Looking Through all the gains he'd made from the last battle, Arthur was a little surprised.

  Sure, he’d used all of the skills while fighting the bounty hunters, but it wasn’t like he’d done anything special with them, nothing so innovative it should have rewarded him this much.

  “You look confused,” Solana said, coming to stand beside him. The spider she’d been inspecting was now curled up in her palm, tiny compared to the half-giant. Wovan, it seemed—at least one-tenth of her—had found a new favourite sleeping spot.

  “It's my skills,” Arthur said. “I gained more levels in the last fifteen minutes than I have since unlocking my class. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy, but I just don’t get it.”

  “Oh, I was worried it was something concerning our little baby spider,” Solana said, nuzzling the terrifying little devil with one massive fingertip. Alyssia looked at the woman like she was crazy and Arthur agreed with her for once. Solana, oblivious to their horror, continued on as if she was perfectly sane.

  “Rapid skill growth during combat is a phenomenon that is easily explained. I’m sure you already know that when you enter into true battle with another, you're pitting your very soul against theirs.”

  Arthur nodded.

  “This primes your soul for growth; a cannibalization of sorts of your slain enemy, what we call levelling through the lens of the System. By priming your soul for growth, you're opening yourself up for change, putting yourself in a state where change becomes far easier.”

  Arthur listened with rapt attention. This was all stuff that he'd only heard alluded to, never in the detail Solana provided.

  “Skills are located in the centremost part of the soul, right on the outskirts of the core. Some scholars—albeit a small minority—argue that skills are a true part of the soul repurposed to execute certain commands over ether, and while the theory holds a kernel of the truth, it isn’t exactly true.” Solana was in full lecture mode now.

  “That being said, skills are intrinsically connected to your soul, and so when the soul becomes malleable to growth through the medium of true combat, so too do skills to a lesser extent.” The half-giant looked at him expectantly. “Did that answer your question?”

  Arthur grinned. “I think you're missing your true calling as a teacher, Miss.”

  Solana flushed and swatted at him playfully, though he could tell she was pleased. Her swatting would have broken an ordinary human's arms though. “Don’t tease me or I won't tell you what I’ve managed to learn about your little monster,” she threatened.

  Arthur mimed zipping his mouth shut. The alchemist looked confused at the gesture for a second but it didn’t take her long to figure it out. As far as gestures went it was pretty self-explanatory.

  “Don’t get your hopes up too much. Researching live creatures is always difficult when ether is involved; the more powerful they are, the harder it is. I was, however, able to trace her origins to her former species, Aurelis Ocromanella. Certain aspects of her growth will be echoed from there, namely that she’ll evolve for the first time at level 5 and then at 150. After that, I’m not sure, it's actually on the lower end compared to other monsters, especially apocalypse beasts who’d gain an additional two by that point, but the evolutions will be far more potent.”

  “As for her progression as a hivemind, I’m less sure. My best guess is that it’ll be similar to the Aurelis, she’ll gain one additional minion per level until level 4, and then ten every level for the next 150. At that point, things will go crazy; Wovan will increase in number by 5% at every level which is going to get out of hand very fast. By the time she hits level 300, she’ll have over two million monsters to command.”

  Solana looked uncharacteristically serious. “That’s the kind of monster that could bring a galactic empire to its knees. All that power will be in your hands. Raise her well, Arthur Ward. You’ll both need to be strong enough when the universe realises just how large a threat she is.”

  “And they won’t be finding out through you?” Arthur asked carefully.

  “No, no they will not,” Solana sighed wearily and seemed to age a dozen years.” I might live to regret it, but I will not betray my principles. The universe needs warriors like you. Every day we lose millions of soldiers. We lose more and more territory to the fallen realm. I lost my father like that. Perhaps, if we hadn’t hunted every Originator we’d been presented with to extinction, we wouldn’t be suffering so much,” Solana chuckled mirthlessly.

  “And besides, no one would believe me anyway. I haven't seen Wovan’s status page, I’m probably underestimating her a ton, but the little I do know paints her as a monster that simply cannot exist. Not, shouldn't. She's quite literally impossible.”

  “The guys up top have already turned their attention away. Apparently, the detected Ender was actually an elder dragon lord finally waking up from his century-long hibernation. It seems no one is drawing the connection between the timing coinciding with Wovan's birth. Or more aptly, it’s too far-fetched to even consider.”

  “So does that mean we’re safe?” Alyssia asked. Arthur was touched she was making it her problem.

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  “Paradoxically, you’re probably the safest you can be right now, while the Origin Hunt is going on. Afterwards, you’ll be protected on the basis of your Originator status. Wovan’s existence presents a whole other issue, though. It’s an unprecedented case. I have no idea how System nobility will react. It could be nothing, or they’ll come after you in a way that makes the Origin Hunt look like a child's game.”

  Arthur smiled and then started to chuckle, before breaking out into full-bloom laughter. The woman looked at him like he’d lost his marbles. Maybe he had.

  “It’s just one thing after another with these bastards, I get left behind. They make it my problem. I have a soul affinity, they make it my problem. I get a powerful class, they make it my problem. I use one of my skills and create a summon by cutting my fucking soul, and guess what, they have another problem. Would they prefer it if I was weak? Is it such a crime to be strong under the System?”

  Arthur was really getting into this rant now. It had been a long time coming, one small injustice after another, and getting it off his chest was cathartic. He appreciated the System, respected its purpose and the reason behind its creation, but it seemed those in power had become stagnant. They didn’t desire change, they wanted to maintain the status quo, even if it meant they were destined to lose the realm itself. Arthur was certain they’d just flee to another. Why brave the storm when your house could weather a few more seasons? Why save it when you didn’t consider it your home?

  “Give me a year, no, three months and it won't matter what the bastards want anymore. It’ll be too late to stop me.” Taking a deep breath, Arthur tried to let go of his rage. It wasn’t easy, but he was marginally successful. “Sorry about that,” Arthur said with an embarrassed smile. “I just needed to get that off my chest.”

  “No, it’s perfectly reasonable,” Solana replied, “I’d be going crazy too if I were in your shoes.”

  One of Wovan's spiders had wandered off somewhere, and so he called her back into his soul core. The spider was powerful, but at level 1, there were many predators out there that could kill her.

  “So, what exactly did you come here for?" Arthur asked "My apologies if I'm being rude, but it’s about time we talk about business. With this sword hanging over my neck, I’m going to have to accelerate my plans. Maybe scrap them altogether.”

  Solana sighed and smiled at him sadly. “It’s a shame, but you're right. I’ve already overstayed my welcome on this planet. Any longer and I’ll have prime Kazi breathing down my neck.”

  “As you already know, I came as a representative of The Guild of Alchemists, more specifically, my master Oaklean. You have a remarkable talent for alchemy, or at least your unique biology gives you a massive advantage over others. The main reason I came here is to… well, scout you I guess. Once the Origin Hunt ends and things die down, we’d love it if you came to visit our capital planets. We’d offer you the best training money can’t buy and access to our greatest world treasures to help you develop your body, mind and soul.”

  “And what’s the catch? There's no such thing as a free meal.”

  “Catch? Insane as it might seem, there is none. We merely wish for the advancement of alchemy and you have the potential to pave new roads. We won’t ask you to share your blood and anyone who tries to pressure you will be penalised severely. Normally, the council would try and get one of their daughters married off to you, but with Iris on the scene, that's no longer an option.”

  Arthur just stared at her sceptically.

  “Is that really so hard to believe?” Solana was getting a little flushed, waving around her arms emphatically. “I guess it is, isn’t it. We’d love it if you formally joined our faction, I guess, but no one truly expects you to. And in some far-off impossible future where we’re attacked, it’d be great if you helped us out, but that’s it. Our council prides itself on our intelligence and rationale. No one else is seeing it yet, but you're powerful enough that earning your goodwill by providing a little help now is worth more than anything we can give you. We’re not all idiots, you know. When change is on the horizon, some of us can actually get with the program.”

  Either Solana was a world-class liar, or she truly believed what she was saying. For some reason, Arthur did too. Perhaps he was being na?ve trusting her but he hadn’t become so jaded that he distrusted everyone and everything. Plus she had helped him out a ton already.

  “I can’t promise anything,” Arthur eventually said, “but I’ll take you up on that offer if the opportunity ever arises.”

  “I can't ask for anything more,” Solana beamed at him. "That offer extends to you too, Alyssia. While you aren’t exactly an alchemist, I’m sure you have some interesting methodology from your home dimension you can teach us.”

  The half-giant looked to the sky and frowned. “Before I leave, there is something I can do for you, though. I’ve been informed that you have a craft-related reward that you’ve yet to receive. Normally a System admin would give it to you, but you’ll have no choice of meeting one before the Origin Hunt ends." She pulled a small red crystal from her storage device. Well, it looked small in her giant fingers but it was about as large as Arthur's entire head. She handed it over to him. “This is the part where I’m probably supposed to tell you to enhance your alchemy skill, but you can save it for whatever craft-related skill you like.” The crystal was cold to the touch, almost like he was holding a shard of ice.

  The ding of a System notification was quick to pull him out of his reverie. He was sorely tempted to use the crystal straight away, it was a simple item with a single line of description, the ability to instantly raise a craft-related skill to the Epic grade. Arthur quickly stored it away. Solana smiled at him.

  “And here I was hoping you’d use it straight away.” The half-giant continued to smile, but it seemed different now. Darker and more sinister. Arthur felt the hair on his arms stand up, and goosebumps formed across his skin. Something had changed, he was sure of it, but his monstrous instincts remained silent.

  “It’s such a shame really, but I guess it can’t be helped. I actually quite liked you.”

  Alarm bells started to ring in Arthur’s mind but he felt a calming presence wash over him. The Bhai Giya bond. Alyssia was telling him to relax. She'd saved his life so many times she'd more than earned his trust. Should he listen to her now?

  He didn’t even see the attack coming.

  Solana's fist crashed into his chest and the body he took pride in being so durable broke apart. Arthur's ribs cracked like rotten wood, lungs popping like overfilled balloons, eviscerated completely. His vision darkened around the edges. He could feel death encroaching on him, but still, his instincts remained silent. It was like his soul truly believed he wasn’t in danger. Arthur sensed it then. The third trait he’d gained when he’d refined himself, Beast Form.

  It would give him power unlike anything he’d experienced before, enhancing all his stats by 300%. Would it be enough to kill someone who’d crossed the level 300 barrier? Arthur was confident the answer was yes. The power was calling out to him, demanding to be used, like a burning poker in his chest. The window of opportunity was fading fast, growing fainter by the second, as the life drained out of him. Arthur felt another wave of emotion come through the Bhai Giya bond.

  Be calm.

  Easier said than done when he was dying. Arthur listened to her anyway. He relaxed. Arthur had no idea what was going on, but he chose to trust Alyssia. The alverin was as true a friend as any you could find.

  Somewhere in the north of England, in fields of rolling grass, seventeen days into the Origin Hunt, Arthur Ward’s heart stopped beating.

  Etherious: Originator

  Etherious: The Locus of Power has gone live. As a self published author doing everything myself, my novels success lies entirely on my shoulders. As such, the first day of a books launch is by far the most important time that determines how well my book will do.

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