[Mark Gained: Impossibility]
[Impossibility:
Breaker of limits, myth manifest, you’ve become known as the public symbol for hope of surpassing the realm of that which was once thought possible. The subject of scrutiny, none are capable of piercing the veil you raise, an enigma which slipped away before any were able to solve the puzzle you represent
The title of ??? (Yes, the title is three question marks) manifests itself from Gate City and the multiverse beyond
Rewards still being calculated as the Mark matures. Current estimation provided:
- Informative effects find it more difficult to understand you.*
- Existential Resistance (Deep concepts such as gravity, time, and space are harder to manipulate against you).
- Presence is unnerving to those that do not know you, effect increasing the more fathomless you become in their eyes]
He chuckled briefly at Ashvorn’s comment on how it appeared as three question marks to others, then his eyebrows rose significantly considering the rest of it. While [Macbeth] and [The Champion’s Devil] were no doubt older, and thus more developed, he could immediately tell that [Impossibility] was simply the better social Mark.
No doubt, there was significantly more fame and history behind it and almost zero “Performative” aspects. True, it was popularity based, but that was true for all social Marks; it was differentiated from the other two because the other two were based, at least partially, on falsehoods. Impossibility? No, he genuinely did all of that, and every aspect of it was true, leaving a qualitative upgrade.
‘This is what Aloran meant. The faker the title, the less tangible bonuses.’
Existential Resistance had incredible potential, depending on how much harder it made to move him, but he had a lot of hope for it in the future considering that this particular title would probably just… not stop growing.
He had several arrangements with outside companies to keep his name going, and he showed off enough to be interesting. The name of Dei Grrata would spread far and wide, being written down into history books as well no doubt.
The star on his first boon interested him, so Dei expanded whatever footnote Ashvorn left behind.
[*It is believed that Elites and Shaman are reliant on a passive informational collection ability to assess the weakness of creatures. While unconfirmed, this effect might make it harder for adaptive enemies to utilize gaps in your defenses]
That was something he didn’t know he needed, but now could only hope to grow further. Resistance to things pinpointing the exact ways to kill him.
Supposedly, that was the quickest- perhaps only- way to put a Slaughterer down without overwhelming force.
He wasn’t too happy about the third effect as, once again, he didn’t like scaring poor bystanders, but it was more than worth it for the other benefits.
The second social Mark he gained from the Dwarves.
[Mark Gained: Deep Space Abomination]
‘Okay. ouch.’
[Deep Space Abomination:
The dwarves sought cooperation with the creatures of the deep, repeatedly discovering that they were the weakest in existence. Unable to contend with even existing in the general area of the monsters creeping in from lands unknown, they found themselves hopelessly outmatched, reliant on sacrifice to stave off apocalypse.
Only when an equally horrific monster chose to hunt their predator were they rendered safe, yet the fear does not abate. To be a worm is simplicity, to know there are birds will only cause one to look to the sky in terror.
The title of HORROR (All capitals, every time) manifests itself from the planet Caps.
- Fabric-derivative affinities are 5% easier to learn and advance.
- Dwarves are more naturally afraid of you.
- Any induced [Fear] effect is 5% stronger]
He noted how it didn’t say the Mark was still growing, but actually fully matured with exact measurements. It also wasn’t particularly powerful, but he loved the title it gave. HORROR was such a badass thing to Identify as, and he immediately tried messing around with his soul to see if he could Identify as this every time.
Much to his glee, he could, and chose to Identify as [HORROR, ???], then paused.
He liked the idea of startling people, but not Gem Dwellers, and not during a war. He would find it funnier outside, during casual interactions, but not here.
Reluctantly, he hid all his titles, simply Identifying as a [Reaper] until the people were in a safer position, as he honestly did not want to be called the Dreamless Mage or the Devil under the Champion. Not because he hated them, he just thought Reaper was more reassuring for people to have fighting on their side.
He skimmed his Interface again to see if there was anything he missed, and saw he still hadn’t decided what to do for his latent Snap affinity.
While it was interesting, he only ever used it for independent manipulation, such as concentrating Snap into tiny sparks to create explosions. While it may be nice to have a dedicated spell for that, he thought it would be more beneficial to have it fed into his Personal affinity and accelerate that one’s growth, as Void could do anything Snap could without leaving him vulnerable to more physical interference.
Snap was a very grounded concept, which made it easier to utilize, grow, and be interrupted. Void needed something equivalent, such as time or space, to really be countered.
Snap, to him, was more of an auxiliary power. In eruptions, it didn’t cause destruction, it was a catalyst for that destruction; the only question, then, was if he could still manipulate it even without a connection to Snap, and asked Ashvorn “If I feed Snap into my Personal affinity, can I still utilize the mana?”
Ashvorn didn’t respond immediately, letting Dei believe they didn’t know and were actually asking.
[Affirmative, option to not consume the affinity entirely is possible. Proceed?]
He toiled for a bit longer, but the similarities between Void and Snap were simply too great. If his soul wasn’t as durable, Snap would’ve been better to not tire it out more quickly, but Command ensured that he underwent a perpetual tempering and exhaustion from Void was the least of his worries, especially when there were things like his Embodiment form in his repertoire.
Reluctantly, he said “Alright go for it,” letting Ashvorn consume most of Snap. When the System finished, he went over everything again, verifying that he was done.
[True Name: Dei
Race: Reaper
Class: Slaughterer of the Sundered Realm, 3rd Evolution, Level 58
Profession: Herald of Power, 2nd Evolution, Level 83
Current Maximum Potential: Seventh Evolution
Marks: Void Walker, Soulspeak, Beyond Understanding, No Rulers Above All, Bearing the Burden, Slayer of Giants IV, Cruelty of the Slaughter (II), Dammit, Slaughterer, Untethered, Risky Business, Golden Voice and Silver Tongue, Supreme Inquisitor of (Eternal Refuge), Pioneer, Awake, Dreameater, Lunar Terror, Eclipse of Blood, Observer of Chaos, Forge of War, Champion’s Traveler, Gratitude of the Void, Glimpsed The Work, Atlas, Star Seared, Extraterrestrial, Dragonslayer, Macbeth, The Champion’s Devil, Cold Embrace, Reaper, Rebirth, Cradle of Life, True Glutton, Impossibility, Deep Space Abomination
Reality Constructs:Soul of the Leviathan, A Korgonda’s Mutual Respect, Deal of the Almost-Dunce, Vow of Secrecy to The Champion,
Soul Strength: 100%
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HP: 100%
MP: 100%
SP: 100%
Stats:
Physical: 490
Mental: 339
Spiritual: 700 +7
Magical: 217
Active Affinities:
Kindness: Low-Grand: 99%
Personal: Mid-Historic: 79%
Wrath: Low-Grand: 99%
Soul: Low-Grand: 59%
Fortitude: High-Treasured: 99%
Void: Low-Epic: 70%
Love: High-Uncommon: 78%
Death: Low-Rare: 20%
Potential Affinities:
N/A
Natural Affinities: Sapience-derivatives, (Cycle of Life and Death)-derivatives
Rules of Wrath:
- I will allow no harm to come to those under my care.
- Children must be protected.
- (Estimation): Greed-based Rule about protecting your own objects.
- I will stand for no betrayal.
- (Estimation): Never let an enemy roam free.
Affinity Spells:
Kindness: Call for Help (115), Good Samaritan (259), Meaningful (181)
Wrath: Growing Rage (418)
Soul: Empower Self (39), Cradle of Life (3)
Fortitude: Solidity (327)
Business: Value Sense
Void: Roving Gate (118)
Mind: Overmind (330)
Reality Spells:
Health: Divine Balance (431)
Mana: Meditation (300)
Confluence Spells:
Identify of the Stout Protector (210), Cycle of Sealing (500) (Unknown containment), Eldritch Self (217), Hollow Cry (77), Fractured Reality (162)
System Spells: How About a Demonstration?, Fine-Tooth Comb (76), Vigilance (241), In Tune (188), Commune with the Universe (71), Starved Bastion (163), Hellish Divergence (100), Entropic Touch (52), Land Between (92)
Misc Spells: Living Barrier]
It was lengthy, but that had to be a good thing as it showed how far he’d come. The only thing that bothered him, through no fault of his own, was Ashvorn's unique take on Classes, Professions, and Potential.
“Can I give a little bit of constructive criticism?” he asked.
Ashvorn briefly seemed like they wanted to say no, eventually relenting with [Does this iteration hold significant flaws?]
“Well… I wouldn’t say it’s a flaw, per se, I just think you should standardize what metric you use when measuring levels. The bigger stuff tells you which evolution it’s in and what percentage until the next one is complete, but all my Skills just say the level. I get that it’s to clean up the bottom half of it a bit, but it can be slightly confusing to switch between calling my Class a ‘Third evolution’ construct while my Identify a ‘over-level-two hundred’ construct.”
[Create a format where all the Skills state their evolution instead?]
He knew Ashvorn wanted to be different from the overarching System, W3, so he hated to do this, but he said “While that isn’t a bad idea, I’m more used to the levels. I would say to display leveling in the format of W3, and use your version on anyone who comes after me. I’m sure you’ll find a way to become independent over time and maybe even spread across sectors or planets, so I don’t think it would be terrible to give me a unique System, especially so I can connect with the people around me more easily.”
[Understood] Ashvorn said, and he winced at the powerful irritation he heard in its tone.
“It really is good!” he insisted, “I’ve just gotten used to System W3’s format!”
[Affirmative. Intent conveyed]
“Okay how about this,” he said before Ashvorn could storm off, “I have a universe of my own inside me, don’t I? I’ll happily work with you after the raid to give you access to it and help you spread your influence there. The elves haven’t experienced a System yet, so they don’t have a bias. This way, you don’t have to wait a super long time to get more experience.”
Ashvorn thought it over and slowly brightened again. [Agreed].
Dei sighed in relief at the softer underlying meaning, then assessed the changes in his Interface.
[Class: Slaughterer of the Sundered Realm, Level 358
Profession: Herald of Power, Level 283
Current Maximum Potential: Level 700]
He made no comment on how good or bad the change was, as he didn’t think Ashvorn would want to hear it anyway.
Nothing else to check internally, he drew himself into a connection with his God, ensuring there was a piece of his mind on watch duty.
“Hey Aloran, I’m going over all the stuff in my soul, and I just realized that I’m actually able to assess my Domain Achievement, even if my System can’t. It gives me resistance to faith-based attacks and the ability to manipulate social energy which I think is parallel to faith. After a little bit of experimentation, I was able to somewhat make it grow by devouring other energies and- well, long story short, is my level of resistance to faith the measure for how close I am to completing my domain?”
“Correct,” Aloran said simply, amused at how long-winded Dei’s explanation was.
“REALLY? I can actually see it? It’s that simple?!”
Aloran chuckled “Yes? When you look at a building under construction, can you not generally tell how close it is to being complete?”
“I can, I just… I don’t know, thought it would be a lot stranger than that.”
“Thankfully not. Faith energy is almost pure belief- and you’re correct that it’s very close to social energy; the only difference between the two is that faith is baptised in its transition to the Divine Realm that allows it to manipulate the Physical Realm, whereas social energy does not and, thus, is only capable of altering the designated target.
“Resistance to faith energy is a measure of completion because domains serve as a specific Right that argues other Gods hold no sway over your autonomy. If someone is faithless and thus unprotected by their patron God’s domain, it is possible for Gods to act through their priests and simply wipe them out of existence. Most mortals are considered lower-plane beings, beneath Gods, so it is supposedly correct for us to do whatever we want to them, at least in the eyes of reality.
“The moment you form your domain, you’re suddenly on equal footing to us, and no longer considered ‘Beneath’ so to speak.”
“That sounds incredible cruel, and easily abuseable… aren’t Gods dependent on mortals?” he asked, thinking of how else they would get their food. He’d never been one to believe kings were above peasants, they just had different lots in life with different struggles.
“Ehh, no, not really” Aloran said, surprising him.
“What?! How else would you get faith?”
“Faith from mortals is a something of a luxury. The Divine Realm is much more populace than you might first assume. Say, if someone ascends to Godhood without any followers, what do you think happens to them?”
“Well… I don’t know, I just thought they’d starve?”
“Truthfully, most Gods ignore mortals. Without a connection of faith to those below them, their influence over the Physical Realm is cut off, but such is only a mild inconvenience. Gods die frequently, but their Domains remain and even echo in several locations. Finding a rogue domain, untethered Gods are able to conquer and consume them for energy at a much greater rate than what faith may provide.
“The stronger a God gets, the less faith benefits them. The most powerful Gods just… leave it all behind. There are many up here I’ve heard of that hold no mortal records, as they were hermits in their humanity and remain so in divinity.
“Faith from those below is a light snack for Gods. Us above must hunt and consume the vestiges of those long past to survive; it is, admittedly, quite nice. I believed my adventure to be over, as Gods do not share information on the Divine Plane easily, but this? The battles every day, the new monsters to face? It’s cathartic after being trapped for so long.”
‘Huh, so it’s just another ecosystem but for higher beings. It’s between the Leviathan Realm and the Magical Realm, so I always suspected it was (as is every other Leviathan-associate Realm) but it’s interesting to have confirmation.
‘It also explains why I’ve never heard of just using social energy to become an Ascender. Without the divine baptism, my affinity wouldn’t be able to manipulate reality on its own, and what’s even the point if it can’t? Not to mention, it sounds like I’ll be doing a lot of killing and consuming when I get up there to power the change.’
He shook his head, he was getting off topic. “What I wonder, though, is what else I’m even able to do to complete my domain? I have a lot of Achievements, how many more can I get?”
“I don’t believe the issue is Achievements or Rights anymore, Dei, but your own understanding. How often have you meditated on your concept, furthering your understanding of it?”
“Well…” he said sheepishly.
“It is no fault of your own. Without a moment to relax, you are only able to grow in strength. I recommend taking a more peaceful approach towards your affinity later, seek understanding of your “Word” rather than to simply weaponize it.”
He nodded, agreeing with Aloran. While he didn’t think he was just going to stop and settle down, especially not considering the whole planetary war thing going on, Dei wouldn’t do as much killing if he could. No matter how much he tried to rush forward, Godhood was not going to come to him in just a few years, it seemed- not that he wanted it to either, not without enjoying his life as a mortal first and actually leaving some descendants.
His soul was quickly getting better, but he still had half an hour or so before he was comfortable with rejoining the battle. Since he was here, he decided to get caught up with Aloran and how things had gone with him becoming a God of the Divine Realm instead of a puny Physical one.
Aloran joked with him as well, and Dei quietly admired how Aloran treated him as something of an equal. Based on how Aloran spoke, Dei imagined that their friendship and how open Aloran was with him had to be quite unusual, as Aloran mentioned how other higher-Realm Gods were fairly closed off to him while he was in the Physical Realm, believing themselves above the squabbles of the people below.
He had to admit, he probably would’ve stuck to worshipping The Champion or something if Aloran didn’t resonate so well with Dei.
Still, the moment Dei felt he was good enough, he stood up off the couch. His intervention to defeat one post-500 demon-kin had garnered much-needed breathing room for the Shaman’s, and he was happy to do so as many times as it took. If he couldn’t find a worthy opponent, he had full intent to massacre the weaker demon-kin.
They still hadn’t quite played all their cards yet, but with a better understanding of the battle, Dei felt it might be time to dangle some bait in the depths of the Spirit Realm.