*Shrugs* Maybe we'll get a chance to spend BP on what happens to Suizhen's eyes with the Pearl?
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Even Further Beyond [Complete]
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
..With thundrous applause.So this is how Truth dies
A Nameless Sage
Rihaku
The Internet
A Nameless Sage
Two briskly productive weeks of scamming later, Nameless felt he had a thorough enough grasp of the situation to approach it from a position of equanimity. His father always said that the act of having planned was more important than the particulars of any specific plan, but one's planning capacity was painfully finite when considered from a position of ignorance.
As a side benefit, while not entirely flush by his own standards, he now possessed enough personal wealth to survive and cultivate in dignity for several months more. Now he could reap the harvest of progress that his careful preparations had sown. In the course of their business they'd tricked a high-ranking member of the August Crows sect out of a Pearl of Fathomless Blue, a reagent commonly used by the officers of Kong to accelerate their Cultivation. He'd given it to Suizhen, both to see if it could awaken any of the fabled powers of her eyes, and also to avoid any appearance of favoritism with Xiaoling. Using it himself felt painfully inefficient when he could Cultivate even faster than the others combined.
It was important that Xiaoling did not think Suizhen was utterly bereft in his regard, lest her bullying re-commence with renewed fervor.
"Any progress?" He asked his bodyguard, who meditated, brow wrinkling, atop the smoothly glistening stones of Deplian's exterior wall.
Suizhen shook her head in frustration. "I feel something there, incubating behind my eyelids, but there's not enough - free energy - to catalyze it. It may be just an problem of my Cultivation realm. This Pearl was originally intended for officers of at least the Reality Forming stage. I may not see any unique benefits until then."
Her eyes snapped open and she stood, then bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, sir! And you worked so hard to get that Pearl... you should have taken it yourself."
He waved her off. "It's nothing. You were the ideal candidate for this Treasure either way. While we were off scamming, you reached the first quarter-stage of Soul Chrysalis, right? Now you're at high Soul Chrysalis, just a step away from peak, whereas I would only have been halfway through."
"Unloved!" Xiaoling, having spotted them from afar, waved and rushed over, tapping him on the chest. "The mailings are sent. If we disappear into this ghastly Overgrowth, our families will know who to investigate. I've also hired a group of couriers to accompany us; each one will take off according to a set schedule on the pretext of chronicling my journey. The last one will depart within sight of the Ravens' compound."
"Good thinking," he nodded. Xiaoling preened smugly, and was about to address Suizhen before he cut both off with the announcement that they were setting out.
Accompanied by Xiaoling's couriers-turned-impromptu-baggage-train, they plunged boldly into the wilderness!
---
Actually traversing the stultifyingly warm, grossly humid, and aberration-infested jungle of the Southern Overgrowth was, Nameless decided, too tedious for him. While Suizhen looked entirely at home (stronger than ever, even, but perhaps that was the Pearl) and he himself was of an advanced enough Cultivation stage to only feel mild discomfort, the Raven compound was not so far away that it was worth the trouble of actually traversing this terrain - especially as the mighty verdigris of the Overgrowth was somewhat resistant to being rapidly broken-through by Cultivator strength.
A few minutes into the expedition he'd called a halt and declared they were to travel by teleportation alone. This had forced an abrupt truncation of Xiaoling's courier squad, most of whom were forced to depart immediately. Despite this, Xiaoling herself was quite pleased at the announcement.
The remainder - carrying the most essential elements of her baggage - were ordered to set up camp as Nameless convalesced from teleportation. It was in this relaxed manner that they eventually arrived at a bluff overlooking a stone gateway guarded by two men in the uniform of the Raven Sect.
"Well met," Nameless hailed them, advancing while flanked by Xiaoling and Suizhen. The men at the gate scanned them warily, stiffening in poorly-concealed fear as they saw Suizhen's eyes. Nameless reminded himself that eyes of Suizhen's clarity were vanishingly rare even in Eastern Kong, and typically a sign of great power, as well as the status to accompany it.
And it wasn't as if she lacked power. To be high Soul Chrysalis by the age of fifteen was a virtually unprecedented accomplishment. A well-regarded prodigy, even from an organization as well-funded as the Great Clans, would only reach the peak of Ego Barrier at that age.
But he faced a more dangerous opponent still. All his preparations were in service to the Divinities' great charade, unless and until he found a way to turn that frightful stage into horrific reality.
The Raven guards stood at uneasy attention as his party approached them. Engaging a sect of so-called augurs whose specific means weren't well-defined, he'd taken care to avoid any preparations that smelt of untruth. Multiple overlapping contingencies were in place to inform their Clans if anything went south. Even if Nameless died in a genuine accident, Great Yong would bring fire and terror to obliterate all who might remotely have been involved.
Before the guards had a chance to speak, Nameless brandished the Great Seal of that family. "Good morning! I'm an emissary of the Yong Clan. This is Ming Xiaoling and Kong Suizhen. As you may have heard, there's been a recent upsurge in Lich-associated violence throughout Southern Vane. I'm a specialist in their magics and was hoping to take a look at the suspected subspace dimension within this complex. Your Sect has caused quite a stir in Deplian, taking up residence here!"
The guards bowed immediately and nervously. "Please wait right here, Lord Yong! Meaning no disrespect to your magnificent station, we must consult our superior officers."
"Be quick about it," he said dismissively. Xiaoling regarded them with the contempt typically reserved for an insect crushed against one's slipper, while Suizhen - perhaps in a bout of guard-based solidarity - attempted an encouraging smile but ended up looking slightly unhinged.
Xiaoling leaned into his back, whispering into his ear. "How are you doing that blue thing? It's absolutely fascinating!"
"A man's got to have some secrets," he replied, feigning affront.
"Fine, don't tell me," Xiaoling huffed. "I'll figure it out myself!"
Scarce five minutes had passed before a tall, austere-looking man in ragged robes emerged from the tunnel, emanating the faint but unmistakable energies of a Stage higher than their own. He regarded them with weary eyes as he bowed perfunctorily.
"Shi-Chi Wall. I'm the Grand Elder of this Sect. All due respect to Great Yong, Ming, and Kong, but I'm afraid we can't allow you to examine the subspace anchor for urgent technical reasons. We'd be happy to escort you anywhere else on the premises."
"Haah?" Xiaoling raised an eyebrow, and Nameless quickly interjected.
"Grand Elder, we're sorry to impose. We are aware our intrusion comes at a time that is inconvenient for your sect. Rest assured we have no designs on your sect's stability or the outcome of its greater conflicts in Deplian. But with Xylitemmerral being spotted less than twenty thousand kilometers from here, and his only having emerged since your Sect took up residence-"
Shi-Chi shook his head impatiently. "Xylitemmerral's got nothing to do with this. Kid. You're powerful. Powerful for Soul Chrysalis, stupid powerful for - what, fourteen? No one as powerful as you, who gets away with as much stuff you did, makes a mistake like that. So, why don't we level with each other?"
Nameless shrugged. "Well, you brought up your pressing technical reason, so I brought up my own."
The Elder snorted warmly**. "Fair enough. Great Yong, I'm going to rely on your discretion and hold you to your claimed impartiality. You did go easy enough on our men in town, though I'm wondering if that's only because we weren't there for you to plunder."
"I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else. Since our arrival we've done nothing but contribute prodigiously to the economy of Deplian and its environs."
Shi-Chi grunted in amusement. "Okay, wiseguy. You want the truth or not?"
Nameless said nothing.
"Right. Our Patriarch broke through to Reality Forming a few weeks ago, nipped any competitors in the bud, then fled here. Turns out our Cultivation style isn't sustainable past Dao Cleaving. Auguries showed us that the Vault-like chamber in this complex was his only hope of stabilizing himself. It contains a Diagram-based 'focusing field' that amplifies the Energy of All and Nothingness within one's body. We think it's a side effect of some experiment the Lich was conducting. In any case, lich's holed up in his pocket dimension and his traps have been doing a number on our men. I wouldn't mind you cleaning him out, but the Patriarch's at a critical stage of his cultivation right now. If we let him be disturbed, his body could tear itself apart from the inside out."
Now that was interesting. Nameless pondered for a moment, but the Elder continued.
"It's not our wish to disrespect the intentions of Great Yong or the other Clans. But, it's life and death for us. The other Sects aren't happy about what Banguo did to their leadership. If he doesn't finish in two, maybe three months, we're done for."
"Never deal them a small injury," Nameless commented.
"Exactly so. Now, any other way we can accommodate you fine folks? Food, money, cultivation materials? We're happy to present you a gift for hospitality's sake, and maybe you go investigate Xylitemmerral... and look up this particular lich in a month or three. Preferably three."
"A generous offer," he said, "But I think we can come to a more direct resolution. It is only important that your Patriarch is not disturbed within the Vault chamber, correct? What is the nature of the anchor artifact, and where does it lie in the chamber?"
"It's an octahedral stone attached to the far wall," the Elder answered immediately. "Covered in weird runes, different from the other ones in the chamber."
"If I were to tunnel in from the opposite side and make contact with the dimension-artifact that way, would your Patriarch's meditation be disturbed?"
Shi-Chi's face twisted in thought. "We move around okay. As long as you're reasonably quiet, I can't imagine he would be."
The Mordant Flame could age stone to ash, and silently.
Nameless smiled. "In that case, I propose - a simple transaction."
---
When he touched the Vault anchor, Nameless appeared instantly in another realm. Somewhat startled - he had expected to cast thousands of Unravelings before a forcible Open the Way allowed a brief window of entry - he took in the cavernous chamber with wary caution.
"You're too late," the lich before him said. "Too careful. Too slow. Even when I made myself so obvious. Did you fear the Reality Former? Should have divined otherwise. Jaws of the trap - he can never leave my array lest his own energies rend him. A silent guardian, nothing more. Soon to be pointless. So you are Adros' boy. The genius. One mountain, two tigers. Call me Tyranshal."
It was an unassuming corpse, withered all but to the bone. Short of stature, poorly preserved, clothed in nothing but tatters. A wand of ivory was clutched in its right hand, engraved in cramped, meticulous script.
"Great Sage Tyranshal," Nameless blinked, bowing deeply. "It is an honor."
"A failure," the lich said, turning away. "That's all I am. Why I called you." It began to walk, slouching along towards the center of the chamber. Nameless followed wordlessly.
"Adros raised you up," it continued. "Made you a terror. His vengeance a spear at the heart of the gods. He is small, petty. Filled with hate. Gone now, I presume."
Nameless paused.
"I am not your enemy," Tyranshal declared. "But neither will I assist you. Not without a price. You are polite, that is a kindness. A polite monster is a monster still."
"I've misled people," Nameless offered, "But I've done nothing monstrous-"
"You will," the lich replied. "Inevitable. He swore you to vengeance, did he not? Bound you to it, marrow and sinew. You cannot be anything else. Absolutism the seed from which monstrosity spawns. Good, evil have no power in the face of such rigidness. Choice allows reason. You have severed choice."
"Then you do not hate the Divinities as Baenlixnaire did?" Nameless asked.
"What is the use of hate?" Tyranshal asked placidly. "Vengeance is but a deterrent. What left to deter? Your rise will only cause suffering. The world turns; renewal would be a blessing. Unopposed, she would do it with a minimum of harm. A kinder world would result. But now she cannot be unopposed. Now Adros has made you. Unkindness given flesh."
"That seems a bit dramatic," Nameless observed.
The lich turned, spine clicking, to regard him, and for a moment he was reminded of mentors past.
"Humor me," Tyranshal finally said, "Is that not what one does to Great Sages?"
"Is that what Unkindness made flesh would do?" Nameless asked.
"That," Tyranshal replied, "Is Unkindness' choice alone. For he did not abdicate that particular decision to the altar of vengeance."
"Not," the lich continued, "That I do not understand why you did it. But our interests on this matter are opposed. I wish the people of this world nothing but safe prosperity. Heavens know they deserve it. It will not last forever. But the coming millennia, they have earned."
"Then why call me here in the first place?" Nameless asked. "Why not hide forever?"
"Because I am selfish," the lich said, "And a failure. You have a talent for the creation of spells. Mine own powers pale in comparison. So I require your aid. But you are too late. The bell tolls. As Adros would say, our 'Doom' is come. You would not believe the string of contrivance that would bring me low, three months' hence."
"You are very well informed," Nameless commented.
"Is that not what Great Sages are?" Tyranshal asked. "No... no, I suppose not. To know is merely a single block. Alone, it does not make the fortress. We thought the whole world would yield to Reason, but Reason does not exist to make things yield. That was our hubris, our folly."
It shook, slightly. "I am content to have my niche. The Cultivators are strong, and I am weak. But to the weak is given their cleverness, while the strong merely have their strength. Preeminence is the opposite of necessity, mothering nothing. But not for that reason will she unmake them. She is but stronger still. Perhaps they, too, will know my sorrow. To know, and to be unable to act."
"...And now I seek to make it my eternity," Tyranshal finished. "My final Diagram. Tyranshal's Extirpation. To cast my mind and consciousness into the outer darkness where I might contemplate and reside unmolested by temporal concerns. Past space, past time, past the reach of even the fates. Alone in the abyss, free forever from causality's uncaring hand."
"Some would consider that an unceasing torment," Nameless replied. He wasn't entirely comfortable with consigning even a voluntary prisoner to that fate.
"All I've ever wanted was to live a life of the mind," Tyranshal said blandly. "Everything else was self-justification. Every glory, every atrocity. Consider it justice if you must, but do not pity me. I go - with your aid, if willing - now to what I've always desired, and if I should find my desire a lie then I will have all eternity to reflect on my errors."
"But," the lich interrupted himself, "Let us speak to your payment. I shall induct you into the final Ascendancy Sign of Essence, if you have not claimed it yourself, and pay for you its cost in self and toil. In addition, should we succeed, I shall compose detailed notes on all the Diagrams of my invention before setting off, including a non-lethal version of my variant Amplification outside. I believe such will accelerate your Cultivation substantially."
"I'm inclined to accept," Nameless replied, "But let me consider..."
---
Ascendancy Sign of Essence potentially unlocked!
Essence, mightiest and final of the Ascendancy Signs. Its cost is nothing less than sacrifice, of the self or by another on the self's behalf. Traditionally kept secret, as only two hundred practitioners of the Final Sign can harness its power at any time, the Diagram itself straining under its heft. Few liches without it survived into the Cultivator Age, explaining both their paucity and their resilience in the face of conflict.
The Sign of Essence holds the same tripartite structure as the others, but its domain encompasses all the lesser Signs of the Standard Diagram. It dissolves the boundaries between the Standard Signs; each of its Diagrams can marshal effects of superlative versatility, further elevated by the power of an Ascendant Sign. Tyranshal's Vitrification, which with pointed finger turns the flesh of a foe to glass. Tyranshal's Cerebration, which, for a brief impossible moment, scans the world entire for knowledge of one's enemy. Elvegekere's Protector, Haltsuphrect's Tenfold Plagues, Baenlixnaire's Vicissitude - all the most fearsome secrets of the Diagram lie within the Sign of Essence.
But as always, one can only choose three.
Should you accept, Tyranshal offers knowledge of the following spells:
Tyranshal's Amplification (Cultivation Ver.) - A Grand Diagram of Force that amplifies the Energy of All and Nothingness within the body, vastly accelerating Cultivation gains from secluded meditation. Considering your dependence on materials, unlikely to more than triple your current speed even if substantial revisions are made - but it should be possible for more than one Cultivator to benefit at one time...
Tyranshal's Cerebration - A Battle Diagram of Essence that can deliver knowledge about virtually any topic. Extremely draining to cast. Multiple castings within one calendar year can sever one's ability to feel emotions. Can find a specific Priceless Treasure with only a handful of clues, or give hints to the Heroine's location...
Tyranshal's Vitrification - A Sigil of Essence that transmutes living flesh into glass. Cultivators of the Dao Cleaving stage and above are immune, but you have some ideas to work around that...
Tyranshal's Potentiation - You already know this. Better than the man himself, even!
Tyranshal's Extirpation - The spell he is working on currently, a Grand Diagram of Essence. Banishes a soul and attendant mind into the outer darkness beyond the reach of all material and worldly forces. They are then free to undertake an existence of contemplation. After the soul is cast out, destruction of the Diagram accomplishes nothing - they are already beyond the reach of such magics.
---
[ ] Accept Tyranshal's Proposal - You will spend three months of objective time helping Tyranshal develop the Extirpation. He will pass on knowledge of his spells to you; you may choose not to take a given spell if you'd prefer not to fill the slot. Discuss in the thread which spells you'd like to keep and discard; the strongest arguments will prevail. You must take Tyranshal's Extirpation. All spells taken will be learned and mastered at your leisure (<1 week each), after the Extirpation is complete. You do not need to decide which of those spells to Go Beyond with until then.
[ ] Decline - You know of the Ascendancy Sign of Essence now; you can develop your own spells and unlock it on your own terms. The cost is unspecific and will be high, but likely cheaper still than three months of objective time plus the Grand Diagram of the Sign. Now that you know of them, you can even unlock the specific spells offered above, given enough time. Besides, Tyranshal has admitted that his interests are opposed to yours. Can you really trust him?
Should you accept Tyranshal's proposal, there are other matters to attend to:
[ ] Inform the Bleak Ravens - Knowledge that their Patriarch is trapped in his cell would be very relevant to the Ravens. In the spirit of forthrightness, Nameless ought to let them know. Besides, surely there is some way to spin this to his advantage, he is the only magus capable of (eventually) freeing the Reality Forming Cultivator from his self-inflicted imprisonment, after all.
*Plans, relevant omakes, etc can improve your chances of success
*Getting a Reality Forming Cultivator under your thumb, so long as he can be made reliable, would be a major coup for your short-term resource gathering ambitions
*Since the Ravens did let you interact with the Vault anchor without a fight, it is kinda the right thing to do.
*It would set a bad precedent if the people who yielded to your social power did not reap the benefits of their obeisance. Also, such a selfless act might help convince Tyranshal that you won't be such a bad Emperor after all!
And
[ ] Don't Tell the Ravens - Tyranshal's observations of the Raven Patriarch indicate he is more than a little unhinged. While Nameless is confident in his powers of manipulation, why take the risk?
*You don't give a shit about the Ravens, why complicate things?
[ ] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation [1 Beyond Point] - You are pretty sure this spell will be useless for you, as using it on the Heroine is just asking for her to return with post-Titanic might in a few decades to millennia, but there is no reason Tyranshal should endure an existence alone and without sensation for all eternity. He may see it as penance or what he truly desires - you cannot tell behind that implacable skull of a poker face - but ruthless as you occasionally are, it does not sit well to consign a soul to an eternity of probable suffering.
With this, you pour all your heart into developing the Extirpation, manifesting a version that allows the target to continue observing the world with hearing and sight even if they are unable to affect or be affected by it. The fruits of such an effort may never redound to you, but maybe you can cast it on yourself if the Heroine is ever on the verge of triumph - and who knows what Tyranshal might discover, there beyond the farthest horizon?
[ ] Don't Go Beyond - He's not asking for it, he doesn't claim to want it, and he's not going to give you anything for it. Why bother? The stuff of your heroism is a finite resource, much as you wish otherwise. It is simple folly, nothing less, to expend it on a task that does not further your goal. Vengeance, no matter the cost. [+20% Beyond Point Progress]
And
[ ] Bring Xiaoling and Suizhen - It will be better for the sanity of all involved if your Lackeys are in the Vault to keep you company. They will also train faster with access to your Quickenings, but this could leave them vulnerable to the Bleak Ravens' rivals' attack, the exact date of which is uncertain. You yourself are unconcerned; with merely peak Dao Cleaving Cultivators, the other sects are unlikely to catch the likes of yourself.
[ ] Send Lackeys Away - They will go train in Deplian. Much safer, but living for eighteen objective months with just Tyranshal will definitely wear on Nameless. However, Xiaoling will be able to use her contacts in order to assemble more information and resources for future expeditions in the area, including potential lich sightings.
Two briskly productive weeks of scamming later, Nameless felt he had a thorough enough grasp of the situation to approach it from a position of equanimity. His father always said that the act of having planned was more important than the particulars of any specific plan, but one's planning capacity was painfully finite when considered from a position of ignorance.
As a side benefit, while not entirely flush by his own standards, he now possessed enough personal wealth to survive and cultivate in dignity for several months more. Now he could reap the harvest of progress that his careful preparations had sown. In the course of their business they'd tricked a high-ranking member of the August Crows sect out of a Pearl of Fathomless Blue, a reagent commonly used by the officers of Kong to accelerate their Cultivation. He'd given it to Suizhen, both to see if it could awaken any of the fabled powers of her eyes, and also to avoid any appearance of favoritism with Xiaoling. Using it himself felt painfully inefficient when he could Cultivate even faster than the others combined.
It was important that Xiaoling did not think Suizhen was utterly bereft in his regard, lest her bullying re-commence with renewed fervor.
"Any progress?" He asked his bodyguard, who meditated, brow wrinkling, atop the smoothly glistening stones of Deplian's exterior wall.
Suizhen shook her head in frustration. "I feel something there, incubating behind my eyelids, but there's not enough - free energy - to catalyze it. It may be just an problem of my Cultivation realm. This Pearl was originally intended for officers of at least the Reality Forming stage. I may not see any unique benefits until then."
Her eyes snapped open and she stood, then bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, sir! And you worked so hard to get that Pearl... you should have taken it yourself."
He waved her off. "It's nothing. You were the ideal candidate for this Treasure either way. While we were off scamming, you reached the first quarter-stage of Soul Chrysalis, right? Now you're at high Soul Chrysalis, just a step away from peak, whereas I would only have been halfway through."
"Unloved!" Xiaoling, having spotted them from afar, waved and rushed over, tapping him on the chest. "The mailings are sent. If we disappear into this ghastly Overgrowth, our families will know who to investigate. I've also hired a group of couriers to accompany us; each one will take off according to a set schedule on the pretext of chronicling my journey. The last one will depart within sight of the Ravens' compound."
"Good thinking," he nodded. Xiaoling preened smugly, and was about to address Suizhen before he cut both off with the announcement that they were setting out.
Accompanied by Xiaoling's couriers-turned-impromptu-baggage-train, they plunged boldly into the wilderness!
---
Actually traversing the stultifyingly warm, grossly humid, and aberration-infested jungle of the Southern Overgrowth was, Nameless decided, too tedious for him. While Suizhen looked entirely at home (stronger than ever, even, but perhaps that was the Pearl) and he himself was of an advanced enough Cultivation stage to only feel mild discomfort, the Raven compound was not so far away that it was worth the trouble of actually traversing this terrain - especially as the mighty verdigris of the Overgrowth was somewhat resistant to being rapidly broken-through by Cultivator strength.
A few minutes into the expedition he'd called a halt and declared they were to travel by teleportation alone. This had forced an abrupt truncation of Xiaoling's courier squad, most of whom were forced to depart immediately. Despite this, Xiaoling herself was quite pleased at the announcement.
The remainder - carrying the most essential elements of her baggage - were ordered to set up camp as Nameless convalesced from teleportation. It was in this relaxed manner that they eventually arrived at a bluff overlooking a stone gateway guarded by two men in the uniform of the Raven Sect.
"Well met," Nameless hailed them, advancing while flanked by Xiaoling and Suizhen. The men at the gate scanned them warily, stiffening in poorly-concealed fear as they saw Suizhen's eyes. Nameless reminded himself that eyes of Suizhen's clarity were vanishingly rare even in Eastern Kong, and typically a sign of great power, as well as the status to accompany it.
And it wasn't as if she lacked power. To be high Soul Chrysalis by the age of fifteen was a virtually unprecedented accomplishment. A well-regarded prodigy, even from an organization as well-funded as the Great Clans, would only reach the peak of Ego Barrier at that age.
But he faced a more dangerous opponent still. All his preparations were in service to the Divinities' great charade, unless and until he found a way to turn that frightful stage into horrific reality.
The Raven guards stood at uneasy attention as his party approached them. Engaging a sect of so-called augurs whose specific means weren't well-defined, he'd taken care to avoid any preparations that smelt of untruth. Multiple overlapping contingencies were in place to inform their Clans if anything went south. Even if Nameless died in a genuine accident, Great Yong would bring fire and terror to obliterate all who might remotely have been involved.
Before the guards had a chance to speak, Nameless brandished the Great Seal of that family. "Good morning! I'm an emissary of the Yong Clan. This is Ming Xiaoling and Kong Suizhen. As you may have heard, there's been a recent upsurge in Lich-associated violence throughout Southern Vane. I'm a specialist in their magics and was hoping to take a look at the suspected subspace dimension within this complex. Your Sect has caused quite a stir in Deplian, taking up residence here!"
The guards bowed immediately and nervously. "Please wait right here, Lord Yong! Meaning no disrespect to your magnificent station, we must consult our superior officers."
"Be quick about it," he said dismissively. Xiaoling regarded them with the contempt typically reserved for an insect crushed against one's slipper, while Suizhen - perhaps in a bout of guard-based solidarity - attempted an encouraging smile but ended up looking slightly unhinged.
Xiaoling leaned into his back, whispering into his ear. "How are you doing that blue thing? It's absolutely fascinating!"
"A man's got to have some secrets," he replied, feigning affront.
"Fine, don't tell me," Xiaoling huffed. "I'll figure it out myself!"
Scarce five minutes had passed before a tall, austere-looking man in ragged robes emerged from the tunnel, emanating the faint but unmistakable energies of a Stage higher than their own. He regarded them with weary eyes as he bowed perfunctorily.
"Shi-Chi Wall. I'm the Grand Elder of this Sect. All due respect to Great Yong, Ming, and Kong, but I'm afraid we can't allow you to examine the subspace anchor for urgent technical reasons. We'd be happy to escort you anywhere else on the premises."
"Haah?" Xiaoling raised an eyebrow, and Nameless quickly interjected.
"Grand Elder, we're sorry to impose. We are aware our intrusion comes at a time that is inconvenient for your sect. Rest assured we have no designs on your sect's stability or the outcome of its greater conflicts in Deplian. But with Xylitemmerral being spotted less than twenty thousand kilometers from here, and his only having emerged since your Sect took up residence-"
Shi-Chi shook his head impatiently. "Xylitemmerral's got nothing to do with this. Kid. You're powerful. Powerful for Soul Chrysalis, stupid powerful for - what, fourteen? No one as powerful as you, who gets away with as much stuff you did, makes a mistake like that. So, why don't we level with each other?"
Nameless shrugged. "Well, you brought up your pressing technical reason, so I brought up my own."
The Elder snorted warmly**. "Fair enough. Great Yong, I'm going to rely on your discretion and hold you to your claimed impartiality. You did go easy enough on our men in town, though I'm wondering if that's only because we weren't there for you to plunder."
"I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else. Since our arrival we've done nothing but contribute prodigiously to the economy of Deplian and its environs."
Shi-Chi grunted in amusement. "Okay, wiseguy. You want the truth or not?"
Nameless said nothing.
"Right. Our Patriarch broke through to Reality Forming a few weeks ago, nipped any competitors in the bud, then fled here. Turns out our Cultivation style isn't sustainable past Dao Cleaving. Auguries showed us that the Vault-like chamber in this complex was his only hope of stabilizing himself. It contains a Diagram-based 'focusing field' that amplifies the Energy of All and Nothingness within one's body. We think it's a side effect of some experiment the Lich was conducting. In any case, lich's holed up in his pocket dimension and his traps have been doing a number on our men. I wouldn't mind you cleaning him out, but the Patriarch's at a critical stage of his cultivation right now. If we let him be disturbed, his body could tear itself apart from the inside out."
Now that was interesting. Nameless pondered for a moment, but the Elder continued.
"It's not our wish to disrespect the intentions of Great Yong or the other Clans. But, it's life and death for us. The other Sects aren't happy about what Banguo did to their leadership. If he doesn't finish in two, maybe three months, we're done for."
"Never deal them a small injury," Nameless commented.
"Exactly so. Now, any other way we can accommodate you fine folks? Food, money, cultivation materials? We're happy to present you a gift for hospitality's sake, and maybe you go investigate Xylitemmerral... and look up this particular lich in a month or three. Preferably three."
"A generous offer," he said, "But I think we can come to a more direct resolution. It is only important that your Patriarch is not disturbed within the Vault chamber, correct? What is the nature of the anchor artifact, and where does it lie in the chamber?"
"It's an octahedral stone attached to the far wall," the Elder answered immediately. "Covered in weird runes, different from the other ones in the chamber."
"If I were to tunnel in from the opposite side and make contact with the dimension-artifact that way, would your Patriarch's meditation be disturbed?"
Shi-Chi's face twisted in thought. "We move around okay. As long as you're reasonably quiet, I can't imagine he would be."
The Mordant Flame could age stone to ash, and silently.
Nameless smiled. "In that case, I propose - a simple transaction."
---
When he touched the Vault anchor, Nameless appeared instantly in another realm. Somewhat startled - he had expected to cast thousands of Unravelings before a forcible Open the Way allowed a brief window of entry - he took in the cavernous chamber with wary caution.
"You're too late," the lich before him said. "Too careful. Too slow. Even when I made myself so obvious. Did you fear the Reality Former? Should have divined otherwise. Jaws of the trap - he can never leave my array lest his own energies rend him. A silent guardian, nothing more. Soon to be pointless. So you are Adros' boy. The genius. One mountain, two tigers. Call me Tyranshal."
It was an unassuming corpse, withered all but to the bone. Short of stature, poorly preserved, clothed in nothing but tatters. A wand of ivory was clutched in its right hand, engraved in cramped, meticulous script.
"Great Sage Tyranshal," Nameless blinked, bowing deeply. "It is an honor."
"A failure," the lich said, turning away. "That's all I am. Why I called you." It began to walk, slouching along towards the center of the chamber. Nameless followed wordlessly.
"Adros raised you up," it continued. "Made you a terror. His vengeance a spear at the heart of the gods. He is small, petty. Filled with hate. Gone now, I presume."
Nameless paused.
"I am not your enemy," Tyranshal declared. "But neither will I assist you. Not without a price. You are polite, that is a kindness. A polite monster is a monster still."
"I've misled people," Nameless offered, "But I've done nothing monstrous-"
"You will," the lich replied. "Inevitable. He swore you to vengeance, did he not? Bound you to it, marrow and sinew. You cannot be anything else. Absolutism the seed from which monstrosity spawns. Good, evil have no power in the face of such rigidness. Choice allows reason. You have severed choice."
"Then you do not hate the Divinities as Baenlixnaire did?" Nameless asked.
"What is the use of hate?" Tyranshal asked placidly. "Vengeance is but a deterrent. What left to deter? Your rise will only cause suffering. The world turns; renewal would be a blessing. Unopposed, she would do it with a minimum of harm. A kinder world would result. But now she cannot be unopposed. Now Adros has made you. Unkindness given flesh."
"That seems a bit dramatic," Nameless observed.
The lich turned, spine clicking, to regard him, and for a moment he was reminded of mentors past.
"Humor me," Tyranshal finally said, "Is that not what one does to Great Sages?"
"Is that what Unkindness made flesh would do?" Nameless asked.
"That," Tyranshal replied, "Is Unkindness' choice alone. For he did not abdicate that particular decision to the altar of vengeance."
"Not," the lich continued, "That I do not understand why you did it. But our interests on this matter are opposed. I wish the people of this world nothing but safe prosperity. Heavens know they deserve it. It will not last forever. But the coming millennia, they have earned."
"Then why call me here in the first place?" Nameless asked. "Why not hide forever?"
"Because I am selfish," the lich said, "And a failure. You have a talent for the creation of spells. Mine own powers pale in comparison. So I require your aid. But you are too late. The bell tolls. As Adros would say, our 'Doom' is come. You would not believe the string of contrivance that would bring me low, three months' hence."
"You are very well informed," Nameless commented.
"Is that not what Great Sages are?" Tyranshal asked. "No... no, I suppose not. To know is merely a single block. Alone, it does not make the fortress. We thought the whole world would yield to Reason, but Reason does not exist to make things yield. That was our hubris, our folly."
It shook, slightly. "I am content to have my niche. The Cultivators are strong, and I am weak. But to the weak is given their cleverness, while the strong merely have their strength. Preeminence is the opposite of necessity, mothering nothing. But not for that reason will she unmake them. She is but stronger still. Perhaps they, too, will know my sorrow. To know, and to be unable to act."
"...And now I seek to make it my eternity," Tyranshal finished. "My final Diagram. Tyranshal's Extirpation. To cast my mind and consciousness into the outer darkness where I might contemplate and reside unmolested by temporal concerns. Past space, past time, past the reach of even the fates. Alone in the abyss, free forever from causality's uncaring hand."
"Some would consider that an unceasing torment," Nameless replied. He wasn't entirely comfortable with consigning even a voluntary prisoner to that fate.
"All I've ever wanted was to live a life of the mind," Tyranshal said blandly. "Everything else was self-justification. Every glory, every atrocity. Consider it justice if you must, but do not pity me. I go - with your aid, if willing - now to what I've always desired, and if I should find my desire a lie then I will have all eternity to reflect on my errors."
"But," the lich interrupted himself, "Let us speak to your payment. I shall induct you into the final Ascendancy Sign of Essence, if you have not claimed it yourself, and pay for you its cost in self and toil. In addition, should we succeed, I shall compose detailed notes on all the Diagrams of my invention before setting off, including a non-lethal version of my variant Amplification outside. I believe such will accelerate your Cultivation substantially."
"I'm inclined to accept," Nameless replied, "But let me consider..."
---
Ascendancy Sign of Essence potentially unlocked!
Essence, mightiest and final of the Ascendancy Signs. Its cost is nothing less than sacrifice, of the self or by another on the self's behalf. Traditionally kept secret, as only two hundred practitioners of the Final Sign can harness its power at any time, the Diagram itself straining under its heft. Few liches without it survived into the Cultivator Age, explaining both their paucity and their resilience in the face of conflict.
The Sign of Essence holds the same tripartite structure as the others, but its domain encompasses all the lesser Signs of the Standard Diagram. It dissolves the boundaries between the Standard Signs; each of its Diagrams can marshal effects of superlative versatility, further elevated by the power of an Ascendant Sign. Tyranshal's Vitrification, which with pointed finger turns the flesh of a foe to glass. Tyranshal's Cerebration, which, for a brief impossible moment, scans the world entire for knowledge of one's enemy. Elvegekere's Protector, Haltsuphrect's Tenfold Plagues, Baenlixnaire's Vicissitude - all the most fearsome secrets of the Diagram lie within the Sign of Essence.
But as always, one can only choose three.
Should you accept, Tyranshal offers knowledge of the following spells:
Tyranshal's Amplification (Cultivation Ver.) - A Grand Diagram of Force that amplifies the Energy of All and Nothingness within the body, vastly accelerating Cultivation gains from secluded meditation. Considering your dependence on materials, unlikely to more than triple your current speed even if substantial revisions are made - but it should be possible for more than one Cultivator to benefit at one time...
Tyranshal's Cerebration - A Battle Diagram of Essence that can deliver knowledge about virtually any topic. Extremely draining to cast. Multiple castings within one calendar year can sever one's ability to feel emotions. Can find a specific Priceless Treasure with only a handful of clues, or give hints to the Heroine's location...
Tyranshal's Vitrification - A Sigil of Essence that transmutes living flesh into glass. Cultivators of the Dao Cleaving stage and above are immune, but you have some ideas to work around that...
Tyranshal's Potentiation - You already know this. Better than the man himself, even!
Tyranshal's Extirpation - The spell he is working on currently, a Grand Diagram of Essence. Banishes a soul and attendant mind into the outer darkness beyond the reach of all material and worldly forces. They are then free to undertake an existence of contemplation. After the soul is cast out, destruction of the Diagram accomplishes nothing - they are already beyond the reach of such magics.
---
[ ] Accept Tyranshal's Proposal - You will spend three months of objective time helping Tyranshal develop the Extirpation. He will pass on knowledge of his spells to you; you may choose not to take a given spell if you'd prefer not to fill the slot. Discuss in the thread which spells you'd like to keep and discard; the strongest arguments will prevail. You must take Tyranshal's Extirpation. All spells taken will be learned and mastered at your leisure (<1 week each), after the Extirpation is complete. You do not need to decide which of those spells to Go Beyond with until then.
[ ] Decline - You know of the Ascendancy Sign of Essence now; you can develop your own spells and unlock it on your own terms. The cost is unspecific and will be high, but likely cheaper still than three months of objective time plus the Grand Diagram of the Sign. Now that you know of them, you can even unlock the specific spells offered above, given enough time. Besides, Tyranshal has admitted that his interests are opposed to yours. Can you really trust him?
Should you accept Tyranshal's proposal, there are other matters to attend to:
[ ] Inform the Bleak Ravens - Knowledge that their Patriarch is trapped in his cell would be very relevant to the Ravens. In the spirit of forthrightness, Nameless ought to let them know. Besides, surely there is some way to spin this to his advantage, he is the only magus capable of (eventually) freeing the Reality Forming Cultivator from his self-inflicted imprisonment, after all.
*Plans, relevant omakes, etc can improve your chances of success
*Getting a Reality Forming Cultivator under your thumb, so long as he can be made reliable, would be a major coup for your short-term resource gathering ambitions
*Since the Ravens did let you interact with the Vault anchor without a fight, it is kinda the right thing to do.
*It would set a bad precedent if the people who yielded to your social power did not reap the benefits of their obeisance. Also, such a selfless act might help convince Tyranshal that you won't be such a bad Emperor after all!
And
[ ] Don't Tell the Ravens - Tyranshal's observations of the Raven Patriarch indicate he is more than a little unhinged. While Nameless is confident in his powers of manipulation, why take the risk?
*You don't give a shit about the Ravens, why complicate things?
[ ] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation [1 Beyond Point] - You are pretty sure this spell will be useless for you, as using it on the Heroine is just asking for her to return with post-Titanic might in a few decades to millennia, but there is no reason Tyranshal should endure an existence alone and without sensation for all eternity. He may see it as penance or what he truly desires - you cannot tell behind that implacable skull of a poker face - but ruthless as you occasionally are, it does not sit well to consign a soul to an eternity of probable suffering.
With this, you pour all your heart into developing the Extirpation, manifesting a version that allows the target to continue observing the world with hearing and sight even if they are unable to affect or be affected by it. The fruits of such an effort may never redound to you, but maybe you can cast it on yourself if the Heroine is ever on the verge of triumph - and who knows what Tyranshal might discover, there beyond the farthest horizon?
[ ] Don't Go Beyond - He's not asking for it, he doesn't claim to want it, and he's not going to give you anything for it. Why bother? The stuff of your heroism is a finite resource, much as you wish otherwise. It is simple folly, nothing less, to expend it on a task that does not further your goal. Vengeance, no matter the cost. [+20% Beyond Point Progress]
And
[ ] Bring Xiaoling and Suizhen - It will be better for the sanity of all involved if your Lackeys are in the Vault to keep you company. They will also train faster with access to your Quickenings, but this could leave them vulnerable to the Bleak Ravens' rivals' attack, the exact date of which is uncertain. You yourself are unconcerned; with merely peak Dao Cleaving Cultivators, the other sects are unlikely to catch the likes of yourself.
[ ] Send Lackeys Away - They will go train in Deplian. Much safer, but living for eighteen objective months with just Tyranshal will definitely wear on Nameless. However, Xiaoling will be able to use her contacts in order to assemble more information and resources for future expeditions in the area, including potential lich sightings.
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Rihaku
The Internet
At last, the purpose of the [Deconstruction] Tag is revealed!!
...how much time does it take to remove a Grand Diagram again?
...Also, on Beyonding Extirpation, does doing so consume a Beyond point as well as get rid of the +20% progress?
Rihaku
The Internet
Aw, what's one Beyond Point among liches? You guys have to stick together, you know; very soon you'll be the last of your kind!
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Hmm, looks like it's all worked out nicely then.
I think we're going to have to Go Beyond here--Tyranshal basically dismissed us because they assumed we were a monster of vengeance, that our opposition will cause more suffering than it's worth.
Let's prove them wrong, that we can--in fact--permit mercy where it is thought impossible.
And yeah, there we go, the Ascendant Sign of Essence--the same thing we manipulate with Binary Magic. I guess we saw what they got from the Elves--and the fact that only 200 can use it at any given time is probably because the Elves are still a reasonably potent local power, rather than completely suppressed.
I think we're going to have to Go Beyond here--Tyranshal basically dismissed us because they assumed we were a monster of vengeance, that our opposition will cause more suffering than it's worth.
Let's prove them wrong, that we can--in fact--permit mercy where it is thought impossible.
And yeah, there we go, the Ascendant Sign of Essence--the same thing we manipulate with Binary Magic. I guess we saw what they got from the Elves--and the fact that only 200 can use it at any given time is probably because the Elves are still a reasonably potent local power, rather than completely suppressed.
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Ultramandalore
Errant Quester
- Location
- just south of Parts Unknown
[X] Accept Tyranshal's Proposal
[X] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[X] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation
[X] Bring Xiaoling and Suizhen
[X] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[X] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation
[X] Bring Xiaoling and Suizhen
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Accept Tyranshal's Proposal
[X] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[X] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation
I despair at our capacity to ever witness the Truth and so I pass my dreams onto this elder sage in the hope that he may one day grasp that everdistant horizon.
And who knows? Perhaps, just this once, the world will reward kindness.
[X] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[X] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation
I despair at our capacity to ever witness the Truth and so I pass my dreams onto this elder sage in the hope that he may one day grasp that everdistant horizon.
And who knows? Perhaps, just this once, the world will reward kindness.
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greatoz
Debonair Djinni
- Location
- The Other Place
[x] Accept Tyranshal's Proposal
[x] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[x] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation
For now, this. I want to bring our pals, but on the other hand, information is important. Also, I suspect that if we go beyond for tyranshal, spending time alone with him will be much more bearable.
[x] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[x] Go Beyond Tyranshal's Extirpation
For now, this. I want to bring our pals, but on the other hand, information is important. Also, I suspect that if we go beyond for tyranshal, spending time alone with him will be much more bearable.
Aauuuhhh...
Yeah, I really think it's very appropriate to do so.
But I really want to Further Beyond Cerebration. Negating its drawbacks and boosting its power will do so much to boost our cultivation speed as a Materials based Cultivator. And help with other goals as well. We do have time to save up, since we don't have to spend the points until after the next update, but if we're going for it, we'll want to do it ASAP, and I'm not sure we can make another 1.5 BP in two updates' time.
Actually, would the Pearl have fixed him and thus put him in our debt like those of us who voted for Save thought?
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Amplification is the kind of thing we need to make a profit of time off of this endeavor, it's a pure Cultivation support Diagram. Spending the equivalent of three to six months objective in exchange for--at a minimum, tripling our Cultivation speed and efficiency would mean that we've ultimately made a net profit of time on this endeavor.
Because we'll be functionally going from ~150 months subjective to ~450 months subjective from this trade. On the magic that's going to take the longest to develop anyway.
Hell, turning this into an Artifact-Diagram would be a fantastic use of our Essence.
And yeah, hidden benefit of Going Beyond is that it seems to accelerate our learning speed too--which reduces the odds of still being here when the hammer falls.
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- Location
- USA
Here's the question; how often are we actually going to have an opportunity for secluded meditation? Tripling our cultivation speed is great, doing it at the expense of other things (like adventuring) that we're likely to want to be spending our time on instead is less so. I'm not sure how big of a deal that tag actually is, and knowing that will make a big difference in how I want to vote for this.
Also loving that speaking in blue is apparently something our second can just tell is happening.
e:
This cuts off.
Also loving that speaking in blue is apparently something our second can just tell is happening.
e:
This cuts off.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
It's something we're going to have to do occasionally anyway, because Cultivation is a massive timesink, having something that triples our Cultivation speed before other modifiers is a massive boon.
Since with a 6x Quickening, 3x speed goes up to 18x
Sure, we can't use it 24/7, but Cultivating 24/7 is something that Nameless can't really do anyway.
Ambivalent on informing the Ravens, but we'll see.
Rihaku
The Internet
Yup. On the other hand, you do have a lot of open slots... but this is one of the very most valuable. Also, Tyranshal's crazy! Voluntarily putting himself into the outer darkness with no recourse!?
Well, who knows if you'll even be offered a Further Beyond Cerebration? Those things take time to write, you know!
The description does not say you will triple your speed at minimum... it will provide a substantive increase either way, however.
Xiaoling is very attuned to social currents!
Actually, it sounds like tripling it is the effect of Going Beyond. Even with the Ring. That's not to say it's bad, even another stacking doubling would be well worth three objective months when we have another three objective years afterwards (and it'd boost social since we can use it on others with what sounds like one cast, so we can actually trade with it, unlike Quickening). But I really think Cerebration would help speed us along much more. Being able to casually locate things on the level of the Pearl, which is a relatively low level Priceless Treasure (still Priceless, but compared to what's been implied), would speed our growth much more than Amplification, at least to the start of Grand Solipsist. It'll be worth taking even before we master it, though, and it sounds like we can deliberately hold off on mastering it until later so we can put some Beyond Points into it once we've generated more that are not going into True Philosopher immediately.
[X] Accept Tyranshal's Proposal
[ ] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[X] Don't Tell the Ravens
I've been convinced it's not worth the hassle unless we do something special, which they probably aren't worth.
[X] Don't Go Beyond
[X] Send Lackeys Away
Great for Tyranshal that he's fine with eternal damnation, Nameless is a bit to spoiled for that though, so let's try to win.
[ ] Inform the Bleak Ravens
[X] Don't Tell the Ravens
I've been convinced it's not worth the hassle unless we do something special, which they probably aren't worth.
[X] Don't Go Beyond
[X] Send Lackeys Away
Great for Tyranshal that he's fine with eternal damnation, Nameless is a bit to spoiled for that though, so let's try to win.
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The only practical reason to Go Beyond on it is that it's possible that with his senses working, he'll figure out how to send messages or something back. The "can use it on yourself if you're loosing" feature is pointless.