The Fool's Freedom

“We were a bit late, but let’s hope that has sobered you up. Have you made your decision yet? Or should we start killing?” the man said leisurely.

His voice transmitted through the simple swords littering the grounds before the outer wall of the Sanctuary. His name was Rust, or at least that’s what he called himself. A tier two with an enormous aura that made Rosalyn feel far outclassed. He could spawn swords out of pebbles of iron.

The sword left in the field near the forest had shattered upon his arrival, and soon after his tow companions had come two. All tier two.

Nevertheless, she remained calm. It had been a week and a half since Alan disappeared in his Tower. She had hoped he would come out and help them. He had talked a big game, but now he was gone once again. At least he was close by.

And the Tower had gone almost crazy in the past week. It was drawing mana at a rate that made most people afraid to work with mana since the quantities of it rushing toward the Sanctuary were almost toxic.

Mr. Muge was also growing more insane by the day from the new development but in a good way. He was filled with enthusiasm for his inventions. No one could reach the eccentric [Enchanter] either now, and his guards refused to speak or let anyone in.

One positive was that the high level of ambient mana had allowed Rosalyn to charge the barriers she had purchased for the Sanctuary to completion. They had lacked the mana stones before, taking shifts in supplementing their reserves with the mana of the people.

Each barrier had cost a tremendous amount, and while the Sanctuary generated points related to the achievements of those living in it, it was a slow and tedious process and it was nowhere close to the amount people had for themselves.

And no one was willing to donate.

“Why do you act so? Are we not human? We have to band together and survive in this new world, not kill each other.” Rosalyn tried again. She had little hope, but stalling was all she could do. The next step was another war.

The man snorted, and the two around him looked at her with contempt. Their gazes kept going toward Alan’s Tower, and Rosalyn thought she could see the greed. Great. Another reason for them to attack.

“This is what we’re doing, woman. It will be as easy as relegating leadership to me, and allowing us to see if you hide anyone suspicious. Our troops will catch up soon, and you will allow them inside. There are threats out there you can’t even imagine. Aliens, trying to take this world from us. Unification is the only way for us to oppose them. You don’t know what we have seen, or you’d have knelt already.”

The words revibrated through the air and spread around the Sanctuary like a sonic wave.

“Why not show us peacefully?”

“The time of peace is gone. We tried but we only pad the price for our foolishness. The one-year mark is coming, and there’s no time for us to entertain the weak.”

Rosalyn frowned. One-year mark? What was going to happen then?

“Who are you searching for?” Walter yelled out from the wall.

Many had followed Rosalyn out, including Walter, Emerson, Top Rabbit, Turtle, and even the witch Alan had taken under his wing. She was calm and cold, just like before he had returned. A large pack of scrolls rested on the wall next to her.

Despite the gathering of strong characters, the three before them were many times stronger. They didn’t hide it like Alan almost managed to do. Somehow his was a different presence.

“I won’t answer questions of lowly tier ones,” Rust scoffed. “I’ve given respect to your leader and that’s that. You’ve had your chance. Choose. Life, or death? Doesn’t matter to us either way.”

Three-tier twos… Rosalyn willed the outer barrier to come alive. A golden sheen covered the Sanctuary grounds.

It would last a while even under their strength, but it wouldn’t be a long time. They needed to figure something out fast.

Even if Alan was there, Rosalyn was doubtful he could handle three of them and whoever else was coming. Relying on him alone was also wrong.

The Sanctuary had survived a lot and had its pride, but the inability to leave it and hunt because of all the dangers, losses, and internal conflicts had made them fall behind the curve.

Few were close to tier two, and hopefully, they would reach it before it became too late.

***

To be devoured by one's own mana was not a pleasant experience.

Again.

And again.

An eternity of peeling skin and flesh, of boiling blood, of agony reaching the center of the bones. It was different than the sensations of fire or being ripped apart and having his bones twisted. It was somewhat intimate.

Shadow consuming void, and void consuming shadow, all because of a sliver of life. And his will was thrown in the mix too.

It was a choice, after all. A choice to go through, not something demanded of him by a power he couldn’t refuse. He could stop, but he knew stopping would rob him of a precious opportunity.

He didn’t know how long it had been but the twisted ritual was finally nearing its end. It had all gone wrong the moment he listened to the advice of the voice. Saiya, the Witch of Carnage. A fitting name.

Or maybe it had all gone right.

If he had simply nourished his flesh with shadow mana he would’ve been fine and possibly gotten a large attribute bonus like in the previous ritual. Now it had been days, maybe weeks… he didn’t know.

The base ritual of infusing his flesh with mana was just a grain at the bottom of it all. The process of merging and infusing had turned into one of consumption. It had all turned it into something new unknown, dangerous, and possibly too much to handle.

The agony was the price, and he was fine with paying it.

At least now, it was all over.

He slowly opened his eyes to a room almost devoid of mana. The tower was dark, the crystal above barely managing to force out a weak light. The walls of the tower were cracked, and the floor was too. It would repair itself, given enough time, so that was not an issue.

Alan exhaled, trying to align his mind to his body. Everything… felt strange. Everything felt better.

His skin cracked as he moved and pieces of dark think membrane fell from his body. With a sigh of disgust, he removed his clothes and used a cleansing charm.

His mind was buzzing with System messages. What had he done now?

You have completed Ritual: Infused Flesh (Rare)

You have gained—

Error!

Mana fusion is underway.

Your Bloodline has progressed.

Bloodline of the Void’s Shadow (Unique) awakening progress: 3.1%

Bloodline of the Void’s Shadow (Unique) awakening progress: 4.8%

Bloodline of the Void’s Shadow (Unique) awakening progress: 7%

Bloodline of the Void’s Shadow (Unique) awakening progress: 10%

Your Bloodline has transformed.

Analyzing changes…

Void’s Shadow has become Devouring Shadow Dragon.

Would you like to keep the name?

What good is a name anyway? This sounds a tad better at least. I’ll get hunted if anyone learns of the name though. I hope I don’t go all lizardman…

Yes.

Your title Madcap has become Reckless Madman

You have lost the skill Mortal Peril.

Title: Reckless Madman

You have experimented on yourself, jumped recklessly in danger’s way, participated in forbidden ancient rituals, meddled with spirits, dragons, and lords of death, and almost guaranteed your death to the best of your ability multiple times. You have undergone agony that no mortal should experience, and you have embraced it like a friend.

Despite being your worst enemy, be it due to blind luck or cunning, you still live.

+100 Mind

+20% Mind.

You have an acute sense of danger, transcending the limitations of skills.

A huge change. It made Alan’s eyes bulge out of his head. 20%?! He didn’t even care about the flat bonus. Twenty percent on top of his other bonuses was absolutely massive.

It didn’t stop there.

Due to the effects of your bloodline your Enhancement: Enchanted Skeleton has become Trait: Dragon Bones I (Epic)

Dragon Bones I

Your bones have changed to become like those of a Dragon, almost unbreakable and brimming with magic. Each can be used to make a precious artifact.

+200 Magic

These changes were insane! Awakening his bloodline a mere 10% has already given him almost as much as stepping in tier two! The Dragon bones almost doubled the bonus of his Enchanted bones!

Or is it because everything was so divided? My bloodline and my class had nothing in common, and my skills were all over the place. This… this is making it all work together. The fusion did more than combine the elements. This is good!

Your flesh has become one with the mana you wield.

You have gained the Trait: Basic Mana Body (Epic)

Trait: Basic Mana Body

Your skin, flesh, blood, and bones have become saturated with your mana.

Your mana pool has grown.

+200 Magic

Alan laughed and flinched. His whole body felt tender and there was not enough mana in his body to start fixing the damage. He didn’t care. He hadn’t had to steal, he hadn’t had to even spend months floating in the void. This was his hard work! And some guidance from the inheritance he had randomly stumbled upon…

Ah, fuck it! I’ll take full credit!

His body still felt human and fleshy, but it was as if all of it had become a massive container of mana. He couldn’t wait to see how much stronger his skills would be now.

Alan sat down again. He felt the tower try and recharge its mana now that he was done drawing all of it. Where had it gone? Reforming his flesh and bones again?

Another message waited for him regardless of his thoughts.

You have learned a new skill: Ritual: Organ Refinement (Epic)

Ritual: Organ Refinement (Epic)

Bone and flesh have transformed, and the organs await to join them.

WARNING! This ritual is strongly frowned upon.

That was expected, even if the skill was strange. Alan had assumed his organs would be included in the flesh deal. He certainly didn’t feel any of them being out of place, but then again…

As the details of the new skill entered his mind like it was with other ritual skills, he felt horrified. It included replacing his existing organs with artifacts or those of monsters! This was insanity! Wouldn’t that be in conflict with his bloodline? Wouldn’t it make him even less of a human than he already was?

At the very least, he had to seek far and wide for suitable ‘items’, so it was not something he could focus on soon. Problems for later.

Alan meditated for hours. Mana rushed into him quickly and was instantly transformed into his chosen element. There was no void or shadow conflict, as everything was one. His mana was different, darker. Still a shadow, but not quite.

He wondered if that would affect his skill. He hoped it would. Some of them were outdated or strange or relied on singular attributes that made them slow to go off. His void skills all needed a few seconds to go off. A few seconds was too much in a world of superhumans and dragons.

Perhaps his bloodline would have a say about that…

As he grew comfortable with the amount of mana he had restored, Alan stood up. One by one he tried to activate his skills, apart from the curses. [Shadow Creation] was smoother, and the shadows it created were more sinister-looking than ever.

Everything he cast was permeated with his will, which too had changed despite the lack of mention. By the System. Like his master who took all opportunities thrown at him, and who bit off more than it could chew, it too wanted to break and devour. It was no longer something separate that he had to consciously infuse into skills or presence. Rather, it was part of his being now.

It felt good.

The changes were a lot, and he smiled in triumph. Sometimes as he activated a skill, the System would stop him, and send a message. Even [Sacrificial Attack] was not different. It was not an advancement he had earned due to his mastery, but a fundamental change that had come because of how he had changed.

Your skill Synaptic Failure (Rare) has changed.

Your skill Sacrificial Attack (Epic) has changed.

Your skill Void Pierce (Rare) has changed.

Your skill Void Step (Rare) has changed.

Warlock’s Body Mastery (Rare) has changed.

His stunts were finally paying big dividends, and Alan was all for it.