by Aaron Oster
“We’ve got five element manipulators, including me,” Sarah said, looking at a small sheet of parchment. “One metal manipulator, one who can control magnetic fields, and one who can make pretty much anything explode. We’ve also got three healers and an illusionist…”
Sarah continued laying out each person and their abilities, and Morgan went over what they could do in his head and tried to find the best spots for them. Another hour of planning later and they had what could be considered a plan, though it would all be dependent on whether things ran smoothly or went to shit the moment they arrived.
“The biggest problem is that we don’t really know what he can do,” Sarah said, leaning back and stretching her arms above her head.
This move accentuated the taut muscles in her arms and back, as well as the perfect proportions that made her so attractive. Her hair was still out of its usual braid, and in that moment, Morgan wanted to do nothing more than kiss her. So, he did.
“What was that for?” Sarah asked, her face flushing slightly when he pulled back and her green eyes sparkling with mischief.
“We are going into battle soon,” Morgan said, kissing her again. “And it has been a while since we…you know.”
Sarah ran her hand over his chest, feeling at the strong musculature beneath. As her hand slid down lower, so did Morgan’s, eventually hooking his fingers in beneath the hem of her armor.
“It’ll take us at least fifteen minutes to get dressed again, you know,” Sarah whispered into his ear.
“I know,” Morgan replied, then proceeded to drag her shirt up over her head.
“Well, it’s hardly fair if I’m the only one getting undressed,” Sarah replied, her lips twisting up into a smirk as she reached back to unclasp her bra.
Morgan didn’t hesitate for a second, dragging his shirt over his head as well. They didn’t even bother going to the bed, though by the time they were done, Morgan very much regretted that, as the couch was not reinforced to handle their activities.
Nearly two hours later, the two of them sat on the remains of the splintered couch, wrapped in their robes after taking a very much needed bath. Of course, Sarah had said that they should probably save on water and that had led to their bath taking an extra hour. Thankfully the tub was reinforced, so they didn’t break that, but it had been a near thing as they’d been extra enthusiastic.
“I really don’t want to stay here when this is all over,” Sarah said in a low voice.
She was sitting with her head leaning against Morgan’s chest, snuggled into him as he played lightly with her hair.
“Honestly, neither do I,” Morgan replied. “I want to go somewhere warm and green, where we can relax and not worry about anything. But…”
“I know,” Sarah replied with a sigh. “They’ll need us here after the war to help rebuild and re-stabilize.”
Morgan nodded. It would take a while to rebuild after all that had happened. There was also the matter of gaining control over his power, which meant he would need to go back to the Ruined City and meet this god for guidance, and who knew how long that would take? It seemed that relaxation was just never going to happen.
Sarah shifted then, turning her head to look up into his eyes.
“I know you have a lot of responsibilities, but can you at least make me a promise?”
“Depends on what it is,” Morgan replied carefully.
“When this is all over… When the North is rebuilt, and our responsibilities are met, that you’ll take me somewhere far away from here, where we can build a home and maybe start a family.”
By the end of her sentence, Sarah’s face was a deep red, and her voice had dropped to a near-whisper. In all truth, Morgan was a bit surprised at her request. He’d never even considered having children, let alone settling down and having a family. So much had been going on lately, that he’d barely given it any thought. But that was what people did, right? Got married, had children, and lived normal, fulfilling lives.
Of course, with him being who he was, he doubted he’d ever have what people would call normal. Even if he didn’t advance a single rank, he’d live for hundreds of years. His need to fight likely wouldn’t diminish, and he would continue seeking ever-greater strength. Along with that would come a further-increased lifespan. Sarah would likely continue to grow right along with him, but when they eventually died, what would he be leaving behind?
When he thought of Gwendolyn and her legacy, he didn’t feel she’d lived an empty life. Even as the pain of her loss continued eating away at him from the inside, he still remembered her. He remembered all she’d done and what she’d left behind. As a direct result of what she’d done, Morgan was the man he was today. She’d shaped his future, and when Morgan thought about doing that with the woman he loved, he found the idea to be extremely appealing.
Yes, the very notion of having children was a frightening one, but with Sarah by his side, there wasn’t a thing he felt he couldn’t accomplish. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, feeling the softness of her skin and taking in the flowery scent of the soap she’d just used.
“You know,” he said. “I think that’s a promise I’d feel very comfortable making.”
Even if he’d had a single doubt in his mind about making that promise, the grin that spread across Sarah’s face would have wiped it away in an instant.
“Well then, I’ll be expecting a proposal as soon as this war is over,” she said with a playful grin. “And that ring better have a stone as large as my entire hand!”
Morgan chuckled at that, knowing that if such a stone even existed, he’d be the one to find it. He still didn’t understand women’s fascination with the sparkly rocks, but if it made her happy, then he would gladly oblige.
Their cuddling was interrupted as a knock sounded on the door, and with a light sound of annoyance, Sarah pushed herself up and went to answer the door.
“What do you want?” Morgan heard, and even though he had his Aura Sense reined in, Morgan could immediately tell who it was, simply by the tone of Sarah’s voice.
“Why do you always need to be so hostile?” Katherine asked, pushing past her and entering the room. “Oh my, haven’t we been busy,” she said, giving the wrecked couch a once-over.
“That’s none of your business!” Sarah snapped, cheeks going red.
“What is it?” Morgan asked, hiding his own embarrassment under a tone of professionalism. “Are we under attack?”
“Not just yet,” Katherine replied, her eyes going between Sarah, Morgan, and the busted couch. “We estimate another two to three hours before the real attack begins.”
“Then why are you here?” Sarah demanded, going to cuddle up with Morgan once more.
She was definitely a lot more aggressive, sitting directly down on his lap and shoving her hips back into him, making sure to keep eye-contact with Katherine the whole while.
“I actually came to bring you this,” Katherine replied, holding out a very familiar-looking chest. “I’ve taken about half myself, but I figured that if ever there was a time to use it, and if anyone could use the boost, it would be you.”
“Are you sure?” Morgan asked, reaching out to take the proffered chest. “That is a lot of energy to be giving up.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Katherine replied with a sly grin. “I’ve made it all the way to rank 56, so I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be. You might want to share some of those with Sarah as well. What rank were you again, 50?” Katherine asked, as though unsure.
“Forty-nine,” Sarah replied through clenched teeth.
“Oh, that’s right,” Katherine replied. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. Country to run and all. But Morgan, if you even feel the need for a real woman, you know where to find me.”
She tugged on the already plunging neckline of her shirt, practically flashing Morgan and giving him a wink, before turning and strutting out of the room.
“Calm down, you know I won’t do it,” Morgan said, p
lacing a restraining hand on Sarah’s legs as she rose to give chase.
“I don’t understand why she keeps doing that!” Sarah yelled. “Can’t she go seduce some other man with those oversized pillows of hers? Why does she constantly feel the need to be coming after you, even after you keep turning her down?”
Morgan honestly had no clue. There were any number of men Katherine could have. In fact, he didn’t know any man who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to be with her. Queen or not, powerful or not, her looks alone would be enough to capture the heart of anyone. Perhaps that was why she continued to pursue him?
“Maybe she’d just not used to rejection?” Morgan wondered.
“Not with those udders,” Sarah said with a snort.
“I don’t know why you’re always so hung up over her breasts,” Morgan replied. “You do realize that yours are probably about the same size, right?”
Sarah flushed, though Morgan could tell she looked pleased.
“The difference between the two of us is that I don’t flaunt them. I know the meaning of modesty.”
Morgan sighed internally, thinking of all the times Sarah had literally taken her clothes off in an attempt to do what Katherine just had. The Queen of the North had never actually gone so far as to unclothe herself before him, so if anyone was immodest, it was most definitely Sarah. Not that he was going to tell her that to her face.
“How about we just check on the cores she’s left us? I’m sure we could benefit from a couple of ranks, though I doubt I’ll be getting more than one if we split them evenly.”
This seemed to pull her attention away from her hatred of Katherine. Gaining power was something they both liked doing, so why sweat the small stuff when there were ranks to be gained?
43
Morgan had been almost right. The total energy he’d received was enough to just get him over the threshold for rank 53, which gave him the ability to assign a total of 8 AP to each attribute. While it wasn’t much, the small boost would definitely help in the battle to come. He’d also found that he had just enough AP left over to buy out the rest of Gauntlet Gatling, as the skill had advanced a bit as he’d ranked-up.
Name: Morgan
Advanced Supermage: Rank - 53
Energy to next rank - 105/5,000,000
Ability Advancement - 11,660/15,000,000
Total Available AP: 6
Ability - Natural Disaster
RP - 4,660/4,660 (Regen - 46.8 per second)
Strength - 492
Agility - 637
Constitution - 475
Intelligence - 466
Wisdom - 468
Skills - Supersonic flight, Concussive Burst, Stormforger, Gauntlet Gatling, Rupture, Nature’s wrath, Maximum Might, Compressive Blast, Gravity Warp
Traits - Dense body +, Recovery +, Aura sense (inherited), Aura flare (inherited), Perfect Self, Soul Stealer
Extra - Gravity storm (4th category), Starbreaker (3rd category), Collapsing star (Nova), Shooting star
Skills:
Supersonic flight - Manipulate gravity and air to reduce your weight and move through the skies. You can now reach your maximum speed instantaneously. There is no longer a weight limit. For an additional cost, you can briefly increase your speed to supersonic levels.
Cost - 25 RP per second
Max. height - 225 Ft
Max. speed - 140 Ft per second
Supersonic Speed Cost - 1,600 RP
Duration - 12 Seconds
Cooldown - 48 hours
Concussive Burst - Manipulate gravity and air to massively increase your speed and power. (Currently: Agility & Strength X3). You can activate Flurry Burst, which will redouble your strength and speed, at the cost of a longer cooldown.
Cost - 400 RP
Duration - 17 seconds
Cooldown - 20 seconds
Flurry Burst Cost - 1,600 RP
Duration - 5.5 seconds
Cooldown - 3 hours
Stormforger - Manipulate gravity and air to forge solid whirling constructs in the shape of your choice. You can change the shape of your constructs without dismissing them. For an additional cost, you can charge your weapon constructs with electricity.
Cost - 475 RP per construct
Duration - Until dismissed
Charge cost - 175 RP
Duration - 5 Strikes
Gauntlet Gatling - Project your forged constructs in a hail of blows (This is a sub-skill of Stormforger).
Cost - 50 RP per second
Rupture - Shape the earth as you see fit, control it in its many forms. You can now use elements in the ground to your advantage. Finesse increased by 30%.
Cost - 85 RP per second
Nature’s wrath - Infuse your body with the energy of the world and harness the power of nature from your surroundings. This skill has no time limit but will cause significant strain on the body. It will also drain reiki in ever-increasing amounts the longer it is used.
Cost - 5 RP per second; cost doubles every six seconds
Cooldown - 1 hour
Maximum Might - For a short period of time, you may draw out the full potential of your inner self. This will give you a massive +20% boost to all your attributes. (This effect can be stacked with other skills)
Cost - 1,750 RP
Duration - 60 seconds
Cooldown - 6 hours
Gravity Warp - Your power over gravity is such that space can no longer contain you. Vast distances can now be covered at speeds previously unimaginable.
Cost - 30 RP per second
Traits:
Dense body + - Your body has undergone an evolution and has become denser and more compact. All physical attacks are now 40% less damaging, and all skill-based attacks have a 2% chance of failing to damage you at all.
Recovery + - The spirits of the air have blessed you with the power of healing. If you can survive for 6 hours after being wounded, no matter the injury, your body will be completely healed. Your body will begin healing immediately at 15% per hour for 5 hours, and the last 25% will heal at the end of the 6th hour.
Aura Sense (inherited) - You have been bestowed the gift of sight by an Omniscient. By concentrating on the natural energy within yourself, you can read the aura in the world around you. You now have True Sight and can see through any deception, be they words or abilities.
Aura Flare (inherited) - You have been bestowed the gift of power by an Omniscient. You can make those around you feel your power, merely by focusing your intent. Your aura will now stun the weak minded for up to five seconds and may cause some physiological damage as well.
Perfect Self - The road to the Pinnacle of power is nearly at its end. Gather the required energy and find your Perfect Self.
Progress - 4%
Soul Stealer - You now have the ability to tear the cores from supers or mages, absorbing them as you would a beast core. The energy you will receive will vary based on the strength of the individual.
Extra:
Gravity storm (4th category) - Create a cyclone of intense gravity, damaging winds, and lightning in a targeted area. The ground quakes and splinters under the force of this storm, and the earth ruptures and spews forth fire.
Cost - 1,400 RP
AOE - 60 Ft
Duration - 45 seconds
Cooldown - 8 hours
Starbreaker (3rd category) - Create a dense ball of superheated air and compressed gas, which will explode upon impact with a selected target. The heat is so great that it will melt stone and detonate the very oxygen in the air.
Cost - 1,900 RP
AOE - 45 Ft
Cooldown - 14 hours
Collapsing star (Nova) - Create a small sphere of super dense gravity that exudes the crushing force of a collapsing star. The collapsing star will then explode outward, burning all in its path with the heat of a burning Nova.
Cost - 2,600 RP
AOE - 25 Ft
Duration - 30 seconds
Cooldown - 32 hours
Shooting Star - Cloak your body in fire hot enough to melt diamond and the power of a shooting star.
Cost - 3,500 RP
Duration - 25 seconds
Cooldown - 168 hours
Of course, Morgan wished he’d had enough to unlock the most powerful skill available to him right now, but Massive Meteor was just too far out of reach, with a whopping 4,700 AP left before he could use it. Still, unlocking the sub-skill of Stormforger would definitely help. The skill had been one of his most useful, and it had been one of the originals he’d received when he’d first gotten his ability.
Originally, the skill had only allowed for the summoning of a lance made of air. It had been pretty much see-through, and only allowed him to deal melee damage by striking directly. No lightning charges, no changing shape mid-fight, only a weapon with the capability to drill through almost anything.
Wind Blade, that had been the name of the skill, and it had only cost a measly 40 MP to summon. Back then, he’d still had separate mage and super abilities, and when Morgan thought back to how far he’d come since then, it was almost impossible to believe.
The name Stormforger was accurate in his mind. As his favorite skill and the one he most used in battle, it gave Morgan the feeling that he really was storm-forged, his body tempered and reshaped in the heart of a raging tempest that should long ago have killed him. Yet he survived and came out stronger than ever before.
“How did you do?” he asked, closing his status and looking to Sarah, who was still going over her own.
“Gained three ranks,” she replied distractedly. “I was pretty close to 50 already, so what you gave me pushed me all the way to 52. My Condense Water skill was upgraded as well, something I didn’t think could happen. It’s now called Current Force, and it allows me to control greater amounts at once, though the cost is higher. Still, with my Intelligence nearing one-thousand, I have plenty of MP to work with.”