train with you anymore."

She burst out laughing and Nar found himself chuckling alongside her.

"It suits me, doesn't it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she beheld the weapon at her side.

"It does," Nar said. "It's beautiful. I mean, it's horrible to fight against, but it is beautiful, and I think it really suits you. You're going to destroy anything that stands in your way… Uh, even more than before I guess."

She blushed and nodded, a bright smile lighting up her features.

"Is that the fighting style your master is teaching you?" Nar asked. "Or is that just… You?"

Viy snorted. "What that's supposed to mean?"

Nar shrugged.

"Fair enough, I guess. There are styles she could teach me, but nah. I'm just… Being myself, just like you said. And I think it suits me better than trying to stick to any style…"

"Yeah… I can see that," Nar said. "Crystal! I just know that thing is going to hit me one of these days… And I can't even tell which end of it is acceptable!"

She laughed. "None! But don't worry, you've got the [Constitution] for it!"

Nar stared at the weapon and its combination of deadly bits and points.

I'm not so sure about that, he thought, his eyes tracing the sharp, gleaming edge of the ax-head. And I definitely don't want to find out either.

He would have to make sure to always remain one step ahead of her.

"Oh! By the way, it's got pathways too!" she said.

"It does?"

"Yeah. All the new weapons come with [Basic Pathways] at level 1," she said. "But I can't really use them yet. Every time I do, it's like the weapon fights against me…"

She sighed. "Wish I had carved my own pathways into it. You basically have to force the pathways to take in your aura until they get used to it, and I think that even then, I'll never be able to get as much out of them as you do from yours. Even if they are crude."

Nar shook his head at her soft, mocking laughter.

"Whatever…" he said. "[Basic Pathways] even sounds better too."

She slapped his arm playfully.

"Small price to pay to have pathways perfectly attuned to your aura," she told him. "Even once I soulbound my halberd, and no matter how high I upgrade the pathways too, there will always be some resistance. Some loss… Meh. I guess that's alright though. Don't think I'd want to go through the hassle of creating and upgrading my own pathways."

"Yeah…" Nar said, roving his eyes over her weapon. "Wait. Did you say you can upgrade it? Do you mean with an AUC?"

"Amongst other things," Viy said, nodding. "Turns out that at some point, we're supposed to hit higher leveled dungeons, and there will be aura beasts and materials in them. They're still a lot rarer than aether stuff, but it will be there, and we can bring that stuff back out to the crafters on board to upgrade our weapons…"

"No way!" Nar breathed, considering his own purple sword.

"You'll have to pay, of course, and it won't be cheap! But yes, we can do it… We just have to consult our masters or instructors first, to make sure it's not a dumb idea or anything that clashes with our paths and fighting styles."

"Wow," he breathed. "That's awesome…"

"Plus, the materials need to be compatible with your aura too… But yeah. You can upgrade your weapon to make it stronger," she said. "You'll have too, according to my master. Or else it won't be able to keep up with your gains or the stronger enemies, and you'll end up breaking it."

Nar rubbed his chin. "Another thing to spend XP on… I doubt Kur was happy about it."

"He wasn't," Viy said, laughing. "But it is what it is."

"Hmmm," Nar said, raising the purple sword above his head to stare at his iridescent depths. "Really exciting stuff, though."

And for that moment, he meant it, his mind having forgotten the weight that even now grew in his chest, his eyes drawn into the scarred, burned blades' swirling and shifting colors as he considered all the possibilities of being capable of upgrading his own weapon.

"Yeah…" Viy bit her lip, considering him for a moment. "Nar?"

"Yes?" he asked, still distracted.

"I-I know I'm not the best for this," she said, staring down at her hands, knuckles white as she gripped them tightly. "But… If you want someone to talk to, you can… Talk to me."

He lowered his sword.

"Just-Just like you asked me to talk to you about my… My stuff," she said lamely. "I… I want you to know that you can talk to me too. About it. And, of course, I haven't given up! None of us have, you know? We all still want to…"

Nar placed a hand over her knee and she looked sharply up at him. The faint smile she encountered on his lips, and the dullness in his eyes made her sight go blurry.

"It's okay," he said, tapping her knee. "I appreciate it, but don't worry about it. I'm okay."

"Nar, I…"

"It is what it is, Viy," he said, his tone low. "And we need to focus on surviving."

Then he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Thank you, though. I'll take you up on your offer," he said, smiling, and again the empty darkness in his eyes squeezed at her heart.

"I…"

"And how about you?" he asked, before she could speak. "How are things going with you? Your training… Your… Affinity."

She shrugged.

"Because the spear wasn't right for me, it delayed me a little," she said, looking down. But then she looked up and smiled. "But with this bad girl in my hands now, things are going to be different! I'll get my [Halberd Aura] in no time, and start raking in upgrades and new skills! You'll see!"

He nodded, albeit with some hesitation. "So, you've decided to stay with your affinity?"

She tensed and Nar held his breath, wondering if perhaps he shouldn't have asked. But not talking about problems always led to a Pile of pain, and he much rather avoid it.

"I-I know it's not good, Nar… In the long term," she whispered. "But for now, I… I'm not ready yet to face it. And-And I need to be able to fight! I know no one would have any issues with me if I… Didn't, but I want to. I've had enough of being a burden."

It wasn't exactly what Nar had hoped to hear, but he gave her a firm nod. They all built their paths. They were all responsible to live their lives and make their choices, and all he could do was stand by her, ready to support her in any way he could. Her, and everyone else in the party.

"Does that mean you'll train with the Master of Emotions from now on?" he asked.

He knew that the red and purple skinned master had offered to train Viy directly, but it had been on the condition of her accepting and embracing her guilt affinity, which was something that at time she had been willing to commit to.

"Yes," she said, tracing a finger along the length of the ax-head of her halberd. "We'll meet next week and go from there… To be honest, I have no idea what to expect from that. Or her."

And I wonder if she knows that she's about to be taught by an Ascending One, Nar wondered. Either way, he had to keep the knowledge secret, lest he land his master in trouble.

"It will be great!" Viy said, suddenly perking up. "Better I be the one to control it, than to let it control me. Right?"

"For sure!" Nar said.

But is guilt something you can control? He thought, watching as Viy traced her finger along the edge of her weapon's ax-head again. Is it something you hold on to? Master?

For his part, he couldn't see how, but then again, he was not a master of emotions, and he was not Viy.

"Can everyone hear me?" Kur's voice suddenly sounded in their minds.

"Loud and clear!" Tuk shouted.

"Too loud," Mul said, his tone carrying the tell tone shift of suppression.

"Good. Then come back to the common room. I've got a surprise for you all! I'll be there soon!"

Nar raised his eyebrows at Viy.

"What in the Pile is it now?" she muttered, standing up.

Nar chuckled. "Let's go and find out. At least it's never boring, eh?"

"Sometimes it should!" she grunted. "It better be a good surprise…"