PftA Book 5 - Chapter 31 - The Final Fight as a Tier Nine (plus a Mini-Interlude)

I teleported behind the massive wyvern, barely avoiding the corrosive spray of its breath attack. This wasn’t my first time fighting this boss, so the attack didn’t catch me off guard like it had the first time I’d fought the boss of the second zone.

Having prepared the technique in advance, I shot a beam of plasma created from Arcane mana at one of the boss’s weak points, where the thin membrane of its wing connected to the creature’s side. It was one of the non-spell techniques that I’d learned since challenging the ninth-floor trial.

While figuring out how to manifest spell effects wasn’t all that difficult as long as one understood the principles behind the desired effect, casting such techniques manually took far too much time to be effective in most combat situations.

There were a few exceptions, especially when I cheated with my Time affinity. But for the most part, I’d only really become competent with a few techniques that were not related to Time or Space.

Given how much focus I’d put into adapting Arcane mana to manifest other elemental types, it was no surprise that I’d managed to squeeze out the last point I needed to reach an affinity score that qualified as ‘standard’ with the element.

Though it was only a single point, crossing the threshold from having a weak affinity to a standard one provided a significant boost to my weakest affinity’s functionality.

The wyvern screeched in pain before blasting a thick cloud of poison in every direction.

The first time it had done such a thing, I’d had to retreat to my demesne to restore myself before reengaging the draconic boss. However, expecting such a response, I’d already vacated the area of effect before the corrosive cloud could affect me.

Tier Ten Poison was no joke, especially for someone who was still at the peak of Tier Nine.

I was tempted to counter the wyvern’s AOE attack with one of my own, but I didn’t think I had enough mana to hold a Time Distortion Field for long enough to make a real difference in the fight.

I was sorely tempted to use one of the many manatech items that I’d crafted with my Master Enchanting technique, but I stuck with my initial plan to defeat the boss without using such crutches.

If my calculations were correct, the experience I’d earn from this boss fight should be enough for me to reach Tier Ten. It seemed fitting to complete the fight using only spells and techniques instead of relying on artifacts.

There was no real reason behind my decision aside from it being good training… and maybe a bit of boredom. Fighting the same creatures for years on end got really old after a while.

I was almost tempted to spend more time in one of the two zones that were heavily populated by monstrous versions of sapient races for a little more variety.

For the most part, I had avoided both of those zones during my time on the floor. I was one of the few who did so since the experience for defeating humanoid creatures was higher than what could be gained by defeating a comparable beast.

It wasn’t so significant that the other challengers spent all their time fighting monstrous humanoids, but the increase was definitely noticeable.

I was sure that some of my fellow challengers interpreted my aversion as weakness, but I didn’t care. Even after all this time, I still didn’t like fighting and killing those who could easily be mistaken for sapient beings.

I blasted the wyvern with another beam of plasma. This time, I targeted the boss’s open maw. With the improvement in my Arcane affinity, using such techniques was a lot less mana-intensive than they had been only a few years earlier, so I was able to continue my barrage as the wyvern tried futilely to stop me.

Lisa’s avatar made a brief appearance, distracting the aggressive boss just long enough for me to wrap an invisible strand of Space mana around the creature’s neck.

“That took you long enough,” the mana intelligence said with a grin when she appeared by my side.

Lisa had started manifesting a lot more often now that I’d made improvements to her anchor. What used to be a fist-sized cube had been upgraded to a marble roughly an inch in diameter.

I could have probably made it smaller, but not by much. The design was still far too complex for me to apply the new Master-level technique to the enchantment, but I hoped that would change with my next tier increase.

I still had tons of ideas on how to create a permanent anchor for Lisa’s consciousness. I just needed more power and mental focus to bring my ideas to fruition.

“Are you still going to wait until the next market before heading to the next floor?” Lisa asked as her avatar floated closer.

I sent the boss’s remains into my storage before replying. “Yes. While it’s tempting to go ahead and tier up, I told Kai I’d enter right after the message exchange goes through.”

I was still a little surprised that my mentor was really going to isolate himself in the dungeon just to keep me company. Then again, he’d spent most of the time that I’d been on the ninth floor meditating inside the former Sovereignty Sect’s Time well, so it probably wouldn’t be all that different as far as everyone else was concerned.

The waiting period for claims still wasn’t close to being finished, but everyone had assured me there would be no problem with the Epikairos Sect acquiring the former Sovereignty Sect’s holdings. Or at least, there would be no issues obtaining the holdings that mattered. I didn’t really care about anything else the racist sect had owned.

I once again entered my demesne, leaving a small portal open in a hidden area near the boss’s lair. It wasn’t technically required to leave a path to the outside while I was within the dimensional space, but I’d gotten used to doing so.

Having a small portal also allowed me to interact with the system freely – something I wasn’t sure was possible if I removed access to the outside. And since I planned to tier up soon, being able to interact with the system was critical.

For the first time, I slowed the time dilation within the living space of my demesne and made it so that by the time six subjective hours had passed, it would be time for me to leave the floor.

The feeling of time compressing was almost physical, and took some getting used to. It felt like the air was denser, though I knew it was mostly a trick of my mind.

“If it looks like you need additional time, I’ll adjust things to ensure you don’t miss your departure time,” Lisa said as I made my way into my bedroom.

I rarely slept since meditation was often more refreshing than actual slumber. Because of that, I didn’t spend much time in the room I’d set up as a bedroom.

“Thanks,” I said before shifting my clothes into something more suitable for sleep.

After climbing into the bed, I willed the room to darken. Since I controlled everything directly instead of using manatech for lighting, the room was instantly cast into darkness.

Closing my eyes, I pulled up my status and applied my banked experience before distributing my fee attribute points.

***

Name: Emie Momentia
Level: 91* (62/15721300)
Profession: (P) Enchanter
                          (S) Researcher
                          (T) Gardener
Affinities: Time, Space, Arcane

                ***
Health: 350/350
Stamina: 650/650
Mana: 1210/1230*

                ***
Attributes
Strength – 30
Agility – 38
Vitality – 35
Intelligence – 123*
Wisdom – 79
Perception – 47*

                ***
Spells*
Skills*

                ***

I had barely earned enough to tier up, but it was enough to push me over the threshold. Watching the numbers change brought a thrill that was incomparable to anything else I’d experienced.

And it had been years since I last gained a level, much less crossing into a new tier. It was a little crazy to think the next time I crossed a tier threshold, I’d be ascending.

After looking over the pending changes, I closed out my status and let myself drift off to sleep. When I woke up, it would be time to reunite with Kai.

While we might not be ascending together, I was grateful for the companionship that his presence would bring.

= = =

Mini-Interlude 3

Zavira glanced up from her work when she sensed her ancestor entering her workshop. He was accompanied by another familiar person, though it was one she rarely saw.

“Grandfather! Elder Kairos!” she exclaimed before her eyes were drawn back to her project. “Give me just a few moments to finish this, and I’ll be right with you.”

“Take your time, lass,” the elder dwarf said before drifting over to a small display where the younger half-dwarf’s previous projects were carefully laid out.

“Her youngest boy awakened a strong Force affinity just a few months back,” Heph said to the Time Mage standing next to him. “Did I tell you that?”

Henlen “Kai” Kairos smiled at his oldest friend. The old dwarf was always looking for a reason to brag about his descendants, regardless of how little dwarven blood they might have running through their veins.

Unlike many older dwarves, Hephaistos cared little about bloodline purity. Had he been such a traditionalist, several of his descendants would have likely been disowned instead of being welcomed into the elder Smith’s sect.

“You did,” Kai commented.

He didn’t point out that the dwarf surely remembered such a fact, given his progression. At Tier Nine, it was unlikely his old friend would forget much of anything.

Heph beamed proudly. “He’s already making waves among the young disciples, just like his mother did.”

The old dwarf’s gaze shifted to his descendant as she finished shaping the delicate bits of metal in the artifact she was creating. None of her recent creations were weapons or armor of any kind, but that wasn’t unusual for a high-tier Smith hoping to push their profession a bit farther.

Zavira’s lips twitched as she focused on her project, not commenting on her ancestor’s words. She was almost finished with the artifact. Once her part was done, she would hand it off to the sect’s Enchanters to complete the piece.

She’d never bothered to push her Enchanting skill beyond the minimum, and now that her crafts demanded a higher quality enchantment than she could produce, she had to rely on others to complete the projects. It wasn’t too different from the way she’d partnered with Emie back in the dungeon.

The thought made her glance at the Time Mage standing at the front of the workshop. Her best friend’s mentor would be joining her soon. In fact, this would probably be his last visit before heading to the dungeon since Emie should be tiering up in a day or two.

The blonde man’s gaze met hers, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Zavira returned the sentiment before returning to her craft. It just needed a few more twists and…

“Done!” Zavira exclaimed with a bright smile. Setting the piece aside, the Smith straightened her robes and turned to her guests. “Grandfather, Elder Kairos,” she repeated as she bowed respectfully.

“Oh, none of that, Little Z. Kai is just here to say goodbye to this old dwarf, and I thought it would be good for you to see him one last time before he met up with your friend in the dungeon.”

Eyes widening, Zavira nodded rapidly.

“Yes! I actually have a few things I’d like for you to give Emie if you don’t mind.” The half-dwarf removed a skillfully carved wooden box from her storage ring and offered it to her best friend’s master. “Can you give her this? It has several small things I’ve picked up with Emie in mind. There are also a few other items that I hoped to send with you.”

The white-robed Time Mage accepted the carved box and placed it into his ring without looking inside.

“Then I suppose it was a good thing I stopped by,” Kai said with a smirk.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Kai and Heph departed Zavira’s workshop, leaving Zavira alone in her workshop. The younger Smith watched them go with a hint of longing.

Though she loved her family and had no desire to leave them, a part of her missed exploring the dungeon with Emie. The last few years that she spent in the dungeon really hadn’t been bad after she’d reunited with her friend. But by that point, she’d been so anxious to leave, she’d hardly managed to enjoy her time there.

“Ascend safely, Emie,” Zavira whispered. “Maybe I’ll catch up to you, someday.”