Symbiotic Ascension : A Progression Fantasy Adventure

Glenn opened his eyes to the chittering of birds, the snoring of a dragon, and the warm light washing over his face. A weight on his chest made him look down, finding Liara sleeping peacefully there. They had fallen asleep on the sofa he'd brought to the top of the pyramid. Pebble was sleeping a short distance away, his head resting on his massive paws. He also noticed Whitey flying through the air, not that far from the pyramid.

It had stopped raining at some point during the night, a lazy sun piercing through the clouds. The temperature was just right- not that he really cared for it. He could probably sleep in a mound of snow and be completely fine, considering how far he was from a standard human.

Glenn looked back at Liara and played with her pale, silver white hair. He rubbed the tip of her ears, smiling to himself, when Liara suddenly sat up on him, half-drooling.

"Huh? W- Where...?"

The confusion cleared out of her eyes, replaced by shame and shyness as she realized who she was sitting on.

"Good morning," Glenn smiled.

Liara froze for a few seconds, unsure of what to do, before eventually plopping down back on Glenn's chest and burying her face in his arms.

"I take it you slept pretty well," he said with a chuckle.

Liara nodded silently. They enjoyed the peaceful moment for a while, until their peace was inevitably disturbed. Pebble raised his head, blinking himself awake and peering down the pyramid.

"Seems like someone is coming," remarked Glenn.

Liara sighed heavily and reluctantly pulled herself away, making sure she was presentable. Glenn cleared his throat, realizing his clothes had gotten lost at some point during the previous night. A simple thought, and his white suit appeared over him, and his hair was tied in a ponytail.

It was just in time to welcome two guests they both hadn't expected to see just yet. One was a powerful dark elf with a mighty presence, dressed like a pirate with a leather vest that struggled to contain her imposing bosom. A smoldering cigar was smoked at her lips, and a small lizard made of pure flames hung on her shoulders.

"M'am Giselle?" Glenn's eyes widened. "What- When did you get here? Did Lina finish installing the warp gate? I thought it would have taken longer."

Giselle took a drag from her cigar and released a large cloud of smoke. "We arrived last night, boy, but we chose to let you all rest. Maron wasn't happy with tha' choice, but who cares about him, ay?"

"Maron?" Glenn turned to the second guest, who was enjoying the sight from the top of the pyramid. "Yes, yes, I already see much to develop. King's Rise has needed a new source of lumber since the loss of the Blessed Grove; this will surely be an excellent source to export. Hmm..."

Monsieur Maron was a balding man with an average build, except for being made half of flesh, and half Blumar, a material resistant to magic or other sort of mystical energies. He was dressed like a typical businessman, with the symbol of the Maron Company embroidered on his vest, a coin with an M in its center.

Liara chased away her embarrassment and recovered her bearings. "Giselle Pyr, Monsieur Maron, welcome to Thalorieth. This is Miyāh al-Ḥayāh, also known as the River of Life." She gestured at the massive silver tree reaching for the sky and the perpetual water flowing out from the sides of the pyramid.

Glenn approached Giselle curiously, petting the strange flame lizard. The creature was hot to the touch and would probably burn someone weaker than him. It hissed at his approach, trying to flee from his touch, but nothing could escape Glenn's.

"Where did you find this thing?" Glenn asked.

Giselle scratched the lizard's chin absently. "Well, I was workin' on New Hope with a few comrades when our Inheritance Sigils suddenly all lit up. Everyone got those-" She pointed at her ears, more precisely at the sharp tips, "And a small creature like this one. It's peculiar, but I don't hate it."

The lizard's flame tongue hung out in happiness as Giselle scratched its chin.

"My Queen, what shall we do now, then?" Giselle turned to Liara with a grave expression. "Many Black Heirs are confused by this turn of events, and do not know what to do next. Shall we stay in King's Rise, or return to Thalorieth?"

Giselle grimaced and scratched the back of her head. "'Cause, to speak the truth, many enjoy their new lives in New Hope. They're tired of all the movin' around and re-buildin'."

Liara nodded. "That's understandable." She walked up to the table nearby, looking down at the map. "Tell everyone that there will be no punishment for those who stay in New Hope. Instead, I will reward those who put effort into rebuilding Thalorieth. Exemption from taxes, lands, titles... We will do things like humans for a while, to boost the development of the country."

Maron scratched his stony chin. "This new country you are establishing will need manpower, talents, skills, and a lot of effort. Offering incentives is the right idea."

Glenn slowly felt himself falling out of the discussion as Liara, Maron, and Giselle began discussing logistics, trade routes, and manners to best use the warp gate Lina installed, even thinking about installing more of those. The reason only nobles or powerful individuals used teleportation in Munirp was that experts on teleportation were rare and kept preciously hidden from others. They didn't have this problem thanks to Lina's presence, even if Glenn thought it was a lot of pressure to push down on someone as young as her.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"What the hell are you talking about? She's only two years younger than you!" Diamanes suddenly clamored, startling him.

"Shit, when did you come back?!"

"In the night. I can't believe I missed all the action. Even the readers know more about what happened than I did!"

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Glenn shook his head. "Anyway, Lina hasn't experienced what I did. She's what, nineteen?"

"Hey, you are going strong on your twenty-two!"

"...Damn, that means she'll soon be twenty. Time is flying, I swear." Glenn looked at the sun peeking through the clouds.

His contemplation was interrupted when a Pale Son he didn't know ran up to him from down the pyramid. "Sir Glenn! The Prophet wishes to see you!"

Glenn raised an eyebrow. 'Prophet. I can't get used to associating that title with Javier at all.'

'Do you think he snorts shrooms and talks to the moons like that? That's how they did it in Delphi, right? The Oracle of Delphi, you remember?'

'I do. And... I hope not. My only experience with drugs on Limbo was with the Thorns Church's Moongrass, and that's something I'd rather not see again.'

'Fair enough.'

They passed by a wary Sahro, watching as Nelg studied his katana closely, using multiple tools Glenn couldn't even name. Janica and Liam were also nearby, working on a new prosthesis for Sahro that should, hopefully, hold on against his power.

The Pale Son guided Glenn into the pyramid, following the silver sap channels to the deepest part of the structure. They arrived at a section of the inner pyramid wall. The silver sap ran up the structure, forming a glowing circle. Javier was standing before the circle, silent.

"I'll leave you there," said the Pale Son who brought Glenn here.

Glenn walked up to the creepy, silent hunter. "You wanted to see me?"

Javier nodded slowly. Glenn shivered and took a step back, magic instinctively surging out of his hands. For an instant, he had felt an immense presence standing beside the Pale Son staring straight at him. Something as powerful as the Dead God that almost breached the world.

'Was that his God? The Twin Moons?' Glenn clenched his teeth.

'I knew this guy was still fucked up in the head,' Diamanes spat. 'Just roast him alive with those black flames we took. I'm sure his God won't be able to say a thing!'

Javier wrote something on a piece of paper and handed the message to Glenn.

"The Moons told me there is something here."

He pointed at the center of the silver sap circle, then at Glenn's left purple hand.

"Really?" Glenn frowned. "Why would Diamanes activate anything here? He's not really related to the Black Heirs, so how...?"

Javier stared at him silently, his eyes dark and empty like a fish's.

"O~kay, great." Glenn moistened his lips and shrugged. "I mean, it's just a hand. I don't think you'd let me lose one."

"Wait, Glenn, I don't think that's a good idea!" Diamanes exclaimed, alarmed. "I'm trying to think for myself for a few minutes, and I find you trying to shove me into weird places. Can't you stop that strange habit of yours?"

Glenn rolled his eyes. "Let's just see how it goes."

He pressed his left hand against the wall expectantly. The young man winced painfully as a searing pain seized his skin, as if he had just grabbed a hot iron. He tried to pull himself away, but his skin was stuck to the wall, refusing to leave. Purple mist seeped out of his hand, mixing with the silver sap in mysterious ways.

"Oh yeah?" Glenn's eyes shone purple as a Sun spell appeared in his free hand. "Let's see if you won't let go after—"

Darkness.

"—This?" Glenn blinked, looking at his surroundings in confusion. The wall had disappeared, freeing his hand. Javier was also gone, as was the rest of the pyramid.

"What sort of fuckery is this?" Diamanes muttered.

"Oh, so you're also here. That's unusual," Glenn remarked. "Generally, I'm alone for these sorts of things."

"Wait, how many times did this happen to you? How are you so calm?" Before Glenn could reply, Diamanes sighed. "Actually, I don't want to know."

The ground trembled, and black sand rose, rippling out like a wave. The pyramid reappeared, newer and in better condition. Dust was falling from the ceiling, and the sound of explosions was shaking the structure up and down. Elves were running around in a hurry, casting spells at the pyramid to improve its integrity or for some other obscure reason. All sorts of magic beasts were helping the best they could, snarling and hissing desperately.

A female elf in a black toga, pale skin, and a spear strung to her back clenched her hands. She had golden eyes and a white cross on her forehead, with a very similar appearance to Liara. A white bird was perched on her arm.

"####, we do not have a choice!"

A blurry individual raised his hand before lowering it. Glenn squinted, trying to understand what he was seeing, but it was like his brain couldn't comprehend that being. He tried to push against the feeling, reaching with his left hand for that face, and the veil suddenly ripped. The blur disappeared, like a weight off his shoulders, revealing a face Glenn had already seen before.

Heroic blond hair and blue eyes, a crimson cloak, and the setting sun of Munirp embroidered on his back. A crown with untold power hovering over his head, stronger even than Alaric.

Munirp's Founder, the nameless First King.

"Elaria, I... I can't. This could spell the doom of your people, the doom of an entire race! You and everyone else could be sealed for eternity!"

Elaria sneered, the cross on her forehead gleaming with silver. "We are doomed either way if we don't do anything. You've seen what happened to the demons! So please, for the sake of our friendship, do it."

The First King took a deep breath and opened his hand. Inside was a seed, a seed of silver.

"O, Seed of the Spirit Tree, forgive me. May you be put to sleep, your power extinguished, your presence erased, for that one chance." The First King crushed the seed. Elaria gasped, and the elves around all froze. Elaria smiled dejectedly and grabbed the First King's shoulder.

"Thank you, my friend. May our Heirs do better than us."

The First King gave her a sad look. Her ears turned round, the symbol on her forehead fading. Around her, every elf collapsed as their racial traits and spirit beasts were erased.

With a jump, the King soared through the pyramid and came out through a narrow hole. The sky was covered in a thick, blurry veil that Glenn knew he had no chance of piercing. The First King arrived just in time to watch as the massive Tree of Spirit, a mirror copy of the silver tree of Glenn's current days, crumbled into ashes, burnt by golden flames.

Outside the pyramid, Glenn discovered a city sprawling further than he could see, all burning from these same golden flames. The ashes turned to sand, rising to bury the remains. Water dried out, vegetation died out, and all signs of life disappeared, save for the once-elves of Thalorieth.

The First King raised his hand and closed his eyes. "This is my last gift to you, Elaria. May our Heirs do better."

A wave of magic surged out of his chest and submerged the entire kingdom. Glenn's jaw dropped to the floor as he watched every citizen being teleported away far from the fallen kingdom. The First King sighed and turned his gaze to the sky. He clenched his fists, his teeth gritted tightly.

"So it is my turn now, huh? Too bad I'm the King of humans, huh? Why don't you try and chain me down in my castle, or strip me of my powers?" The power exploded out of him, the desert shivering from his might. He unsheathed his sword and pointed its accusatory tip at the heavens.

He calmly stared at the sky, and his heart rested.

"Now come at me."