Arthur captured nearly all of the remaining fighters easily. The person with the hammer was nowhere to be found, but he could’ve easily died and sunk to the bottom. The dead were plentiful, and many had fallen into the depths. The oceans were deep, and Mash had heard of the dangers that lurked beyond where the light touched. Just like the skies, it would be somewhere to explore when he was stronger. There were few places like that. Places that promised untold challenge and treasure. Arthur returned to the surface with a dozen people in tow. The people didn’t try to fight back as they had with Mash. Although the ice encrusting their body probably frightened them into line.
“Are you all ready to return? I must speak with the king. He also wanted to speak with Mash if I remember correctly.”
Mash looked at his brother. He had forgotten about the king’s request entirely. Jill looked over at the people and shook her head.
“I can’t take them all in one trip.”
That was fair. It would take quite a lot of mana to teleport so many people such a great distance. He could tell that he was far from the capital. Honestly, he was probably closer to the other continent at this point. Maybe he should visit? It could be fun, plus there were probably different dungeons and monsters there. He looked eastward, and Arthur noticed.
“No. You can’t seriously be considering it. You just helped kill or contain their soldiers, and it sounds like you killed a hero.”
Arthur was obviously right, but that didn’t mean that Mash would agree blindly. Visiting the other continents was an interesting prospect. He doubted that it would be much of a problem if he went with the others. This was a good opportunity, but Luke wasn’t there. He did have another idea though and had Priscilla send a message to Jill.
[Put a mark here.]
If she did that, they could return whenever they wanted. It would literally happen within the blink of an eye. Jill gave Mash an imperceptible nod, that he was only able to notice because of his domain. The ocean hadn’t been a cold place before, but now it was cold enough to be uncomfortable. Arthur spoke.
“Can you take multiple trips, Jill? The kingdom would reimburse you like another teleporter.”
She nodded and, and discussed some details about the costs with Arthur. Mash knew that group teleportation skills were rare and expensive. People could buy it, but it was usually only a luxury used by nobles or knights. Jill ended up getting his brother up to over 100 gold pieces for the teleports. It didn’t seem like Jill was planning on offering any discounts to a friend. Although the expense didn’t seem like much of a concern to his brother. After the plan was ironed out, Jill teleported half of the prisoners along with himself to the capital.
Maah glanced around. He didn't immediately recognize his surroundings, but his domain helped him calm down. He was able to get his bearings quickly. It was a guard building though one Mash had never been to. He wondered when and why Jill had visited but didn't get to ask. There were several guards in the building and they weren't prepared for seven people teleporting into the middle of it. Especially not people drenched in cold water. Have of whom were shivering and rubbing their hands together nervously. Some of the people were looking around. Mash shot them glares which were enough to persuade them into not running.
Mash glanced away from the prisoners and turned to the guards. His gaze passed over the carpet he stood on, it was already wet. Mash frowned at the guards. They were still confused and stumbling about randomly. Knights should've been more disciplined, more orderly. Jill sat down and began recovering her mana Even without a dedicated skill, most people meditated or sat to recover more quickly. She didn't seem even slightly concerned by the situation. That was careless, but he guessed that they were safe enough. Mash had almost no energy left, and Jill was mostly out of mana too.
Mash kept looking around and finally found someone more important looking arriving. The knight was taller than the other though height didn't mean much. It was the half-dozen embellishments on his armor that told Mash their rank. Several lines were engraved into one of the arms of their armor. Seven of them indicated they were a general? Something like that. His father had taught Mash to recognize ranks when he was younger but it hadn't stuck in his head. The general was wearing their helm, and visor down as if they were prepared for a fight. Mash saw the metal helm shift slowly and stiffly. The movement belonged to a puppet or golem, not a human. After taking in the situation, their gaze ended on Mash.
"Take the prisoners to jail! Mash, I hope your brother has a good explanation for this. Damn, it was supposed to be my day off too."
The voice was feminine yet deep, and that surprised Mash. The armor indicated that she was a foot or two taller than Mash, and she had the bulk to go along with the height. That was all he could get from her too. The knights, who had been stunned, began running around. They were definitely trying to make up for their earlier mistakes. One of the apprentice knights walked up to Jill and handed her a towel. Then he handed one to Mash as well. The towel was grainy and not of good quality, but it did its job. He got as much water off as he could, as the general walked down beside him.
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"Hello. I'm Mash, but I guess you knew that."
He spoke somewhat awkwardly. He was still drying his hair as he talked. A little bit of magic would've let him dry off instantly, but he chose to conserve his energy. The general nodded towards him and responded.
"I am High-General Irkish. Has your brother not mentioned me? That is a little disappointing to hear."
The general took off her helmet and revealed a slightly wrinkled face. The woman was old but beautiful. Her wrinkles didn't take away from that. Instead, it gave her the appearance of a well-respected elder. Of someone who had both experience and power. It may have just been her appearance, but it made Mash want to answer her. He was familiar enough with unnatural influence to suspect that this might be an aura or another skill.
"No."
Mash gave a simple answer, though it didn't convey what he wanted it to. His brother hadn't said much, but he didn't need to. The general's name was enough. Even though with his poor knowledge of important people, he had heard of the Castle Keeper. She was famous. A general as legendary as the king. In fact, this general had been famous even before the current king. She existed in the history books that he had been forced to read as a kid. An immortal, and one that had lived the life of one.
Mash couldn't muster an intelligent thought or anything of the like. Even the king himself wasn't considered in the same realm as she was. The gods had stories and stuff, but they were gods. This was a human with feats that were recorded in history rather than myth. Not that there weren't plenty of those around for someone like this. The most important thing though was the fact that she was one of his heroes. It might have been the influence of his father, but he didn't care. He floundered in front of the legend and looked to Jill to recover the situation. Although Jill was staring just as hard as he was.
The general was looking at Mash and then Jill. She didn't say anything as her eyes lingered on Jill for a moment. It stretched for a while and Jill turned away awkwardly. Mash's mind took a second to catch up to what he saw. The general was staring at Jill suspiciously, and there was only one reason he could think of. She knew what class Jill had, or had some way to figure out. That was bad, and Mash started to force out some words. He needed to change the subject.
"These people are foreigners. One of them had Thronebreaker, and another had a sealing skill."
Mash just talked about the first thing that came to his mind. There was no order to his words, and there hasn't been a proper explanation either. The general's face was situationally easy to read, and Mash could see eyebrows raise at the mention of foreigners. It was a small gesture that only lasted for the briefest second. Although she obviously didn't care as much about the rest.
"Throne breaker never deserved its name. It can barely even be called a legendary weapon."
The older woman shook her head while staring off into the distance. Her gaze had drifted past Jill though, so he took it as a victory. The general was remembering a past fight against someone who had wielded the weapon in the past. None of that was known to Mash, who interrupted the general’s memory with a question. Mash didn’t hesitate to continue turning the general’s attention away from Jill.
“Um, General Irkish, is the kingdom going to go to war?”
The greater implications of what had just happened finally wormed their way into Mash’s mind. He tried to remember when the last major war was, and he couldn’t actually remember it. Was it before the current king? It was definitely before his lifetime, but that didn’t say much. His power didn’t magically make him older, even if other people treated him like it did. The general would probably know more about the results of this kind of discovery. She might even be the one to make the final decision as far as he knew.
“Possibly. It will depend on the full story we get from a more credible source. In this case that would be your brother. Even if in the case that it would, we would seek reparations from the foreign king first. Most other kingdoms would back off after a failed attempt like this, but you can never know for certain. I have met my fair share of foolish kings.”
Mash listened attentively. He would have listened obediently even if the general had refused to answer his question. The general had implied that Mash wasn’t a credible source, but he didn’t care or dispute the claim. Mash considered trying to say something else but stopped himself as the General turned her gaze on him.
‘Where is your brother?”
“He’s with the remaining prisoners, once Jill recovers she will get them. There are a few more people.”
Mash was too eager to answer the question and had spoken carelessly. He had brought the conversation back to Jill and even looked toward her. That was a failure on his part but it was probably too late regardless. If the general had a way to see a person’s class then his attempts at a distraction would go in vain. Mash stared at the general, trying to see how she reacted. Even if the older woman was a legend, Jill could probably get away if needed. His attention was solely focused on her, but the general just turned away and started walking away. She spoke with finality as she strode off.
“Your brother will handle the rest. I hope we meet in more pleasant circumstances next time.”
Her tone implied that nothing more should be said, and Mash kept his mouth rightfully shut. Jill was still staring at the general, and Mash realized that she was even more stunned by the encounter than Mash was. It seemed like she was an even bigger fan than him. He sat down beside Jill, and they began excitedly muttering about what had just happened.
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Chapter 260: Prelude
Name: Mash Stellumbra Class: Chimeric Vagabond
Level: 108 → 112
Health: 3300 / 3300
Energy: 4400/ 4400
Fortitude: 330
Endurance: 210
Strength: 275
Agility: 275
Intelligence: 230
Wisdom: 120
Charisma: 110
Free Stats: 0 → 40
Skills: Hunt, Thunder-wood Creation, Inhuman Hibernation, Chimeric Transformation, Thunder-wood Imitation, Chimeric Reconstruction, Vagabond’s Path, Chimeric Domain, Adaptable Monster Core, Chimera’s Constitution, Wooden Body, Mimic’s Avarice, A Touch of Nothingness, Golden Body
Skills: Hunt, Thunder-wood Creation, Inhuman Hibernation, Chimeric Transformation, Thunder-wood Imitation, Chimeric Reconstruction, Vagabond’s Path, Chimeric Domain, Adaptable Monster Core, Chimera’s Constitution, Wooden Body, Mimic’s Avarice, A Touch of Nothingness, Golden Body
Hunt: You have gone beyond your limits when fighting enemies and devouring their power. Go beyond your limits. Continue current fight even after depleting energy. Stats improve while at 0 stamina. Continues until either you or your enemies are dead.
Current Bonus: +100% stats
Inhuman Hibernation (Broken): You have stolen the techniques of mages and monks to form an artificial technique, your inhuman body morphing it to fit your corrupted nature. Hibernating will increase the rate at which your body recovers, healing only physical wounds.
Current Rate: +200% recovery
Thunder-wood Creation: You know how deadly sticks can be. Forge your mana into wooden creations. Lightning has tempered your wood, and it thrums with the power of thunder.
Chimeric Transformation: Transform your body taking on aspects of those which you have consumed. Control which aspects to take and combine them to create the perfect form. Greatly increased energy consumption when combining forms.
Thunder-wood Imitation: Form imitations of creatures you have consumed, imitating some of their bodily functions through your wood.
Chimeric Reconstruction: Consume what you kill for more than just stats. Steal their flesh to repair your own. Their blood becomes yours. Your enemies are nothing more than your medicine.
Vagabond’s Path (unique): Having chosen the path of the vagabond, you have freed yourself from your own world. An explorer at heart, you laugh as you leap between worlds. Open portals to worlds you have already been. Once per cycle of the moon create a portal to a random world. Create a world of your own, portal to personal world granted.
Chimeric Domain (Passive): Your eyes just weren’t enough. Sense the changes in the mana around you. Connect to the mana and life in your space and inherently understand the nature of the mana and life. Your presence suffuses the space, weakens the magic and strength of enemies beneath you. They cower beneath your might.
Current Range: 53 → 57 feet
Reconstructed Adaptable Monster Core (Passive): An unnatural mana core has fundamentally altered your body, fusion with a monster has given you access to its potential. Stamina and Mana combine to become energy. Your monstrous body is better able to handle the changes to your core. You have progressed your core further, by forcing it to adapt. Now, you may only further your core by repeating the process.
Current Bonus: +80% efficiency
Wooden Body (Passive): You can connect with the wood that you are touching. By expending your energy, you bring your creations to life as another one of your limbs.
Chimera’s Constitution (Passive): Giving up your humanity has improved your body, improving your physical control, natural defenses, animalistic intuition, and mana control. No longer a human in any sense, you are no longer bound by that which limits them. You have created your own race, improving your rate of growth.
Mimic’s Avarice (Passive): Devour your enemy in battle to temporarily raise your stats. The fresher the victim the stronger the bonus. Gain full benefits even when consuming through your magic. Absorbs some properties of those you devour alive. Removes the negative effects of things you consume.
A Touch of Nothingness (Passive): Belonging to no race or group, you have embraced the nothingness that is a part of everything. You are free, and automatically resist others' attempts to bind you. Constantly emit the aura of nothingness within your domain. Your allies will gain some of the freedom you possess. Enemies weaker than yourself will slowly lose that which makes them whole.
Golden Body (Passive): Having stolen the techniques of another world, your body evolves beyond its old limitations. However, even this transformation is incomplete. Seek out the next Step and truly make this power your own.
Trial of the True Body: 25 → 27 / 100
Mash Stellumbra
Age: 18 (15)
Ki-Realm: Third Monstrous Realm
Body-Realm: Golden Chimeric Body
Path: Path of the Blood Bond
Vitality: 300
Strength: 250
Dexterity: 252
Mind: 221
Ki: 4070
