The Ascender's Legacy [A CHAOTIC STORM LITRPG]

The sound of shattering ice filled the air as Aodhán and Daruk went about harvesting the cores of the frozen Fire-rexes. Daruk worked on one end of the clearing, liquefying the statues to extract the cores, while Aodhán worked on the other end, his core sense spread out in vigilance as he shattered one frozen belly after another.

Unlike Aodhán's own method of battle, Daruk's approach kept a larger number of cores intact—even the ones that had been run through by multiple spikes of liquid ice.

With a grimace, Aodhán pulled out the core of a Fire-rex frozen mid-lunge and turned to face Daruk. "That's the last one. How many do we have now?"

Daruk hefted the bag of cores the cosmic man had given them and placed the last fiery core within it. "This brings us to a total of three hundred and seventy-eight."

Aodhán smiled at that and dusted the frost off his hands, rubbing them together to inject some warmth back into them. He glanced at the shimmering bag and muttered, "That's one hell of a gift. Do you think he gave it to us on purpose?"

Daruk shrugged. "Most likely. It's hard to believe he didn't realize what he was doing when he exchanged a hundred shadow cores for nearly two hundred elemental cores, then added a spatial item on top." His expression grew grim as he sent a glance toward the forest. "I don't trust him."

"He seemed very nice..." Aodhán began, then sighed. "Which is even more reason not to trust him. Nevertheless, it's a great gift."

How the man had managed to create a pseudo-spatial item in such a short amount of time was amazing. Granted, the bag wasn't particularly high quality, nor was its space as large as that of standard items, but it was large enough to contain nearly four hundred cores, and from the looks of it, it wasn't anywhere near full capacity yet.

What made this gift so suspicious was the fact that it had been made with the cosmic affinity—a far more prestigious affinity compared to mere spatial items. Chances were the man meant absolutely nothing by it, but now that he was thinking about it, Aodhán couldn't shake the suspicion that certain strings were attached to accepting the item.

"It could be a karmic seed," Aodhán mused aloud.

"It could also be a tracker," Daruk offered, and they both glanced at the bag again.

Having a bag like this would make their lives infinitely easier, but neither of them could take the chance that it was a tracker—or worse, a karmic seed.

Daruk eyed the bag for a moment before placing it back on the ground. "We have to create our own bags and dispose of this one in the opposite direction."

Aodhán agreed, and a few minutes later, they hefted two separate bags onto their shoulders and threw the cosmic bag to the wind, a flap of Varéc's wings sending it over the forest line.

They had split the cores into two equal halves, with each of them taking half the fire cores and half the water cores. Despite having an even number of cores, though, the split had still been uneven in terms of essence. Aodhán's bag contained more fire cores, while Daruk's contained more water cores.

Daruk jiggled his bag and smiled. "One hundred and eighty-nine advanced cores. This should be enough for both of us."

Aodhán frowned, not quite convinced. "We'll never know until we find out the energy requirement for milestone tiers. They're usually enormous, and with our peculiarities, they'll be even more so. What's important is that we begin first."

If it turned out that the cores weren't enough, then he would simply have to pull out more cores from his lightning pendant, which was still stuck in his butt. Aodhán wasn't sure whether his stealth perk hid him from the view of the handlers, but that was his best option so far. With eyes constantly watching them, that was the only time he could take the necklace out or retrieve things from it.

They left the clearing after that, riding on Varéc in search of a secluded area where they could evolve in peace, and eventually settled in the area where Aodhán had started, as it had no one else around for miles.

Advancement was a delicate process, and undertaking it anywhere other than a secluded and protected training chamber was generally considered unsafe. However, they had no other options at the moment. The cultists hadn't provided any secluded zones for advancement, and they couldn't afford to remain in the evolved class any longer.

The thought of a seal occurred to him, and Aodhán shuddered, wondering how chaotically the twisted effect would thrive in a place like this. With no containment chamber, it was a matter of time before people began rampaging through the realm, their minds completely driven by chaos.

Aodhán shook his head thoroughly, dismissing the thought before it had a chance to linger. He couldn't afford to think about that now. If he gained a seal during his advancement, then he was finished. Even Daruk wouldn't be able to keep him under control, and from what he had just witnessed in the frozen clearing, he doubted he would be able to stop Daruk either.

Still, it would be better for Daruk to go first. If Daruk gained a seal, then he and Varéc could probably restrain him long enough for the effect to pass. Besides, from past experiences, Daruk didn't usually transform into a killing machine under the influence of the twisted effect.

But the main reason Aodhán thought Daruk should go first was so that by the time he would undertake the process, Daruk would already be in the advanced class—better equipped to deal with him or seal him and Varéc in a block of ice until the effects wore off.

He explained his reasoning to Daruk, and though Varéc growled uncomfortably at the prospect of being sealed in a block of ice, he reluctantly agreed. Daruk did the same, a tinge of worry on his face as Varéc settled on the rocky ground.

The scent of ozone and blood still hung thickly in the air from his battle, and though no Reaver remains were left to be seen, lightning still crackled across the red earth in several areas.

Daruk took in the scorched crimson earth and grimaced. "I thought my battle was brutal, but the scent of blood here is even worse."

Aodhán snorted. "The Reavers kept regenerating. I had to kill them multiple times."

Daruk chuckled as he slid down Varéc's back and placed his bag on the floor beside him. A circle of frost spread on the ground beneath him to cover an area half a dozen meters in diameter.

"Are you ready?" Aodhán asked, and Daruk nodded.

He sat down on the frozen floor and picked out a tier 33 water core from his bag to begin.

Aodhán watched him warily, his core sense spread out to the absolute maximum. If anything was going to happen, he wanted to be aware of it with enough time to buy them some breathing room. Nothing happened for the next few seconds, yet Aodhán refused to calm down, his instincts tingling with a warning of danger.

He looked up at the obsidian sky and grimaced. Even if nothing bad would naturally happen, what were the chances that the handlers would stand by and watch them grow stronger without interfering?

Daruk shot to his feet immediately, the water core tumbling from his hands as he stared upward in shock. "What the hell—?"

"Oh no," Aodhán breathed in awe and fear as the storm turned violent. He knew what this was. He hadn't seen it before, but he had experienced it, and the memory was like a brand in his mind.

This was a tribulation of lightning.

It wouldn't be quite as beneficial to Daruk as it would be to him, but it was a great help nonetheless. Emphasis on help.

Why were the cultists helping Daruk? What hidden agenda did they have?

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The answer, unknown to Aodhán, was quite simple. Daruk had created such a spectacular showing with his explosion of willpower that his likability rating had shot through the roof, and now, with his fans multiplying by the minute, the handlers were forced to help him.

Their help, however, didn't come without challenges because a moment later, the earth began to vibrate, and in the distance, a host of gargoyles appeared—some winged, others not—their ghastly, nightmarish features sharp with menacing intent. There were roughly two hundred of them in total, and a glance at the text floating above their heads revealed that the weakest of them was at the 29th tier, while a larger percentage of them ranged from tier 32 to 35.

The earth thundered beneath their feet as they drew closer, nightmarish howls echoing from fanged mouths. It was a fearsome sight, and despite all his power, Aodhán shuddered in fear.

This was not a battle he could fight and win. Not in his prime state. And certainly not now, with one whole seal drained and the other on its last legs. Even fighting alongside Varéc, he couldn't guarantee buying Daruk five minutes, and that wasn't nearly enough time for an advancement.

What if Daruk gained an inspiration and decided that this was the best time to form an icon?

No, Aodhán couldn't take the risk, and without a backward glance, he rushed to grab his bag. "Daruk, grab the core on the floor and let's go!"

But Daruk had already done so and was rushing toward Varéc. The familiar puffed out his chest in annoyance as Daruk climbed onto his back, snorting as if to say, "Where's your precious Sentinel construct now?" But Daruk ignored him and cursed. "Can we not get a friggin' break in this blasted realm? For a moment there, I thought they were trying to help me!"

"Well, we thought wrong," Aodhán shouted back as he climbed onto Varéc and urged the familiar to fly. The gargoyles had already covered half the distance, and as Varéc lifted himself into the air, they screeched and shrieked, rushing forward with renewed speed.

But Varéc was much faster, and with a thunderous roar that rivaled that of the churning storm above, he launched himself into the air, flying at such speed that the world blurred around them. He flew above the clouds to hide from the winged gargoyles, and a few minutes later, they settled into another empty area.

This one wasn't quite as isolated as the last, but Aodhán was confident he could handle the two people within range of his core sense should they show any form of hostility.

With practiced movements, Daruk settled down on the grassy floor to continue his advancement once more, but just like the last time, the moment he grabbed a core, the sky turned dark and began to churn violently. As if that wasn't bad enough, the gargoyles reappeared, their snarls reaching Aodhán far faster than the last time.

"Oh, for the love of stars! How are they here so fast?" Aodhán cursed as he and Daruk raced toward Varéc once again, urging the familiar to fly even faster than before.

The next place they decided to settle was at the shore of a crystal-clear oasis, surrounded by mountains on nearly all sides. The area was large, but the mountains provided it with a sense of isolation, as if it had been cut off from the rest of the realm. Secluded.

The area was beautiful, with the sparkling, clear water and lively trees, but Aodhán barely noticed its beauty as his eyes and core sense scanned the area in search of potential threats.

He found none within the immediate area and sighed. "Okay, I think we're safe here. We've put so much distance between us and the last location that it should take at least an hour for the gargoyles to reach us."

It didn't.

The moment Daruk sat down and the clouds began to churn, the gargoyles appeared as if out of thin air, much closer now with the mountains boxing them in. Aodhán gritted his teeth in annoyance. "They're fucking messing with us."

Raising his eyes to the churning clouds above, he shouted, "Keep your fucking clouds, cultists! We don't want them!"

Had Aodhán been keeping tabs on his likability rating, he would have noticed an instant decline in likability, but he hadn't even used the bracelet since he'd arrived.

Daruk sighed and came to stand beside him. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," Aodhán sighed, even as he readied himself for battle. The handlers obviously didn't want them to evolve, but they were practically living on borrowed time here. This was the first level of Abyssos, and there were already multiple creatures they couldn't defeat. The next level would be worse, and then where would that leave them?

Daruk observed the fast-approaching creatures with a frown, his heart heavy and churning with fear. But he quickly squashed the emotion with a tide of willpower and pulled himself up with fierce determination.

Daruk observed the fast-approaching creatures with a frown, his heart heavy and churning with fear. But he quickly squashed the emotion with a tide of willpower and pulled himself up with fierce determination.

"If we're going to fight, then we'll do so together, while evolving." He glanced at Aodhán, determination burning in his eyes. "I know this is stupid, but it's our only option at this point."

"No," Aodhán shook his head, but Daruk continued.

"It's our only option at this point. What we need is immediate power, and we can get that by absorbing cores on the go. We do not need to meditate for that. We will not seek inspiration. We will not even seek insight."

"This is a milestone advancement, Daruk. If we casually absorb the cores to push ourselves over the threshold without gaining anything tangible, what then is the point?"

"Immediate power," Daruk replied firmly. "To survive and live another day."

Aodhán grimaced. He could see the logic in Daruk's words, and yet he hesitated. The evolution from tier 24 to 25 was a delicate milestone, filled with introspection, insight farming, and inspiration. For them to take full advantage of this experience, they needed focus. To guide the evolution itself. To observe it closely and gain every shred of insight they could from it.

Doing so while battling against a horde of gargoyles and a nasty-looking tribulation would make them miss out on so much power that the result would be severely underwhelming.

But with the gargoyles bearing down on them, what other options did they have?

Aodhán glanced at the oasis and swallowed hard, steeling himself with determination. "If we're going to do this, then it's best we do it where we have the most advantage." Daruk's gaze followed his, and Aodhán smiled grimly. "At the very least, it'll be fun to see the gargoyles try to swim to the center of the oasis."

Daruk echoed his amusement with a grin, and together, they flew to the center of the oasis, which Daruk froze to form a platform, while Varéc hovered in the air, fangs bared in preparation to deal with the winged gargoyles.

The thunderous sound of hundreds of feet pounding against stone grew closer as the gargoyles crested the mountain pass, their nightmarish howls echoing across the water.

Exhaling deeply, Aodhán grabbed a core in one hand and pointed the other at the approaching horde. Daruk did the same, but before they could act, a separate presence entered Aodhán's core sense range.

Aodhán swerved around immediately and pointed a hand crackling with condensed red lightning at the empty space.

Cyrus appeared from said space an instant later, a glare fixed on his face when he found Aodhán poised to attack him. "I see you haven't changed your uncivilized ways, commoner."

Aodhán didn't so much as flinch. Neither did he lower his arm as he responded. "You've made your stance painfully clear these past few months. Who knows what pompous, self-serving idea you've come bearing now?"

Cyrus's glare deepened, but he forced a breath of calm and gestured toward the horde of gargoyles as they drew even closer, their snarls and shrieks so loud they rivaled the boom of thunder from the churning storm above. "I've come to help."

"And what do you stand to gain from this arrangement?" Daruk asked, gaze darting between Cyrus and the horde urgently.

Cyrus shifted hesitantly, and when he didn't respond immediately, Aodhán snapped. "Speak, Cyrus! We have monsters bearing down on us, in case you haven't noticed."

"I've got monsters chasing me too," Cyrus finally responded, taking several steps back as the gargoyles finally reached the shoreline. "Look, we can either help each other or we all fail."

"Fine!" Aodhán agreed. There was no more time to discuss. The gargoyles were already too close. They had to act now.

The gargoyles shrieked as their bodies plunged into the oasis, sinking nearly to their necks. Yet they refused to turn back, eyes shining with malice.

Aodhán pulled on his seal quintessence and began gathering power within his spirit—but before he could do anything, something strange began to happen.

The air shimmered.

Space rippled, and like fabric stretched past its limits, thin lines of distortion began trembling at the edges of his vision. The air wavered as if heat were rising from it, but this was no illusion.

With a single, deliberate gesture, Cyrus raised his hands, and space began to stretch.

The distance between them and the horde began to widen—not from movement, but from distortion. Each step the gargoyles took seemed to carry them nowhere as the ground beneath them pulled away like a receding tide.

What had been ten paces became twenty, then forty—until it looked as if the oasis had grown bloated and vast. Within seconds, the gargoyles who had been bearing down on them were mere dots in the distance, their frustrated shrieks no longer audible through the expanded space.

Aodhán watched the feat in amazement, then dared to ask, "How long can you keep this going?"

Cyrus snorted, as if irritated by the question. "I'm not telling you my secrets, commoner. You'll only use them against me in the future."

Damn right he would! But that wasn't why Aodhán was asking. He wanted to know if Cyrus would need his help or if he could turn his attention to the storm churning above them.

And so, he asked again. "Do you need my help?"

"No, I don't," Cyrus snapped and turned his focus back to the expanding space. "Now leave me alone. I didn't come here to talk."

Aodhán scowled but bit back his reply and turned his attention to the clouds above. Daruk had already settled down to meditate, a pile of cores in his lap as a slight chill spread out from him.

"I wish you good luck, brother," Aodhán murmured, then floated up toward the churning sky, leaving Varéc to protect Daruk in case Cyrus lost control or a gargoyle slipped through.

He rose high into the sky, and when he reached the edge of the churning storm, he grinned, savoring the absolute charge in the air as the tempest picked up momentum.

Aodhán closed his eyes and reached his arms upward. His job here was simple. He wasn't here to deprive Daruk of his tribulation—he simply aimed to reduce its intensity. With an almost maniacal grin, Aodhán activated {Absorb Lightning}, gasping in pleasure as torrents of gold and purple lightning surged into his pathways and flooded his core.

At the very least, he'd gain a tier and a half for his efforts.