“Good day to you Sir Helo. How do you fare, whence we last spoke?” Carl says from his seat at the table. He is the only other person to get up as early as Helo does. They start their days similarly. But Carl focuses on strength and his sword swings.
“Good morning, Carl. I am doing well.” Helo yawns as he steps downstairs. He has to hold in a chuckle; he still can’t get over how Carl talks.
It has been a little under three months since the party was informed that they would be part of a rift break test. Over the last few months certain rifts have been only partially cleared. This will make the bosses steadily grow stronger, and let the rift survive.
Due to the party only clearing certain rifts their growth has slowed a bit. This isn’t a huge issue because Allie and Hinata are already pushing into level 40. Plus, the next three months will be a grind for the party. Then they will be going to school, where their progress will slow dramatically. But in the next three months Alli and Hinata should be able to gain at least a few levels into the forties.
Everyone else has gained a few levels as well. Helo is the lowest at 33. Everyone else is between 35 and 38. At the same time many of the party has seen considerable growth in their skills.
Heading over to do his morning sparring with Akira, Helo takes a look at his new status. Looking at his status he questions if there is a way to shorten it. He doesn’t need to read the description of his title and Aura. Looking at the new status he also doesn’t think he needs to see his gear. Maybe he will only keep the gear that affects his status. Like efficiency modifiers.
Name: Helo Vital
Tier: 1
Bloodline: Redacted (3.4%)
Title: Nature’s Alpha (Epic)
Gear: Alpha Wolf Hide Bracers (Epic), Boxers of Infinite Regeneration (Epic), A mother’s first gift, a father’s first lesson. (Mythic/Hidden) (Rare)
Aura: Null Presence
Age: 15
Class: Shaded Predator (Pseudo Tier 3)
Level: 33
Stats: 404
- Str: 27 (+5%)
- Agl: 68 (+15%)
- Dex:46 (+15%)
- Per: 51 (+30%)
- Vit: 80 (+40%)
- End: 27 (+15%)
- Int: 25 (+5%)
- Will: 80 (+40%)
Racial Skill: 5
- Greatly Enhanced Perception (Instincts) (Rare)
- Greatly Enhanced Natural Energy (Mental/Physical) (Rare)
- Regeneration (???)
- Major Vitality Siphon? (???)
- Dark Curse (???)
- Primary(N/A)
- Secondary(N/A)
Primary Class Skill: 5
- Forced Still (Rare)
- Dark Blade Projection (Rare)
- Defiled Wound (Uncommon)
- Bloodline Awakening (Rare)
- Mental Grasp (Uncommon)
Skills: 2
- Nature’s Flow Meditation (Uncommon)
- Detect Weakness (Uncommon)
- Appraisal (Common)
Styles: 2
- Moon-Staff (Uncommon)
- Moonshines Afterblock (Uncommon)
- Twin Fang of the Beast (Uncommon)
- Attacking from a step behind (Uncommon)
Happy with his status, the thing that he is most pleased about is his bloodline. He has spent every morning pushing his awakening and absorbing vitality. Then when there is a rift to fight. Which is usually one a day, he pushes the limits of his awakening again. He does this while killing his enemies in the most brutal fashion that he can, so that he can absorb their vitality.
His brutal method of fighting has made the new party members a little wary of him. But truthfully Helo doesn’t really mind. He wants to be on friendly terms with his new party members, and he is with Arisah. But he has never been normal, nor has he ever truly felt the desire to have a ton of friends. Alli can talk to new people and make friends easily, Gabi is similar. Hinata is more reserved in her actions, but she is friendly. Helo just doesn’t feel the need.
Reaching the Kashiwagi Dojo, he takes off his shoes and bows before entering. “Good morning, Akira Sensei.” He says before sitting in front of the kneeling man.
Akira looks up and smiles at Helo. “You have made good progress these last months. But you have slowed. Do you know why?”
“Because… the further along I awaken my bloodline the more energy and more potent energy I need.” Helo says without pause. This is something that he has already thought about. Pushing into three precent took a while, but the first few percent within three was much faster. Now it has slowed down again.
“Perhaps. Let us spar.” At this the image of Akira vanishes and a naginata comes sailing out of the air and toward Helo. He is used to Akira’s unique brand of mischievousness by now and easily turns to catch the blade.
The two start off fighting normally. The go slow and build up their attacks. With Helo’s growth the last few months he can last just a little longer. Once Helo is pressured, Akira starts dropping orbs of vitality. This boosts Helo’s abilities as his eyes start to glow golden.
Eventually Helo starts to feel pressured again and he starts using ‘Moon-Staff’ techniques. He can still only create a single projection. But he now has control over that projection. Over the last month, using his telekinesis and aura has helped with his external energy control.
He has even started incorporating the second technique in the ‘Moon-Staff’ style. This is a technique that Micah has shown him and Helo has slowly been trying to learn. It is called ‘Merged Blow’. To use the technique, you merge your weapon with the projection and strike with both at the same time.
He has yet to master it, but he has made progress. So far, he can use merged blow with enough skill to block a powerful attack. He can’t extend the technique far enough to strike with it.
Ducking under a slash Helo retaliates with his own. His blade is caught on Akira’s naginata shaft, with a quick spin and flick, Helo’s blade is out of position and Akira is posed to strike.
With a soft growl Helo activates ‘Bloodline Awakening’. With a wave of power and force Helo’s veins start to glow golden and he has a thin dark haze that pools around him.
Akira watches this with a smile. He is proud of what Helo has accomplished. He has made great strides forward is adapting his body to his bloodline. But Akira can see that Helo has some progress to go. The skill still strains his body, even if less than before. But it also still strains his mind.
Helo has talked about how he understands that his bloodline and cursed merged. The product was a changed bloodline with dark and life affinities. Which is a powerful combination. The issue that Helo is having is that he has yet to realize that not only does his body have to start producing life affinity physical energy. But his mind needs to produce dark affinity mental energy.
This is something Akira has known for a while. He saw how the strain on Helo’s body lessened, but his mind didn’t. But he won’t tell Helo this. Helo needs to learn balance on his own.
With golden slitted eyes and golden glowing veins Helo steps forward to resume the fight. This time his speed has increased greatly. The speed that he can spin the naginata has almost doubled and his energy control is almost enough to create a second projection.
But Helo still isn’t there yet. Slashing forward Helo goes through a series of strikes that seamlessly flow into one another. By the end his grin is growing and he smiles at Akira.
“You are doing good Helo-San. Your growth is steady.” After speaking Akira easily ducks Helo’s blow and inserts his blade at just the right angle to throw Helo off.
“But there is always another step to walk.” Akira says with a chuckle as the fight continues.
Thirty minutes later, which is fifteen more than two months ago, Helo has to shut off his skill. His body feels incredibly sore. Like he just worked out for three days straight. But with his vitality he will be okay. What is really hurting is his mind. His head feels like it is submerged in water and the connection he feels to the outside world is muted.
Akira watches Helo lay back and hopes to see the young boy have an epiphany. Come on. You complain about the strain on your mind. Make the connection. If you find balance, your growth will be huge.
Eventually he feels good enough to move and Helo gets up. With a sigh Akira creates an illusion of himself and adjusts the awareness around himself so Helo doesn’t look at the real him. At the same time, he creates an illusion over Helo’s naginata.
Helo starts to talk with the illusion as Akira cleans up the Dojo. When he is done, he says goodbye and steps into the pleasant May weather. Sending his focus into his Dimensional Ring he finds the core he has been holding since he and Helo started training. It is a shadow elemental core, from a tier 3 beast.
What Helo doesn’t know is that the vitality cores that Akira has been using are incredibly rare. The clan has quite a few in storage. But that is only thanks to their dryad population and years of collecting.
This elemental core is even more precious. But once Helo finally learns his need for balance, they will start incorporating it into their morning sparing. Akira has never had a son. He wanted to have more children, but his with Yuki had complications during the birth of Hinata. So, they decided it wasn’t worth the risk.
Add that to the fact that Akira got a divine message fifteen years ago that an important scion to the Divine Beast Faction was going to be growing up on earth. This is due to some major war that was happening on his home world, with this Akira has no issues treating Helo like his own child. Especially since his daughter seems to really like him.
With a sigh Akira send a pray to the gods of his faction that Helo will have the epiphany he needs.
Far away in another universe the divine fox Hikari Kashi opened her eyes for the first time in fifteen years. At that time her friend Rose, who married into royalty, came to ask her if there was any place for her son to grow up safely.
The first few places were all shut down. The war that wreaked the universe thousands of years ago was still bearing its fangs. The animosity between the Dragons and Vampire’s was stronger than ever.
The dragons are their own separate faction, and they are protected within their territory. But not all dragons are part of that faction. Since the Vampires wanted to kill and consume dragons they found the next best thing. The Divine Beast Faction has its own dragon clan. The Royal Helles Family, this was the family that Rose married into.
She came to Hikari after suffering a horrible curse. Wanting to protect her child she needed a place for him to grow, where he could be safe. Even if that means that she has to be away from him. So, in the end they decided to send him to a little planet in the middle of nowhere called Earth. Hikari has two clans on that planet. One is her own kin, if only a branch family. The other is the offspring of one of her lovers.
Earth was about to get locked down by the system and created a perfect opportunity for him to grow. Along with the child, she sent a divine message to the leader of the faction.
All this goes through her mind in an instant as the kitsune wakes up from her cultivation. Her divine realm is growing smoothly; in another few hundred years she should be ready to gain another level.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Stretching her body with languid grace, Hikari gets out of her bed and drapes a sheer robe over her naked body. Walking out of her cultivation cave with sashaying hips, she runs her hand through her blue silklike hair. It glows with an ethereal light and matches the color of her foxfire.
There are only a few types of messages that can reach into her cultivation cave. With the raising of a single beautiful eyebrow, she searches her mind for what woke her. “Mhmmm what does he want.” She thinks as she can feel repeated prayers toward her. Due to Rose’s child being on earth, she made it so that if the need was great the Kashiwagi clan leader could reach her.
A single prayer wasn’t enough, but months of daily prayers finally got through to her. Feeling out the intention of the prayer, she is surprised that he was praying for another individual. All he wanted was a minor epiphany. With a shrug of her shoulders that send her breasts asway she uses a minor amount of divine energy. “Well, I hope your thankful. It should get there soon.”
With a snap of her fingers a deer-kin appears with wide eyes while sitting on a chair. “Mhm. Was that the wrong chair. I don’t know you.” Sending her consciousness to the desk where her assistant should be, she finds it empty. The chair is gone as well.
“Oh. Your new.” She holds up her hand to stall the terrified deer-kin from speaking. “No no dear. Hah. Deer… Anyway, I’m sure you’re lovely. I’m sure you’re great at your job. But I need some tea first.”
Back on earth Helo is enjoying lunch with his party. They are all talking about their plans for the weekend and growth they have made during the week. Aiko even made a special vegetarian meal because Arisah got her uncommon ‘Plant Growth’ skill to rare tier. Now it is ‘Overgrowth’.
Overgrowth (Rare): Allows the user to flood nearby plants with energy. Stimulating rapid growth and recovery.
This skill combined with her uncommon ‘Plant Commune’ is the vegetarian bread and butter off her fighting style. One skill grows the plants; the other controls them.
Enjoying the meal as a party everyone is surprised when they all hear their tablets making a weird noise. Most of the team looks at each other in confusion. Grabbing their tablets, they are blaring a siren noise and flashing red.
Everyone but Hinata is confused. Her face is a mix of horror and a little excitement. As everyone is about to freak out, she says. “It is starting.” In a whisper.
It is only those with the greatest hearing that can pick up what she said over the noise of the tablets. “What. What is starting?” Helo asks her.
“The rift breaks. Our next three months are going to be extremely difficult. This is the noise that our tablets make when there is an emergency. Tripple tap the screen and it will shut off.” Everyone does as she says and their tablet shows them a map, on that map is the Kashiwagi territory. It is most of the Mount Fuji area. On the screen is a red dot.
“Well. Looks like we have to go.” Hinata says. The team is surprised, but they have also been preparing for this for a while. This might all be simulated using cleared rifts and intentional rift breaks. But the party knows that this will be a difficult three months. They were even told that they have to fix their own gear, and scavenge their own food.
As soon as Helo heard that he started storing food into his necklace. The time distortion really helps keep food good. With an excited smile and a sad look at all the food they have to leave Helo gets up and runs to his room.
Everyone does the same. But they only thing that Helo has to grab is his new Predator’s Receiver. He left it on his desk to charge with mana stones. The girls Beacon’s will keep their charge for a long time. But his was made without crystals to act as batteries.
Running back downstairs Helo is the second person to arrive. Aiko is the first and she is covering to food with lids that are made to keep food good.
Seconds later everyone else arrives, Helo is about to run to the door when he is stopped by Hinata. She leads him downstairs and to his surprise the pimped-out golf carts are waiting for them.
Alli, Hinata, Helo, Lelai, Luna and Rocco, all enter into one cart. Cody takes a seat on the back chair. It is the only place he fits due to his size. The rest of the party is on the other.
The garage door opens up to the back of the house. This is the opposite side of the inner courtyard. Driving out and into the beautiful spring day, the party heads on their way to their first of many rift breaks.
If you look at a top-down map of Mount Fuji with north at the top, the Kashiwagi clan lives on the western side. Their compound is near the top, but they claim most of the mountain within their domain. It is a religious site for most if not all of Japan. That religious focus helps transform the ambient mana with a mystical attunement.
It is the mystical attunement in the surroundings that Hinata showed to Helo. This is the reason that the Kashiwagi family took up residence on the mountain. They having been living there for over a thousand years and by now they have multiple small towns and an entire internal city.
Using paths that they have been making for a long time, the party drive the golf carts up the mountain and around to the northern side. The path is made for small vehicles like this. It is still bumpy, but the mostly mountainous terrain is softened by the path.
For a portion of the trip the team crests the tree line and is driving on a switchback that is near the barren summit. On the left they have snow covered rock. On the north is a sea of trees that look over the rest of Japan.
Dipping back into the tree line the team picks up speed as they go down the mountain. While they are driving Helo pulls out his tablet and tries to learn more. Clicking on the red dot that signifies a rift break, Helo’s tablet portrays an analysis of the rift and area.
Warning: Rift Break
Mana level: Mid-tier 1
Rift Type: Unknown
Nearby POI: Small settlement.
After reading about the nearby town Helo urges Alli to drive faster. Eventually they can hear the sound of screams and roars. About a quarter way down the mountain they burst into a clearing that houses a small settlement. Like most Dryad dwellings it has a large tree in the center. Surrounding the tree is a small assortment of houses and stores.
Around the town is a low wall. It is only tall enough to cover the people in the town. There is no walkway along the wall. But every fifteen feet is a shotting platform. Near the front gate there is a gathering of Goblins. They are shouting and waving their weapon. Near the front Helo can hear the clashing of steel.
Elf Archer
Weakness: Str, int
Dryad Mage
Weakness: Fire, agl
Kitsune Leather Worker
Weakness: int, end
Cursing his ‘Detect Weakness’ skill, Helo is upset that it no longer shows levels.
Goblin Ravager
Weakness: int, dex
Goblin thrower
Weakness: Int, close range
Goblin Shamin
Weakness: Str, End
Hinata who is taking in the surroundings yells back to the second cart. “Go around the other side. We will meet at the front gate!”
As the other’s head around to the other side of the settlement the first group jumps off their golf cart and rushes forward. Alli, who loves her hot pink cart, parks it carefully and sets up a barrier she had in the glove box.
Hinata and Rocco are the first to meet the goblins. They are on the left side of the gate entrance and have their left flank along the settlement wall. With this they don’t have to protect their left side, Hinata is running along the wall, and Rocco is next to her.
Behind them is Alli and Helo. Alli is directly behind Hinata and Helo is further afield. He is ready to stop anyone trying to flank. Luna, Cody and Lelai are back even further. Lelai is using her senses to stop any ambushes and the other two and their ranged support.
Between the wall and the forest is a small ten-foot section of cleared trees and shrubs. After that is another twenty feet of only partianlly cleared land. Then it gets to thick forest.
As the group runs forward, they can hear the cheering from along the wall. The archers and mages that are on the platforms can see their reinforcements arrive. Meeting a mob of goblins Helo can finally use his aura to get a feel for their levels. Based on what he can feel they are in the Mid-Thirties. Getting a feel for an archer that is on the wall, Helo can feel that he is about level twenty.
Hinata and Rocco hit the first line of goblins like a blender. Hinata is liberally using her ‘Illusional Strike’ skill to create openings or act on an opening she makes. Not only that but her improved ‘Fleeting Illusion’ skill is getting some good use.
She is making herself invisible or showing images of others in the group attacking or even herself. With that she is creating confusion and openings in all the goblins that are looking at her. And boy are there a lot looking at her. When Helo read that goblins treat female prisoners poorly, he wasn’t sure what to think. But seeing how they are looking at Hinata and Alli, Helo fully understands now.
Their gazes seem to fully enrage Rocco. His blade is glowing a fierce blue and his is liberally using his ‘Whirlwind Slash’. When Helo heard the skill name, he assumed it was a wind affinity skill. But now Rocco just moves so fast that the air around him creates a small whirlwind.
At the same time both Hinata and Rocco have improved their speed with an upbeat and powerful hum. It echoes off the walls and creates a powerful fighting ambiance. Luna is also taking the opportunity to use her ‘Sound Blast’ skill. It is her only common grade skill and she mentioned that it is close to upgrading.
Alli and Cody, both make themselves known by the assortment of attacks that go flashing over their heads. They are taking out goblin after goblin and hiting them with extreme precision.
While all this is happening, Helo is watching from the trees about ten feet from the wall. When they front line hit the wall, and the backline started sending out attacks, Helo realized he wasn’t really needed.
His skills are great for a blitzing assault on a powerful enemy. But these are all fodder. Even if there is almost one-hundred enemies. He has been practicing his defensive fighting but he really doesn’t like standing still in a fight.
Listening to the sounds around Helo can hear the fighting at the gate. He can hear the fighting in front of him. He can even hear as the fight starts on the other side of the settlement. Happy that the other team arrived, Helo is about to start helping but he is stopped by a scream.
Looking up at the settlement he focuses and can hear as someone is attacked. Running into the fight Helo summons a ‘Dark Blade’. Using his aura and telekinesis he launches the blade at the enemies that Hinata is fighting.
Running up behind her, she is now free for a few seconds. “I’m going into the settlement; you guys are all good here.” Turing to the wall Helo awakens his bloodline and jumps up. Catching the wall, he pulls himself up.
Sitting on the ledge of both side Helo looks back down at his party, “Rocco!” He yells. Seeing a twitch in the man’s foxlike ears, he says. “Keep them safe.” Getting a nod from the usually grumpy fox-kin Helo slips over the edge.
Now inside the small village Helo tilts his head and listens to the world around him. Ignoring the sounds from outside the walls, he can hear people hiding in their homes. Most seem to have gathered inside the largest house. Helo assumes that it is their safe house.
But coming from a house near the gate he can hear screaming. Running to a nearby house, with a flash of his bloodline Helo easily steps up to the roof. Running along the rooftops, he keeps his bloodline activated and jumps from house to house.
First heading to the village center Helo checks the house that he can hear the most breathing. His assumption was correct; the house is made from better materials and the windows or boarded. He can even see a faint shimmer of a barrier around the place.
Standing under the large tree that Dryad’s seem to love, he studies the village. It is small. Only about two-hundred small buildings and a large central plaza. The plaza is where Helo finds himself under the large tree.
Turning to the right Helo looks down the main street and he can see the fighting at the gate. It is worse than he expected.
Hobgoblin Ravager
Weakness: Int
Hobgoblin Shamin
Weakness: End
Alchemical Crazed Goblin Ravager
Weakness: Int
The fighting is starting to push from the choke point, that is the gate and into the entryway into the town. Some of the stronger goblins have even started spilling into the side streets and alleyways.
Seeing the fighting from his vantage point on the main house Helo is excited. This village layout seems like a perfect place to fight, a lot of fun for him. As he thinks that he tilts his head in confusion, at the same time his bloodline recedes.
No, this isn’t fun. People are dying, you should be moving. Helo thinks to himself as he takes off. Feeling a little nervous about his instinctual apathy toward others, Helo forgoes using his bloodline.
When something like this happens, he always goes back to Ms. Accleas telling him that he needs to be in control. Things like this don’t happen around his party, because he is possessive of them.
What Helo doesn’t know is that things like this will continue to happen as long as his attunement is imbalanced. Right now, his dark aligned energy is less tame than his life, because of this he is starting to feel apathy as he uses his bloodline. He hasn’t noticed it when sparing is because he is focused on something else and the vitality in the air acts as a buffer.
Following his sense of hearing Helo can tell that the goblins seem to have made it to about a five-block radius of the gate. From his spot above the fighting, he counts. Mhm about twenty-five houses to search. Well unless some slip past me. “Ha. Like they could do that.”
Dropping into a small alleyway between two houses, Helo slips into an open window of a house. Pulling up the hood of his black haori he gets ready to fight. Finding himself in a child’s bedroom Helo can hear yelling from the other side of the door.
Summoning a ‘Dark Blade’ Helo slowly opens the door. He can see two goblins trying to force open a different door to what he thinks is another bed room. Launching the blade with a flick of his right hand, a telekinetic blast pushes the blade into and through one of the goblins heads. Drawing his knife Helo quickly slits the throat of the other one.
Standing over the cooling corpses Helo breathes in deeply and tilts his head up. Letting out a sigh he looks down with his golden eyes. Standing in front of him and peering out from a slightly open-door way a woman lets out an, “Eeep!” From behind the door, he can hear the sound of falling.
Opening the door, a woman has fallen on her back and onto the floor. Sitting with their heads peaking over the bed side, two young kids are looking at him with wide eyes. They both look down and see the dead goblins.
“Woah.” “He’s so cool.” The two kids say.
Looking at the little family Helo is about to leave but stops himself. “The center of the village has a safe house. Go there. The way to the village center is clear.”
Then he vanishes back into the kids’ room and out the window. Jumping back onto the rooftops Helo starts running back and forth along the point where the goblins have broken free. Every person he saves he sends to the village center. He wants to question their intelligence for staring in their houses, but he decides that it probably won’t help.
Each time he hears something suspicious he drops down and clears away the goblins. It only takes him a few passes to clear out the enemies that broke through the line. Then he is running along the defensive perimeter around the gate. The goblins are streaming in like a never-ending tide. It seems like all the goblins that made up the entire rift broke free.
Studying the men and women that are fighting, he is surprised by what he sees. Most of them are civilians. Woodcarver, bowyer, Salesman, shopkeeper, car driver and many more. The front line is made up of different types of warriors and the ranger fighter are on the wall. It doesn’t take long for Helo to find the person leading the defense. It is a middle-aged Dryad woman.
Dryad Mayor
Weakness: Str.
The feeling of her aura puts her at high tier 1 or low 2. She is standing on the center of the main road. From the look of things, she created a secondary wall made from earth and tree roots.
Jumping from a store front that is on the side of the main road. Helo’s haori flutters behind him as he sails through the air. Not wanting to startle the defenders he releases his bloodline concealment in midair and lands beside her easily.
His attempt to announce himself without startling the group was a complete and utter failure. Note to self. Releasing your presence when you’re above a group of people fighting for their loves, well not a great idea. He thinks as he sheepishly rubs the back of his head.
Two guards aimed their swords at him, at an assortment of archers, mages, and civilians with stones all got ready to attack. “Ah. Hi. I’m here to help.”