Scorching Ascension - [Progression Litrpg Apocalypse]

Ethan raised an eyebrow at Ember's question. "Aren't you a telepath or something? You've been picking off question out of my head for a minute now. You can't tell what I've been thinking?"

The cat scratched under her jaw. "[I can when you're staring at me and having questions about me. I can't just lift thoughts out of your head. So? What is it?]"

"I'll stay with them. I've been leaning toward helping them already as soon as I saw how they were doing. I'll stick around, at least until the end of the tutorial. I can take on the bulk of the threats and they can pick off the rest. Play support."

The cat tilted her head, then finally put it down on her paws before closing her eyes.

"[Good. Because I like them. Not let me sle—meditate.]"

Ethan chuckled. "Right. I'm gonna go meditate as well, then. Last thing. How do youactually use a primagem?"

Ember opened a single eye. "[You got one?]"

"Maybe."

Ember swished her tail and closed her eye. "[Maybe I'll tell you, then. Eventually.]"

Ethan stared at the cat and pursed his lips. "Fine. Yes. I got one."

"[I know.]"

"Do you have to be annoying?"

Ember looked up at him and tilted her head back, and it even looked like she was smiling. Ethan had never seen a cat look so smug. "[I don't. But I like it.]"

"Smartass. So? How can I use it?"

"[When you upgrade spells, if you have enough compatible primagems, you will be asked if you want to use them to unlock better upgrades. I know they can be used to evolve traits as well and some other things, but that's a bit far down the line for both of us.]"

Ethan eyed the listed primagems he'd assimilated in his interface. That was an interesting function. Though how was he supposed to use it for trade? Was he supposed to get one of those pouches to store them?

With a flex of will, Ethan tried to summon one of them, but it didn't work.

Yeah, assimilating seems final. Like spellcores.

He glanced at this interface for a few seconds, then remembered something. He turned to Ember and whispered. "Hey. Don't sleep. Tell me about the path stuff. I got some ideas, but you kept things vague the last time. What's the best way to get essence back the fastest?"

From his little spar with Diego, Ethan had gotten some of it back, but it was nowhere near as much as he would need to afford the Prime Arcanum's better upgrades, especially considering the Prime forms used essence for some of their effects.

Ember, head still on her paws, answered with her eyes closed. "[Have you not figured it out yet? Fine. You just have to live and act true to your path. If your path is about drinking the blood of your enemies, you do that. If it's about having the resilience of a mountain, you cover yourself with rock and take on your opponent's attack. If it's about barreling through obstacles and setting things on fire, you do that, and you'll get plenty of essence back.]"

The cat cracked one eye open and stared at him, and Ethan stared back. She had said so offhandedly that someone naïve enough might think it was a coincidence, but it was obvious to Ethan.

"How do you know?"

Ember gave him another smug look. "[I watched your Prime Arcanum form. I can sense it from here and I can sense it better through the pact. A path of fire and unstoppable destruction. I don't know the wording or the details, but I know enough. I like it,]" she said, and for an instant, her fur had rippled with barely contained flames. Which brought another question to mind.

"What's yours?" he asked. "Also… do you have an armament form as well?"

He bet she did, if the Prime forms behaved the same between species. Though he didn't see how the cat could use a weapon. Maybe it was an accessory of some sorts? And ow about the wand? How would Ember use that?

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"[You'll see. Eventually. For the Arcanum… I'm awakened, so I get the three forms. Simple monsters don't. Their Prime Arcanum is focused on a single form. Which makes it more powerful.]"

Ethan nodded. It was an interesting tidbit and explained why some of the most powerful water monitors still only showed scales as a Prime wand. A couple might have been different, but he hadn't seen them yet, but such musings would have to wait.

Ethan stifled a yawn, then got up. "Thanks. But jokes aside, I'm going to get some rest. Keep an eye out, alright?"

The cat closed her eyes back and rolled her tail closer. She didn't answer.

Ethan smiled and shook his head, then went to find himself a spot to sleep. A minute or so later, he found himself a somewhat dry patch of vegetation and laid on his back. Staring at the still, giant mushroom caps above, he laid there, trying to fall asleep. His mind churned for a while, but eventually, exhaustion ended up overpowering the discomfort of the hard and crunchy soil below him, plunging him into an uncomfortable but still restful sleep.

***

It felt like barely a couple of hours had passed when the shouts woke him up.

Ethan jumped up to his feet, blearily looking around and was met with a flash of orange light from a few yards away. Blinded and disoriented, it took him a couple of seconds to make sense of what he was seeing and when it did, he activated [Reptilian Scales], picked up the dagger he'd hidden under the clump of grass he used as a pillow and surged forward, cursing under his breath.

"Goddamn lizardlings…"

A spray fire surged off the blazing form of Ember and washed over the yellow barrier summoned by a lizardling, while a horse-sized giant of a red lizard belched out a ball of fire at a singed Liz. Audrey leapt forward and interposed herself between the oncoming attack and the archer, shield glowing with blue light, while Amelie kneeled next to a screaming Gerald. Lizardlings were trying to surround the group like the vultures that they were, but they were being kept at bay by Ember.

A quick scan told Ethan that this might have been a difficult fight for the team any other day, but the giant lizard tipped the scales a bit much into the attacker's favor. Well, it wasn't exactly a lizard, but it must have been what the lizardling had intended on summoning that one time, considering they could order the thing around.

[Fire drake (I) - Level 43]

It was a massive creature, and Ethan couldn't help but think of tigers when he took in its form and proportions. It looked like a bronze-orange scaly feline, with horns and sharply-ridged back. The creature roared as its rider ordered it ahead, and Ethan decided to deal with them first.

There were five lizardlings as far as he could see, and only one was above thirty. The one riding the drake. It had the same ceremonial looks as the ritualists he had killed in the past, and it seemed to be the leader of this little party.

"Take out the weaker ones," he shouted as he ran past a panting Liz, while Gerald struggled to get up. From this close, Ethan could see the nasty burns around his arms and legs.

Ethan did not stop running as he ignited his scales. Next, he summoned the horns, and the fire licking up his scales surged higher and hotter as another barrier appeared, intent on stopping him. Light began dancing about his form as he spent the point of essence to activate the horn's ability, and a rush of power built into his chest, propelling him ahead faster. Every stride was launching him further, making him hit the ground harder as the world blurred around him.

This was the perfect time to employ the horn's second ability.

The lizardling leader pointed at him with a shout, and as the drake's throat began glowing, Ethan reached the golden barrier and crashed through it like a runaway train through glass, instantly shattering the defensive magic. It might as well have been made of cardboard, and did not slow his momentum in the slightest. The drake belched out another ball of fire and Ethan urged the flames coating him out, creating a cocoon of intense flames that held off most of the drake's attack, though some of the intense heat still singed his scales.

But it was nowhere near enough to stop him, and when he was around ten feet away from the commanding lizardling and its beast, he jumped.

The lizardling bared its teeth, pointing its dagger out as the bone armor scales shimmered into existence, but the defensive form did nothing to stop Ethan's arm from violently clotheslining the rider off of its mount.

Ethan felt the armor and ribs of the lizardlings crack as he flew past. The drake bucked and twisted, biting at the air where Ethan had been, but the man's momentum had carried him way past the beast already. His scaled feet skidded against the soft ground for nearly fifteen feet before he came to a stop.

Grinning, Ethan approached the downed lizardlings, dagger in hand. The creature wheezed, blood seeping out of its nose and mouth as it tried to get back up. Its armor was gone, and when it saw him approach it brandished a dagger and waved it weakly at him, but Ethan just slapped the weak swipes away and shoved his own dagger in the creature's chest, and followed it up by a point-blank gout of flames.

You have defeated [Lizardling (I) - Level 32]

You have reached Level 39. 1 stat point awarded.

Ethan collected his fragments and straightened back up as the agile drake prowled closer. He raised his dagger, wiping up the blood off the blade as his eyes tracked the oncoming monsters, fire wafting off his body. Ethan reveled in the powerful flow of mana he could sense course through him. [Mana Heart] had really been a great choice. Now, he just needed a few more spellcores and primagems, and he'd love to get some from this creature.

"I hope you got something for me, little guy."

The drake growled in response, and pounced.