The Path of Ascension

Chapter 270

President Janet Olga reviewed the footage of the Empire's newest possible Gladiators.

She wished she could dismiss the video as a fluke. Just another ploy by the Empire to create false Gladiators to strengthen their image in the eyes of their people. But the proof was in the fight before her.

Three fresh Tier 20s were facing down two established chimera and not instantly dying. That they had eventually lost was a comparatively minor issue. They shouldnt have survived as long as they had.

She really should send her congratulations to Toby. A duo of powerful elites at Tier 20, one of whom had a full Intent, ensured they had a nigh-unbeatable trump card at that Tier bracket for the next few millennia. No doubt, the battles they would participate in would be a spectacle to behold. Thered been a Mayor near the border of the Collective who had been causing trouble recently; shed have to arrange for his planet to be reclassified to a Tier 20 battleground at some point. Let the Collective get their acknowledgement for a job well done.

It was the little things that kept diplomacy flowing.

But those three Or two, if the rumors were to be believed. She thought it more likely one of the two had a bond, but when it came to Gladiator-level elites, underestimation was done at ones own peril.

Torch, Quill, and Scoop. The trio had genuinely fought Soddus and Girang, and actually managed to push Soddus to reviving publicly, and Girang to the very brink of death. Oh, no doubt the chimeras still had hidden depths far deeper than whatever the three Gladiator candidates had. That was immaterial, and would be short lived. Torch, Quill, and Scoop were already standing on the same battlegrounds as Chimera and Inheritors as peers. They could yet fail, of course. Far more people made it to Tier 20 upon the Empires Path to Glory than ever completed it. But given the strength they had displayed, their progression ending in failure seemed less than likely. Theyd come this far with next to no assistance, and she knew what came next. Theyd be given treasures and skills, artifacts and assistance from the best in the Empire; the same if not better then what the Chimera had. Theyd Ascend to a level of power which few could ever reach.

Gladiators.

The ones who fought more for spectacle than for their life. The ones who charged headlong into mortal combat because they enjoyed it. Everborn could match Gladiators in theory, it was true but only when specifically prepared for it, when the Gladiator was worn down or caught off-guard. Anything less than that was akin to watching a professional delver cut down children.

Oh to be sure, there were those who could match them, but they were even rarer than the actual Gladiators. Pearlescent Paladin Taien and True Inheritor Coldforge, back when they had been active. The Unyielding Anvil Yun Me. But they all had reached the pinnacle of their power. Yun Me had taken a hundred thousand years to attain her current status, at the true pinnacle of her potential. Meanwhile, her own Gladiator, Grand Shaper Maya Embers, could already match the Sect woman and still had room to grow.

But the Empire

First it was Waters. It had been an auspicious start to a new emperors reign, after the Worldwalker had retired with the old emperors ascension. The man had been a true force to be reckoned with, his grand tour a resounding success. She could recall with something approaching fondness the mans penchant for gleefully delving the rifts of planets he hadnt yet conquered, Tiering up at a truly impressive rate for the first half of his war. But then he had stopped.

Janet still did not understand what the Emperor had promised the man to get him to stop at Tier 30, nor did she understand why. But the man who had been Tiering up so rapidly that many speculated it was his outright Talent just suddenly stopped with no explanation. He still fought on Tier 33, sometimes even Tier 34 battlefields, and still delved the rifts of whatever planet he was on, but he simply stopped advancing. People had thought that may have been it, that he might remain a Tier 30 elite until whatever the Emperor was bribing him with ran out, until one day when he appeared on a Tier 35 battlefield as a Tier 31 himself, handily leading the Empires forces in a spree of defensive victories. That was notable on its own, but only grew more extreme when he managed to face down and kill a trio of Clan Inheritors in a single battle. Maya had been dispatched to end his threat, and while their first battle was a victory for the Republic, the Grand Shapers report was that his Domain was unlike anything shed ever seen, likening his strength to the difference between iron and cloth. The next time theyd fought, it was Grand Shaper Maya who had been forced to flee.

From a man four Tiers her junior.

Shed absolutely adored it, the utter maniac. It was fortunate, as she had been growing bored of the war scene and was ready to advance to Tier 36. She had been preparing to retire before Waters had arrived, but nobody wished to see what kind of true monster Waters would be at Tier 35, and the Emperor had already demonstrated he had some way to persuade the Gladiator to stay at a Tier for an extended period of time. A treaty had been established protecting those on the Path of Ascension, and Waters had been pulled back from the battlefield. Nobody thought much of it at the time.

And then Light and Shadow had arisen.

Everyone agreed it was suspicious timing for the Empire. A second group of Gladiators, less than two thousand years after one had already come about? Incredibly, impossibly lucky. Even during the Clans Golden Ages, their Legends tended to be spaced on the order of ten to twenty thousand years apart, heralding the start and end of their fortune. It was further suspicious due to the nature of the post-war treaty. Why had the Empire pushed so hard for a limitation of assassinations on the Path of Ascension of all things?

Shed known they were up to something, and with yet another group primed to finish the Path of Ascension, less than two centuries after the previous one, all of that suspicion had been confirmed. She didnt know what, she didnt know how. But the Empire had found some method of mass producing Gladiators. Oh, they would claim that it was the result of Empress Agathas revolution, the changes she made finally bearing fruit, but that was a feeble deception to Janets eyes. She could only imagine the forms of experimentation it must have taken, possibly something which put even the depravities of the old Federation to shame. Unmatched potential, no doubt hatched in a lab and seeded into the depths of the Empire.

Janet could see the signs. Waters, from a Tier 2 ocean world with almost no permanent settlements. Light, from a small city on a Tier 5 planet with no known family. Shadow was the most blatant, with her parents allegedly Tier 16, yet she had been raised in a secluded enclave on a Tier 4 world. Shed bet that once Torch, Quill, Scoop, and Queens identities were revealed, theyd be from planets Tier 5 or less, with circumstances surrounding them conveniently making it more difficult to confirm the details of their birth.

The Empire was utilizing its front of low-Tier protections to hide something vile. She wouldnt have survived as a politician if she couldnt sniff out false sincerity, and the Empire positively reeked of it.

Talents spoke to the core of a person, revealed their true nature even more than a Domain. She regarded Toby highly in that regard, as they were similar insofar as their core desire was simply to be a home, a world for their citizens. Dicomaty had wished to build a better tomorrow, Maya wanted to shape the world in her image, JR wanted to build wonders, and Aoife wished to strengthen her populace. Allister worked to keep his people moving, Virgil to empower her family, Winter Hornet to strike down those who threatened him, and Hastor to master the craft of the sword. Even if she didnt know details, having a broad idea of a persons Talent was usually sufficient to discern a general sense of their core being.

Gregorios sought to peer into hearts and minds to snuff out any who would threaten him. Emmanuel was a hollow shell that stole the very essence of his opponents, profiting off their hard work and contributing nothing in return. Like father, like son. Small wonder then, that Emmanuel would seek to find power at any cost, that he might steal the Talents of those who had truly earned it. She refused to bend the knee, surrender her dreams and the ambitions of her people to a man who would do nothing but abuse her lifetime of growth.

But that would be her future, if the Empire continued to grow unchecked.

And that was a problem.

One she would solve by crushing the Empire and demanding an audit of the Empires programs at the post-War tribunal, per winners right. Exposing whatever experiments were responsible for the latest crop of Gladiators would lend further weight to her words, and ensure they never had the chance to dominate the entire Realm with the harshest of sanctions.

She retrieved a set of five pads and began to write one letter for each of the other Great Powers except the Empire and Guilds. The former for quite obvious reasons, and the latter because they were trapped too far into the Empires honeyed words to possibly sway away for now.

Janet urged each of her fellow Tier 50s to either reconsider their neutrality or commit more to the war effort respectively. That the Empire was preparing to overwhelm them all, and that they needed to halt their advance before it was too late. She could see that the Empire would simply push further and further, asking for concession after concession, always holding the threat of an unwinnable war over their heads. Now was the time for action, the time to strike. While Duke Waters was still Tier 31 and at least matchable by their very best, while Light and Shadow were still accustoming themselves to their new abilities, and while whatever future Gladiators they had coming had not yet arrived. This was the time they needed to strike and with ruthlessness rarely seen both to themselves and the Empire if they wanted to stop the threat before it grew too large.

She didnt need to outright say that striking now would enable them to carve out vast swathes of territory from the physically largest Great Power for themselves, nor that it meant any captured worlds with Gladiators seeded upon them would instead be theirs to take. Her compatriots were intelligent, they could draw their own conclusions.

Janet could only hope they were the right ones.

She at least already had plans to pull up more reserves and send them to the frontlines. If nothing else she would lead by example before adding political pressure to the Sects and Federation.

***

Matt sighed as they returned back to Empire space and received a slew of messages from their time away.

Before he could dive into them, a ball of sand slammed into the side of his head, and Lila chortled. Kid, you aren't nearly old enough or have done enough to be sighing like that. So you lost a battle, and a planet went to our enemies. So what? Ascenders are good, but even we arent undefeatable. Besides, youre still just a Pather. Once youre a proper Ascender, thats when you can pout about losing. Not that I ever did, but not everyone can be as good as me!

The grin she shot him told him she was lying about never failing, but that wasnt why Matt was sighing. Or at least, it wasnt the only reason.

Im not sighing about losing the fight, but rather that I couldnt cut loose against Girang after already showing so much. I feel like if I had been able to fight with him with his Intent, I could have made some progress on my own. But yes, failure on the inter Great Power stage doesn't feel great either. How did you handle failure?

The dragon in human form scratched her chin with a taloned finger before responding, By not worrying about it. Seeing the incredulous look he gave her, she shrugged. Really. I simply didnt. There are a million things I can and do handle, but when I do fail, I just move on. Sometimes my failures result in deaths, but remember that when an Ascender is called in, shits already hit a repelling field. And while a new planet would be super cool, no one died, so theres something positive to consider as well.

Matt took a deep breath and nodded. Part of his unease was that Luna hadnt mentioned their loss at all, and it had left him and Liz on tenterhooks for the last few months. They couldnt tell if she was angry they had lost, angry Matt had given away information about his real capabilities, or not even angry at all.

Aster hadnt been disturbed in the least, but the cat's antics had never really bothered her.

Matt sighed again, and seeing Lilas glare, explained, The loss just makes me wonder if we are really cut out for being Ascenders. Maybe we will reach Tier 25 and when we have our first battle well really get our asses beat. Gesturing out to the Realm around him, he continued, Yes, we were hiding our abilities, but there are people stronger than one Chimera.

Lila sighed and sprawled out across the couch, twisting her head until there was a pop so loud, Matt had to wonder if she had snapped her neck instead of cracking it. Matt, if anyone expected you werent going to make the cut, Luna would have already told you. One, do you really think she would spare your feelings? She waited for him to shake his head before continuing. Next, the Tribunal reviews everything you do as a potential Ascender. That means your little loss will get reviewed, but kid, I watched your fight. You arent in danger of being asked to step off The Path. I can already think of a dozen items and new skills that would synergize fantastically with you and would have made that fight easier for you. Your teams will almost assuredly have them waiting for you the minute you complete the path. Dont forget, both Girang and Soddus are chimeras, and its honestly quite impressive that you lasted as long as you did. But that just goes to show you how strong youll be once you do finish the Path and wont need to hide anything, and thats ignoring all the additional resources youll get when the time comes. Chimeras are strong, but theyre used to being strong, and have been given every possible advantage they could use to get to that point. But to borrow a phrase from the Sects, a flower raised in a greenhouse will never weather a storm as well as the one that flourished under the sun and sky. Take the loss on the chin and get over it. You didnt have an Intent as a hundred year old, and a darling of Kar'Tan who is over two thousand years old got his in the middle of a fight? Boo-fucking-hoo.

With that said, Lila kicked her feet up and turned on the screen, flipping through channels so fast, it was just a blur to Matt.

He opened his mouth to comment, but she pointed the remote at him and visibly pressed mute, and he found himself unable to make any sound.

Rolling his eyes, Matt relaxed into the sofa and settled in once Lila settled on a baking show.

Growling, she seemed ready to spit fire. Im going to eat that host one day. She said my cake tasted like sand. Of course it did! It was a Sand Patty!

Watching as a woman added way too much flour to the cake mix for it to rise correctly, Matt let his mind wander.

When the episode came to an end, he nodded at Lila. Thanks.

She winked at him but didnt say anything.

Pulling out a few snacks for the next episode, he found half of them floating over to the dragon who had just opened her mouth as she let the snacks parade into her maw one by one, without taking her eyes off the screen.

They snacked together for another two episodes before Liz kicked open the door. Are you ignoring me?

Her exacerbated tone told him she wasnt joking, but Matt had no idea. Thankfully, Lila answered for him. No, I was ignoring you. Your constant messages were interrupting the show, so I blocked them. We are watching to see if Brenda can un-fuck her cake making skills. She should have been kicked off instead of Justin. I don't care if his ice cream wasnt freezing, it was still more of a dessert than her pancake was a cake.

Liz glared at the dragon, but it didnt bother her. Well, if youd check your messages you will see that Conor was seriously injured, and were entering Empire space near them, so we should swing by before we return to delving.

Quickly flipping through his messages, Matt found the message and saw that what Liz said was true.

A small mistake had nearly cost their friend his life, and it was only Annies quick reaction of cutting off his head that had saved him from being devoured by a monster. They didnt go into too much detail, but they were taking a break from delving, which was unusual for Team Bucket Reborn. They had officially fallen off the Path when most of them had reached Tier 17, but they did their best to not let that slow down their progress. If anything, theyd tried to push harder once they lost their priority rift access, and that had turned out poorly.

When delving up Tiers, even the most careful of delvers eventually made a mistake, and it was often lethal. It was why The Path was called a charnel house by its detractors; those who made even one mistake could die, and his friend had almost become a statistic. That was a frightening thought.

Coming out of his [AI], Matt found Liz and Lila arguing, but what Lila said gave both of them pause. It's crazy how we came back into Empire space right near the planet your friends are on. So before you get too mad, ponder that coincidence.

Matt looked to Lila with a raised eyebrow even as Liz sheepishly apologized.

Instead of answering him, Lila just winked, grabbed Liz, and dropped her in his lap.

With his wife acquired, Matt smiled. Well hello.

Liz rolled her eyes but relaxed into his embrace. Really, if she had just let the messages through, we could have avoided this. She did help us though, so now I look like an asshole.

Matt just shrugged. It's fine. I dont think Lila is one to hold a grudge. Pausing as he realized how she was just talking about eating a tv host for correctly judging her cake, he corrected himself. I'm sure your parents will get vengeance on your behalf.

Liz slapped his chest but Lila snorted, showing she was still listening.

Oh well. I expect you to stay celibate forever in my memory.

Matt smiled as he gave her a counter offer, Ill stay celibate until you revive.

Oh wow, a full three minutes! How chivalrous of you. Im sure you could make your way through many a courtesan in that time frame.

Im a man of many talents.

Their bickering continued for a few more minutes until Luna walked through the door and Lila exploded in a burst of sand, only to be replaced by Aster who was holding a spoon full of ice cream and brownie that was now covered in said sand.

Growling, Aster raised her fist but dropped her hand with a grumble after seeing Luna.

The cat ignored Aster and instead looked to Matt and Liz, asking, Are you two done sulking?

Matt raised a finger in objection. We weren't sulking, we were just mulling over the recent events.

Luna didnt even blink at his defense, but instead moved her eyes to Liz who just shrugged. Its just annoying. I know that nobody is actually unbeatable, but as Ascenders, were supposed to basically be that. We lost, and I expect better from us.

Luna looked to Aster but his bond just shrugged. We were kicking ass against the blender kids and doing really well until Girang got his Intent. I think we coulda won given enough time. She shrugged again as if that was all that needed to be said.

Luna pointed to the air and let the moment linger for a long while before saying, You did well. Remember, you arent Ascenders yet, just Pathers. Even if you had utilized your full kits, it is uncertain if you would have won against the two of them. Perhaps you would have, perhaps not. Remember that theyve had nearly as many resources poured into them as you three will have after the Path. That enhances their primary abilities, yes, but also gives them far, far more hidden cards to play than you have. Nothing so drastic as an entire element being hidden, of course, but know the fight was liable to get harder, not easier, as they went on.

She caught Matts eye. Think of what you showed, Matthew. While it would have been preferable to not reveal anything, you pulled back before you utilized too much. But the more you revealed, the harder it was for them to match you. In time, they would have been forced to do much the same, and you would have faced an even more challenging fight, but one I suspect you would have won. Celebrate your accomplishments, and recognize where you have yet to improve. And your accomplishments are great, forcing a revive from Soddus and showing that even while fighting a war, the Empires newest generation is no weaker than the last. There will be more planets yet to claim.

Matt opened his mouth, but Luna narrowed her eyes at him, and he shut it with an audible click. Youll win far more than a single undeveloped Tier 22 planet in the war. If you still feel bad after that, make one yourself. But if you let this become a thing, I will work you until you wish losing a single planet was the worst of your problems.

Nodding, Matt thought it over. He was already going to upgrade planets, but maybe he could figure out how to make one more. He kind of liked that idea, even if it was just in jest. It did bring up a more important thought to the front of his mind.

His mana had now reached an utterly insane level of generation. So like his mana pool, the target on his back had doubled. If he didnt become powerful enough, hed be trapped in the cage of duty and obligation even if he wasnt physically caged. He couldn't afford to wallow in a single loss.

Despite the war news of Light and Shadow going from one victory to another, he knew they had missions that ended in, if not failure, then at least not success. He tried not to think of Duke Waters, who had gone from victory to victory for most of the war. He and the other Ascender level combatants were carefully circling around each other, neither side willing to engage and risk losing their top assets.

He just couldnt help wondering if either Light and Shadow, or Duke Waters, had been there in their place, could they have won?

Light and Shadow was a giant mystery, as Matt didnt know if they had their Intents at Tier 20. But Duke Waters famously had his Intent at Tier 17, which meant the fight might not even have happened.

Still, he felt better for the realization, and with Lunas blessing, they were given two weeks of a break to go and visit Conor where he convalesced.

Matt expected to get embroiled in some shenanigans while leaving the fleet and Lilas ship, but she just waved her hand and teleported them into the hospital. Without sand for him and Liz, but Aster found her pockets filled with sand so fine, it might as well have been dust.

His laugh earned him a faceful of sand, but it was worth it.

Seeing Conor was less fun.

Team Bucket Reborn was living about halfway up a towering skyscraper meant for portable homes. A hexagonal tower in the center held various amenities such as parks, restaurants, and forms of entertainment, and along each edge a platform extended into thin air. Somewhere between half to a third of the platforms were occupied, skewed towards the very top and very bottom of the tower. Accordingly, theirs was the only house on the floor, a well-kept three bedroom place that reminded Matt of the original form of his portable house. It must have been fairly cramped inside, but that was the price you paid for mobility.

Knocking on the door, a surprised Kyle answered with a dagger in his hand. Seeing the three of them, the weapon vanished, and he opened the door a little more.

Hey guys. When our messages were undelivered for so long we assumed you were off somewhere.

Liz nodded as she hugged Kyle before heading into the house. That's because we were.

After hugging Matt, Kyle scanned Aster up and down before shaking his head. It's so weird seeing you on two legs.

Aster mock gasped and leaned back as she put a hand over her mouth. Are you saying you like me on all fours better? Bold of you!

Well yeah, I was there when you hatched I Kyle had already started speaking before he realized what she had actually said and implied. Giving her a flat look, he shook his head and said, That's not funny.

Aster grinned as she slipped by him after giving him a hug and said in a singsong cadence. Yes it was!

As Matt entered the small living room he saw Tara and Emily in oversized shirts eating breakfast, with forks hovering in the air as they sat there frozen.

Tara got to her feet first but bumped the table she and Emily were eating off of, sending their drinks to the floor.

Ahhh! Hey guys, it's been so long! How have you been? Where have you been?

Emily came up behind Tara and lightly slapped the other woman on the back of the head. They can't say that.

Matt shrugged. "Sorry, cant say too much, but lets just say its been a rough week. Bad fight and some political losses. Were all okay, just disappointed.

That earned him an understanding look from Kyle and a pitying hug from Emily, then Aster elbowed Matt and Liz out of the way and derailed the conversion. Who cares about that? Whats more important is that I have a human body that you guys havent seen! Aren't I pretty? We should go shopping!

Tara looked bemused, but Emily seemed genuinely interested in the suggestion, though Liz immediately re-righted the conversion. So, uh, where are Conor and Annie?

Tara waved her hand. Hospital. Theyre regrowing a bit more of Conor.

Emily winced slightly at that and Matt caught Kyle doing the same.

Kyle also caught Matt catching him, and explained at his inquisitive look. It was bad. Not sure Id really call it a mistake, but it was definitely all our faults, and Conor was basically just a spine and skull by the end of it. But hey, at least we had [Bandage]. That kept him alive long enough to get him to the hospital, and hes been getting bits and pieces of himself back since. Its burning through our liquid stones like nothing else, getting him back together quickly, but we dont want him suffering for any longer than we have to. He did make it very clear that we werent to cash in one of our boons from Queen Mara just to get him back on his feet, but was that ever a fight.

Oh yeah, Liz frowned. The rift we found Azure in and giving up our claim to our portion of the egg. I kinda forgot mom gave everyone a favor to be cashed in. That was a thing. You know, I could probably-

Nope! Nope nope nope, Kyle cut her off. We might be off the Path, but we still want to, well, live our own lives. Not have our rich friends bail us out just because they feel sorry for us. No offense, of course.

None taken. Liz sighed and continued, And I get it. That was my motivation for joining the path in the first place, you know?

Aster dropped into the couch between Kyle and Emily, who had returned to her breakfast and threw her legs over Emily while stealing Taras plate of food. What about Melinda? I half expected you guys to have made a trip to her already. Or does she count as another rich friend that would be bailing you out?

Kyle looked to Tara, who looked to them. We were actually going to ask you guys about her. Shortly after the war started, she and Mathew got whisked away somewhere, and we havent heard anything since. We've gotten a few presents, but we havent spoken to her in a while. Have you guys not heard anything from her either?

Matt shook his head, but Lilas voice whispered in his ear, The little healer is fine. Reassure your friends of that, but they won't be seeing her in person until the war is over.

Matt wondered how Lila knew of Melindas wearabouts, but passed the information over to the others, who just nodded.

They were chatting when another knock on the door made Matt turn and spread his spiritual sense outside. Instead of Annie and Conor returning, there was a group of four Tier 18 delvers that were armed and armored.

Suddenly, the dagger that Kyle answered the door with made a lot more sense, and Matt didnt like it.

He was going to get up and deal with it, Liz in sync with him, but Kyle raised a hand to stop them. We can deal with that. It's just a local bully trying to run a protection racket. With Conor out of commission they think we are easy pickings.

While Matt didnt like it, he was going to trust his friend. But Aster ignored Kyle and skipped over to the door, a pleasant smile on her face that he knew meant someone was going to get frozen.

The moment she answered the door, Kyle clenched his fist and lowered his head, eyes closed and clearly expecting a disaster.

Hi! We werent expecting company. Who are you guys? My name is

Aster's voice was cheery as the wanna-be thugs tried to brush past her and enter the house, but froze before they could take even a single step.

Literally.

Their legs were frozen to the ground, ice creeping up to their knees.

That got their attention, and Matt smiled as they fully turned their attention to Aster and sent their spiritual senses out to scan everyone. They were officially still only Tier 15, but even their official covers were capable of roughing up a couple of Tier 18s who thought themselves tough. Whether the thugs thought they were actually higher tier, recognized that being below-tier was hardly an issue for them, or tried something regardless of Asters ice didnt matter much to him.

Aster smiled and threw her arms around the two leading cultivators. You know it's rude to try and enter someone's home before being invited, but hey, I could use a few ice sculptures to populate my garden Her voice trailed off in a way the thugs clearly thought was a threat, but Matt felt Asters actual puzzlement as she felt a connection to her Domain.

She was too well trained for that to shake her for long though, and she gestured to the street. So why dont you guys slide on out of here?

The ice on their feet started moving, and only when they were back on the street did it melt and Aster slammed the door.

Sorry about the door. It felt appropriate.

Kyle sighed. I wish you guys hadnt done that. I know you guys have Mara and Leon behind you, but the lead idiot's father is a local mayor and has some pull around here.

Liz poked Kyle in the side hard enough to make his friend jerk. No one fucks with our friends. Matt and I will take a public walk to the man's office and impress upon him the importance of keeping his son in line before we leave, and pass along a message to Rusty that he should look into auditing this planet. When the local Marquis finds out a mayor got his ass audited hell take care of the issue himself.

The group didnt seem fully convinced, so Matt swept the conversation along. So, hows domestic life? You seem decently well-adjusted.

Tara added, Its a bit strange. Staying in one place this long is definitely weird, and weve been feeling how cramped this place is, especially when the scenery is the same for weeks on end. Other than that, its pretty much the same as always. Just more time hanging out, less time actively delving. Were still training so we dont get rusty, but usually were just spending time with each other.

Hey, I cant say Im complaining, Emily leaned in closer to Tara.

Well, it certainly does have its perks, the archer agreed, turning slightly to bring their faces closer together.

Matt was going to let the couple have their moment, but Kyle rolled his eyes and stuck his hand between the two. Nope nope nope. No looking into each other's eyes all lovingly. Like damn, some of us are still single here.

Tara turned around in a huff which nearly sent Aster onto the floor, as she was trying to sneak her legs back onto Emilys lap. Dont give me that Mr. Bachelor for life. You broke up with Raleigh because she was trying to get serious.

Yeah because I get enough sickly sweet couple shit from the rest of you. I need to live carefree and alone to compensate. Aster, back me up here.

Aster snorted and stuck her nose in the air. No way! Im looking for my person. They are out there somewhere.

Emily grinned evilly and asked, Is your person Kyle?

Before Kyle could protest, Aster leaned in and sniffed him, nose twitching. After a moment she sneezed. Nope.

Kyle stood up, throwing his arms into the air. Are you saying I smell?

No, not at all. You just aren't my person.

But you sneezed.

So what?

You are Tier 15, there is no way that was an accident.

It's an involuntary action.

You are immortal, there are no involuntary actions. Kyle stood there like he had won the argument, but Aster shot right back.

Are you saying muscle memory isnt an involuntary reaction?

Kyle pointed one finger out like he had a rebuttal, but paused as he pondered the idea then cupped his chin in thought. Eventually, he covered his mouth and looked down, giving up on the argument.

Insulting is what it is either way.

Their bickering lasted another half hour until Conor and Annie came back.

Both looked the same as they did when they reached Tier 15. At least, what was left of Conor did. He was mostly a head, a single arm, and the upper half of a torso with waxy skin that told of being pushed well over the healing cooldown.

Still, he was in good spirits seeing them. Hey guys! It's good to see you. What have you been up to?

Seeing that Conor wasnt down and was a deft hand at using his Concept to move things around settled Matt down a little, and he was glad to see his friend was alive and well. Close calls remind one of their mortality and Matt didnt want to lose anyone close to him.

Hed been beyond lucky that none of his friends had joined the death statistics, but that wasnt because the Path had suddenly become less deadly. The highest-profile death from his generation had been Adam, the masked Illusionist from their tournament, after hed vanished into a Tier 16 rift.

Weirdly, that was what managed to make him think of Eleanor and Ethan. The duo had fallen off the Path at Tier 12, and last hed heard, they were preparing for their Minkalla delve. He encouraged them to wait until Tier 13, but they hadnt seemed inclined to listen.

That reminded Matt that he needed to check up on the kids, having not gotten a message from either of them when they returned to Empire space. The next Minkalla cycle was due in about three years, and he was curious what they were doing to prepare.

Their conversation meandered from there and lasted for a full day before they took a break for anything. Team Bucket Reborn were discussing their new delving schedule, and probably lowering the difficulty of the rifts they took on. They werent on the Path anymore, where they needed to be constantly delving three tiers above themselves without more than three hours of rest. They had the time to do things properly, learning about their targets beforehand, only delving up two tiers, and practicing new maneuvers and strategies.

Matt didnt want to get a message that one of his friends, or a group of them, had just never exited a rift. It was too anticlimactic and cold for his tastes, with no conclusion ever really possible, which made the whole thing seem even more wrong. He didnt want any of his friends to die, but going out like that just seemed wrong.

The two weeks they spent with Team Bucket Reborn was good for more than just recharging their social batteries. Aster made good progress on claiming her tiara, and Liz did the same with blood.

Matt even made some progress on his Phrase. He wasnt entirely sure which he was going to pick, but he narrowed down the list to something that encompassed his feeling of rightness when he was the center of the battlefield. Intrepid, fearless, adamant, stationary, motionless, steadfast, dauntless, indomitable, immobile, determined, resolute, impassive, and relentless were the words he felt something towards. He spent hours each day pondering what each word meant to him and how, if at all, they represented him, his place in the realm, and where and how he wanted to grow his Domain.

He hadnt forgotten Aunt Helen's lesson about the differences between a Concept and an Intent.

He had chosen his own Path.

He just needed to walk down it.

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