86 || First Tier Advancement! A Conversation During Rest?
Despite the similar Stats outside of Endurance and Spirit, the same equipment, and replicated Arts along with the Obsidian ones, Syringa has a strong chance. The doll cannot copy her Soul Realm, which is in the form of a small garden row, nor does it have Lunar energy. Without the Twin Sphere energy, it can't boost its attack, bolster its defense, or recoup its Spirit like she can.
The most important thing is that its combat standards are lower than hers. The doll's Physique is greater with smoother attacks but lacks any forethought and counters only when an attack is received. As a Sensory Expert, Syringa can almost predict what the doll is going to do a moment before. Coupled with her ability to fuse some Arts together and her three Retention Techniques she's practiced, it wouldn't be long before Syringa overcomes her opponent.
"Hm, you're better than I thought. You're even holding back some, I can feel it." The doll suddenly speaks, though the voice is not hers. Syringa's senses go on high alert as the physicality of the doll shifts. A heavy Inure, a spiritual pressure, beyond Obsidian bears down on her before fading.
"Who are you?" She asks, taking a step back activating an Identification Skill. However, some force blocks any information from appearing.
"Call me an interested party working for a higher power of an oddity to you. A young Ifrit of the Darkness with the one of the Celestial Orbs' energy, a fledgling Soul Realm, otherworldly senses beyond your Realm, and a hint of the Binding element? What a little monster you are. Ha!" The doll laughs with a fluctuating voice.
Syringa waves her hand in front of her face, her dark helmet covering her frightened expression. Whoever has inhabited the doll can read right through her and her foundation. Some of the phrases were odd but she's quick enough to understand what they're referring to.
"I don't have much time, this doll isn't of a quality to last long. So deliver your strongest attack possible and if it scratches my barrier, you'll win a reward from me!"
A black and lilac barrier surrounds the doll now, exerting the previous impetus. Syringa is skeptical until she gets a System Prompt:
[Hidden Quest: Attack ???? with your strongest move! Show off your true strength!]
[Reward: Class Title ????]
Syringa takes a breath. Well, since she's getting a reward there's no need to hide. Underneath her helmet, her brown eyes glow black and flash lilac like the doll. Her Resonance with Darkness and Gravity fuses with her surge of Lunar energy.
Vanguard's [Cleave] which is her highest level Art at 8. Her glaive's [Serrated Shadow], which was unlocked previously and could add the Wound status. <Horizon Slash>, an offensive Retention Technique. [Alter Weight] at the final moment to increase the power and force of the swing. This was a culmination of her various powers fused into one. It wasn't as simple as 2 + 2 or 10 x 10, instead it was vastly multiplied where she could seriously injure even a Bronze tier! That was two realms above her currently!
"Hah!" With a shout, Syringa slashes at the barrier. There's a pause as the mix of black, lilac, and turquoise energy goes past the doll in the form of a crescent wave. The sound of twinkling glass is then heard as the barrier shatters horizontally a bit.
"I made a good choice. Maybe I'll finally get off guard duty for a century or two." The doll says as its body turns to dust. The image of an androgynous black winged angel appears before blinking away.
[Congratulations! You have completed the Archetype Advancement Hall's Test!]
[Congratulations! You are the first in your Kingdom to become an Obsidian Tier!]
[Congratulations! You have passed Hidden Quest: Attack ???]
[Congratulations! You have passed Secret Quest: Ancestry Change!]
Syringa kneels down onto one knee, hands gripping Layl to keep her upright. She had spent all of her resources in that strike in hopes of passing. She didn't even have the energy to acknowledge the notifications let alone stop the Kingdom Announcement of her victory. So much for staying hidden and keeping lowkey.
Luckily her tired state did not last. The energy of the Doll surges into her body greatly expanding her Endurance and Spirit gauges. She feels a shift in her Soul Realm as both Darkness and Gravity Essence feel easier to control. Syringa dispels her helmet as she pulls out a mirror from her inventory.
Her features haven't changed drastically, except her ears are longer and her eyes are now lilac with rectangular irises. Her virtual body feels more comfortable and flexible as well.
She feels her mind get clearer and the range of her senses extend farther. Syringa checks her new status:
Syringa Fang || Level 20 || Obsidian
Ancestry: Gravity Nymph [Read More Here]
Class: Vandal
Class Title: Envoy of Darkness (Fabled) [Read More Here]
Titles: [Aberrant Eradicator] + [Defender of the Banished Gate] + [Dungeon Delver] + [One Person Army] + [Sacred Beast Slayer | Lower Elements] + [Kingdom's First Obsidian] (New!)
Equipment: Dark General Class Set; Shadow Owl Glaive (Layl); Shadow Sworn Necklace (New!)
Stats: Attack 64 (+ 20) || Wisdom 60 (+20) || Defense: 64 (+20) || Charisma: 60 (+20)
Intelligence: 60 (+20) || Agility: 64 (+20) || Endurance: 60 (+20) || Spirit: 64 (+20)
Upon reaching Level 20, Syringa's stats which had previously been in the 30s had doubled! With her ascension another 20 points was now added. While her class was now Vandal, with the Obsidian Art Grasping Chains available, she's surprised to see a Class Title. Kingdom Lock had described it as a further specialization with unique Skills, though the girl hadn't been able to access the class just yet.
[Envoy of Darkness] grants her one Darkness Art or Craft used by another main class. This number would only go up if she completed either a certain amount or specific type of Quests issued by the Church of Darkness Priests and Paladins for the God of Monsters. Normally a player would have to take on a massive amount of menial tasks from lower ranked monks and nuns before getting a truly worthwhile Quest. Now as a higher ranking figure, the rewards would not be low quality but the missions would not be simple.
Her new Ancestry was no longer an Ifrit, but a Nymph. Both Ifrits and Dryads have their Bloodlines spawning from Nymphs. According to the information presented they were found on the Banished Continent, fully born from the 8 elements directly as Nature's Judges in place of the Gods and Devils. Furthermore, Syringa was an even rarer type with control over Gravity, while not losing her initial Dark Essence.
Her Resonance at level 18 prior to her breakthrough as an Expert was 20 percent, then it jumped to 25 percent. Now she has 35 percent control over her energy's direction and flow. With her [Defender of the Banished Gate] title it was now 45!
The word Fabled was next to her Class Title but only showed a question mark. With a shrug, she moves onto her rewards from passing the Advancement Hall with an SSS ranking. This ranking was actually thanks to the Tier Crystal, boosting it from an SS.
The perk for doing so was a 2% increase in Equipment drop rate plus rarity and a 5% increase in coins dropped. Additionally Syringa gained a bonus 3% Experience from every fight from her [Kingdom's First Obsidian] title. Thanks to stacking titles, in Dungeons Syringa had an extra 10% to her coin drop increase and a 4.5% to her Exp. While not a lot, with her and Ruby Blade's ability to fight well above their levels, it would show results quickly.
There were two more rewards. The first was actually a gift from the black winged angel for going beyond their expectations. The Shadow Sworn Necklace is classified as a Treasure Equipment, more powerful and rare than a simple Accessory Equipment.
Accessories were considered auxiliary Equipment, providing boosts to Stats or occasionally giving a rare Skill. Treasures didn't take over an Accessory slot. Not only would they greatly increase base Stats, they could grant Hidden Stats, enhance Skills, or give life-saving protections.
This specific one gathers Dark Essence as a backup reservoir to be tapped into twice a day, hides her information from those at or below her Tier, and she can learn one Adroit Skill. These were the true assassin and stealth archetype of the Infantry class.
The second was a rainbow colored ticket. Syringa stares at this item, hesitant to even touch it. Given its description and what it can do, it could very well change a lot. Syringa places it into her inventory before she consults her friends.
At this moment she's going to find a solo dungeon to adjust to her strength. Luckily within the Academy, the scrambling forces can't find where she is current or where she's headed. Her eyes flash with determination and pride. They'd see her soon enough and truly live up to her nickname as the Razor Fang Syringa.
As Tara and her friends across the globe train and grow, a meeting is occurring in virtual soul space in the downtime.
Msiretsa still retains Tara's appearance as she sits on the top step of the temple's long staircase. Her feet kick lightly with her back towards the familiar visage of a starry skinned woman. Msireta's looking instead off into the far distance with a sigh.
"You've grown," The woman says coming beside Msiretsa, her voice carrying fondness and familiarity.
"And you died." Loss and pain seep into the guardian's voice despite herself.
The woman gives an airy self-deprecating laugh. "I suppose I did, at least for now."
A silence gives way, comfortable and easy as they look across the scenery. It lasts for a moment with the weight of their history.
"I don't have any intentions of possessing her body--" The woman declares, which leads to Msireta finally looking at her with a raised brow, "At least not anymore. I've grown fond of her. I'll merely look over her and teach her cubs until she's strong enough to build me a body."
"...Is this because of her Bloodline?" Msireta takes a guess. The woman before her, despite the rarity, happened to know several people with Mirage Gaze in her lifetime.
A sad look crosses the aloof and tranquil face of the woman. "That's one of the reasons, yes. Also, the discomfort of having to reshape her Soul Realm to fit mine wouldn't have been worth the trouble. Besides, you seem to have your own plans in play for her growth? Why did you have the young one create those Nodes before she was even Vein Plating?"
"It's because she's not Vein Plating that I had Tara create them. Not even the legacy disciples from Clans, the Sects, nor the Cults could match her growth speed at this level. Her fortuitous encounters are grand and many but she needs to slow down and form a better foundation. Cultivate and condense what she has currently before taking the next step."
"You're going to have her open the body's Cardinal Gates? Unlike the inner eight, the Node Clones can't help the Prime Body with that and it will take her some time to open them all."
Msireta retracts her gaze but this time there's a knowing smirk. "That's the hope. The Nodes should also hasten the cubs' healing and further their own Gates unlocking."