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

Tys stretched beside him, and turned around, leaning back against the handrail, her ashen dark gray hair swaying in the breeze.

"The plan is simple. I defer to the Master of Blades' assessment that the longsword is the best weapon for you, and I'm not someone to be a stickler to whatever tool a fighter decides to use. But since I'm no sword master, the Master of Blades will continue handling that side of your instruction for now," she said. "At the same time, after the Brightnight, the Master of Aura will carry out her plan just as intended, except at a much faster and harsher pace under my urging. I know they've kept you in the dark and I'll follow their lead here. This sort of basic, foundation building is their specialty, so I'll leave it to them."

Nar nodded. So far so good.

"As for me, I'll start laying the foundations for the absolute defense and offense that we want to build," she said. "And at the start, that goes through unlocking a certain number of passive skills."

"Passive skills?" he asked, surprise coloring his tone.

She chuckled.

"You're all beginners in your paths, and you don't yet realize just how overpowered passives can become," she said. "But I assumed that you of all people would understand just how important they can be?"

Nar nodded. Even ignoring [Mastery] and [Pathways of the Champion], which he somewhat shared with all other auramancers in existence, [Senses of the Champion], [The Aspiring Champion], [Aura Infused Strikes] and his more recent addition, [Combat Cycling], these all formed a significant list of skills which all served to boost him tremendously.

In comparison, I have three active skills I use in combat all the time, and a fourth one that is just my [Meditation], he thought, his eyes lost amidst the cloud sea. Still…

He turned to Tys.

"I do realize how important my passives are, but I always just thought of them as skills that you kind of just get. Something that happens to us, rather than it being something under your control," he said, then he grimaced, realizing the mistake in his words right away.

Tys smiled at him and nodded, encouraging to correct himself.

"You are what you do?" he asked, frowning. "It works for passives too, of course… I think what I meant is that passives are a side effect of what you… Uh."

The Ascendant chuckled at his growing confusion.

"Passives can be so confusing when you're just starting on," she said, smile lines forming around her dark eyes. "But passive skills are just skills that trigger without your say so… Your [Aura Infused Strikes] will always occur whenever you cycle aura to your sword, and your [Combat Cycling] will always give your [Vigor] and [Mastery] its 20% boost whenever you enter combat, and whether you want it to or not. But just because these skills occur without your say so, it doesn't mean that they aren't just as earned as active skills."

"Right," Nar said, frowning to himself. "Which means you can make yourself earn them, then."

"Exactly! I'll explain more tomorrow, when we have our first proper session, but for today, I just wanted to have a short talk about it," she told him. "As passive skills are going to be crucial to your hybrid path."

"Got it," he said, though he was still surprised. A focus on passives was the last thing he had expected to hear today.

I'll have to wait and see, I guess, he decided. His decision to train under her was pretty much settled, and now, he just needed to see what would come out of it. Whatever it was, he had no doubts of its results, if Tys quiet confidence and the respect with which she was treated wherever she went were any indication of her capabilities.

"Alongside passives, we will do some combat training as well," she continued. "But that will only be our secondary focus for now. Unlocking those passives is the most important thing we need to sort out, and the sooner you have them, the better."

Nar gave her a nod, keeping his questions inside.

"As for the rest," she sighed, sounding tired. "Let's see. You were told by your master that your affinity was not an issue, right?"

He looked at her in surprise.

"Of course I know," she said, snorting. "And don't worry. Whatever it is, it's still not an issue to my plan. If anything, what I'm teaching you will only strengthen your path and yourself, so let's carry on without worrying too much about it, alright? I know someone who trained with me and it took him years to find his affinity, and in the end, there were some changes and some adapting, but everything turned out just fine. So don't worry too much about it now."

"Alright."

"Then we have your just awakened [Presence]" and here she sighed heavily. "Look, here's the deal. I know the grief within you, and the resentment at the unfairness and the guilt that you feel for leaving your dad behind," she said, staring at him fully. "None of these three are things that I wish for my disciple to have as an affinity. If I were to train you now on using your [Presence], given what [Presence] is, it would become an almost certainty that your true affinity would be lost to one of negative emotions. And whichever it may be, that's not the path I want to see you living."

She stared him down, waiting for his rebuttal.

"Do I need [Presence] to protect my party?" Nar asked instead, his tone flat. "Things like that illatrian…"

Tys shook her head.

"That was a freak accident, Nar, and I doubt you'll ever encounter another corrupted dungeon," she told him. "You guys were so damned unlucky to stumble on a corrupted dungeon on the Outer Edges that I can't even put it into words how unlucky that was. I checked it. The last time something like this happened was nearly thirty thousand years ago, and that dungeon was not allowed to get as bad as yours did. So no, nothing like that is going to happen again. You'll face plenty of deadly shit, but nothing wielding [Presence]. Not until you reach the 100s at least. That's when most people gain [Presence] and when you start seeing monsters using it."

So that piece of shit was at least level 100? Crystal… Nar thought.

"Wait! Everybody gets [Presence]?" Nar asked her, surprised, as his brain caught on to the full meaning of her words.

"Everyone. [Presence] is a special kind of attribute, let's say, and it's more a gift from the System to all combat classes. Getting it early is possible, but when it does, it's often triggered by something not that great," she explained.

"Like me?"

"Like you. And people don't train it early for the same exact reason as I'm not training you to use it," she said. "So if you want to be my disciple, you are going to have to trust me on this, and accept that we're not touching it for a while yet. Not until I'm sure that at the very least, it won't skew your affinity."

Nar gave her a firm nod. "If you say it's for the best, and if there's no need for it yet, then that's fine."

She nodded in return, relief coloring the pointed ashen features that were so similar to his own.

"Good. Another thing you need to put aside for now is your [Instinct]," she said, and immediately raised a hand to stop his protests. "I know the illatrian used it, damn it! Again, that was a freak accident! No one's going to be countering your [Instinct] for a long time yet. Maybe not before level 100, if that!"

"Countering it?" Nar asked, taken aback. "Is that what that thing did?"

"Yes. Like [Presence], everyone unlocks [Instinct] at some point. Most only have a little bit of it, but anyone that is powerful will have a good chunk of it," she explained. "But, unlike [Presence], there's a catch. If you somehow unlock [Instinct] before level 20, it becomes a special kind of [Instinct]."

"Like Jul's?" Nar asked, frowning.

Tys pursed her lips and tipped her head from side to side.

"Yes and no," she said. "I think for Jul there's a little something extra at work in there, but yes, her [Instinct] was unlocked very, very early on, and it allows her an unparalleled range and capacity at threat sensing. One that is much higher, stronger, far reaching and encompassing than yours, correct?"

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He nodded.

"But yours, while I don't fully know the extent of its upcoming capabilities, should at least be far superior than normal [Instinct], and be capable of a very terrifying thing… To mess with other people's [Instincts] and make them unreliable. Just like that illatrian did to you."

Nar's jaw dropped.

"Yes. It's a very powerful capability to have, Nar. One that you will learn to make full use of when the time comes," she said. Then she rubbed her chin. "I don't have an enhanced [Instinct] though, so I'll definitely have to call in a favor to have someone teach you that… And that's going to be a choice between who pisses me off the least."

Nar stared at her in mute confusion.

"Ah, don't worry about it," she said, waving her previous words off. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. For now, anyways, just forget about [Presence] and [Instinct], alright?"

"Sure…" Nar said, still uncertain. "What about my unknown attribute, then?"

She nodded, her face taking a grim expression. "Yes, there's that, isn't it?"

Tys scratched the back of her head and turned back around again to look into the vast, cloudy distance, the shadows long and deep blue as twilight neared.

"I have an idea of what it is," she said, so low that Nar almost missed it.

"You do?" he asked, leaning in closer to her.

The breeze picked as she uttered a word that was nothing but nonsense to Nar.

"We'll see if it's that or not," she said. "And then if it is, we'll deal with it then. I only have a small amount of it, Nar, even less than you do. And for this attribute, if it's what I think it is, it might have a very strong weight over your path… Or not. It's an impossible to predict attribute, to be honest."

"So… Just forget about it for now?" he asked, with a hint of a smile on his lips.

She tutted and swiped at his head.

"I know what it sounds like! And I know what I'm doing!" she grumbled. "It's just you gotta do things in the right order and at the right time! Else, it all turns to shit! Is that what you want?"

Nar shook his head, hiding a smile despite the dull pain from the slap to the back of his head. Then he remembered something.

"My special [Instinct]... Is that how I knew that I needed more aura, and to wait, before I hit that illatrian?" he asked her.

She exhaled wearily. "Maybe? Who knows. We'll have to find out and see if anything like that happens again, I guess…"

Tys glanced at him. "Don't expect it to, though. And don't rely on anything that is not certain."

"I won't," he said, and had to cut down on adding "master" at the end of it.

It was his turn to glance at her out of the corner of his eyes. Her face was touched with a deep blue, and her short hair danced lightly in the breeze, her dark eyes serene as she beheld the view before her, even as they radiated a certainty that Nar couldn't miss.

Despite the ease with which he found himself interacting with her, much more relaxed than with the Master of Blades, he couldn't ignore the sense of… Something harsh and cold buried beneath her easy smile and easily exasperated sighs. Something brutal even. Whatever it was she had faced in order to climb to where she now stood, and at such a young age, according to the Master of Blades, it had to have changed her in more ways than one.

And it will probably change me too, Nar realized, staring out into the dramatic cloudscape once more.

"Your [Combat Cycling]..." she suddenly said, not facing him. "Does that mean you like fighting?"

The question took him by surprise, but instead of denying it right away, he allowed himself to ponder over it.

"I don't know…" he eventually said, choosing honesty. "I didn't think so. Not at all! But maybe there's…"

"A certain liberty to it? A freeing?" she asked, her eyes turning to meet his. "A certain letting go… And a certain peace of mind to it?"

Nar blinked at her. Some part of him wanted to refute her words, and to repudiate the suggestion in it. And yet… The denial did not come from his lips.

"Well, yes or no, don't worry too much about it. Some people are like that," she said, shrugging. "And the higher you climb, the more you tend to bump into them. It takes a certain craziness and enjoyment in what we do, in order to sacrifice and endure what is necessary to earn power, you know?"

"Does that mean… You also enjoy fighting?"

"It is what it is, and I am what I am," she said, with another shrug. "Don't worry. It doesn't make you a blood drinking monster if that's what you're worried about. Unless that's what you want to be…"

Now he was able to shake his head vehemently.

"Good. That's… That's good," she said. "To be at home in battle, that's something I can relate to. Even support. But not the other one… I've seen it, and it's just too much."

"I don't want that either," Nar said, folding his arms. "I hate having to fight."

"But once it starts?"

He grunted, half conceding the point. "Maybe. I don't know."

"Fair enough. Just know that it's not a bad thing, and don't feel bad about that skill. If anything, you should be happy you already have an epic skill."

Nar nodded at her words, his eyes lost amidst the darkening clouds.

"What about [Ego]?" he asked.

"What about it?"

"Can you train me in it as well?" he asked.

"Eh… Not really. My path is very physically oriented, so I don't have anything on the mental front," she said, and grinned. "I still have a shit ton of [Ego], of course. Nothing's getting in my head!"

"Right."

She stared at him. "Are you worried about it? Because of that illatrian?"

"Because of everything," he confessed. "I hate the idea that whatever strength I can gain, that someone can just get in my head and do whatever in the Pile they want with me."

Her eyebrows rose.

"I see. And that's definitely the way I thought about it too," she told him. "I was trained in it, and you will too, later on. But if it's something that really bothers you, you know where to go for it. Aedina's usually very helpful, and you wouldn't be the first to go to her for that sort of training. But if you do decide to go for it, do it after the Brightnight. You have more than enough [Ego] for the place, and I really want you to focus on those passives first, and it's going to be hard enough as it is without adding mental torture to the curriculum."

"Uh… Sure. I'll do that," Nar said, trying not to look taken aback by the word "torture". But then again, he had been expecting that to somewhat be the answer.

"Nice. It will be handy to have anyways, and if you can stomach it, I say go for it," Tys said.

She bent her neck to the left and Nar heard a loud pop, followed by a moan of relief.

"That's about it, really. Any questions?" she asked. "I'll answer most things unless it's not the time for you to know, or if it's too personal."

Nar hesitated.

"Go on."

"Hmm… Why me?" he asked. "And why did you go through the Church instead?"

She pursed her lips for a few moments, likely considering her words. "I may be powerful, but even when I make it to the ranks of the Named Few, I have certain contractual obligations to the guild. One of them is that I needed to take on an apprentice soon, and they were very keen on this certain someone…"

"And you didn't like them?" Nar asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"No, I did not like her," Tys muttered, then she eyed him up and down. "You are… a lot more agreeable, I suppose, so I saw my chance."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Besides, you've got far more potential than her, Nar," she said, her eyes deep and drawing him in. "I knew it from the moment I saw you on that screen. I could see the Named Few inside you, clawing to be let out. And I figured, since I needed to take on a disciple anyway, why not let it be me to set you free?"

She chuckled. "Don't worry. You have the building blocks for it. What concerns me more is whether or not you have the will to bear through it."

"Hmm…" Nar said, still somewhat unconvinced. "And what about you? What are you doing… Here?"

"Instead of out there killing monsters that couldn't fit in this channel?" she asked, her eyes roaming across the distant Labyrinth walls.

Nar did the same, and something in his face must have betrayed his thoughts.

"It's too soon for you to worry about things like that," she said. "And in reply to your question… Something happened out there, and the guild master sent me here to cool off for a bit, before I make my bid for my Named Few title."

The guild master himself. The man who led the sixth top guild across the entire Nexus, and all the untold billions within it, at least 7 of those being combat class holders, Nar thought, remembering what he learned about the man.

"And are you going to stay here for long?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

She stared at him.

"Me?" he asked.

"If you become my disciple, then at the end of the two year delve, we'll depart here together in order to continue your training," she said. "You won't gain anything by sticking around the Outer Edges by then, and we would be jumping straight into the Deep Zones."

He made a face. "I guess that makes sense… Wait! What about my party?"

"That depends on them and their own choices," she said. "At the end of my own two year delve most of us stuck together, but not all."

She frowned lightly at him. "No matter how much you want to protect them, you cannot control their fates, nor ensure that you will always be together. Your tank, Gad, will likely become a very powerful controller, and she will have her own fate as well. And there's Jul too, with her true fear affinity… The guild might have plans for you all, and they might not entail you staying together."

"I guess not…" Nar said, his expression darkening.

"Which is why although it's very admirable of you to want to become a Named Few to protect them, you should instead come up with a reason of your own," she said, her tone softening. "Of course you can look out for them, and just the knowledge that a pissed off Named Few will come knocking if anyone harms your party is already a very powerful shield. But at some point, everyone must build their own path and life. That's the way it goes."

Nar gave her a noncommittal nod. There was truth and reason in her words, but he wasn't ready for them yet. It was too soon to be thinking about a future for just himself, and while he knew that was what his dad wanted for him, and to not do so would disgrace him and his sacrifice, it was still too soon…

"Whatever I decide to do, I'd rather be strong enough to be able to do it," Nar said, gripping the handrail. "I should at least be able to control my own fate, no?"

She blinked at that, a touch of surprise in her eyebrows

"Yes… Yes, you should."

"Then I have no more questions," he said, reaching a hand to her. "If you'll take me, then I'll be honored to be your disciple."

She looked at his hand then shook her head with a tight smile.

"I appreciate it. But not yet," she said. "Let's give it a try first, Nar. It's not that I don't want to, but I want to be fair to you. To give you an out, considering what I'm about to do to you."

He frowned at her.

"Once you know exactly what's waiting for you… Once you've been through enough of it to satisfy me that you know what you're doing, and have the mettle for it, then we'll have this conversation again. Fair?" she asked him.

Nar knew that there was nothing that she could or say to dissuade him. And yet, the repeat warnings from the Master of Blades, and now from Tys herself, made his stomach tighten.

What am I getting myself into? He wondered.

"Fair," he told her, and that was all he said out loud.

"Good. I'll send you your new schedule, and I'll see you tomorrow night," she said. "Have fun in the dungeons tomorrow, and then, come back here. And then we'll see what you're truly made of."

And Nar's stomach clenched even further. However, no matter what happened tomorrow night, he had already decided that nothing was going to keep him from the power he needed.