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

"That is insane!" Rel breathed, her golden eyes wide as the cave entrance was lit up by another bright flash of deep blue.

"But cool?" Eum asked, grinning.

"Super fucking cool!" the archer whispered, as another flash of blue lashed outside, thunder breaking overhead and deafening reality.

Eum leaned against the left side of the cave's entrance, while Nar sat on a flat root with Rel standing at his side. The of them stared, slack jawed, at the flashing, roaring display that lit up their faces in dark cerulean.

"It's a good show, eh?" Eum asked, chuckling in between peals of thunder.

Nar could only nod.

Outside, in the middle of the clearing made by the two fallen giant trees, Mach knelt completely obscured by a raging vortex of wind and lightning. Gales lashed past the three delvers at the cave's entrance, and set all the wet plants in the ceiling to sway, which had forced Kur to order them to put up the rain tarp over their tents after all.

"Is he really controlling all that?" Nar asked, his hushed tone nearly drowned out by the storm's fury unfurling before them, as well as all across the jungle's canopy.

Eum swayed his head from side to side, weighing Nar's words.

"Well, controlling it is a bit of a stretch," the tygaris said. "It'd be more accurate to say that he's communicating with it, and that causes all the air, wind, lightning and storm aether to gather around him in that little display you're seeing."

"Little?" Rel mouthed.

"And he's absorbing all of that?" Nar asked.

"No, Crystal!" Eum said, laughing. "We're elite, but we're still beginners! Maybe in another fifty levels, though."

"Damn," Nar whispered.

"The power of a storm like that," Rel said, a touch of envy and hunger marring her tone.

Nar glanced at the archer. It was not the first time she had shown signs of envy towards others' paths and affinities, which was sad, given that her own, unchangeable and suffering path and affinity had been practically forced upon her.

And I even had a hand in that… He thought grimly. If only I had been stronger back then. If only I had known that aura was the answer all along… Maybe I could've destroyed that damned spider by myself.

He clenched his jaw at the memory of Rel's bleeding face, as Kur pulled her ruble, but he shook the image away. Even if he had managed to defeat that spider back then, there was no telling whether Rel's past and desire to atone for wouldn't have pushed into that path anyways. And unless it was for the express purpose of learning from one's mistakes, dwelling on the past earned one nothing but heartache and regret.

Instead, staring at the leaping arches of blue, snarling lightning, and dark blue tinged vortex of wind that formed around Mach, his long, arm feathers blowing wildly in the storm, Nar focused on something else.

"Hey, Eum. Can I ask you something that might be rude?"

Eum shrugged. "Sure."

"What… What does it feel like to be bonded to a spirit?" Nar asked.

Eum raised his bushy eyebrows at him. "That is a very vague question."

Nar snorted. "I guess. What I mean was, what is like to live as an aethermancer? You need to be loyal, and you have to do whatever your patron asks, right? And if you don't…"

"I lose my aether?" the tygaris asked, his eyebrows raising further.

"Yeah… That."

Rel grimaced at Nar's bluntness, but her stare at Eum betrayed her intense curiosity.

"Funny, someone asked me that same question a long time ago…" Eum said, almost to himself as he rubbed his chin. "I can see why it would be odd for an auramancer. Afterall, you guys get to grow and shape your own power, and that even reflects on the way you have more control over your own paths. In comparison, while "you are what you do" is also valid for us, it is our patrons who ultimately decide on the right skills they give us within that tenet of the System."

"Really?" Rel asked.

"Yes. Of course, the skill generally matches the intent you put behind your actions, but the how of it, the end result you end up with? It can be very, very unexpected," he said, a frown forming of its own volition upon his features. "Using myself as an example, while I was aiming for a path of bestial transformation as a melee hunter and warrior, and to take on and honor the great visage of my noble patron, I did not expect to end up with a path that was so heavily aspected to blood, nor the desire to crave shedding it. When the time came to receive my element and path, my prayer was for strength, leadership, bravery and courage! But instead, I ended up spending the next five years of my life struggling to control my bloodlust… Something I still do."

"Damn," Rel whispered.

"I can tell you that it was not fun," the tygaris said, his expression dark and his glowing green eyes flashing with the lightning from Mach's storm. "And it had many great consequences for myself. But… I did get the reward for all my effort and devotion, and within the tenets of the System. Just not in the way I expected to."

Crystal… Nar thought to himself. Perhaps he had grown to take for granted that he could simply work towards the skills that his masters presented to him, and they had always offered him the choice on whether to pursue them or not. Pile, even Tys had asked him several times if he was sure he wanted to come under her tutelage, and undertake her tortuous training.

"You auramancers are very blessed in this regard," Eum said, half-smiling at them. "Your freedom and flexibility are unparalleled."

He chuckled. "You had to get something for being technology pariahs, eh?"

Rel stuck out her tongue at him, and Nar couldn't help a mirthless chuckle.

"In terms of our devotions to our bonds… You may find them heavy, but I take pleasure from them. I even find comfort and solace in following them, even if they seem a bit bloody," he said, his tone even. "I chose my patron, and I was greatly honored to be accepted. I knew this bloodlust could come from it, and when it happened, I accepted… After some small struggle of course. I was young, after all. But nothing gives me greater pleasure than to pursue my goal of honoring my bonded patron, and of perfecting my path on the way to the very top!"

Nar stared at him in surprise. "Are you… Do you mean as a Named Few?"

Eum grinned. "That's exactly what I mean. Why, you don't think I can?"

Rel glanced at Nar, but she didn't say anything, keeping the secret behind sealed lips.

"No, I was just surprised," Nar said. "I mean, you look very strong to me, but I don't really have anything to compare to…"

Eum burst out laughing, and he laughed for a good a while.

"What?" Nar asked, as Rel also stared at him. "What?"

"Oh, never mind," Eum said, wiping a tear from his eyes. "I guess you're right… Not many aethermancers where you come from, eh? But I am at the top, even amongst elite apprentices! So, I'd say I've got a great chance at that! Just need to get myself a Named Few teacher… Abyss, even a promising Ascending One will do!"

And he laughed again, holding onto his bare stomach.

"Is Leon… Also aiming for the top?" Rel asked, before Nar could.

"Yup. We both are," Eum said, folding his arms and glancing back out at Mach. "I'd say we're in a competition to see who gets there first, but honestly, there's none. Leon will get there. It's inevitable."

"Wow," Rel said.

Inevitable, uh? Nar thought. Does that mean he's that strong? Could he already have a teacher too?

"As for the last part of your question, no, I don't fear losing my aether nor my path. I don't even think about it, to be honest," Eum said. "In order for that to happen, I would have to sink very low. Very low indeed. I would have to betray and abandon everything that I stand for, and if it ever comes to that, then I'll have worse things to worry about."

He shrugged. "Besides, if worst comes to worst, and if I'm still alive, I can just join the Hall of the Rejected under the Great Martyr God, right?"

Nar glanced at Rel, who gave the tygaris a firm nod.

"Meullum-Herfthuri welcomes all," Rel said. "He is the Granter of Second Chances after all."

"He is. Though do not take his kindness likely," he warned. "Those he welcomes are expected to work towards bettering themselves and the Nexus, or they won't be a third chance. As you well know, as a follower of The Two-Faced God."

Rel gulped, but she nodded.

A follower… So it's come to that, Nar thought, a shivering running down his spine. At surface level, it seemed a pretty obvious outcome, but diving deeper than that, and he wasn't so sure how he felt about her worshiping one of the gods responsible for lives as sinners, or for the Climb he would never, ever forget. And while he had no intentions of turning to one of the Dark Ones, he wasn't sure if he would ever bend the knee again to beg anything from the Almighty Radiants either.

"And there you have it," Eum said. "Does that answer the question?"

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"It does," Nar said. "Thank you."

"No worries!"

But even though Eum seemed to make light of it all, even find joy in it, Nar just couldn't imagine himself being shackled to the whims of a being to whom he would always be dependent on for power, no matter how great that power grew to be.

To do all these things, to follow all these rules, and make all these sacrifices and even have to live your life in a certain way? He thought. Era can't even touch meat, for Pile's sake! She even needs to take at least one nap in the day! And what about Leon, kneeling outside in the rain, mud and darkness? How is that not insane to them?

"In exchange, it's only fair that I also get to ask a rude question."

Nar looked up at Eum in surprise. "Eh, sure, I guess? Go on…"

"Your blade… For whom does it mourn?" Eum asked, staring deeply into Nar's eyes with those glowing emeralds of his.

The question stole the breath from Nar, and for a moment, Nar could only stare back at Eum, who returned his gaze with a level look that betrayed no emotion.

Rel's gulp was audible, even in the clangor of the raging storm outside. And even despite that, a razor-sharp silence seemed to have descended upon the three of them.

"My bond is one of battle and combat. To mourn one's fallen comrades is honorable and just," Eum said. "And that, amongst other things, is something that I'm very sensitive to. Besides, I have sparred against many people, and there are always tells to one's heart. And yours is sagging under crushing mourning."

Nar's face must have been quite the something, for at his side, Rel turned deadly pale.

"What happened?" Eum asked.

"That's two questions," Nar whispered.

"I gave you a very long answer," Eum replied. "Very personal too."

"Nar…" Rel whispered.

Nar unclenched fists he didn't realize he had formed, and forced his jailed breath out through his gritted teeth.

"I lost someone," he said, and the dungeon was lit up in blinding blue, Eum's features disappearing except for his glowing, green eyes. Thus far, Nar had yet to see any faltering in them.

"You seem to have lost a lot more than that," Eum said. "Your blade is also uncertain. Directionless. Lost. The edge is blunt, Nar."

Thunder boomed outside, and Nar's core bubbled within him.

"You hide it well, Nar, but that is not a compliment. To keep such emotions within us… You must know what you risk for your path," Eum said. "And I know what it takes to awaken one's [Presence] as early as you did. My word of advice, as callous as it may be, is to embrace that pain and get through it before you do irreparable damage to your path and lose the amazing affinity that I am sure is destined for you."

Rel looked from one to another, barely daring to breathe as the silence stretched between them. Then Nar gazed out at the storm, and yielded a curt nod.

Eum sighed. "Such things need to be said, no matter how uncomfortable."

Maybe, Nar thought, pushing back down the torrent of darkness that threatened to spill from the bottomless depths within him, depth that mirrored the very endlessness of the Between-Nexus from which he had risen.

"Alright, can you guys keep an eye on Mach? Calli is pinging me about some crevice filled with plants," the tygaris said, and not waiting for an answer, he sauntered down into the wide, open cave, and its glowing ceiling of silver.

"Nar…" Rel called, looking from Eum's back as he walked away to Nar, seated beside her.

"Can't fault his logic," Nar said. "Can I? Blunt, he? Maybe it is…"

After all, every swing of his blade brushed that purple cloth against his hands, did it not? Every strike, every slash… What were they if not a reminder to his monumental failure, his fault or not?

"I've tried to leave you some space, like Gad told us to," Rel asked. "But maybe you should talk to...."

Nar pursed his lips, and shook his head.

"Why not? I rely on you, don't I?" Rel asked him. "I told you everything back then…"

He sighed.

"I know… I know. It's just… I don't know what to even think about it yet. But I'm working on it, alright?" he lied. "When the time comes I will… Rely on you. On everyone."

"I'll hold you to that…"

"Hmm. But speaking of… How are you doing?" he asked.

She laughed at him, and pushed against him so that he scooched back to give her space on the damp, dark root.

"No need to tiptoe around it," she said. "I'm still full with the Source, and after two weeks in here, I'm almost completely sure that I'll be able to make it through the whole thing without problem."

"Oh, that's awesome!" Nar said, his expression lighting up. "But are you sure?"

She nodded, her green eyes dancing as she returned his smile. "Pretty sure, yeah. It's hard to explain, but I've come to trust my feelings on this."

"Thank the Crystal."

She laughed again. "Were you worried?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"Eh. No, I guess not," she said. "Of course you'd worry about it…"

Nar leaned back as best as he could against the uneven wall of roots behind them, and a sigh he didn't know he had been holding eased itself past his lips.

"Hey. Look!"

"Hmm?"

Nar raised his eyes from the uneven floor, and found her holding an arrow with a large grin plastered on her face.

"What is that?" Nar asked, frowning as he right away spotted the difference.

The arrow in her hand was about a thumb longer than usual, but the real difference lay in the arrow head. It was both wider and thicker.

"It's for delivering poison!" she explained.

She placed her thumb atop the longer, thicker arrowhead and gently pressed it up and down. As she did, small openings revealed themselves in the metal.

"Wow…"

"Its pressure activated," the alfin explained, eyeing the mechanism. "When it hits, it triggers the poison delivery system."

She looked up at him and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Cool, isn't it?"

"And scary," Nar said, leaning back again.

"Well… I guess, if you're on the receiving end," she said, storing her arrow back into her ring.

"Are things going well with the poison instructor, then?" Nar asked. "I'm sorry, there's been so much going on that I haven't…"

"Hush. I know," she said. "And yeah, things have been going surprisingly well. My instructor is a bit quiet, but he really seems to know his stuff. And he's a very good teacher too. I know I'm making poisons, but I think I'm starting to really like the process of making them. There's something very relaxing about it… Plus, the feeling of being capable of making something with your own hands is really nice. Even if it's poison!"

She grinned at him. "Do you want to see?"

Nar glanced at the raging storm and vortex outside the cave. The feathered aethermancer was still at the core of his own, personal storm, and just as Eum had told him earlier, he doubted anything would even try to get close to Mach, much less succeed.

"Sure, show me!" he said.

She dropped to the floor, and before her hands, appeared a small tray. Astonished, Nar watched as more and more tools came out of her inventory, until she had about ten or so different objects arrayed around her.

"Ta-da!" she said.

"What's all this?" he asked, coming down to sit beside her.

"You'll see. But don't touch anything!" she warned him. "It's enough that I'm still poisoning myself half the time…"

Nar frowned in alarm. "What?"

"Well, it's not that bad. It's just part of the learning, you know? Got to build your own poison resistance passive," she said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Besides, the poisons aren't that bad. At worst, my hands get numb… Though, sometimes I pass out. Or, other things happen…"

"Rel!"

She chuckled to herself. "Relax, relax! It's all part of the process!"

He glared at her, but she marched on.

"So, my instructor didn't allow me to bring any poisons with me, and instead, he gave me a pretty flexible list of recipes I can make from the most common materials in each area of the Brightnight," she explained. "So, for today, I'm going to show you how to make a poison that gives the [Befuddled] status effect. It clouds the target's mind, and makes it hard for them to think."

"That's terrifying," Nar muttered.

"Meh, I doubt it would work on you… Anyways, these are our ingredients for today," she said, passing her hands over an empty tray. "Thorns from a midnight nightmare, root from a creeping snatcher, petals from a sweet whisperer, and the leaves from an agonizing screamer."

First, a gathering of wicked looking, glimmering black thorns popped out of her inventory. Then a gnarly root, oozing a dark green liquid that made him wrinkle his nose and lean away from the tray. Then the petals looked normal enough, and they still glowed with a remnant of deep pink. And lastly, the leaves from the agonizing screamer looked like tortured, clawed hands of deep indigo.

"Why do they all look like that? And what's with their names?" he asked.

"I mean, they're poisonous, what did you expect?" she asked. "These all have real scientific names and all that, of course, but this is just what the locals call them. There are probably a million midnight nightmares out there with infinite different names, looks, effects and…Well, you get the idea."

She frowned at the gathering of evil looking components. "They don't look that bad though, do they?"

"No, no," Nar said quickly. If Rel was finding pleasure in concocting her poisons, far be it from him to stand in the way of that or criticize it. Crystal knew the alfin needed any shred of joy she could find.

"Okay, so, first we need to prepare them," she said. "The thorns need to be charred first, then crushed with the petals. The root needs to be squeezed, and the leaves need to boil and then be discarded. Then, you throw in everything together and let it simmer for a couple of hours."

He watched her get on with it with an efficiency that was only a little bit hesitant, displaying her newness to the craft, and he found himself pulled into the process. It was pretty damned impressive too, if mildly uncomfortable when a noxious smell started coming out of the boiling screamer leaves.

"I can see how you would poison yourself," he said, blowing away the dark steam with his hand.

"Oh, shit!"

She rushed to cover the lid of her pot, then cycled some aura into it. And from a small, jutting opening, an odorless gray vapor started wafting out instead.

"There. I keep forgetting that," she muttered to herself.

I guess that neutralizes the vapor? Nar wondered. But she started looking more and more busy and harried as she juggled different procedures and steps, so he kept his questions to himself and just watched along as the poison took shape. As she had said, it was indeed fascinating to watch her make something with her own hands, and from materials she herself had gathered.

"And that's it," she said, putting away all of her equipment except for the burner. "Once it's done boiling all together, give or take three hours, you pass it through a fine filter and you get this!"

She showed him a vial of swirling dark and glimmering pinks.

"Wow…" Nar said, taking it. "This isn't aetherium though, is it?"

Rel shook her head. "Just normal plants and chemistry. I still need to infuse my arrows with my aura, so aether is a no-no."

"And this goes inside your special arrows and triggers a status effect?" he asked, his tone awed.

"Yup. Pretty much," she said, grinning in obvious delight at the wonder evident in his eyes. "I mean, the target can resist it, but enough arrows should trigger the effect. Unless the target's immune, of course…"

"This is amazing!" Nar breathed, raising the little vial above his head to watch it through the storm light's reflection. "And you made this!"

Rel's grin grew even wider, and she tucked a stray strand of golden, brown hair behind her long ear.

"It was not that hard, to be honest."

"It looked pretty hard from here!" Nar said, still staring at the vial.

It actually shimmered under the light from Mach's lighting, the pink seeming to glow as it swirled in those deep, dark pink hues.

"This… This is really, really awesome!" he said. "Damn, Rel!"

"Ah, stop it!" she said, flushing. "Honestly, I'm just following a recipe here. Everyone can do it."

"If it was that simple, they wouldn't need a special instructor just to teach it!" he said. "Damn…"

Nar handed the vial back to her. "I can't wait to see you use it."

She shook her head.

"Nothing's merited it so far," she said. "But that's probably changing soon enough."

Nar followed her stare and found that Kur, Row and Leon seemed engrossed in heavy discussion. He could even guess as to what they were talking about.

"It's gotten easier, and our gains reflect that. But neither Kur nor Leon are the kind to settle with easy… Not when it could help us grow stronger and pad our funds for the future" Rel said. "And I think Sej is just about ready to crack, and lead us to a nest."

Nar scratched the side of his chin. Rel was right of course, and her words mirrored his own thoughts… However, why did he sometimes feel that Kur was a bit hesitant about moving them to that next stage? It was something he had only noticed in the last couple of days, to be fair, but it had given him reason to pause.

Something happened, but I don't know what, Nar thought. Gad's probably already on task though, given how she's been pushing him hard every time he hesitates.

"Well, those fights are going to happen regardless," he whispered to himself. "They have to."

Rel smiled at him. "Is that the insight of one who's part of the leadership?"

He scowled at her, tutting, and she covered her lips to stifle her laughter.

"Come on! Can you really deny it?" she asked.

"Yes!" he muttered. But even to his own ears, it sounded like a lie.

"It's part of your path, Nar. I can feel it," she said, reaching over to pat his leg. "So, don't fight it, okay?"

Nar rolled his eyes at her, and rose back to sat on the root.

"Hey! I'm being serious!"

"My guess is they'll decide tonight," he said, ignoring her.

"Good! We need to move on. And I really hope we go after those rares," the alfin said.

"You do?" he asked, staring at her in surprise.

"Why so shocked? We need to get stronger, and we need to do whatever it takes for that," she said. "Besides, I honestly think we have a chance. Our party is really strong, plus, you heard Eum. He's aiming to be a Named Few, you know? That means he must be really, really strong. You know? Plus, we have Leon too."

"Ugh," Nar groaned, as Rel snickered at her words.

Outside, the storm continued to rage around Mach, and it gave no indications of slowing down for the night.