Chapter 109

Lykan

Ghosts of the North

The past seven years had been filled with war and violence. During that time heroes rose and fell to the inevitable might of the various war machines at play. The north had its heroes, mighty defenders whose name was spoken about with pride for their successful repelling of an enemy attack one week. Only to be struck down by a stronger Azani force the next. In all, no one dared cross the Azani. No one that is, except for two people that were more myth than legend by this point.

The first was the lady of the deadly forest. A woman who was said to be so captivating in her beauty that she could cause a man’s heart to burst from the mere sight of her. There were claims that she was an avenging forest spirit given human form, one who tore apart any adversary who entered her domain. Her domain? That was simple, it was the former western border of Tython. At first that had been the demarcation line of Ajimal the Great’s westward expansion. Now it served as a cornerstone of avoidance. Plans were made to maneuver troops around and over the wild land, while never letting anyone go to the location itself. Also of note was the dense forest and warring monster spirits that roamed the forest that seemingly sprung up overnight. In the end the only true way to travel past the land was by flight, and even that came with its own perils as dragons and giant bats both took the skies as being their own.

That was the other thing, the giant bat species that had been referred to as the dhampyrs roamed rampant in the north. Dhampyrs were odd in that they could make most species they came into contact with subservient to them. There was no known cure for the subservience save for killing either the one who was bitten by the dhampyr or killing the controlling dhampyr. Humans and humanoid races alike were vulnerable to the mind powers of the dhampyr. The only species that seemed immune to the powers of the dhampyr were oddly enough the dragons, as both dragons and dhampyr fought violently against each other for control over certain portions of the domain.

There was of course a line in the woods of Tython where neither dhampyr nor dragon dared pass. A demarcation line if you will. A line where the power of the great forest spirit could be felt in full force, entering the area felt like ones entire soul became visible. Not only was it visible to others around you, but it was also able to be judged. Some found that they could be healed if they went to the forest. One story from the west spoke of a mother who was desperate to save her newborn babe from a wasting disease. She braved the expanse of woods and the various monsters, all to arrive at the heart of the forest, which she said looked like an old burnt village that the forest grew from directly. There in that forest she met the guardian of the forest. The guardian heard her tale and her struggle just to get there and healed not only the babe, but also the mother who herself had contacted the wasting disease from her bond with her child. The mother and child then returned back to their home village, only to find that they were the only ones who had survived the wasting.

Then there is the story of the second ghost of the north. A spirit dressed in a deep green cloak. The make of his clothes that he wears differ from person to person, as some say his clothes are the color of midnight. Others claim they are shadows that have been woven together by one of the umbral gods themselves, given to one of their Nephilim heirs, children who were not meant to be of this world. Children whose very presence is enough to unravel the tentative threads that hold this world together. This of course would mean that the second ghost was a Nephilim, that assertion would of course be wrong. The reason for the different opinions being wrong is of course due to the color of the clothes being worn under the cloak not being black, but a dark forest green.

The second ghost of the north was a mysterious figure who would be spotted roaming the lands, then disappearing from sight almost entirely. Some would claim he was swallowed whole by the ground, while others would say he simply found a previously unknown cave entrance. Once he entered none were able to follow him. Ajimal had an excavation team that would be sent out to investigate the ruins that were found, but often by the time the excavation team arrived months would have passed. Then almost like clockwork, there would be a groan from the ground as if the very earth itself was crying out in pain. Soon after, multiple openings to the world would be seen. Openings that led to the very heart of the unknown catacomb of the ancients. Only Ajimal’s specially trained officers could enter the catacombs without worry about dying due to the dense musky air that permeated the ruins. Anyone who entered the ruins suffered first bouts of dizziness, followed by fatigue, then finally death. These symptoms were directly linked to the number of breaths one took while entering the catacombs. As such, missives were put out to warn when the “Ghost Traveler” appeared, for when he was spotted devastation surely followed. Garrisons of forces would need to be deployed to quarantine off active labyrinth sites from the locals who would often be curious. Those few who survived the encounters were hired on to be part of the labyrinth teams, and paid quite handsomely for their efforts. This of course only caused more to recklessly throw away their lives in the attempts to be part of the excavation team. There was a reason many wished to be part of the excavation team, the most obvious reason was that being on the excavation team automatically exempted you from needing to join the Azani army. Conscription into the Azani army was a big deal, made even more palpable by how those who refused or deserted the forces were treated. Death on the front lines would have been a welcome reprieve from the kinds of punishment deserters faced.

So it was that of the two, the Ghost Traveler was the more known. Though both were more myth than anything by this point. The oddest part of the Ghost Traveler was the way he would randomly appear in the middle of a province or area. Some say he teleported, a power that only the gods were said to possess. While others claimed he just appeared in towns that were next to these deep labyrinths. That was the thing about the labyrinths, almost all were built under towns, cities and villages that had been established for years. Then with their discovery and the leaving of the Ghost Traveler, the lands that had been over worked for years suddenly bloomed with their freshest harvests the following years. Even people in the slums and poorer districts who had been slowly wasting away suddenly felt alive and vibrant. Indeed the leaving of the Ghost Traveler and the opening of the poison caves was often seen as a good thing. Once the excavation teams were done retrieving whatever it was that the excavation team was after, the openings would be sealed off and the city would be able to experience times of unprecedented bounty. Still there was a lot of fear about interacting with the Ghost Traveler. In the beginning there were soldiers and guards who tried to apprehend him before he made his way into the labyrinths. Those who tried to stop him were met with equal force. While the stories have been grossly exaggerated over time, one fact remains the same, none who fought the Ghost Traveler won their encounter. Though most were only beaten to the point of not being able to retaliate, there were few if any true deaths noted from these encounters.

Many leaders of the Northern Opposing factions sought to recruit the mysterious traveler to their cause. Yet, none could stop the man for more than a few moments at a time. Worse the rumors of his appearance all seemed to be fairly generic, and the man had the uncanny ability to seemingly disappear from view at a moment’s notice. Some claimed the Ghost Traveler to be nothing more than a boy, while others claimed he was a handsome man with deep soulful eyes that pierced deeply into the person he was talking to. Others claimed he was aloof and preferred to be left alone. There were many different stories from people and travelers alike who claimed to have met and spoken to the mysterious traveler. While there were many different reports on him and his actions, there was one report that remained the same; wherever the Ghost Traveler went, change was sure to follow.

***

Lykan, the Ghost Traveler, flew invisibly through the night sky. A crisp chill air blew at his face and around his neck as he made his way forward.

“Screech!”

Lykan both heard and felt the pulse of sound energy that was directed towards him. With a second he readied his three meter long bo-staff in hand. Of all the creatures that couldn’t see him when he flew while invisible, the dhampyrs were the only creature who seemed to feel his invisible presence. They were also the only creature that seemed to take being invisible as a hostile action. Thus whenever he flew over a forest filled with the beasts they would take it as a sign to fly up and attack him. Fortunately it seemed most of the dhampyrs’ combat maneuvers were geared towards attacking creatures that were on the ground. When forced to fly upwards and constantly ping him with sound waves to find his direction and speed, they were often thrown for a loss. Many times even the slightest movement would cause the beasts to hover in air like a stationary target as their minds tried to echo-locate his new position. In all the creatures were more annoying than anything else.

Swoosh. Splat.

A swing of his staff, a strike of the hovering bat-like creature. Then another and another. The flow of qi, or at least the ability of these new terror bats was apparent. They were also a reminder of why he needed to hurry up and close all the Titan facilities that he could. People were stupid, and tried to explore places that they weren’t supposed to. Places that even the Gods themselves wouldn’t go, so why did humans feel the need to go there? Simply put, they were the cats of the sentient bipedal species. They were also the most prolific breeders of the bipedal species as well. Making them the perfect test cases for how potentially world altering creatures like the dhampyrs could be set loose upon the world.

Still for one such as Lykan, the dhampyr were little more than an annoyance. While he got blessings for killing the first few of the creatures, he no longer received bonuses from the gods. At least not bonuses in the terms of Attribute increases. This was made apparent by his blessing he received once he achieved the unprecedented +50 to all attributes.

Blessing Bestowed: Perfect Body

Perfect Body: You have achieved the maximum bonus that the Gods can bestow upon you, by achieving +50 to all attributes. Your body has reached the state of perfection that the Gods could give you. Any further growth will need to be achieved on your own. Reward: Your attributes and previous achievements are locked. While you can still gain curses from the Gods, no curses will be able to lower your Attributes.

This of course was odd as Lykan had spent the seven years since he left his first Titan made labyrinth working diligently on improving his Attributes, both the base Attributes that he could directly affect. While also trying to achieve goals and objectives the Gods had apparently set out not just for him, but all humanity as well. This meant that normally the most one could expect to reach in any attribute was 60. That was 10 for the base, and then a maximum of +50 that could be bestowed by the Gods for various deeds and actions. Yet, Lykan not only had every Attribute to 60, he also had three Attributes that were over the coveted sixty-point threshold.

Name: Lykan Vov’Vita Race: Human Class: Valiant Wanderer Age: (Unageing)

Apparent Age: 18

Actual Age: 25

Attribute Base Plus Modifier Total Strength*: (10 +50 +6) 66 Awareness*: (10 +50) 60 Mobility*: (10 +50 +6) 66 Intelligence*: (10 +50) 60 Power*: (10 +50 +6) 66

When Lykan thought about the difference in those three Attributes that were all above sixty, it was clear that his cores counted separate from the bonuses offered by the Gods. From that he was able to extrapolate that the further improvements that the gods noted were directly linked to his improving his Qi cultivation and techniques. He also felt there might be other ways to improve his mind, or his psionic senses as well, but to this point he had not discovered a means to do so. While normally having so many attributes so high would mean that he would be one of the dozen or so creatures on the planet who had reached the fifth echelon of power, the truth was he was still far behind in his Magical Abilities, not because his Magical Abilities were lacking. In fact the problem with Lykan’s Magical Abilities compared to others was that his powers were so broad that they took time to fully master and improve upon. He could of course cut his potential short and force the next power to appear, but that would have a crippling effect on his future growth. Also Lykan simply had no need or want to improve in such a way. As it stood he was content to be in the third echelon of power and wished to solidify his power base before improving himself. Besides he had bigger concerns of the moment. The most pressing of which was to correct a mistake he only recently identified.

See it wasn’t just enough to disable the Titan facility, he also needed to construct a purge construct that would use runes to absorb the ambient Qi that was released and harness it so it would benefit the local environment. He had tried it on a whim at the other locations and found that the results meant better crop yields and a better overall environment for everyone. That was why he had decided to come back. This was also a stalling tactic, as his next place would be his second home. The home that had taken him in after his first one forced him to be an outcast. A home that he got nauseous just thinking about going back. Not that he was afraid, well he was afraid of how his former friends would react to him. Especially after he would go back there, to the place that had willingly taken him in, only so he could shut down the facility.

He hoped that he wouldn’t have to, that it wasn’t a laboratory of the Titans. He desperately hoped that he was wrong, but he couldn’t be entirely certain. If it wasn’t a former Titan Labyrinth then fine, he would go and never return. But if it was a Titan facility, then it had to be shut down, for it would slowly convert the world to be fully infused with Qi. A process the Titan’s called Terraforming. Once the planet was completely terraformed, well that would be it, a beacon would be sent to call forth hundreds if not thousands of the creatures. Creatures that even the gods barely managed to repel, not eliminate. When faced with such a task, what could he do to stop such an enemy? The only thing he could do was find as many facilities as possible and prevent his home planet from being terraformed indefinitely.