Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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"You… What?" David exclaimed out loud as his eyes opened wide

"Elaborate." Qrubin voiced slowly as his single eye sharpened

"..."

Just as he remembered, Qrubin's way of showing surprise at unexpected events was by going serious rather than taken aback.

"It's a bit hard to explain… But not too long ago I… Had a 'vision' of some sort." Dale said awkwardly as he tried to paint what he experienced in a way both of them would understand

"I experienced every single event in a two-month timeline to the utmost detail, to the point I feel time has turned back, and even now, I'm unsure if it has."

"For everyone, it has been but a mere day, to me, it has been weeks, months, even more."

"That's not all, following these two months, I suffered a great influx of information as years of events were shoved into my head all at once, unfortunately, due to the density of information, I only recall some major events, one of which is my very last." Dale said deeply as he exhaled

'Maybe I'll remember more, but right now, I don't feel anything will change even if I try to sit down and write everything down.'

'I did write a bit on my way here and I plan to do so on my way to the mines, but that's only for the two months ahead, not after.'

"This… Do you speak true?" Qrubin asked as he looked at Dale

"I wouldn't be here were it not for said purpose. Still, I can prove it to you if you wish, I know several stories you have yet to share, and above all, that is also a way to confirm if what I saw was true or not."

'Even though I'm 99% certain what I experienced is the actual future, there is no way to tell if that's the case or not.'

'Blind trust won't help me much.'

"I do not doubt you, I'm more perplexed than anything…"

"A vision, how unusual." David added as he shook his head

"Do you know anything about it?" Dale asked

"Heh, Dale, people have been seeing things since the dawn of history. The problem is when and where hallucinations blend with reality."

"There were people who tried to decipher their own destinies, there were those who resorted to the Gods to read their fate… History is no foreign to what you described."

"There is no lack of stories of great prophecies and the events that unfolded due to them."

"What confuses me is how sudden it is, I cannot fathom what may have triggered your unique encounter."

'Although, Dale seems to be at the center of many ridiculous encounters, my rescue being one of them...'

'Maybe it was fate all along? Perhaps someone is trying to push for a future beyond his reach...'

'I don't like this.'

"..."

Dale remained silent, not wishing to deny he knew nothing about it, fearing either David or Qrubin would catch on to his lies.

Trying to explain Babylon to both of them would tackle one of his greatest fears, trying to explain to them they were inside a game...

It didn't matter if he questioned the veracity of said statement, what mattered was that right now, he was indeed inside one.

"Anyhow… I appreciate your vote of confidence in sharing such information with me despite how little time we exchanged together, but I must inquire about your purpose in doing so."

"I could say the same, my words don't come as… Sane." Dale added as he scratched the back of his head

"I've heard much worse kid… Read and heard about crazy stories and what lengths people went to prevent or realize their desires."

"But never witnessed... Anyhow, we can leave that for later… Unless I've already shared those stories with you."

"Only some, there wasn't much time for idle talk during study time."

"That I can imagine, I've always been a harsh person!" Qrubin said in a pleased tone, albeit his face remained stoic, quite creepy

"Now… Would you answer my question?"

"... It's to plan for the future."

"Although I don't quite remember everything that happened in the medium to far future, I remember enough to understand somewhat what awaits us."

"I saw many things, some more glaring than others. And of course… Going through basic studies all over again would be a waste of time."

"True. But I must remind you that you can't tell this story to others this casually."

"Yes, I understand that while I'm trapped in the crystal and the Gold Nugget keeps himself from speaking too much, which makes us good targets to share such info, this doesn't mean others will be as inclined to listen to your words as we were."

"No matter what you plan to achieve, you may never know how it may rebound if you act carelessly."

"That I very much understand, albeit I'll have to figure out how to progress training with everyone else… I trust them, but as you said, I'm somewhat concerned with how they'll react."

"Nonetheless, that's an issue for another time, right now, I'm more concerned with what I saw, that's why I'm here, to discuss what we should do."

"Alright… Then, Dale, I'm all ears."

"Do I have a choice? I feel like you keep giving me headaches." David added as he cringed

"..."

'I could say the same!'

After putting his thoughts in order, Dale began narrating what he remembered.

…

/Later/

/Fwoosh…/

/Descend/

"Phew… We arrived."

"For once I was concerned we wouldn't arrive due to that sandstorm. There's still sand in my face." David complained as he vibrated, causing all of the sand on him to fall

Behind them, a rather thick sandstorm brewed in the distance, moving away as it followed the wind current.

It was extremely thick and rather wide, and despite their size, those were far too common.

The winds in the desert were extremely strong, as if there was a fan at its other end, blowing sand away at constant intervals.

That was how this entire land got submerged in the golden dust in as little as a hundred years.

Still, don't forget that desertification has been an issue for far longer than just that.

Usually, travelers would avoid such natural disasters, but Dale pierced right through it, not exactly one of his proudest moments.

"What now?" David asked as he looked around

Very much like everywhere else in the desert, there was sand everywhere for as long as the eye could see.

However, a few dozen meters in front of them, a series of tall mountains broke through the sea of sand, standing upright like islands.

They went rather far into the distance, a mountain range that cut through the desert, one of the several main mining sites of the South.

The abandoned Drula Mines.

"Time to clean this place up of course, what else?" Dale said out loud as he took off his scarf and protective goggles

'The Drula Mines… They're around eleven Kilometers North of Resko and it used to be the main supplier of common minerals such as Iron and Copper.'

'It's one of the closest mines to the city and it's one Jyter believed would still have some ores within, mainly due to its purpose.'

'The Drula Mines purpose was to sustain the inner demand of Resko and nothing else, so people extracted ores from within with the sole intent of fueling its needs.'

'It closed down not because it was exhausted but because the need for the ores went down followed by a lack of personnel capable of covering the distance and bringing back anything useful.'

'Of course, the sandstorms were also a major reason for their abandonment.'

"We need to check if this place is secure for the Villagers to work at and if it is worth it in the first place, to estimate its contents so they can come prepared." Dale said out loud as he opened his Quest interface

"But that is unnecessary no? Given you…"

"Correct, still, that doesn't mean the place's safe." Dale replied as he crouched on the ground

"You seem to have a plan. Anything I should be aware of?"

"Hm… Well, things will get… Quite hectic soon enough."

"..."

…

/Shua…/

After taking a short rest and drinking some water, Dale changed his equipment, putting on his main armor set, the Wyverian Ignition armor before getting on a stance as he looked at the mountains.

David was somewhat baffled at the appearance of this strange, overbearing armor, however, after everything he had seen and experienced today, he chose to turn a blind eye to it, letting Dale focus on whatever he was trying to accomplish before asking for the armor's origins.

/Shua…/

The minutes went on as the hot wind blew across his face, moving sand from place to place across the dunes.

Five minutes in, Dale was still unmoving, holding Caladbolg tightly.t

"... Sorry to interrupt, but what are we waiting for, exactly?"

"We aren't waiting for anything." Dale replied as he focused on his objective, making calculations inside his head as he went over everything he remembered about the area

"So why are you in the hot sun doing nothing?"

"... Sigh. It's simple."

"These mountains. They are mostly hollowed out, leaving behind a labyrinth of dangerous tunnels and decaying architecture."

"There are still some ores here and there, but they don't justify the reinforcing and reconstruction of entire tunnels to be extracted, likely the reason they weren't mined, to begin with."

"Still, if we add all of the said ore into one big pile, it would likely equate to an entire mine's worth of ore, but it's scattered throughout these mountains."

"There's no way to know where each small pocket of minerals hides without extensive research and proper safety measures to be conducted beforehand, leading to months upon months of wasted personnel and resources, only for a minimal gain in the long run as we extract these resources."

"Not to add all of the natural dangers that developed within those mines over the decades…"

"The resources we need aren't in the mountains anymore, it's all underneath them, that's where they stopped mining, that's where hidden chambers are, waiting to be uncovered, where pure, untouched veins remain."

"So I've been thinking, what's the best way to minimize the dangers while maximizing our profits?"

"Minimize and Maximize… Well, digging a shaft that connects to the ones underneath the mountains? Maybe collapse the old ones since they aren't useful anymore and are instead a hazard?" David asked as he tried to suggest a possibility

"That takes time. It's dangerous and a bit reckless as well, at that point, it would be better to use the ravine instead."

"So what's your idea? I can't see a perfect solution to this issue that doesn't take some degree of time or resources to be achieved."

"It's simple, really." Dale said with a chuckle as he took a step forward

He raised Caladbolg, pointing it at a nearby mountain.

It was around a Kilometer tall, but in truth, it was a little taller, this was due to the fact Resko was located at the top of a Plateau, these lands, on the other hand, were located at its bottom, a long and vast series of green plains and forests, now all covered in sand.

The sand was so heavy and compacted it was hard to believe the actual ground was dozens of meters under them.

Sometimes, some of the taller ancient trees can still be seen piercing through the sand, together with other landmarks such as rocks and hills…

Although, even then, they'll likely be devoured by the dunes.

It's utterly ridiculous how fast sand accumulated in the region, it was definitely not natural, and it was no mystery to Dale

"I thought, if we don't need these mountains… I'll just remove them from the equation."

"... Pardon? I don't think I got what you just said. Can you repeat it for me?" David said out loud, his expression dark

"Why not show it to you?" Dale asked with a chuckle as he continued walking forward

/Shine!/

/Burn!/

The moment he uttered those words, Dale's body began to change.

From the center of his chest, blueish wisps and crimson flames erupted, traveling across his arteries, veins, and flesh. Releasing faint waves that blew and charred the sand around him away.

His forehead began to shine, guiding these forces like a lighthouse in the dark.

/Concentrate…/

His armor, sword, and spear, reacted to the power, humming in harmony as the colorful energies began to blend together, becoming something new, a stronger, stabler, yet heavier form of power.

/Spark!/

Eventually, the energies collapsed into each other, reaching a point of no return.

Under the control of his mind and spirit, they reacted, blending without going berserk.

With his command, a single spark ignited the mixture, initiating a chain reaction of great purposions that soon overtook his entire body.

/Boom!/

A muffled explosion rang inside his heart as mist evaporated from his skin, and soon enough, a wave of new, mysterious energy began to wash away his flesh.

A purplish aura now surrounded his body, tainting everything around it, from the edge of his sword to the tip of his spear, it rose to the air around him like tentacles, waving in the wind like weeds in a reef.

"You… You can't be thinking…"

"I am, I did, and I can." Dale said with resolution as he looked at his left hand

'This is something many warriors strive to attain but cannot.'

'A higher form of power beyond Mana or Inner Vitality.'

'When a creature can directly blend the world's energy with their own without causing them to react violently, it gives rise to a new, stable form.'

'This is one step beyond many Techniques and Skills, those either employ natural forces, such as Mana, Prime Origin, or both reacting to produce an effect, or a strange power outside of those categories.'

'This is the refined result of those being stacked together.'

"Aura." Dale whispered as he tightened his fist

"Yeah, you've mastered it, congratulations." David said in a low tone, showing him some respect

Even if he was a bit ironic, David still held some respect for Dale for achieving something so significant so soon in his life.

"But what of it? Mastering Aura means nothing if you don't know how to use it." David said with a grunt

"Aura is a different energy form compared to what you used before, you cannot apply it to previous known techniques and theories just because it originated from them, at least not in all cases."

"Manifesting is not the same as using it!"

"I know, but as I said before… This won't be an issue either."

As he said that, all of the rampaging energy gathered inside his body, seamlessly vanishing from view.

But it was still there, condensed inside his body.

That was control, Dale was already beyond the stage of a beginner, already having the 'sense' of how to use it.

"I'm far from being a Master, I've barely even started understanding what both Mana and Prime Origin are…"

"Which makes this even more absurd and nonsensical than what it already was…"

"Ahem… But I know enough. Besides, I don't have to rely solely on myself for this." Dale said as he inspected his items

Even now as he spoke, his items were strengthening him.

His armor increased his strength by an absurd amount with every second thanks to the monsters hiding in the sand nearby… He was ready to let it go, and once it did, his strength would reach a meteoric level.

While his bracelet passively increased his Stats for every minute he held onto it, albeit that came at the cost of his mind deteriorating.

But it was still within what he could bear.

Together with all his other items, Dale was at his peak strength. Right now, no one in Resko had higher Stats than him.

However, there was one thing missing.

"Hm… Looks like this isn't enough." He mumbled to himself as he checked his Status

/Inhale…/

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes…

/Open!/

/BOOOOM!/

Like a pressurized pipe bursting, Dale released all of his Aura, causing the sand underneath his feet to explode in all directions, caving in for several meters.

/Shoosh!/

Caladbolg flew underneath his feet to prevent his fall, letting him stand in the air as the world around him kept being pushed away.

"HUPP!"

"Urg! Take it down a little!" David complained as he kept being shoved around the place due to the berserk energy, afraid of suddenly being sent away to the desert, his greatest fear

"No… Not yet…"

'I need to push it a little further, enough for the System to recognize it!'

/BOOOOOM!/

Dale raised his arms, clasping his hands together, creating a loop with his chest.

Within, his Aura began to circle multiple times, once per second, twice, thrice… A dozen times every second until...

/BAM!/

He let go of his hand, causing the building momentum to explode between his palms, creating a powerful dark blast between his fingers, strong and loud enough to cause the building sand atop the mountains to cascade down like an avalanche.

"Huff…"

'It's a bit rough, but with this, my body…'

He had the necessary control, but his body did not, it was the only thing he could think of that was preventing him from advancing.

This experiment was a way to force his body to adapt, not exactly healthy but it should do the trick.

[DING]

Lo and behold, the message he had been waiting for all this time finally manifested.

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Notes