Well… Lukas surmised, that happened.

“Your ability to state the obvious is astounding.”

The battle between the strange blonde girl and Inanna had come to an end after Inanna had cast judgment upon her. The exact mechanics were still unclear to him, especially the entire power of Depredation thing, but he assumed it had something to do with her power as a goddess.

He glanced toward the blonde, still fallen upon the ground, the hoarfrost on her person now completely undone, leaving behind unblemished human skin. How? He had no clue. Her clothes were tattered, and she wore a belt-bag around her waist. After spending a couple of moments uselessly debating between decency and moral obligation, he decided to unzip it, and pull out a cloak to put over her.

There had also been some canned food inside her bag. Lukas stole it without hesitation. The food felt exotic to his tongue, but anything was better than roasted meat after this long. She had been the one to assault him out of nowhere. The least she could do was share her food.

On a side note, it felt great to be back in control. Watching the goddess kick ass was awesome and, not that he wanted to admit it, arousing, but he liked his bodily freedom too much to complain.

Her words, not his.

Maybe if things were different, he’d have questioned her about the switch back. Knowing her, she’d probably scoff and say something disparaging about his mortality, followed by how she despised inhabiting a lower life-form for a second longer than was absolutely necessary.

“It is refreshing to see someone aware of their position on the food chain. But no, that is not it.”

Then?

“You forget that this form of mine is inevitably restricted by the pendant you bear on your person. Possessing your frail body and exerting my Truth took a toll on it.”

Truth?

“The core conceptualization behind my Ascension. My mark on the Origin, if you will. It is what makes me a goddess. But I digress. It is clear to me that this realm is not my own. As such, I shall need to scry for it.”

A tide of frustration swept over him. If it weren’t for Alpha Condition, he’d have drowned in it.

“Unfortunately, the power to accomplish that is far beyond what this pendant can procure. It is…vexing.”

“You need more power? You could always use some from my omphalos reserves.”

The goddess eyed him strangely, then shook her head. “You must think thrice before making such an offer. Such naivety is beneath one who bears my torch. To answer your question, the omphalos in you will not allow for that.”

Lukas was baffled by the thought. A single spell enough to run his reserves dry? The same omphalos reserves that would last him ten lifetimes?

His mind replayed the bargain he and Inanna had struck back in yokai territory. The goddess had demanded he channel the power he’d gain by harvesting the crypt’s omphalos to her. In a previous bargain, she had extracted a promise out of him to be allowed to perform a single spell of her choice.

Nigh-unlimited power, and a spell that could be anything.

And now, she wanted to scry for her realm.

There was this strange gnawing at the back of his mind that told him he was missing something. Something that was looking him in the face, yet he was ignoring it.

But what?

He glanced down at the girl. She looked…vulnerable in her sleep. It was almost impossible to believe she had nearly killed him several times, and had enough skill to stand against Inanna, no matter how short a while.

A power just as ancient as herself, Inanna had described her frost powers. Powers she had bent before her will by applying her—

Lukas stilled. “I see now,” he finally said. “It’s not about finding your realm at all. You could do that anyway after I kill this crypt. Besides, you yourself said that I had a long, long way to go before I could even imagine trying to enter Ereshkigal’s domain. The reason for your frustration is something else.”

He pointed at the sleeping girl.

“It’s her, isn’t it? You used your divine powers to crush her. But you’re a reflection of the original. A starlight housed in a pendant, in a lostbelt with no gods and…no faith. What little you had, you used it to subdue her.” His lips widened into a smile. “You want to scry for your realm so you can acquire more faith.”

Inanna was silent for a moment. Then, she sighed. “The problem is, you just do not sound that bright, mortal. Perhaps it is skewing my expectations.”

“But that’s what it is,” he stressed. “Isn’t it?”

She slowly nodded. “If the girl is any indication, there will be entities that cannot be suppressed through sheer power alone.”

He knew it. He didn’t like it, and certainly didn’t want to accept it, but he knew it to be true. He was going to be stranded in this world for some time. But that was okay. He’d come to terms with that. Earth wasn’t there anymore, so he needed to shack up somewhere either way. Why not here?

Speaking of which…

“Soulscape.”

SOULSCAPE

NAME

Lukas Aguilar

Type

Base Host

Level

7

Experience

161

Current Threshold

1960

Utilized Soul Capacity

13629 / 14473

ESSENCE

Maximum Lifeforce Output

3475

Replenishment Rate

540 / hour

LEY LINE NETWORK

Maximum Mana Output

3150

Synthesis Rate

340 / hour

SKILL ATTRIBUTES

SKILL

LEVEL

CONSUMED SOUL CAP

Raw Lifeforce Manipulation

3

5000

Momentum Manipulation

3

5000

Friction Modulation

2

500

Pressure Modulation

2

500

Kinetomancy (FRAGMENTED)

APEX

1279

Fire Creation

1

50

Fire Manipulation

2

500

Temperature Modulation

1

50

Perception Manipulation

1

50

Conjuration

1

50

Disintegration

1

50

Seismic Sensing

1

50

Shatterpoint Intuition

2

500

Psychomancy

1

50

OMPHALOS ATTRIBUTES

Energy Reservoir Capacity

∞

Current Energy Level

722,386,138 units

OMPHALOS FUNCTIONS

Scan

Level 2

Analyze

Level 2

Prophylaxis

Level 2

Soul Siphon

NA

Alpha Condition

Level 1

Evocation

Level 1

No matter how many times he saw it, it was unreal to his eyes. He already had Soul Capacity to begin with and had been gifted with ten thousand more. And yet—

Inanna’s scornful laughter rang in his ears. “Did you think it would be so easy to steal my skill once again? Even if you had multitudes more of available Soul Capacity, you would still be playing with its basic skills before you can make any foray into Kinetomancy.”

“But I still have Soul Capacity left!” he seethed. The last time it had taken up everything he could afford. But this time, it was left untouched.

“Kinetomancy is the culmination of several lifeforce skills. Raw Lifeforce Manipulation, Momentum Manipulation, Regokinesis, Molecular Acceleration, Friction Modulation, and many more. What you have is merely a taste of it. Unless you develop the related skills, you will not progress any further.”

“But why?”

“Without synchronizing your body to the other skills, it will tear itself apart. Physics is the manipulation of the nature of reality. It is not a toy. It is the weapon that allowed me to butcher gods and beasts alike.”

Lukas chewed his bottom lip. “I suppose there’s no free lunch.”

“No free lunch?” Inanna sneered. “I do not wish to hear such a thing from you. You just acquired the third level in not one, but two skills. Freely. That alone would have taken you years of training.”

That sounded a bit too unreal. Years? He had gained a significant number of Level Ones lately, though he supposed he had Soul Siphon to thank for that. Assimilation of monster prototypes and allowing them to take over while himself holding the reins thanks to Alpha Condition had greatly speeded his growth. The generous bonuses the omphalos threw at him from time to time helped as well.

But still… Years?

He returned to the Screen for information.

“Show me information on skills.”

SKILLS

Skills are abilities performed using Natural or derivative energy sources, engraved upon the Soul at the expense of Soul Capacity.

That much he already knew.

“Tell me about skill levels.”

SKILL LEVELS

When initially engraved to the Soul, Skills are at Level 1, a state of minimum power requirements and minimum results. With exception of Immutables, all Skills can be leveled up to Level 5, each Level increasing power requirements and results exponentially.

SKILL LEVEL

SOUL CAPACITY CONSUMED

1

50

2

500

3

5000

4

50000

5

500000

Lukas gulped. 500,000? For a single skill? He had seen a somewhat smaller number listed next to the broken skill, but she was a goddess, so it was obvious that her powers would be way above mortal pay grade. But if a Level 5 required 500,000 Soul Capacity then—

“What registered on your schema was a broken fragment of my true skill.”

“I might regret asking, but what is the actual cost of your Kinetomancy?”

Inanna proceeded to rattle off an obscenely large number.

Lukas mind went blank as he processed the weight of the value he’d just heard.

“If it helps, the only time I used my divine powers was at the end, and those…aren’t really registered through Soul Capacity.”

“Then—”

“Check for arcane skills.”

He did.

ARCANE SKILLS

Skills that are gained through BLESSINGS of Divinities, and have specific Faith requirements to be engraved on the Soul. Once engraved, Arcane Skills can be fueled by natural or derivative energy sources.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

“You said you could teach me things beyond my comprehension if I accepted your offer. Power beyond measure. You were talking about arcane skills.”

Ah.” She grinned. “Your understanding has finally arrived.”

Lukas snorted, glancing down at the blonde. “Her frost. It was unnatural. Was that another arcane skill?”

“I doubt it. Its origins are closer to my own nature.”

Slowly, hesitantly, he extended his hand out. There she was, lying on the floor, covered in her cloak. It was so easy to imagine her as asleep.

“Mortal.”

His hand stiffened.

“I made an investment in the girl. I will be most displeased if it yields nothing.”

All investments carried a risk, Lukas wanted to say, but decided otherwise. The girl was powerful. Unreasonably so. Having her on his side would make things easier.

Making up his mind, he slowly touched her shoulder.

The girl’s eyes snapped open. She glanced at his hand, then at him and then back at herself. He could see calculations running in her mind and—

The girl spun around, getting up faster than humanly possible, and threw him onto the floor. Before he knew it, she was perched on top of him, two wind blades scratching at the soft flesh of his neck.

“…Ow,” he said lamely.

“Who are you?” she demanded, pressing the blades tighter. A little more, and she’d draw blood.

“Seriously,” he asked, frowning. “You break through a wall, accuse me of a theft I didn’t commit, and then try to kill me. Multiple times. And now you’re asking me who I am? That’s rich!”

He felt something wet on his neck, but didn’t bother attacking. It would be hilariously easy to snap her neck at such close proximity if he wanted. The blonde he had fought earlier was an aggressive attacker. But the girl before him? He could clearly see the hesitation, confusion, and fear in her eyes.

What did you do to her? Why doesn’t she recognize me?

“I removed her memories of the fight. The important ones, at least. She has not done anything deserving to have a memory of me.”

That’s…one way of putting it, I suppose.

“Don’t you remember anything?” Lukas asked the blonde. “Anything at all?”

The gentle question made her hesitate. Her frown deepened, and she peered at him in mute disbelief. Lukas could almost see the cogs running inside her head. This close, he couldn’t help but study her profile. She was built like a well-proportioned statue, and at the same time, looked like a starved thing, twitching at every sound and motion like a feral cat. Her eyes were alert, trying to watch the whole world at once, and she was coiled like a spring ready to go off at a moment’s notice.

“My name is Lukas,” he finally said in Ualbesh. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The blonde glared at him, teeth gritted, unsure how to deal with the sudden politeness. She pulled the blades away, but only enough to not hurt him anymore.

“…Tanya,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m Tanya.”

“Tanya.” A common name back on Earth. “Can you please remove that blade from my neck? I like being alive.”

She didn’t budge.

“Look,” he tried, “why don’t you tell me how you came here? Or…what’s the last thing you remember?”

“I—” she began. Lukas watched as her expression blossomed into confusion. “I…can’t seem to remember what happened. I think we…fought?”

“You called me food, then attacked me out of nowhere with ice and wind of all things. A pretty interesting combination, honestly.”

Tanya stiffened at that. “You…you fought me when I was using the Frost?”

“Drove a spear of it right through my hand, actually,” he replied, enjoying her growing trepidation more than he should have. “And my left arm. And the legs, too.”

Tanya seized his chin with one hand and brought the wind blade closer again. Lukas could feel the wind current flaring against his beard.

“You’re lying!” she snarled. “No one can survive after being impaled by Frost.”

“Then how do you explain this?” He shifted his head toward one of his blades, lying on the floor near him. Layered upon it was a thin sliver of rime. “A souvenir from our battle. You came in, demanding me to give back a kami. A marid, a shape-shifting water demon. I denied having it, and you attacked me.”

Tanya winced, holding her head with her fingers lightly. “You—you’re a pyromancer?”

“Ah,” Lukas drawled, “finally.”

“I—I think I remember now.” She took another step back, her stance openly antagonistic. “You’re Cyffnarian, aren’t you?”

“Look, I get that you’re confused and just acting out—”

Half a dozen wind blades materialized in the air, all aimed toward him.

“—which is perfectly natural,” he finished, slowly raising his arms in surrender. “But I assure you, I’m worth one decent conversation without resorting to blows.”

The wind blades doubled.

Lukas sighed. “Look, if you’re going to take offense at every word that comes out of my mouth, we really can’t have a conversation. So why don’t you send those blades away, and I don’t have to—”

“Kill me?”

“…Fight you,” Lukas corrected. “Again, I might add. But that works too. I mean, you did try to kill me earlier.”

“I—I remember hurting. And you, standing above me. Your foot on my cheek.”

“Of all the things— Look! I’m sure we can agree that all of this was just a rotten first impression. Now I’m not from this Cyffnar place, and clearly you’re not the murder-happy psychopath I remember, so why don’t we just…you know”—he slowly got up—“sit down, and talk about it. Just talk.”

She wiped a hand over her eyes, then mirrored his posture slowly, a bit too slowly for his taste. “I swear, if this is some kind of—”

“Not a trap. It’s a discussion,” Lukas interrupted her. “Civilized people tend to have one from time to time. You know, instead of throwing blades at each other’s faces.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you’re not Cyffnarian, where are you from?”

“Maluscion.”

Tanya quirked an eyebrow at him. “Where in Maluscion?”

“Ravenside,” Lukas replied easily. He’d selected Maluscion for three reasons—it was densely populated, it had an alarmingly large number of nomadic adventurers, and most importantly, it was part of the fringes. Just enough to call itself a part of the Empire, yet distant enough to avoid a full-fledged investigation. While Ualbesh was generally spoken around those regions, one needed to have a passing familiarity with Felleisen as well.

That wasn’t a problem for him.

One of the possessed soldiers at the yokai base had had a freelancing adventurer from Ravenside, the main port city of Maluscion. Given the kind of damage soul possession did to the victims, getting him to speak had been child’s play.

The memory brought a grimace to his lips.

“And how did a Maluscion adventurer get here?” Tanya asked warily.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Her eyes narrowed in challenge. “Try me.”

He looked her dead in the eye. “Fine. Would you believe me if I said that I suffered a spell mishap, then found myself in this anomaly with nothing but the clothes on my back?”

Tanya frowned. “Of course not.”

“Well, I suffered a spell accident, then found myself in this anomaly with nothing but the clothes on my back.”