51 Noah

How could I describe my ascension to knight rank?  Every cell in my body felt like they were powered by their own nuclear reactors.  As my body turned to mush, rearranged itself, my power grew by leaps and bounds.  It was a revelation.  Before I'd been hesitant to reach for the next rank.  There were spells and enchantments that could target ranks and reduce levels.  But I had multiple levels worth of stats already.  In intelligence alone I had 51lvls worth of stats.  

    My body was rearranged in the coffin.  While parts of my potential were lost, I gained stability and greater strength.  Before I had so much potential and a nearly uncountable number of avenues I could have taken.  With each choice that avenue shrunk and now I was a Noah.  I had no idea what that mean or what it could mean.  Noah's never existed in great numbers; I knew that for sure.  Why then was I excited? 

    There was something about this new rank that filled me with confidence.  My parameters were much greater than before.  My stats had more to work with.  Every point gave greater returns and that filled me with confidence.  All I needed were a few levels.  At level ten I was confident in my chances of beating Dol.  Our fight wouldn't be like it was before.  Somewhere in my bones I knew that.  

Jacob lvl1 Black Galaxy Noah 

HP: 1748

AP: 5024

Constitution 139   

Endurance 129

Strength 49

Dexterity 39

Agility 124

Intelligence 412

Perception 271

Luck 29

    This body was already much tougher than the one before.  A single HP was worth nearly 15x the HP of a plebe.  Mana was even more so.  Dol wouldn't let me level up and there was a giant dragging us towards the surface.  Whether it was a counter force or a truly random encounter, I didn't know.  I did know that being here was a mistake.  According to Gwen Dol was trying to cut the bottom off the tower.  Why, speed up our ascent to the top? 

    I needed answers.   First, I needed my body to finish cooking.  Most of me was finished but more time was needed.  I felt Doppel carrying me up the stairs to the higher areas in the tower.  They had a plan to level me up quickly.  

    With a few levels I'd be able to take Dol down, but would he let us.  He had Gwen's third eye in an amulet under his armor.  How much control did he have over it?  Could she manipulate what he saw?  Did she let him have it?  Future sight was a tricky subject that I didn't want any part of.  Using the right parameters and a perfect model of the world, I could make many predictions myself.  From what I could tell Dol wanted out of the trash heap.  If he didn't, he would have cut his losses and left the tower.  If not, he would have collected what he needed and left.  

    The movement stopped and I pulled myself together.  My skin stopped running like hot wax and my aura kicked to life.  Above me the lid opened, and I floated out of the coffin.  For the first time since reaching knight, I looked on the world.  

    A vast crimson stone was the first thing I saw.  It was held aloft by mystical means as life essence dripped atop it.  All around the rock there were warning signs.  The stone glowed with a powerful light held within the gem.  I picked up one of the warning signs.  

    "These rules have helped many of us survive while working around the stone."  

Rules 

 Don't wear blue around the stone.  It makes the presence inside angry.  

When approaching the stone bow three times and wait for a feeling of home.   

If the stone rejects your advances bring an offering and wait a day before trying again.

If offerings don't work request a transfer to another department.  

Whatever you do, don't say, think, or synonym of the words yes to the stone.  

"Don't touch the stone."  Doppel said.  I looked over at the green Mind Flayer.  She was beautiful her green had so many intricate shades to it.  I never noticed them or how truly striking her eyes were.  

    "Catch," Gwen said and tossed me a bag of pills. 

    "What are these?"  I asked.  

Gwen pointed at the red stone.  "That is ambrosia and its connected to the ward stones.  The pills are made from it.  Ambrosia isn't something mortals can touch.  It's the fruit of the gods.  The pills are a work around.  That's how he made xp a physical substance he could consume.  Where he got ambrosia is a mystery.  The thoughtful empire banned it after Bytopia and Variabilia were wiped out.  The only city of ingenuity left of the holy city of Libraritia."  Gwen said.  

    "What would happen if I ate the rock?"  I asked.  

    Gwen paled.  "The spirit within the stone would posses you.  Ambrosia can collect xp because they are possessed.  The more xp the more powerful the spirit."  I tossed the pills in my mouth and thought about it.  

Ping!

Level Up 

Jacob lvl2 Black Galaxy Noah

HP and AP restored 

+80 to HP and AP 

+8 to all stats. 

    Sam appeared to my left and stared at the rock.  He flexed his raven black wings and gave the rock a dopy grin.  "You should say yes to it, then I can eat the spirit, and claim its light."     

    Diabla crossed her arms and pouted.  "We shouldn't bother.  It doesn't like blue.  Clearly it should be left here to rot.  Feeding it to Sam would be a mercy.  I'll have no part of mercy."   Diabla spat the words as if they were poisonous.  

    I ruffled Gwen's tentacles and approached the rock.  The stone glowed with a terrible power.   "Don't you dare."  Doppel yelled.  She'd been busy scrounging for any pills they'd passed on their first clearing.  

    "We need all the help we can get and maybe it'll give me a boost."  I looked over at Sam before pulling Diabla from my back.  She pouted at me.  "I need the xp and it hates blue."  I said. 

    She thought about it for a second before getting serious.  "You're right it has to die mercy or not."  

    Beside me Sam pouted.  He stared at the red rock in a mix of pity and impatience.  "It would be easier if we just tricked it."  Sam said.  

    "That's the best part. It'll think it tricked us.  Then when it has no home left to flee to you can take it."  I said.   I stabbed her into the rock and began sawing it apart.  Light flashed from within the rock before lunging at my face.  Suddenly, I was falling into the darkness.  

    "Where the hell am I?"  A voice shrieked.  A large creature wearing a jester's hat and jingling clown shoes asked.  The creature was a rock with the faces of hundreds of shrieking goblings stuck to him.  

    I stopped my descent with a flew of my aura.  My eyebrow raised at the hundreds of screaming clambering faces.  They clawed at each other trying to get out of the clown only for others to pull them back in.  We were definitely in Sam's dimension.  

    The clown looked down at himself causing his massive, pointed nose to poke one of the gobling's in the eye.  "Excuse me, I'm normally better composed."  In a flash a purple coat appeared covering and muffling the screaming faces.   A few of the faces I recognized were goblings I'd personally killed.  

    I let out a sigh as we floated closer to the heart of Sam's territory.  Soon we'd reach him.  I could sense him coming nearer.  

    The unfortunate clown opened his mouth to speak.  Her tongue wagged about in a provocative manner.  "I don't know how you trapped me here, but I'll escape, and you'll join my glorious body.  If you want to make things easier for us both, I'll let you choose your spot.  Though my form is a work of art some places are more magnificent than others.  What do you say?"  The clown creature asked.  

    I looked into the creature's crimson eyes.  This thing was more demon than any demon I'd met.  There was no mercy to be had from such a creature.  Making deals with it would only end badly for me.  Fortunately, all I had to do was distract it.  

    I scratched my chin and floated to the side careful to keep him in view.  "I'll think about it if you tell me why you hate the color blue."  I said.    

    The clown chuckled.  "You'll learn everything about me when you become apart of me.  Maybe you'll keep your sanity long enough to ask me some questions.  None have remained sane past the eating process so far.  Maybe you'll be the first."  The clown laughed at its own joke.  He wiped a tear from his eyes.  "I've told so many of my prey that same line."  It said.  

    I raised a hand.  "Purge," I called and watched my spell pass through him.  His from vanished and he was closer.  His blood colored eyes glowed even in the deepest darkness.  

    "What did you think that would do, tickle me?  Do you think I'm a demon?"  It let out another annoying laugh.  

Its hands shout out and stretched across the distance.  The creature's mouth opened wide enough to swallow a man whole.  Hundreds of grasping arms reached out from its throat ready to drag me down.  

    A glowing sword of green and gold energy shot out of the clown's chest.  Sam reached his hands around the clown's pale head and swiped his fingers over the clown's glowing eyes.  Two barren black sockets were left behind.  

    The darkness roiled around the clown.  The plucked eyes turned into red gems that attached to Sam's halo.  A sigh escaped Sam's lips.  He appeared beside me and we flew back away from the clown.  The souls screamed and shot out into the darkness.  Their forms quickly turned into black particles before dispersing.   Black veins appeared in the remaining red stone.  Pieces fell away until it all turned to dust.  

    "He must not have had any darkness in him after all."  I said.