The Path of Ascension

CHAPTER 2/2

Matt waited with Liz and Aster at the teleport pad. Their turn was in fifteen minutes, and the station was packed.

Aster was still groggy. Her Tiering up and subsequent increase in intelligence left her exhausted. She had been napping quite a lot to regain her strength. Aunt Helen said it was perfectly normal, and was exactly why they had implanted her with her own AI while she was recovering. It wouldn’t make her symptoms any worse, and she could recover from both at the same time.

Animal AIs were different from the standard human ones. They were mostly locked on installation, but they gave new functions as they registered the user’s increases in intelligence. So far, the AI was more useful to Matt and Liz than to Aster herself.

Matt’s AI had been able to relay information through their bond, but it was faster for her AI to send over the information itself. It was more accurate as well. Matt’s AI was off by nearly 200 mana for the fox’s maximum when he compared its findings to those of Aster’s AI.

Aster hadn’t even been able to enjoy their last few days with Liz’s family. But still, Matt was happy with how things went in the last few days. Aunt Helen took a picture and signed it and a cookbook for his cooking instructor. When he delivered it, the usually stoic woman was sent into a squealing fit that nearly popped his eardrums. He had quickly escaped using the excuse of his impending teleporter departure time. It was true enough, so he didn’t feel he was lying, even if he still had an hour to make the ten-minute walk.

While they were loaded into the large platforms with everyone else waiting to leave, they were ushered into the circles of runes. Moments later, they were off the madhouse planet where the ascension took place.

The trio made their way directly to the train station, their next teleporter was on the other side of this connecting planet. They had three jumps to reach the vassal kingdom, The Seven Suns. They were founded around twenty thousand years ago, by a faction that had lost a power struggle for a dukedom in the Empire proper. Faced with exile, or a slow death through exodus from any positions of power, their decision was to escape slightly past the border and start a vassal kingdom.

Now, they were firmly bordering the Empire proper, and were nearing the size where integration into the Empire proper would begin. Vassal kingdoms, like kingdoms actually in the Empire proper, were strictly controlled. The expansion of the Seven Suns would put them at half the size of an internal kingdom. That was as large as they could expand before the integration process started. The Seven Suns would be absorbed into a newly formed half kingdom, and a new royal would be raised to power.

What interested Matt was the criteria for royals. At a minimum, they had to be Tier 45, and have an Aspect. There was an exception for those with enough power at a lower Tier to beat all other challengers, like Liz’s mother did. The logic was that anyone who didn’t want the responsibility to rule, or was turned off by the prospect of worldly power at that point, would instead ascend to the higher realms.

Rift cycling times increased with Tier, and the rifts on the capital took five years minimum to be at a state where delving was actually productive. That’s why most who made it to Tier 45 and had an aspect left as soon as possible. There wasn’t much information about the higher realms, but it was well known fact that there were rifts from Tier 1 to Tier 100. That meant that Tier 50 rifts were relatively abundant.

The rift cycling data made Matt fear people finding out about his ability, and at the same time relish the prospective amount of mana stones he could make by recharging rifts on the capital. By the time he was strong enough to refill the rifts at a reasonable rate, he would be strong enough that no one would be able to kidnap him and shove him into a hole.

With a shake, he refocused his thoughts on the Seven Suns kingdom.

The way the royalty process worked, the king that currently ruled would be turned into a Duke. A Grand Duke to be precise. A Grand Duke was simply a Duke that ruled over more than one duchy. The Empire proper didn’t usually allow that, as it concentrated power in the hands of a few strong people.

Recently integrated vassals were the single exception, as their retained lands made up several duchies by the time they were ready for integration. In theory, the old ruler could keep all of his lands, but the Empire gave them protection for each duchy they relinquished. That meant that most kingdoms would raise loyal servants or retainers to Dukes responsible for the poorer lands, while keeping two or three of the richest duchies for themselves.

The other incentive that integrated vassals were offered was that any property the Empire wanted had to be bought at one and half times the market value.

It all seemed like a cluster of unnecessarily complicated rules to Matt, but the Empire had been doing this for much longer than he could comprehend.

It just surprised him that each of Liz’s parents ruled over hundreds of planets, and soon a new royal would be raised that could eventually reach similar heights. When he asked why their parents were still ruling instead of ascending, he found out that their oldest sibling had joined the Empire’s standing army when he had hit Tier 15. Mara and Leon were unwilling to let their child be at the whims of others, and inserted themselves into the political structure to watch over their firstborn.

Matt was pulled out of his musings when they arrived at the train station, and the ticket counter had said that there had been a problem with their tickets.

Using his AI, Matt saw that the man’s name was Yousef. He loved the new feature. It was so nice to be able to look up people’s names. That was, as long as they were in the public directory, and hadn’t paid to hide the information.

“I’m sorry, but the suite you had reserved was double booked. We’ve upgraded and refunded your ticket cost. The problem is, the only one we had available was a three-person suite.”

The look on Yousef’s face screamed, ‘but’.

“And...? Who’s the extra person? I’m assuming that covering the cost didn’t mean you would leave the third room open.” He could tell that Liz was trying to keep calm, but she wasn’t looking forward to sharing their private space with a random stranger.

Yousef winced. “No, ma’am, that was already booked. If you’d like, I can get a manager...”

Matt waved him down. Liz was turning as red as her hair, so he plopped the still groggy Aster into her arms and said, “It’s fine. We understand, it’s not your fault.” He waved his hand around towards the bustling crowd. “It’s busy. We get that. It just wasn’t a part of our plans. Can we just get tickets, please?”

He just wanted to get settled in for the four-day train ride to their connection teleport. He had the [Endurance] skill shard in his new, much larger spatial backpack. He had gone from his old Tier 3 that was the size of a tub, to his new Tier 5 bag that was roughly the size of a walk-in closet. He had so much room now, his belongings now seemed lonely in the corner.

The jump from three cubic feet to two hundred cubic feet felt good. It was tangible proof of his progress.

Aunt Helen had ensured that they were ready for expanding [Endurance] personally. She made him and Liz practice with the training device five times before she was satisfied. Only after that did she give them a package that she had apparently swiped from the courier. It contained their preselected Tier 5 rewards. It was nice to see that the older Phoenix cared about him enough to ensure that he was being safe and careful with his precious skill.

Matt couldn’t think of anything he could get the older woman that she didn’t already have, but he wanted to give her something nice as a thank you for all that she’d done for him. What surprised him was that he didn't feel that way out of obligation. He just wanted to return her kindness. She was like a mother figure, the likes of which he couldn’t remember having.

Once he started working with [Endurance], he only needed to orientate the skill structure. Then, two days later, when it first entered his core spirit, he had to use his spirit to expand the skill structure in specific ways.

While training with Aunt Helen he also learned that Tier increases acted as a multiplier for proficiency in manipulating the skill structures in his spirit. At Tier 5, it was 3.6 hours faster than it had been at Tier 1. It was useful information, as they both wanted to time the skill reaching their core spirits for noon two days from now.

When they reached their suite on the train, they found one of the doors shut, so they set themselves up in the remaining room.

Matt took more time, since he had to set Aster up in a new cold reflecting bed he had bought. What had once hurt for him to buy then resell at a loss was now a casual purchase for him. Aunt Helen said that it would help Aster bolster her body while she wasn’t feeling well, and would limit the effects to the mind from her breakthrough to Tier 5. It would also help mitigate the physical after effects of her mind-expanding.

After tucking the fox into a chilling blanket, he exited his room to the larger common room, and froze.

Camilla was sitting with Liz at the table against the window.

His pause caught the two girls’ attention, and Liz smiled and said, “Matt, this is Camilla, our travel buddy. I was afraid we’d get someone unpleasant, but she seems nice.”

Matt scrutinized the woman he had picked up at the bar two nights ago. She was attractive, stunning even. It was what drew his eye when they went out. She had ink dark hair in a jaw-length cut that was longer at the front than the back. Her eyes had a way of drawing you in.

Still, it was too much of a coincidence for Matt not to be wary of her presence.

He decided to probe her. “Long time no see Camilla.”

That got Liz’s attention, and she whipped her head between the two.

“How do you...”

Camilla spoke up with a wince, “I have to come clean. Aiden sent me here to team up with your group.” She rushed to add, “Only for six months, during the exploration world.”

Liz looked like she had been slapped, but Matt had no idea who Aiden was. The fact Liz did know didn’t really put him at ease.

“How do you know Uncle Waters?”

Now it was Matt’s turn to reel back. She was sent by Duke Waters. The man was a legend.

Then, his mind went to the way Camilla had conveniently appeared two nights ago, in the same exact club they had chosen. He didn’t like what his gut was telling him.

Liz started to put things together just as he was. “Hey, wait...” she spoke as she puzzled it out. “You were at the club with us... and you went to sleep with Matt. What the fuck? You don’t sleep with teammates, and you knew who we were already.”

That was what Matt was wondering, so he cut in. “How did you even know that we would be there?”

The woman looked ready to bolt, but Liz was working herself into a fury. “What the fuck? If you know Uncle Waters, you should definitely know that’s not how things are done.”

Camilla winced, and her eyes shot back and forth, looking for a way out. Her fingers dug into her forearms in a way that seemed as if she was on the verge of drawing blood.

In a near whisper, she asked, “Can I explain myself? Please?”

Liz didn’t seem to want to give her that chance, but Matt put a hand on her shoulder, stopping the upcoming tirade.

“I owe Aiden. I owe him everything. But when I asked to leave and go do my own thing, I heard about the exploration of the new worlds. There are opportunities and treasures that can only be found on new planets. I need to get stronger. I won’t be weak again. I can’t be.”

The woman was looking down at her nails as they pressed into her arms.

“I...” She swallowed, “Aiden said I wasn’t ready, and wanted me to stay. But he also wouldn’t stop me. Still, I needed to grow strong, just like he did. I couldn’t stay in his flying castle and be coddled. Being coddled had already cost me everything once.”

Camilla’s voice was quiet, and her eyes were hard. Either she was the best actor he had ever seen, or really felt everything she was saying. Matt just didn’t know which to believe yet.

“When I said I wanted to go solo, he insisted that I wasn’t ready. He asked me to join you, but...”

She looked at Matt with eyes that seemed full of hate and questions. He had no clue what he could have done to deserve that look.

“You look just like him.” The last word was spat out. “Aiden said that if I was right, and you were a monster like I knew...” She paused again. “As I thought. I wouldn’t have to join up with you, and could do my own thing.”

Liz seemed to put something together.

“How does that equal sleeping with my partner?”

Matt was putting other clues together. The anger that had been building drained like the plug had been pulled. A young woman, the way she emphasized him repeatedly. Matt was drawing a picture he didn’t like the look of.

Camilla glared at Liz, “I can admit my plan wasn’t the best. I assumed that he,” she looked at Matt with hate, “Would be like him, and take what he wanted if I didn’t give in.”

That was enough for Matt to do a quick search. He felt things click into place once he found what he was looking for, and wanted to vomit.

“So you thought I looked like the late Duke Cumulus? And that I would press when you said that you didn’t want sex?”

When Camilla heard the name, she flinched. It was like Matt had slapped her.

“Don’t act like you did something worthy of praise, just because you didn’t rape me when I said that I didn’t want to have sex with you.” There was a lot of hate and spite in those words, and spittle clung to her lips while she snapped at Matt.

Liz spoke over him, and looked like she was about to lunge over the table at the girl. “You tried to get Matt to rape you? Listen here, you mother fucker!”

Matt tightened his grip on her shoulder until she stopped. His anger was suppressed, not gone but both of them couldn't be raging.

He nodded and said, with a bit of anger leaking though. “I agree. I didn’t do anything but show you the baseline of decency that people should show each other. I won’t pretend I understand, but I feel like I get a bit of it.”

Camilla shouted, and tears welled up at the corner of her eyes. “Shut the fuck up! You don’t know what it’s like! Everything about my life was shit! I grew up in an illegal brothel that pushed girls to start working before they were legally able at 20. I got a detrimental Talent. I was kidnapped and tortured for nearly two years... WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW!?”

The last bit was screamed out so loud, even Liz seemed to lose her anger. But only for a moment.

“I don’t want to join up with you. But I can't say no to Aiden. I can’t. I wanted to. I wanted to so very badly. But in the end, I can’t. So I tried to set you up.”

She looked defiantly at Matt, as if he had no right to call her out.

Before she could continue her rant, he spoke up. “I don’t know what you do, or what you think you know about me.”

She cut in, “Nothing. I only know that Aiden said you must be a nice person, if his niece decided to partner up with you.”

He nodded and said, “Well. I can’t say I went through even a thousandth of what you have. But my life wasn’t sunshine and roses either. By that same token, I never tried to fuck over people I was supposed to team up with.”

Matt didn’t want to add to the girl’s pain, but he didn’t appreciate her methods. He had only seen one rape victim before, and that was at Benny’s. The woman was a mess, and had lashed out at everyone. It had taken a healer coming and giving the victim a sedative to finally stop her.

Benny the ass had only complained about the destroyed room.

Camilla’s teeth were gritted, and she said, “I never expect to see either of you again.”

Liz finally spoke up, “And you expect us to take you in? You are fucking high on something. I might have considered it for Uncle Waters sake, but bitch, you are crazy if you think we want you anywhere near us.”

Matt opened his mouth, but Liz didn’t stop. “I don’t fucking care what she’s been through. She expected you to rape her, Matt. No, I don’t want her near us. I’ll message Uncle Waters and tell him to come to pick the bitch up.”

That made Matt feel incredibly uncomfortable. Tell a Duke no? Tell the strongest man the Empire had, no?

Matt didn’t think he could do that.

Suddenly, all of Aunt Helen’s help had a different flavor. She had never forced them to do anything. Even her asking them to visit Travis was a strong request, but not a command.

Now, a higher Tier was forcing their wishes upon them, and he realized how powerless he was against it.

It wasn’t a good feeling. Liz’s family connections suddenly felt like they came with strings. Strings that Liz was trying to sever by striking out on her own.

Still, he sympathized, but he didn’t like what Camilla did. She assumed he was a monster, and it felt horrible to be associated with evil of that ilk. He had never done anything like that, let alone considered it.

A part of him understood her plight. He did look vaguely similar to the executed Duke, and that kind of trauma isn’t easily forgotten.

Where his hair was sandy blond, the Dukes was golden. Where his eyes were grass green, the Dukes glimmered like polished emeralds.

It was apparent that the woman was projecting, and seeing what she wanted, or feared to see.

What struck Matt the most was the thought that it could have been him in her shoes instead.

He was interrupted by Liz saying, “I got a message from Uncle Waters.”

Her teeth were grinding so hard, he checked his AI to see if she had broken them.

“He set it to deliver if I went to send him one.”

With a flick of her finger, the large screen on the far wall played a video.

Duke Water’s face appeared, and it shocked Matt. He knew Liz grew up with powerhouses, but this was somehow more real. The man’s blue hair moved like it was underwater, and he gave what Matt could only call a cheeky grin.

“Hey, BethBeth. If you’re watching this, you met Camilla and went to send me a message.” He sighed, and the woman in question flinched as if he had struck her. “She’s a lovely young woman who has had a hard time. She needs a friend that she’s never had the opportunity to have before. I’m asking that you give her a chance.”

“We all don’t start out well. And some, like me, get the opportunities they need to turn it around and make it right. The Empire tries to make it work out. At least sometimes. Some fall through the cracks and need an extra hand up. Her story is her own, but I ask that you don’t judge her too harshly.”

“Some people need a helping hand to show them that not everything is darkness. Please, I’ll owe you a personal favor. And one for your partner, Matt. Do this for me. Please.”

What shocked Matt wasn’t the favor that he wanted, but how tired he seemed in the message. The man looked like someone who had realized that he couldn’t solve this issue, for all the power he had. And Matt understood. You can’t fix people with cultivation power.

The Duke’s words rang like a bell that resonated with him. He was lucky, he knew that. His Talent, while rated as detrimental, was still amazing. But he had been in a deep depression when he saw the rating, and it had taken Miles to get him out of it.

Without the warnings the man had given him, he would probably have taken the first offer he received from any organization. He would have been locked into a contract that cost him everything. Even if they were illegal, what could a Tier 1 do?

No, Matt could see exactly how his life could have turned out differently without those that had helped him. Anyone out of those friends and mentors turning their backs on him could have completely derailed his future.

It was that thought, more so than the Duke’s plea, that gave him the desire to take her on. Matt could see a reflection of himself in the woman who was scratching lines into her arms.

Liz spoke up, “I don’t care...”

Matt overruled her. “We don’t trust you. You fucked up your first impressions. Badly.”

Liz opened her mouth to agree with him, but he didn’t let her get anything out. “But I’m provisionally ok with you joining us. Like I said, I don’t trust you, and I don’t want you defending my back. But...”

He raised a hand at both women, who looked to want to tear into him. “We have almost three months of travel. At worst, we simply ask you not to join us. But for now, I’ll vote yes.”

Liz stormed to her room and slammed her door before saying, “I vote no!”

Camilla spat at him, “I don’t want your fucking pity.”

She went to repeat Liz’s action, but he spoke before she could shut the door, “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for myself.”

“A favor from a Duke? You might not be a rapist, but you are a greedy piece of shit, just like everyone else.”

“No. I’m doing it for myself. I was in a pretty shitty position, and I only got out of it because others helped me when I needed it most. I’m doing this more for them than for you. Please don’t judge me based on the actions of others.”

Camilla didn’t have anything to say, and while her mouth worked, nothing came out. She didn’t slam the door as she turned to leave, which he took as a good sign.

Rubbing his eyes at the building headache, he went and knocked on Liz’s door. He didn’t get an answer, so after a minute he called out, “Can you open up, please? I don’t want to talk through a door.”

He thought he was going to be ignored, but the snick of the lock answered him. Stepping through the door, he found a red-faced and red-eyed Liz holding a pillow on her bed.

He joined her, and they sat together in silence, for long enough that the train started moving. The slight rocking lulled them from a tense silence into a comfortable one.

Finally, Liz said, “I don’t trust her. She tried to get you to rape her. That’s not ok. She needs more therapy, not a team with two people she doesn’t know. It’s not our job to put strays back together.”

Matt nodded at everything she said and let her voice her frustrations. Finally, he gave his answer, “It’s not just about her. I don’t like how she introduced herself either, but I get it. Or at least as much as I can, not having been through what she has. She didn’t try and frame me or anything. She just gave me the chance to meet her worst expectations. She... she’s what I could have seen myself becoming. If I didn’t get the help that I did.”

He shrugged. “I could be where she was if everything went bad. I had two bad things. For her, it seems like everything came up bad. I... I just don’t want to repay everyone’s kindness by pushing away someone else who could use the same. At the same time I don't like how she made assumptions and wish we weren't being given direction from a higher Tier.”

Matt looked at his calloused hands, and receded into his own mind. In his mind’s eye, they were a child’s hands. Then a moment later, they were larger, and rough from all the work at Benny’s.

Liz finally hugged him with a single arm. He leaned his head onto hers.

“I don’t trust her with our backs.”

Matt just nodded, saying nothing.

The blood mage slumped. “I guess trying to get to know her while we travel won’t be the end of the world.”

She laced their hands together. “I don’t want you to feel like we didn’t at least try.”

The woman next to him fidgeted, then stood and started pacing the small room.

Finally, she looked at him and said, “I’m also pretty pissed that she slept with you.”

Matt went to counter the statement, but she kept speaking. “I know you didn’t have sex, but watching you two leave pissed me off. Finding out that she’s going to be near us... I don’t know. I don’t like it. I know we decided to wait until Tier 15 and do our own thing. But...”

She gave him a pleading look, and he said, “I can’t say the thought of you sleeping with other people is the best feeling for me either. But you want to wait for Tier 15, and I can see the reasoning behind it.”

Matt shrugged, “I wouldn’t mind waiting. At least for now. I...”

He didn’t get any more out as Liz hugged him. “Ugh, good. The time with my brothers just reinforced what I thought. I enjoy spending time with you. Even the non-delving time. Just sitting and watching you cook or just sitting and working on our Concepts. It’s just nice to be with you.”

Matt spoke into her stomach, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I agree. I just don’t know how to have a relationship. I’ve never really had anything but one casual girlfriend before. And that was closer to friends with benefits than anything real.”

Liz plopped down next to him and gave him a small smile. “I guess we can just take it slow and learn together. We have time.”

“That’s right. We both have Concepts, so our next bottleneck is Tier 24. Nothing wrong with waiting until Tier 15.”

Liz giggled and hiccuped. “It’s kinda funny.”

“Hmm?”

“Neither of us got laid.”

Matt couldn’t deny the wash of relief that she hadn’t gotten laid either. She didn’t owe him anything, and they had decided to let each other do their own thing while waiting until Tier 15. But somehow, it was relieving to hear it.

Trying not to show how happy that made him, he hmmed at her again in response.

“Yeah. We went back to his room, and he had a girlfriend. Seeing that I was just meant to be a third pissed me off. If they had been upfront about it, I wouldn’t have minded. But it worked out well in the end, I guess.”

Not knowing what to say, Matt laughed a little.

“So what? We have a ten Tier dating period?” Matt had no idea how this was supposed to work. He was excited about the prospect, though.

Liz laughed and said, “We can still do everything a normal couple can do. We just don’t have sex, really. If it's worth doing it's worth doing right.”

“That seems incredibly arbitrary.”

Liz shrugged. “Think of it as a courtship instead of dating.”

Matt looked at her and cracked a joke, “What, do you think you’re some kind of princess?”

With that, the tension broke, and they laughed until they cried. The awkwardness between them was banished.