Chapter 11: Chapter. 11: Artificial Grade Relics

In a single moment, I faded back into the darkness. Things around me illuminated once more with just a blink, but this time around I was planning to test the limits of the [Bracelet of Twilight] for good. But I had also gotten something quite interesting.

[Artificial Grade Relic ⁠— Whip Spear ⁠— This is a Fourth Grade Artificial Relic, a manufactured spear with traces of mana that can retract and transform into a whip by pressing the button at the end of its shaft.

This Artificial Relic was produced by the Human Capital City of Prowelwater.]

It was interesting, and its description was considerably more compact than actual Relics. Though, I found it curious that The Beyond, or the World’s Voice recognized it as some form of Relic, or well something magical.

I shook my head, as I looked at the two Supervisors trying to shine their light to find me. They seemed to be on high alert, while I stood off in the far distance. Soon, I would see how close I could get to them before being detected, I found it necessary to know for future reference.

However, there was something that I found to be of far more importance. I opened my status mid battle, uncaring for what the ongoing circumstances were around me.

[Name]: Sybil

[Level]: 10

[Life Essence]: 1st Tier. Ancient Human of the Golden Era

[Primary Aspect]: Fallen Flames. Lvl. 10

Free attribute points: 4

[END]: 9 [STR]: 7 [AGI]: 15 [WIS]: 12

Free skill points: 1

[Skills]: [Passive: Fallen Embers. Lvl. 3], [Fallen Ember Shot. Lvl. 1]

It seemed that I had gotten a skill point, even though my skills had been leveled once by the level 10 reward. I had also gotten three attribute points, that were turned into four from the level up one, which was interesting. The bonus was added onto the already pre-existing total or reward.

And that was all I needed to know. I distributed two attribute points into agility making it 17, and the remaining into wisdom, making it 14. Then, I distributed my free skill point into [Fallen Embers]. It was falling behind, but also the fight inside the subterranean vault had taught me the limits of them, so perhaps leveling the skill up now would save my life in the future.

[Passive: Fallen Embers has gained a level. Current level: 4]

I closed my status and moved on. My pickaxe sat comfortably in a hole in my clothes, and I held the spear within my hand. It was made out of metal and quite hefty, but something else I found interesting was that it had small bumps throughout its shaft, its tip was hollowed, which I took as nothing more than a stylistic choice. But it was an Artificial Relic, so I moved it according to its description and I pressed the bottom of the shaft.

In just a moment, it broke apart and became soft within my hands. It clanged against the ground with a very silent dull sound, something that I noted to be the effect of the [Bracelet of Twilight]. I stared at the deflated spear for a moment, before pressing the bottom again, and it retracted back into its original state with yet another click.

I was sure I would find a use later. Its extended version seemed to gain a good meter in length, in spite of the spear already being about one and a half meters long, or for normal comparison, it would reach at about my cheek if I set it upright. I smiled and decided that I would test the spear out as well.

Looking off in the distance, I saw the lights shine once more, and got to work. It was a weird experience, I almost felt like a Prowl Reaper approaching its prey, I had gone from the hunted to the hunter. Slowly, I prowled my way towards the two Supervisors.

[(Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 12]

[(Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 13]

Soon, with careful and measured steps I began to hear their breathing. Moving felt so easy and natural, my heightened agility made my walking pace akin to a trot. I got closer and closer, as I got to look at one of the men turn to the other.

“Isn’t this too much?”

The other man in the distance grunted.

“This is ridiculous. I was just told she had found a Relic, but this is clearly much stronger than anything else I’ve seen, she also has multiple Relics.”

I inched closer by the second as their conversation continued. I was heading towards the person I had fired my improved ember bolt at.

“Jack is already dead…”

“Right…” The man in the distance went silent. “Do you think she might be an Ascended?”

At this point, I was about three meters away from the man. He wasn’t looking at me, but I should have been in his peripheral vision.

“Absolutely not.” He breathed. “If she were, the Mayor of Prowelwater would be notified immediately. Heretics, betrayers, that’s what they are.”

I raised my brow as I took some steps forward, making it to the two meter mark.

“Right… hopefully not…”

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, and finally I had enough. The conversation had turned into something interesting, and something that I didn’t know about. Ascendeds were considered betrayers? Why? I hadn’t even done anything to betray. I pressed the bottom of the spear, extending it. Being honest, I had already gotten what I wanted, so I decided to speak.

“Why are they considered heretics?”

Both of their gazes snapped towards me, and without words they raised their weapons. I hid behind a pillar as they fired, the stone chaffed with a small cloud of dust and I sighed. It was disappointing, I had hoped for an answer given the tension, but that wasn’t the case.

I peeked around the pillar and pointed my finger at the man in the distance before firing an ember bolt. There was the sound of glass breaking, and I wasted no time rushing out and swinging the spear from the bottom like a whip. Igniting [Fallen Embers] across its length.

The Supervisor’s eyes widened, as the spear coiled through the air and dully hit him on the shoulder, making him flinch as the tip cut through it and ignited the flames. He gasped, and tried to put them out but they proliferated into his hands, and the panic was replaced into a frantic scream as he tumbled onto the ground. Flailing and rolling in an attempt to extinguish the flames.

Meanwhile, the other Supervisor had hid behind a pillar as the World’s Voice resounded in my ears.

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 12]

* * * * *

Zaman’s heart trembled. In a blink the Third Grade Artificial Relic had been rendered ineffective. He was hesitant, but at this point there was no other choice. He had to use the Second Grade Artificial Relic that he had brought, but it made him nervous, unlike other Artificial Relics, this one actually used magic.

What if he died from using it?

Such thoughts had filled his mind since setting off, but now there was no choice, whether he used it or not it looked like his death was a guarantee. To begin with, the girl had appeared out of thin air when she spoke, he had sworn that he was looking at that spot to begin with, but she had appeared.

He could hear her footsteps for a moment, but right now that’s all he could do since he was hiding behind a pillar. At that moment, he simply felt like his skepticism and nervousness had come to fruition, the girl was an Ascended. He didn’t understand how Endrad had gotten himself into such a problem, each block had multiple Supervisors, and Endrad was part of the girl’s block, yet he had allowed something like this to happen?

He took deep shallow breaths. She wasn’t normal. Even her eyes gave him shivers.

But he had to do it. At least create an opportunity to escape so he could go report to the Overseer, that way the Mayor of Prowelwater would move. That way humanity would prosper in Armag Hollow its last remaining years.

Zaman grabbed the small rod from his waist and peeked around the corner pointing it forward, ready to push the magic on his body like he had been trained to activate it. And then, he paused.

He saw the earthy rocks and the numerous pillars around in the darkness as the light of his helmet illuminated everywhere, but there was no trace of the girl.

Where⁠—

Blood splattered within his vision as a burst of red passed, pain made him cough crimson liquid as he looked down. A spear was sticking out of his chest as he felt his life fade, and all Zaman could think about was warning someone of the terror that had appeared in the Grand Mine.

A catastrophe for humanity.

* * * * *

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 13]

[Your primary aspect has leveled once from this encounter. Current level: 11]

I smiled from satisfaction as I saw my level go up. Quickly, I opened my status and threw my attribute point into agility, making it 18. Feeling my mana simply put me in a good mood, I still had plenty, and the [Bracelet of Twilight] had proven to be incredibly effective and useful. Though, I did feel like its usefulness was overblown due to the circumstances.

I was a bit unsure since I had no way to actually test how it would fare in a place with a lot of darkness and light.

Looking at both of the bodies on the ground gave me a weird feeling, all things considered. They were Supervisors, the figures the people in the camp feared. I feared them in the past, yet now it was just easy? At the same time, perhaps I should’ve felt something upon killing them, but I was desensitized to death, and either I died or they died.

My stomach grumbled, and I also looked down on my clothes and looked at their clothes. Well all things considered I couldn’t exactly wear everything they wore, but there were things to scavenge.

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◇ ◇ ◇

It took me a few minutes, but I had replaced my pants with different ones, thankfully they had belts that kept them from falling over. The belts themselves contained what seemed to be rations, and tools like small flashlights, hooks; they were mostly things that I dumped because they were too heavy. Only things I kept were the water pouches.

I also took a coat to cover the scars on my arm, and also have a place to stow one of the spears and the pickaxe. I attempted to take a firearm, but I didn’t actually know how to use it, nor did I need one anymore, so in the end I simply took a backpack and filled it with rations.

As I was about to leave, I saw a stick on the floor. It was polished and with patterns on it.

[Artificial Grade Relic ⁠— Everlasting Light Miniature ⁠— This is a one time Second Grade Artificial Relic. Casting it will unleash a small amount of Everlasting Light.

<> Everlasting Light: Light from the center of the Beyond that will melt and destroy everything and anything it hits.

“A tool to extinguish the Ascended.” ⁠— Adamas.

This Artificial Relic was produced by the Human Capital City of Prowelwater.]

My brow raised as I knelt to pick it up. But as soon as my finger touched the Relic it zapped me with a tinge of pain, and then the stick decayed before my very eyes as it dried up and fractured, crackling on the ground as it became nothing but a pile of ash.

I stared at it for a moment before shaking my head. It seemed to be too good to be true, and that was the case. But there was something that alarmed me.

“Does every Supervisor have one?”

Of course, there was no answer. However, I did commit the appearance of the Relic to memory, if it was pointed at me then I definitely had to dodge. That said, I found it weird that it wasn’t the very first thing they did when trying to kill me. I would have certainly been hit if that was their first reaction when I killed their companion.

I frowned. There had to be a reason why they weren’t using it, but I couldn’t quite find out why.

Perhaps if I managed to disarm a Supervisor and interrogate him?

I turned in the direction they had entered the chamber from. It was clearly where I had come from. For a moment, I deliberated on whether to head back or try to find an alternative route, but ultimately I decided to simply head back, retreading the footsteps of the Supervisors.

I used the chance to think a bit about things. And in the end, there was a single thought.

So being an Ascended makes me instantly a criminal?

That sucked, but from the looks of it there was no way to tell other than the fact that I could use magic. So, perhaps it wasn’t a massive worry, but I did want to find out why my kind was hated exactly. I was just Sybil, just me, so I didn’t care all that much aside from morbid curiosity.

◇ ◇ ◇

Even though I stayed alert, the walk back was completely uneventful. Soon I approached the place where I had stood when facing the Supervisors, however there was something that I noticed ⁠— a black handkerchief on the ground with a small monocle.

It had a semi-fogged glass with golden trimmings and patterns at its edges. I knelt before it, and the World’s Voice spoke.

[Artificial Grade Relic ⁠— Spectral Glass ⁠— This is a Second Grade Artificial Relic. Wearing it will grant Lesser Spectral Sight to the wearer.

<> Lesser Spectral Sight: Allows the individual to see the past footprints of creatures for up to 3 days of their conception.

This Artificial Relic was produced by the Human Capital City of Prowelwater.]

Without missing a beat I picked it up and placed it against my eye. I wasn’t actually going to wear it, the thought of using it made me feel weird. However, that didn’t matter, in an instant I saw white footprints appear within my vision, they had mana wisping off of them onto the air.

It was a weird sight of white all around me, before I saw the footsteps head in different directions all around me. I recognized mine by the size of the soles, however I saw three different groups of footprints. I already knew they had split, but it was still a great confirmation.

Ignoring the ones whose destination I already knew, I picked another trail at random, following it.

This is going to be fun.

◇ ◇ ◇

Tracking the footsteps as expected lead me to the second group of Supervisors. They were perusing in the direction I had initially run towards. However, this time I didn’t have any care, I already knew how ridiculous the effects of the [Bracelet of Twilight] truly were.

With a breath, I grabbed the spear and ran towards the person at the back.

“Do you think we will⁠—”

He was impaled by the spear with a crack from behind, he cried in pain as both of his companions turned in an instant. However, before they could ready their weapons, I pointed my finger at them and fired my ember bolt.

In quick succession, there was the glass shattering noise as both of them stumbled back, then with a flare of my mana I triggered [Fallen Embers] as the person in front of me combusted. It all happened in a single moment, as I let go of the spear and switched to my pick.

Before they could hide, I ignited it before literally throwing it towards one of the Supervisors. It streaked through the air and hit the man on the back before bouncing off, unable to penetrate, but that was enough. Like ichor, the fire stuck and proliferated burning the man.

And in that instant, the World’s Voice spoke.

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 11]

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 10]

Just like that, the last Supervisor was left alone. But just as he was pulling out the stick, I had already vanished back into the shadows of the cave system. Unfortunately, both of the squads had picked open places rather than narrow alleyways.

In just a moment, I made my way around the last surviving supervisor as the fire fizzled. In just a moment the Twilight effect activated. Though I couldn’t help but frown as I noted that diffused light would prevent the bracelet from activating. However, the hard light that came from the lamps was a different story, it was something that I noted and instantly made me realize that the [Bracelet of Twilight] wasn’t as strong as I initially thought.

Nevertheless, it allowed me to sneak behind the Supervisor as he held the stick looking around in a cone. And before he could turn, I pounced on him and grabbed him by the neck making him trip and pulling him close to me.

“If you want to survive, drop the Artificial Relic. Otherwise you will burn,” I threatened with a venomous tongue.

The man gasped, while my grip wasn’t enough to choke him to death he couldn’t turn around and point the Relic at me. He struggled for a moment.

“Do you really want to die?!” I cried with anger.

And with those words, he threw the stick onto the ground. It bounced for a moment, before it landed far away rolling with a string of dull sounds. And finally, I eased my grip.

“I see that everyone carries that Artificial Relic stick, but why is it only used as an emergency?” I asked, still lightly holding his neck.

“Because it is! It requires magic to activate, there is a rumor that a Supervisor some odd years ago used it and died on the spot.”

I frowned. So it was the concern of running out of mana.

“I see.”

He struggled. “Can I⁠—”

I ignited my arm on fire and the man instantly screamed, but it was too late. He almost managed to throw me off, but his flesh melted in just a few moments. And a second later, he died.

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 11]

A heavy sigh left me as I saw the now burning corpse on the ground. I felt bad about threatening the man, I didn’t even know his name but it simply felt like a low blow. However, I felt it was necessary. I needed the information to survive, and at least right now, I was willing to do anything to obtain it.

Well maybe not anything.

Nevertheless, I had gotten what I wanted, even though it left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt dryness and I was promptly reminded that I had yet to eat or drink anything. With some awkwardness, I decided to eat some dried bars of unknown material and drown them with water.

A short minute later, my hunger and thirst had been quenched, and then my eyes wandered. I stared at my kills for a moment, before deciding to loot the rations from the bodies that hadn’t been completely burned. That took me another minute, and finally after I had done all of that I turned to look at the place from where I had come from.

The atmosphere felt somber as my last kill weighed on my mind, but one thing was for certain.

Only one group remained.

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