Symbiotic Ascension : A Progression Fantasy Adventure

It took a good five minutes before Liara was capable of opening her mouth. She tried to say something, but only a beastly, pained groan came out of her lips. She sighed heavily, her body hurting like hell. If she referenced Glenn's world, it was like she'd been driven over by five different trucks. Pushing her body to the limit had taken its toll, but considering how the fight had ended, it was a relatively cheap price.

The realization suddenly struck her, and she laughed.

They had taken down a Newborn Ruler. Without Glenn or Sahro, they had killed a fucking Newborn Ruler.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the burning touch of the sun on her skin. It felt wonderful, like proof that she was alive and well.

"Hahaha!" Lucian's laughter reached her ears, and her smile widened. Somehow, the Prince wasn't dead, the hole in his stomach mended despite his lack of healing magic.

"Hey, Liara! We're alive!" He laughed, unable to stop himself.

Liara chuckled softly, also struggling to believe that fact. She froze and forced herself up, wincing painfully. Decimius was lying in the sand nearby, his body covered in grievous wounds. She hurried next to the Orc, distraught. The warrior had a gaping hole in place of his waist, and both of his arms had been ripped off.

"Let the pro do the work," a tired female voice called out. Liara turned her head and was relieved to see Milena dragging her feet towards them, exhausted. Whitey was walking beside her, his clipped wing somewhat mended.

"I can't believe I couldn't help you guys," Milena blurted out, dismayed. "But I passed out as soon as I ordered the Orcs to fire the ballistas. Too many under my control, I think."

"You learned some healing spells?" Liara questioned curiously. Last she knew, Milena wasn't really the healing kind.

Milena shook her head. "Yes, and no. It's complicated illusion work. I wouldn't even know how to explain it. It will hold for now, but you all need real treatment." She glanced at Decimius and winced. "Wow. What happened to him?"

"A bird," Lucian shouted from his spot lying in the sand. "A bird pecked him. Don't worry, we roasted him good!"

"Are you sure?" Milena asked, eyeing suspiciously the headless corpse nearby. "I have seen too many not-so-dead corpses rise again."

Lucian raised his hand weakly and waved it dismissively. "Oh, trust me, he's dead for good. He wouldn't dare return after what we did to him!"

Milena shrugged and kneeled beside Decimius. She pushed through her exhaustion, her Mana flowing out freely. Liara could see the magic work its wonders, fixing Decimius up and covering him in a thin layer of sorcery. Decimius grunted, opening both of his eyes. Milena fell back on her ass, drained.

"Whatever's next, it'll have to wait," she declared. "I couldn't kill a rabbit even if I wanted to!"

The ground trembled near them, and something large was approaching. Decimius rose with a pained groan, his golden Aura flickering in and out like a used bulb. He was swaying left and right, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Again, fight?" He uttered in broken Common Tongue. Liara listened for a moment and relaxed. "No. It's a friendly."

Decimius frowned, not reassured. That worry turned to disbelief and shock when the W.O.R.M. carved its way out of the desert, a door sliding open on its side. Javier jumped down, nodding approvingly at them. He pulled out a sheet of paper and quickly wrote something.

"Good job. It must have been tough."

"To put it mildly, it was a little difficult," admitted Lucian, still stuck lying on his back. "I think I died for a few seconds, then came back once I grasped the key to become a Ruler."

Milena paused and slowly turned towards him. "...You what?"

"Pale man," growled Decimius. "You friend?"

Javier stared at him for a few seconds before turning to Liara. "Come inside the W.O.R.M... I'll heal everyone."

Liara didn't have the strength to protect, nor a reason to. She dragged her feet to Lucian, grabbed his vest, and pulled him with her into the W.O.R.M., Milena following them closely. Decimius threw one last suspicious look at Javier before climbing in, struggling to walk straight due to the loss of his arms. Javier looked at the devastation they had caused and nodded to himself. He kneeled beside Bird-Mask's headless corpses and looked through his pockets, finding a curious object with an antenna.

Instead of crushing it right away, he carefully stashed it in his pocket. He glanced at the corpse and placed his hand against its chest. The corpse crumbled into dust with nothing left of it. The soul it contained had truly departed for another place; he had made sure of it.

With everything taken care of, he climbed back in the W.O.R.M.

Moments later, the massive machine returned under the desert, digging through sandstone and rocks.

A chorus of pained grunts was filling the control room, with everyone but Milena lying in stone beds to facilitate recuperation. Javier had a wonderful ability that let him turn their pain into healing, somehow. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it worked. He couldn't fix missing limbs, unfortunately.

Decimius hissed through his gritted teeth, staring at the pale human. "Me need meat!"

Javier nodded, as if he had expected it. He looked at a part of the control room's wall and, fulfilling the Orc's dreams, a mountain of meat came out of it, served on a stone platter. The meat had been cooked perfectly, grilled while retaining its juices, making it incredibly appetizing. The sound of Decimius' stomach grumbling was so loud it made the W.O.R.M. shake from the inside.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The Orc wasn't the only one who threw himself on the food, with everyone serving themselves with no restraints. After a good, maybe too good of a meal, Lucian collapsed in a corner of the control room, exhausted. The W.O.R.M. was sending him tumbling around, but he was so tired he barely noticed. Liara was also half-asleep, trying to meditate to recover more efficiently. Milena was in better condition, but she was still quite tired. As for Decimius, he'd fallen asleep like a log as soon as he finished eating.

Finally, they could have some downtime. Liara smiled softly, only to sigh moments later.

'It's not going to last very long, is it?'

***

They stayed in the W.O.R.M. long enough for the sun to set and the moons to rise. Javier parked the vehicle in a corner of the desert and woke them up. Decimius grunted before suddenly jumping awake. He glanced at the stumps on his arms and, with a deep roar, exploded with golden Aura. Two new fleshy arms grew back where there were none, good as new.

Milena, who had woken up at the same time, observed the process with a mix of amazement and horror.

Once everyone was up, Javier came out of his pilot casket and wrote a few words. "Stay here and wait for a bit. Keep looking at your Observer. When Miyāh al-Ḥayāh's location is marked on the map, go straight there. That's where the Celestial Gods are producing their troops. Decimius should be able to guide you to do the most damage."

"What about Glenn and Sahro? We still haven't destroyed the communication jammer," reminded Milena.

The Pale Hunter nodded slowly. "I'll take care of it. Trust me. The Moons are with us."

"That's greatly reassuring!" Lucian exclaimed happily. Liara shook her head slightly while Decimius struggled to follow the conversation, his broken Common Tongue not helping much. They jumped off the W.O.R.M. and watched as the vehicle dove into the dunes, disappearing in the distance.

Lucian smacked his lips. "Well. What now?"

Liara sat in the black sand in a lotus position. "I broke through to the Sixth Circle, unlocking Ethereal Mana. I'll focus on stabilizing and taking control of it."

"You broke through?" Milena hugged her friend tightly, happy for her. "Good job!" Her expression darkened, and she stepped back dejectedly. "I'm the last one stuck at the Expert Magi level, then. Great. I do not feel left out whatsoever, haha. Hah."

Liara patted her friend's shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, Milena. Good things come to those who wait for them."

"I'm not sure I have the leeway to wait eternally, though..." Milena walked off, chewing on her fingernails. Liara sighed and focused on herself. Lucian and Decimius were left together, and, as proper men, decided to start some armwrestling.

The twin moons shone upon them, bathing them in a pale, calming hue.

***

Javier cleaned his knife emotionlessly, the corpse of Monkey-Mask turning to dust before his eyes. The second part of the communication jammer was in his pocket. He had Glenn to thank for making his job easier. If it weren't for the Devil's Hand, he would have needed to sacrifice the W.O.R.M. to take down the Newborn Ruler.

It was already two level Seven experts that had been taken from the Celestial Gods. Just that would tilt the war in their favor, even though that meant the Celestial Gods would certainly send powerful reinforcements to take down the monster who was slaughtering their elites.

The Pale Hunter sighed. The Moons had been incorrect this time. They had prophesied a hard-earned victory, but claimed the Ruler's life had been as easy as shooting an arrow and slitting his throat. It was disturbing. How could a single mortal's presence disturb Fate itself? Who was Glenn that he could carve his path, instead of following the one laid for him to walk?

Javier shook his head. It was not his place to question it. What mattered was the result, not the way to get there. As long as their will was accomplished, he was fine with everything. Soon enough, he would recover his voice entirely. And if he were a little more patient, a normal life was almost guaranteed to him.

He just needed to be a little more patient.

With a determined expression, he took the two parts of the communication jammer and stuck them together. They clasped into each other perfectly, clearly meant for this purpose. Javier manipulated the complex buttons and deactivated the jammer. His old Observer, which he had kept back from when he went on an expedition to the Ink Dunes with Glenn and the others, flashed with blinking light.

He opened it and marked a location, preparing himself.

Miyāh al-Ḥayāh.

***

Glenn and Sahro stared at the map with mixed emotions. Even Pebble was a little confused.

"We didn't do anything, and suddenly Miyāh al-Ḥayāh appears? That's... That's super weird," remarked Glenn.

"Whatever, why do we care? Even if it's a trap, we can just go there and beat everyone's ass!" Diamanes exclaimed. "Together, you should be able to take down a Newborn Ruler."

Sahro grunted. "That's not enough. We need to be powerful enough to take multiple at once. If a Newborn Ruler is guarding a random island, that means they can afford to put him there."

"How many Newborn Rulers do you think they have, Sahro?" Glenn questioned, staring at the blinking point on the map.

"No idea. But we don't have a choice, do we? Only our allies have access to the Observer; they're the ones who added the new location," grumbled the Black Heirs. "We have to go there. Doesn't matter if it's a trap or not."

Glenn stretched, wondering if he should call his secret weapon to the rescue. He's rather not. Nelg was busy studying Divinity and ways to counter it. His studies were mostly centered around Blumar, of course.

'If we have to fight many Newborn Rulers, having an immortal, sentient, and indestructible weapon would help greatly.' He pondered on the question for a long time before she eventually tapped the black band at his wrist. The ringing of a phone echoed over the black dunes, making Glenn patient. After a dozen seconds, a familiar face appeared in a hologram above Glenn's wrist.

"Glenn! How are you doing? We haven't heard from you in a while!" Lina exclaimed, worried. His sister had let her hair grow longer, tying it in a ponytail just like he did.

"The young mistress has trouble sleeping at night, Young Master. Please reassure that everything is fine," warned Tiamanes, Diamanes' counterpart, contained in Lina's right hand.

Glenn raised his hands in a placating manner, showing that he was fine. "I'm good, great even. I'm just wondering if Nelg is around? I might need you to send him to us."

Lina frowned. "I thought you wanted him to focus on his studies."

Glenn shook his head. "He wanted to do these studies. I'm sure we can kill gods even with sticks and stones if we're stubborn enough. He's already deadly enough; he doesn't need to be able to turn into Blumar. The idea itself is absurd-"

"So what?" A voice perfectly similar to Glenn yet slightly different rang from behind Lina. Nelg, in his shining armor, ruffled Lina's hair, grinning. "Even if it's absurd, it might be our best shot. We never know, right?"

"We never know," Glenn agreed. "Listen, Nelg, I think I'm going to need your help. So try and stay on stand-by, would you?"

Nelg rubbed his hands together with a wicked expression. "Perfect. I'll be able to test out something I wanted."

Sahro pecked his head over the call. "Tell Liam and Janica to get me a new prosthesis! It exploded again."

Nelg grumbled an agreement before putting an end to the call. Glenn sighed heavily and scratched Pebble's neck, the dragon purring in pleasure.

"Let's get to it, Sahro." Glenn's eyes glinted with impatient and excitement. "The River of Life is waiting for us!"