Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends - Chapter 382: Zach

Chapter 382: Zach

Purpose

Zach sat in a small room, a reading lamp on his table providing enough light for him to see. The table was covered with scrolls, the knowledge of the Wardens. Or at least what Bera had managed to move out of the Citadel’s Library before it fell. He had spent the last few years familiarizing himself with them, learning about different builds and the accepted knowledge of Essence. It was… disappointing in a way. A lot of what the world believed about the Essence felt incomplete to Zach. He didn’t have a lot of theoretical knowledge, and what he could read didn’t add much to his understanding. His understanding was personal, experience, and largely based on feelings and hunches.

Still, there was knowledge in there that could be useful. He focused mostly on the more valuable texts, describing some high tiered Classes. He had been having some… thoughts of recent, regarding the advancement and focus madness. There were in there accounts of people who tried to raise all three focuses by picking very similar focuses. A Blademaster Class and a Blademaster Path, for example. It worked for a while, but ultimately they were driven mad. What was interesting was the way that the madness manifested. Usually, madness came from the dissonance between the focuses. One pushing in one direction, while the other pulling in another. In this particular case, that shouldn’t have been the case.

Still, the man ended up caring only about the blade to the exclusion of everything else. He died of thirst and hunger, after he ignored food and drink.

Zach wondered if perhaps skills could help anchor, locking in who the person was should help. Though as Naha had told him, such things could backfire and get twisted as well. He kept reading all night, until the light of the sun peered in through the window and day started. Zach rubbed at his eyes, then stood, leaving his work on the table unfinished.

He walked across the room and started dressing for the day. On the bed, Naha stirred and peeked at him through the covers.

“Day already?” She asked.

Zach nodded. “Hiro will be up soon, I should get there before him.”

She hummed and then turned back to sleep. She didn’t sleep often, only once every month, if that. But when she did, she liked to relax for as long as she could. He dressed and walked out of their rooms in the keep. He entered the courtyard, seeing Wardens already working. Some training, others working at their stations.

They survived mostly by selling what their crafters were able to make, and monster hunting. There wasn’t much that they could do. They’ve lost most of their territories, now having only a handful left.

Zach nodded as they greeted him and made his way out of the keep, then headed to his grove.

He waited in the grove for barely five minutes before Hiro arrived. By his expression, Zach could tell that he hadn’t had much sleep. Which could bode well for his task.

“Greetings, Master,” Hiro inclined his head.

“Hiro,” Zach said, returning the nod. “So, how did it go?”

Hiro grimaced, then took his place on a small stone in front of Zach and the large boulder he was leaning on.

“I managed it,” Hiro said slowly.

“And?”

“It was hard… figuring out that it was a dream in the first place,” Hiro said.

Zach nodded. “And that is only your own mind attempting to trick you. Imagine then, what someone else could do?”

Hiro nodded grimly. They had settled on Mind for his next Aspect, and had been training him in it for the past four months. Zach knew the value of good mental defenses, but also just how deadly such powers could be. The start of his training had been getting him new skills. Bera had granted Zach the use of the skill tomes that they had remaining, through which they gave Hiro two skills: |Mind Shield| passive and |Mind Blast| active.

Both were rare skills, and with a bit of training with them he had been given a Mind flavored choice for his Class Evolution, he was now Legacy Shadow-Mind Blade. Currently, they were slowly working on getting him proficient with the Mind Aspect in order to get him better perks. They didn’t have much time left, in a few months they would have to leave for the Sects. They were hoping to have him unlock the Lord of Aspects Class before then.

They were already well on their way. The requirement of visiting different Aspect planes had been the easiest part to achieve. Zach had simply opened up the portals and they had prepared Hiro as much as possible to survive there. Potions and formations, as well as they picked some of the easier planes to weather.

Six Elementals had been accomplished as well, Zach had hunted for them in the Ethereal and they had Hiro kill them. Finding elementals that he could counter easily enough was a bit of a challenge, but they had a lot of time.

Of the six dragons, they had found and had him kill two, and they already had a plan to visit a dungeon on their way to the Sect Lands. The last, the achievement title of the Master Warrior from any faction was the easiest one. He was part of the Wardens, and aside from going out with the other Wardens accomplishing tasks, the leader of a faction could grant such titles as well.

Though, they didn’t believe that he would need to do the full quest. Class Requirements were not meant to be as hard as the Quest was. Zach had gotten the quest because he didn’t meet the requirements nor did he know where to start. They hoped that he had done enough to gain the Class anyway.

They’ll find out eventually, and at least have an idea about what the real Requirements for the Class were. Zach believed that having at least three Class Evolutions flavored by different Aspects was the main one.

Now, Zach had him training his imagination and mind. Having him learn to control his own dreams would give him insight into recognizing when he was placed in illusions or dreams. And Zach gave… lessons.

After they reviewed Hiro’s dreams, they moved on to more practical applications of Aspect Mastery. Zach faced the boulder, he had sheared off half of it to create a makeshift board, and he used white chalk to write on it.

“Your Soul has a sense, just like every other part of you does. Learning how to tap into this sense will be a difficult task unless you are completely immersed in your chosen Aspect. You’ve probably heard it called many different things. Your other instructors have spoken to you about feeling the blade, yes?”

Hiro nodded.

“The Blade, as an Aspect, is a concept. It is a personification of ideas behind a particular weapon, one with a blade in this case. I’ve fought someone, long ago, who had it. I didn’t know it at a time, but she was very in tune with her Aspect, her Soul could sense it and it allowed her to guide it.”

“Who was it?” Hiro asked.

“A blademaster,” Zach answered simply, then after a beat turned to his board. He drew a poor image of a person, then started drawing waves all around it. “One of the reasons why it is so hard to sense a singular Essence, is because we are always surrounded by so many of them. From the texts I have read, I don’t think that anyone had really figured out a way to change that. Though, I have my suspicions that Cultivation might prove an answer. After all, Cultivators have their own source of a particular Essence within them, their Cores filled with Qi. But, that is a conversation for another time.”

Zach turned back to look at Hiro and saw a dozen stones, arranged upright and attentive to his words. His class, always listening students. He blinked and they shimmered, then disappeared, leaving only Hiro looking at him.

“Master?” Hiro asked.

“Right,” Zach cleared his throat. That hadn’t happened in a long time. He shook his head and continued with his lesson. “The Mind Essence is one of the most versatile ones, in my opinion. It can allow you to train, to get more out of the world around you, to notice, analyze, and categorize the smallest of details. And it allows you to play tricks with your opponents.”

Hiro listened attentively, and Zach continued with his lesson. Trying to put into words his knowledge.

* * *

They ended the day with a spar. Hiro attacked, and Zach defended. Hiro favored fighting with a straight half bladed sword and a dagger, one in each hand. Zach suspected that it was emulating Naha and him, but he didn’t comment. His |Combat Mastery| skill had evolved into |Blade Mastery| as he was taught by the other wardens. He was good for his tier, but there was a lot of room for improvement.

Hiro came in low, attacking from the ground. His form dark and covered in shadows, hard to see in the dimming light of approaching night. Zach had no issue seeing him, but he had skills that let him do so.

Zach moved his blade in the way and blocked Hiro’s attack, noting that Hiro’s balance was slightly off. He made a mental note of it, and continued blocking as Hiro pressed the attack. The young ravzor moved quickly and attacked with precision, evading Zach’s returned strikes with just enough to time to get out of the way. Of course, Zach was holding himself back to his level, but it was impressive still. Hiro had a few perks that let him know when danger was coming, courtesy of his Survivor Classes. As landed from his back leap and then slashed forward. Zach felt him use his |Mind Blast| along with his [Blinding Strike]. Zach pretended to wince and paused his movement for a split second, enough time for Hiro to take advantage, if he was fast enough.

Sadly, Hiro’s surprise at Zach being affected made him slow to react, and Zach blurred across the field and hit him with the side of his blade, sending him tumbling across the grass.

“Hah,” Zach heard a chuckle from his sword. “The boy needs to learn to be more adaptable.”

Zach agreed with Ra’vallim. Hiro was accustomed to things working a certain way. Zach hoped that the change he would experience when they visited the Sects would be enough to open up his mind to greater possibilities.

“So,” Zach said as Hiro climbed to his feet. “Why didn’t you take advantage of the opening?”

“I…” Hiro looked at him with a frown. “But… those powers never work on you!” He complained.

Zach tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “They never worked before you mean. Why even attack with them then?”

Hiro opened his mouth, then closed it. After another try he managed to speak. “It is part of my combo attack.”

Zach nodded. He had seen his patterns in their training sessions. The Wardens had drilled into him the ways to chain his powers to a devastating effect. Now it was Zach’s time to teach him how to ignore all that he was taught. “You didn’t think that it would work, but you still used it… Well, there is a lesson for you, never assume that you know what is going to happen in a fight.”

Hiro took a deep breath, then nodded in acceptance.

Seeing him like that, made Zach think of him as a child. In some ways, he always would be to him, but Zach knew intellectually that Hiro hadn’t been a child for a long time. Since he watched everyone he loved die in front of him. He was in his late twenties now, and on the way to become one of the youngest Immortals in the world. Taught by the greatest that the Wardens had to offer. They might be a shadow of what they were, but the people that remained were those who were stalwart in their convictions and power.

“That will be all for today,” Zach said.

Hiro bowed, and then walked out of the grove, leaving Zach alone. It didn’t take long for his visitor to walk up to him.

“We received a missive,” Bera said.

Zach glanced in her direction. “And?”

“We’ve been assigned to Sigmund Otensson’s force, we are going against the Fifth Dome.”

“Ah,” Zach just said. “When does it start?”

“First one will be opened in a month, we are going in five years.”

“Not a lot of time to prepare,” Zach said, his eyes turning back to where Hiro had walked off in. A few months, and then they head for the Sects. By then he hoped to have Hiro reach Immortality. But for now, all he could do is continue training him.