Chapter 41 - Tanya's Defiance of the Fall (Patreon)

Thank you to Massgamer for proofreading!

Chapter 41 

I recovered a bit and then immediately took the pills needed to break open the first node. Pills typically worked best in Early E-grade. After those very early stages, it was a lot more difficult to use them successfully without dangerously polluting your body. In a way, the E-grade nodes were like mini-bottlenecks. Looking inwardly, they were spots all throughout my pathways that needed to be awakened.

The pills did the trick, as they had been advertised they would, and soon the opened node granted +7 to all my stats save for Luck. The immediate power boost felt nice, as did the more relaxed feeling that any Cosmic Energy from my kills or crafting would 'fill' that pathway up and allow me to raise my Level. Then it would be time to break open the next one.

Just testing out my Cosmic Energy flow felt incredible. It was like I had been jogging with weights before and one set had just been removed. Once I gained enough Cosmic Energy to Level-up, I would begin working on the next node. The information had said that cultivators used a combination of their Dao and their cultivation manuals to slowly grind it down. Doing so was not always an easy process, but the Early E-grade portion was generally not too taxing.

Every node was harder to open than the last, and most cultivators didn't have the talent necessary to open all 75 of them. That was when they either sought treasures or did what mortals were forced to. A cultivator could forcibly trap Cosmic Energy, keep it circulating, and then focus all of that energy on a node. Not only did it require more Kill Energy than normal, it required utmost focus and concentration. Then, it would be shattered and the energy would slosh around your pathways in an uncontrollable wave. After doing that, a cultivator who was desperate enough to do that, or just a mortal with no other options, would have to recuperate for a significant amount of time. It wasn't just a matter of healing flesh, but the internal pathways that could not be fixed with just medicine pills and skills like [Minor Healing].

It is what Dad has to look forward to.

I was pretty glum about the prospect of E-grade for mortal cultivators. The accumulated wisdom of thousands of generations regarding the difficulty for mortals to ascend through E-grade was likely correct. Difficult did not mean impossible, though.

I experimented a bit with my shiny new Fragment. The Enchantments I could create with it now were absurdly strong. True, I also had a plethora of new attributes and was now E-grade, but the difference was like night and day. Thanks to [Cosmic Reserves], I didn't need to pause for my Low E-grade quality works. It would take weeks to fully equip my Salamanders with all the upgrades I could now make, but I'd tackle it piecemeal.

I found time to get Dad a Forge-infused triple layer shield treasure, each able to handle attacks even above F-grade. It was the most powerful defensive treasure I'd ever made, and afterwards I took the old one and then gave it over to Ilvere and Alea. They could choose which one of them wanted to use it. They looked at it with suspicion at first, and I just shook my head.

"I'd prefer no animosity between Zac and myself, keeping his favored generals alive seems prudent."

In battle, the Fragment of the Forge was interesting when I used it as a Dao Field. I could turn up the heat around me high enough that zombies caught fire. It wasn't a scorching heat powerful enough to make much of a difference in a fight against even Late and Peak F-grades, but it wasn't nothing either. The more interesting element was how it also stabilized reality around me. I had a feeling that temporal and spatial effects might struggle if they were used while my Dao Field was up.

A pity I don't have a lesser version of something like [Void Ball] so I can test how effective the stabilization effect would be against a powerful offensive treasure like that.

My new Quest for my first Class Skill for Arcane Arsenal was something I also wanted to accomplish, but how soon I could do so was still in question.

Detonate (Class): Craft a Peak E-grade item that creates an incredible explosion. (0/1). 

My boundless frustration with the System would continue for the rest of my life. Crafting a Peak E-grade item could be done, but it would require [Careful Path] or have a high failure rate. And I couldn't afford to just sit around for a week and work on it. Besides, as I leveled further into E-grade, the time it took to create a Peak E-grade item would shrink, as would the failure rate when I just did regular crafting. That wasn't the irritating issue, though I did want to get my Class Skill sooner rather than later.

No, the issue was, what the hell did the System mean by 'incredible explosion.' Did it mean area? Potency? Something flashy? What does 'incredible' mean? I was damn sure I didn't want to use resources and precious time to craft a bomb that didn't pass muster!

I set aside my frustration with that for the time being, since there really wasn't a way to fix it right away. Ultimately, my fighting prowess had still been raised dramatically by advancing to E-grade, so that would do for now.

With Abbot Everlasting Peace falling off the Dao Ladder, I now had the number one Dao and number one Leveling spots. The monks of the Everlasting Monastery being gone from Earth did leave us with another horde to deal with, which was fine. The Cosmic Energy gains were not great for me, but they still really helped push my Salamanders higher. The Sino-Indian Alliance was also starting to get some cultivators leveled-up after I made a defensive treasure for Daoist Chosui. He was leading groups of cultivators and just acting as a Dao Guardian if any elite zombies surprised them, otherwise he just let them harvest the Cosmic Energy.

It would take a few days for the horde to reach us. While losses were inevitable, even among the Port Atwood soldiery, our armies were actually in better shape to fight than before. The zombies were now fairly predictable, even the elites, and we had the tools to deal with Miasma more effectively. The only issue I had was that I couldn't assume the enemy was insane enough to try the same tactics that hadn't worked over and over and over again. The other zombie horde was marching toward us. The Undead Empire didn't become a Peak faction by sacrificing armies without any hope of success. Something would have to be different.

Time to prepare a few contingencies. 

***

"So this is the place, huh? You can drink and actually get better at fighting than worse?" Jared asked with a smile.

Ryan grinned. "Sort of. I'd normally charge some Nexus Coins, but this one is on the house."

Zoey slid next to Jared at the makeshift bar. It was rather convenient how the larger Cosmos Sacks could hold furniture.

"What do you mean, ‘sort of’?" she asked.

"I have a variety of brews as part of my Barkeep Class. I figure a lot of people like drinking and dancing, so I made one that mildly improves your Dexterity. Nothing much, just a few points. But then I got to thinking, why not make something a bit more useful for armies on the march?"

Of course… gotta be productive like everyone else. 

Jared understood the feeling of wanting to contribute, but was everything going to endlessly be about self-improvement? Even just going out for drinks?

"So I came up with two drinks. The first just gives you a prolonged boost to Vitality. Only for about 24 hours and, like the Dexterity boost, not a whole lot. But the second, and the one I'm not going to provide unless you really want it, is the one that gives a very large boost and a surge of energy to keep you awake, but it has some downsides when it wears off. Lower stats across the board, and it just kills your motivation. You borrow from Peter to pay Paul, if Peter has you in a chokehold… well, it's worth it, but there is a cost."

"We'll have the regular," Jared said.

Ryan flashed a smile. "Coming right up. And again, we really appreciate your work. So many lives have been saved, not just by Tanya and the rest of you killing so many Undead, but by those purification Arrays."

Ryan went to make the drinks and Zoey looked at Jared. "Where's Haze?"

"He's curled up in a corner watching Dorel work."

Zoey smiled, she really liked the Ishiate couple. Jared thought they were swell, but if he had to listen to Zoey talk about how Ishiate society was sooo much better than Human society pre-Integration again, he would just leave. Fortunately, she didn't. Instead she looked blankly at the wall for a bit before turning to him.

"Jared… what do you think will happen in the future? We are mortals. Right now, the others who are cultivators are doing their cultivation thing. Meditating on the Dao seems to have diminishing returns for us, though. It just feels like we are going to get left behind."

He shrugged. "With your sword and armor, you already fight better than some of the Peak F-grade Demons. We might get left behind, but we'll still be useful. And if we ever don't… well, we'll probably still be fit for something. Maybe help Dorel and Shella and keep them safe, or something. Or… just enjoy the extra years we have. I never expected to make it to 100, let alone, what, three hundred plus years? I don't know, to be honest. That seems like an eternity to me. Maybe that's enough."

She laughed. "Neither of us have upgraded our Race yet."

"But we are getting close, all of us are. Unless we fall in battle, we are going to live longer than we ever dreamed we could. If we were proper cultivators, then we would be spending many of those years cultivating instead of enjoying ourselves. We are mortals, so why not enjoy? The info that Tanya brought back makes the road ahead for E-grade seem awful for us. I think getting to E-grade will be nice and all for the stat boost, but I don't have any desire to explode internal nodes and suffer agonizing pain every time I want more power."

Her brow wrinkled. "Are you serious? You are just going to give up? There's so much good that you, that we, can do. The Multiverse is a terrible place, but we can make it better."

Jared snorted and took a sip of the drinks that had arrived.

Good stuff.

"You can't possibly think we could ever make a real difference in the Multiverse. Sure, we can help keep Earth safe, or at least help Tanya do that, but we are broken, mediocre fish in a tiny puddle. There are things beyond Earth that could vaporize everyone in the Salamander Group with a Thanos snap. Be realistic."

She shook her head violently.

"That's a shit excuse. It's too hard so we should just give up? Where would people be if no one stood up? Think about all the Civil Rights leaders who risked their lives for justice. They stood up against the system, against ingrained prejudices that had lasted for centuries, and made a difference! The Multiverse sucking and being hard to fix doesn't mean our obligation changes. We are privileged enough to be taken under the wing by a Ranker who has invested in us. If you aren't with us for the long haul, you should just leave."

"Hey, fuck you," he snapped back. "I'm just being realistic, and I do my part. I'm risking my life and will continue to do so. But after the Incursions are closed? I plan on taking a much needed vacation! And guess what? I can, and it won't even make much of a difference because we're both stuck being shitty ass mortals who can't properly cultivate!"

Zoey looked like she was about to snap back before she took a breath.

"You know what? You're right, you are doing your part. I shouldn't badger you about what you aren't going to do in the future, if you are doing something now. Just because we are mortals doesn't mean we can't contribute. Not just now, but for a very long time in the future. I'm going to be an E-grade one day. And I'm going to keep pushing and try to become a Hegemon. Maybe I can't save untold trillions, but we can do a lot and still maybe save billions. Imagine, righting justice for billions. The Multiverse is a vast place, and we can do a crazy amount of good."

Jared took the off-ramp. "Yeah, well, maybe. I'm not putting in my resignation notice anytime soon, or even plan to. Like I said, I don't mind keeping our crafters safe and taking it easy. Tanya's big on letting people choose their own path, ya know."

Zoey took a long drink from her own glass. "Yeah, I do. We owe her a lot. Just… don't give up before you've given yourself a chance. We mortals gotta stick together, right?"

They only got the chance for less heated discussion for a few minutes before the alarm rose up. The Undead were coming and it was all hands on deck once more.

Here we go again.

***

Zac's foray into the Underworld had quickly led to his battle with the Union. Not only was the corrupt organization trading with active Incursions, but they were also using and selling slaves. Defeating their leadership in one fell swoop had made him incredibly happy. Along with it came a lot more information about the underworld in general. Like the surface, there was more than one Incursion to deal with. There was even another Demonkin incursion, though these Demons were a lot bigger than the Torrid Demons.

The Union had not been any real challenge. Disguised as 'Mr. Smith', he wore a mask that hid his Undead features. With his Human side already reaching Level 75, he needed to grind more Levels with his Undead side. He was very grateful that he kept the attributes when he gained a Level from both sides. The only thing he lacked when he switched was the Class Skills from his other half.

It would be best to deal with these Abyssal Demons first, so Ogras and his people can walk around freely without worrying about reprisals against their people back home. 

He was interrupted by his musings when he was informed that ambassadors from the Underworld Council were there to see him. Within the underworld there were a few different factions, with the Union just being one of them. From what Zac had gleaned, they seemed to be more intent on fighting the Incursions instead of selling slaves to them, so hopefully they might be useful allies.

Sap Trang and Joanna joined him as he greeted them as they approached. His Valkyries surrounded the group of seven. The three in the front were clearly the ones who came to speak, with the four others having the look of guards. The guards themselves seemed to have weaker auras than the three speakers, but they didn't look completely useless.

Wait a second… 

One of the guards looked like an even taller combination of Thea Marshall and Tanya Degurechaff. The shape of her face, the height, the blue eye color, and blond hair stood out starkly. Zac almost missed what was being said by the lead individual, a bear-like Human.

"Err, yes, well, I think Joanna has prepared a room for us to discuss things away from prying eyes. I'm Mr. Smith, agent of Lord Atwood."

The four guards remained outside and the three who identified themselves as part of the ruling body of the Underworld Council went in. Zac gave one last look at the young blond Human before stepping through and sitting down.

He studied the three. The man who had spoken had a large sword on his back while the other Human was an old lady with graying hair. Two snowballs slowly rotated around her, and he suspected she was some sort of ice mage. The Moleman had two larger daggers fastened to her waist, and based on the aura of the weapons they were actually a single Spirit Tool. She moved with an easy grace and he figured she was probably the strongest of the trio, around Thea's strength.

"Welcome," Sap Trang said with a kindly smile. "I am Sap Trang, ambassador of Port Atwood. This is Joanna, leader of the Valkyries, and lastly, Mr. Smith. We apologize for not getting in contact with the Underworld Council sooner; our time down here has been a bit hectic."

"I'd say," the large man said with a wry smile. "I am–"

"Wait," the Moleman interjected, looking at Zac with animosity. "You are no Human. You are not one of the four founding Races. You reek of death, and not like a warrior."

After hesitating a second, Zac removed his mask, exposing his deathly pale skin and pitch-black eyes. The two Human councilors looked almost ready to fight, or to rabbit.

"Your senses are sharp," Zac said, not surprised about the reactions. "I am Undead."

There was some consternation and accusations made, but Sap Trang calmed the waters. He was able to point out that those from the Incursions couldn't even use their teleporters until their allegiance had changed and that the more help they received, the more likely they were to be able to close all the Incursions successfully. That eventually satisfied them, for the most part.

"I am sorry about the questioning," the man said with a smile. "We have been isolated down here, constantly fighting the invaders, for months. I am Gregor, and these two are Oksana and Lararia. We are three of the eleven seats of the Underworld Council."

"What brings the Underworld Council here today?" Joanna asked.

"First, we simply wanted to make your acquaintance, but we also wish to inquire about your future plans," Gregor replied.

"We cannot divulge any specifics, but suffice to say our goal is to close the Incursions of the underworld, which would allow us to focus on the real enemies of Earth," Joanna said.

That led to more questions on who that was, and they shared what they knew of the Dominators and the threat of the Great Redeemer if they didn't defeat all of his disciples. The three were quite shocked, but Gregor seemed quite resolute and eager to help.

"I won't shy away from any battle to protect our home, no matter if it's invaders or Dominators," he said firmly.

They still had some doubts, but by showing them proof that they had closed Incursions, including Joanna's Quest, relations went from suspicious hostility to cautious optimism. The major hope they had was in dealing with the Fire Golems. There were other Incursions, but the Fire Golems were the most vicious because they could traverse through the earth itself, easily outflanking any large armies. Even worse than that was their command of lava. A typical strategy was just to flood Towns with lava instead of directly fighting, but Gregor made clear it that they were also a top tier Incursion far more dangerous than some of the lesser ones.

"Can we ask when Lord Atwood plans on moving against the Fire Golems?" Gregor asked.

"There are some things we need to deal with before we turn our eyes toward the Fire Golem Incursion, but we hope to launch an all-out strike within three weeks at the least." He paused. "I did have a question about one of your guards, however. The tall one, what is her name?"

Oksana sat up straighter, a look of fury etched on her face. "Why do you want to know? We do not trade in flesh like the Union, if that is what you are thinking!"

Zac held up his hands. "No, no, nothing like that. I'm Undead, remember? I don't even have working… uh, never mind," Zac explained unartfully. He could see Joanna was struggling not to let out a laugh. "Look, she just looks very similar to someone on the surface. I wanted to know if there was perhaps a family relation. Lord Atwood is always quite pleased when he can reunite families. Can you bring her in and have her display her name with her System Menu?"

The councilors hesitated, but Zac could tell they wanted help against the Fire Golems very badly. They agreed and the guard stepped through, looking a bit nervous. When she was asked to show her System Menu, she hesitated even further.

"The people who went to the Tutorial said that we shouldn't reveal our System Menu… that it's a bit of a faux pas. I can just give you my name."

Sap Trang shook his head. "I understand your concern, but names can be faked, the System cannot. Normally it would be rude to ask, but you look very similar to one of our friends on the surface."

Zac saw the girl's face light up. When she smiled it looked like the years melted and he wondered if she was around Emily's age.

"Do you know Tanya?" she asked excitedly and then showcased her name: Julia Degurechaff.

Zac nodded. "Of course we do. She's even now in the employ of Lord Atwood and Henry Marshall in dealing with the Undead Incursion. I'm sure she will be very happy to learn that you are safe."

Zac's mind whirled and an idea began to form.

Maybe I've spent too much time with Ogras, but if this works, it will solve a major problem. 

***

Alea was fast-learning that Tanya was more than just a brutally competent fighter on the fields of war. Ilvere had told her that she really did know her stuff.

Maybe all Humans know the capabilities of the guns the Sino-Indian Alliance makes use of? Regardless, I cannot believe regular people can just observe how cultivators fight for a week or two and begin formulating proper strategies. 

Tanya was clearly a generational genius. Being so adept at the Dao made that clear, but occasionally you ran into Dao powerhouses who had the sense of a barghest. She was clearly neither.

"Tanya, I fully intend to explain to Lord Atwood that you were worth every Dao Treasure. Why not consider an extended employment with us? I can't speak for him, but why not join forces?"

The blond girl smiled at her.

"I'd consider it, if he agreed to the proposal I made during the Marshall Alliance summit."

Alea gestured with her hand dismissively.

"The Multiverse doesn't work like that. What if we are invaded? What if traitors seek to enrich themselves? A sole ruler who can act decisively is what every world needs. A System Contract is too limited, and what's worse, is that it won't even protect you if what you fear comes to pass. If Lord Atwood becomes too strong to oppose, then the System Contract can be broken based on that strength."

Tanya shook her head. "Only if the difference in power is great."

"If the difference in power is not great, you still have a check on him by being peers," Alea replied.

"Until he shuts down teleportation, surrounds me with his higher-ranked minions, and wears me down until he comes to finish me off himself? Yeah, no thank you. So long as we are peer powers, the System Contract gives me comfort."

Alea took a different approach.

"You are suspicious, that's actually wise, so I won't badger you too much. But even if he won't sign, why not work for us Enchanting? The flexibility and quality of your goods is exceptional. While any Hegemon could do better, why would they bother crafting items for those in E-grade and lower? It isn't worth their time. I'll be direct, you could be set for resources for life if you just sat in Port Atwood and crafted."

"A very tempting offer. But how can I trust it? I've talked with some of your people… he's basically running a Company Store, if a bit less cutthroat."

"A ‘Company Store’?"

The girl explained the concept and Alea was confused. What could possibly be wrong with that? It seemed the Humans at one point had wisdom and somehow lost it?

Truly a strange offshoot of the species. Humans in the Multiverse aren't normally this odd. 

Janos suddenly appeared. "We have a problem, Ilvere needs you quickly."

"What is it?" Alea asked.

"The Arrays, they aren't working. We can't teleport anywhere."

Alea was horrified at the implications, but Tanya didn't seem fussed.

"Do you know what this means?"

"Not fully, but I anticipated the Undead Empire would do something to shake things up. Dorel isn't an Array Master, but he's been studying what Zac provided and he may have a solution. And if not, we just need to annihilate whatever the Undead throw at us."

The delivery didn't sound like bluster to Alea's ears. It was just a statement that held a calm certainty that seemed unshakable.

When they arrived at the center of their Outpost, Ilvere explained the situation. No one could teleport in or out. The Array was being completely blocked.

"How is that possible?" Alea demanded. "Those siege tools shouldn't be available on a baby planet. We haven't prepared any countermeasures."

Ilvere shrugged his big shoulders. "I have no idea." He turned to Tanya. "What should we do?"

"I'll take to the skies and upgrade some binoculars with [Temporary Enchantment] to give me even more distance-viewing capability. If I were the Undead, I'd strike at our weak spot, so Daoist Chosui and Anaad Phakiwar will be joined by Kim, Toby, Jared, Will, and Vhorra. They'll only interfere as necessary, because I want them to be ambushed and then let my Salamanders deal with it. Vhorra can hide them pretty well with her Seed of Loam underground. They'll get instructions to be nice and flashy."

"What about us?" Alea said.

"Once I get a better lay of the land and what's coming at us, I'll return. You'll have me, so I wouldn't worry." She paused. "Oh, and we'll go ahead and use your poison brews to block off their first thrust. We'll keep the Tinker cannons in the reserve for now."

The Enchanter tossed over a few more of her shield amulets.

"Each of you should have at least one, they'll stop a surprise attack by anything less than a solid E-grade, at least once. They don't play well with other defensive talismans, so if you want to use others first, keep those in a spatial tool or Cosmos Sack."

"What do you think the Undead will throw at us?" Ilvere asked.

"We'll probably get worn down a bit by endless tides of zombies, then when they sense weakness they'll send in their elites to try to kill our commanders. I don't know how well everyone can act, but the better show we put on, the quicker they'll strike. I suspect I may be a target, but since I can fly, they might go for easier prey first, we'll see."

Dorel arrived on the scene and a quick back and forth took place between the two of them.

"Hmm," Tanya said, "so they are using either an incredibly powerful spatial-lockdown treasure, or they are using yet more Arrays. Given the range it probably works at, it will be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially if it's deep in the Dead Zone. I'll see if I can find it, but I don't want to be too far from camp. Get me a list of people from the Sino-Indian Alliance and the Port Atwood army that can withstand the Miasma and avoid detection. Anyone with an infiltration-type Class or a stealth Skill will do. I don't want them to take direct action; I just want intelligence."

After that Alea watched as Tanya rapid-fired orders for more traditional scouts to spread out, for defensive structures to be set up, and other resources to be gathered. The Outpost was intended to be temporary, but now it would act like a strong point. As Alea observed Tanya, she noticed that there was not a shred of delay or hesitation in her commands. They rolled off her tongue almost like a prepared speech.

"I'll return in a few hours with more information and updated orders."

"And if you are ambushed and die? If you know they might be after you…" Alea tried to warn.

The blond Human just smiled. "Relax, I have more than one trick up my sleeve. Do you really think I gave you my best work in terms of defensive treasures?"

Alea blinked, no she hadn't, but the craftsmanship of the defensive treasures really was excellent. The idea of layering defenses on a contingency basis was typically too complex for F-grade treasures. She had figured that Tanya had created them off some template or Information Crystal she received from going to the Tower of Eternity. That there were even more capable treasures…

Tanya ascended rapidly to the skies and Alea shared a glance with Ilvere.

This world is full of monsters.