Soulweaver 85: Broken Hearts

More to distract myself than anything, I took a quick moment to inspect my recent gains as we walked deeper into the compound, and I couldn’t resist doing a little mental fist pump. Aerion, observant as ever, saw my expression and frowned in confusion, until she had the idea to bring up my status screen. Then she smiled too, throwing me a small nod.

Congratulations! [Light of the Fearless]’s Ability [Light of the Fearless] has leveled up to Foundation - 6.

Congratulations! [Light of the Fearless]’s Ability [Shadow of the Fearless] has leveled up to Foundation - 6.

Congratulations! [Steel-Plated Tower Shield]’s Ability [Mirrored] has leveled up to Foundation - MAX.

Congratulations! Dominion has increased from 42 to 43. Current maximum: 74.

Congratulations! [Initializer] has leveled up to Emergence - 7. Max Essence Increased from 250 to 270. Essence Utilization: 235/270. Would you like to reclaim Initialized equipment?

I admired my notifications for a bit, happy that I’d tweaked the notifications to tell me my current stat ceiling. Saved me from having to bring up the full stat page every time to compare. 

It wasn’t a bad haul at all, thanks to that levelup. I took the opportunity to immediately unInitialize our snowshoes. I could always initialize them again if needed, but for now, they just took up 6 Essence points for no good reason. Their [Stomp] ability was still at F - 0, and it wasn’t like I planned to use them as weapons, anyway.

Freeing that up brought me down to 229, which was seven points more than my utilization before leveling. As usual, every levelup meant increased utilization, thanks to Aerion’s 33%. 

I glanced at my berserking elven friend. No regrets there. Aerion was a little monster, and 33% was well worth the trade.

What wasn’t, however, was all the useless abilities my other gear had. Stuff I never leveled. Like [Hidden Dragon] that my cuirass gave me. Still at F-0, since I never used it in combat. Same with my gauntlets’ [Minor Heat Resist], which was at F2. 

I’d tried activating them in the middle of combat whenever I had the sense to remember, just to get them leveled, and to help my Blessing level, but that was easier said than done while in the thick of things. Still, I made a mental note to be better about that from now on. I also needed to Initialize my next piece of gear when I got a chance, now that I had more Essence.

As far as Condition went… I was learning that I really didn’t have to worry about that much anymore with my [Uncommon] gear. Let alone [Rare] gear. [Light of the Fearless] had seen plenty of action so far, but it was only down to 776/800. Not only did it have way more points, but they decreased slower as well. It was just my [Common] stuff I needed to watch out for.

Closing my screens, I focused on our surroundings. More specifically, Richard. We seemed to be in some remote corner of the base, seeing how we hadn’t come across a single enemy. We were looking for a nice, empty room where we could come up with a plan, but until then, we kept our eyes peeled and our voices low.

And all that time, there was only one thought going through my head.

He’s from Earth!

Richard being an elf had completely thrown me off. So he got a choice to change his race? It made me wonder why Cosmo hadn’t given me that option. I’d even explicitly asked.

Though he did so in a hushed voice, Richard talked Aerion up as we walked. Given their personalities, it was mostly him going on and on, with Aerion barely able to get in a word edgewise. That was great, because it gave me ample time to scrutinize the middle-aged man.

“... Right smack in the belly of the beast, aren’t we?” Richard muttered, looking around. “Bloody brilliant of you to think of scaling the peak, honestly. Never would have thought of that myself.”

I could understand him. Without Cosmo’s translator. That sounded all sorts of alarm bells on its own, yet the more I observed, the more confused I became.

Aerion’s voice also translated to something like a British accent with Cosmo’s bauble, but was completely different when her voice came through unfiltered. It was captivating, even when she was speaking the comparatively harsher-sounding Common. 

In her native elvish, her words were almost like music. Supremely melodic, flowing, and just… beautiful. Which was amazing when appreciating art, but incredibly distracting when actually trying to listen to someone. 

I knew neither language, so it didn’t matter much right now, but if I did ever learn elvish, I was going to have to find a way to deal with that eventually..

That was a concern for the future, though, and right now, I grew more confused with every word I heard. Hearing someone converse with someone in English, and for Aerion to reply back in Common as if they spoke the same tongue, was jarring to say the least. 

It made no sense, actually. Aerion didn’t have a translator, so she ought to have heard Richard speak in Elvish. But without my translator, I heard him speak perfect British English—the same as with the translator. 

If Richard were speaking Common, his speech would’ve flipped to the same melodic gibberish Aerion’s did.

Which meant the System somehow recognized that I understood his native tongue, and because he must be carrying a translator like mine, it decided to carry the language through untranslated. Richard wouldn’t have noticed, of course. Both of our voices would sound the same to each other, with or without translation. 

There was more, too. Something to do with the way he carried himself, his gestures, and the phrases he used struck me as incredibly familiar. Thinking back on it, it must’ve been the idioms he’d used that triggered my spidey sense.

Richard was definitely from my world, and if I had to guess… From a time period similar to mine, as well.

My heart raced. If that were true… I’d finally met someone I could relate to. Someone who’d get my references. Who could reminisce with me about the world…

And yet, he was a Champion. Even if Richard kept my secret, chances were good his god would not. 

Revealing myself to him would carry a not insignificant risk of announcing who I was to the larger world. And that came with all sorts of strings attached. If the regent of Order’s territory was even half as much of a politician as Aerion suggested, my life would become a living nightmare of political intrigue and maneuvering. I’d lose a lot of the freedom I have now, and unraveling Cosmo’s intentions would become a lot harder with so many eyes on me. 

Not to mention the ceremonies, parades… I recoiled at the thought. As badly as I wanted to shoot the breeze with Richard, I couldn’t. Not until I got to know him and his god a lot better, at least.

For now, I had to find some way of letting Aerion know without tipping him off. While Richard didn’t look dangerous, in fact, he struck me as the sort of jovial uncle every kid dreamed of having—the kind that showered their nephews and nieces with gifts and snuck them candy behind their parents’ backs—he was a Champion. Of which god, I didn’t know, but I’d be a fool to assume he wasn’t at least as powerful as Aerion and me. I sure as hell couldn’t end monsters as easily as Richard had done back there.

The question was… How was I supposed to tell Aerion? If we decided to team up, we’d be together at pretty much all hours of the day.

I couldn’t risk whispering the secret with Aerion, either. For all I knew, his Blessing gave him super hearing. I’d have to come up with an excuse to lure Aerion a good distance away, and we’d have to devise a strategy for how to deal with—

No, there was a bigger problem, I realized, panicking. What if Richard removes his translator bauble? He’d learn the same thing I learned.

Thoughts and plans ran rampant through my mind. Should I just tell him? Should I try to speak as little as possible? No, that wouldn’t work at all…

The solution to my problem came not from my own head, but surprisingly, from Richard.

“Goodness!” Richard cried, slamming his fist into an open palm. “With all the excitement, I bloody well nearly forgot! Well, that’s just bad form on my part.”

“Uh, what do you mean?” I asked. 

“Afraid I forgot to tell you, mate. I’m Passion’s Champion.”

— — 

Aerion and I froze midstep.

All the dozen half-baked plans and schemes in my head came to a screeching halt.

“Sorry?” “What?” Aerion and I said in unison, both of us shocked, but for entirely different reasons.

“Bollocks,” Richard said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Meant to tell you. Really did! Just slipped my mind with all the chaos. Did you dirty, and for that, you’ve my sincere apologies.”

“N-no, it’s fine,” Aerion said, flustered at the sight of a Champion bowing his head to her. “Really! We’ve only just met!”

Aerion threw me a look, and I nodded. “I wouldn’t have expected a Champion to let on at all if they didn’t feel like it. Thanks for the honesty.”

“Least I could do, mate,” Richard said, visibly relieved. “Passion doesn’t exactly want me doing around blabbing, but lies and secrecy are no way to kick off a relationship, yeah?”

“Couldn’t agree more,” I lied secretly. 

I agreed in spirit. Just that I had some… extenuating circumstances. Still, that was surprisingly forthright of Richard. Here I was, expecting him to play all sorts of games to hide his identity, when he just came out and admitted it. Like a breath of fresh air. Refreshing. I respected that a lot.

Especially when I had no intention of revealing my own situation—a message I sent to Aerion with a look. Did I feel a little guilty? Sure. But while Richard was honest, one could also call him a little naive. What if we’d been opportunists? Cut off from his guards as he was, I could think of any number of ways to profit from befriending a Champion. Or, if I had less compunctions, blackmail him.

“Wait,” I said, seizing upon my golden opportunity. “That means you’re from another world, doesn’t it? How are you able to speak with us?”

“Oh, that? Quite handy, isn’t it?” Richard said with a grin. “Got that when Passion changed my race to an elf. Gave me the ability to chat with most forms of life. Quite remarkable, actually.”

I stared at him blankly. “Passion just… Changed your race? With your consent, I assume?”

“Er, not quite. By the time I’d realized it, I was already an elf. A bit of a shocker, though I admit I never looked this handsome. 

Well, that was more than a little fucked up. For all my gripes about Cosmo, I had to at least thank him for not violating my right to my own body. Yeesh.

“Said I’d go back to normal the minute I got home, though,” Richard said.

I did a double take. He’d said it so casually that the words didn’t register the first time around. When they did, I froze in my tracks. “Got… Home?” I croaked. “She said you can go back?”

Aerion’s head whipped to me, panic written all over her face.

I hadn’t ever bothered to ask anyone if that was possible. Why would I? Cosmo specifically said it wasn’t when I’d first been summoned. It was one of the few things he’d actually confirmed.

“Course I can, mate! All the Champions do, after every Cataclysm. Mandatory, it seems. Surprised you haven’t heard.”

A knot clenched in my stomach. Mandatory? I had to go back? Did I even want to? 

I very intentionally avoided Aerion’s piercing gaze. She must’ve known. Something like this would be common knowledge to this world’s population. She knew, but she didn’t want to bring it up. Understandable.

I was already growing attached to her, and to this world. Who was to say what the situation would be like years from now?

This was something I absolutely needed to bring up with Cosmo the next time we met. For now, I met Aerion’s gaze and shook my head. Not now. Later.

Shoving that thought to the back of my mind, I focused on the task at hand.

“You… Just know how to speak the languages?” I asked. “Even without any magical devices or anything?”

“Something like that. To me, I’m still speaking my original tongue, and people answer back in it as well. I haven’t a clue of how it works.”

I let out a small breath and did a mental fistpump. So Passion’s universal translator worked differently from Cosmo’s. Was that true for all the other Champions? If so, why? Was it really because of his race change?

Aerion cleared her throat, bringing me out of my thoughts, and pointed to a door. She’d tried every one we’d come across thus far, but they’d been locked. This one was ajar.

“Ready?” she asked, eyes meeting mine and Richard’s.

We both nodded back, and it was like a switch had been flipped. The casual air vanished in an instant, and we all tensed, preparing ourselves for combat. 

I drew [Light of the Fearless] from my hip, while Aerion retrieved her [Nobleman’s Steel Shortsword]. Its [Venom Strike] ability was now at F - 9, and was starting to pack quite a punch.

As we’d practiced in our breaching and entering drills, Aerion held up three fingers, then counted down, in a near-universal gesture I was sure Richard would get.

He did, and when her last finger went down, we charged into the room to find a mid-sized space filled to the gills with all sorts of steam machinery.

We combed the place together, moving quickly and methodically. With the layout being what it was, enemies could be hiding in any nook or cranny, but as we progressed, I became more nad more sure we were alone.

That was until a high-pitched yell pierced through the noise of the machines.

An orc, which had been crouched down so we didn’t see him, rushed us with a scimitar held high in his hand.

Aerion moved to intercept, but Richard cleared his throat. “Erm, if you’d allow me?”

Before she could reply, Richard had extended his arm. He opened his palm, then closed his fist, in a grabbing motion that ought to have been completely ineffective.

I’d seen him use this move before, though. I knew what was coming.

Even then, I could hardly believe it when the enemy orc collapsed midstep, tumbling end over end before coming to a rest at Richard’s feet.

The brit turned and gave us a sheepish grin. “Ghastly thing, isn’t it?”

“Your power,” Aerion said. “What is it?”

“Oh, um. I can increase blood pressure through arteries, resulting in critical failure of the one that makes you tick. In other words… I can burst hearts,” he said with a sheepish grin.

— — 

“Empty,” Aerion stated, after making another round of the place.

“Empty,” Richard confirmed.

I swiveled the ship-style wheel lock on the door, locking us in.

“Well, now we can talk in peace,” I said, sliding down a wall onto my bum. “First things first. I want us to be on the—I want to ensure our goals are the same. It’d be a disaster if we teamed up only to later discover we had different goals,” I said, quickly correcting myself. I’d almost said ‘I want us to be on the same page’, which might have hinted at my origin.

Richard nodded several times, seemingly having missed my snafu.

“Right,” he said. “Well, I’m here to destroy this infernal dungeon. Did you know? Back on Earth, we play board games with these sorts of things? Strangely similar, if you ask me.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said, not reacting one bit to his reference. I studiously ignored Aerion’s furtive glances my way. We really needed to talk in private. “That’s our goal, too. We came here from the city of Basecrest, in Dominion’s territory.”

“I know of it,” Richard said. “That’s the city under siege, yeah? What rotten luck.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “Lots of people have died already, and from what I understand, Aerion and I are one of the few teams to have made it through. We need to destroy this dungeon before it can grow and spawn more powerful monsters.”

“Peachy,” Richard said. “We’ll team up, us three, tear through this dungeon, destroy the core, and be home in time for supper!”

Both Aerion and I looked at him blankly, though in my case, I was just acting the part.

“I believe it will take us several weeks to clear this dungeon, I’m afraid,” Aerion said with a frown.

“Oh, I’m aware. It’s… a saying. From where I’m from,” Richard said in exasperation.

So that was what it felt like, being on the other end. I felt for Aerion. This was an uncomfortable dynamic.

I cleared my throat. “Moving on, now that we know we’re all here for the same reason, do we all wish to work together?”

“I think we’d be bloody daft not to, mate,” Richard said. “I’ve seen you fight, and you’ve seen what I can do. We’re strong. The three of us working together? I daresay we’ll have an easy time of it.”

My lips crept up slightly. “Well, I don’t know if it’ll be that easy… This is a Divergence Rank dungeon, after all. But I agree. I think we’ll be stronger together.”

Richard’s thoughts echoed my own. The man could burst hearts, for Christ’s sake. That was both absolutely terrifying, and insanely valuable. Before I harbored any thoughts of working with this man, I needed to know more. About him. And about his power.

“But there’s one thing Aerion and I need to know, first,” I said.

“Ask and ye shall receive,” Richard said, bowing deeply. “Assuming it’s something I can answer, of course.”

“Oh, I think it is,” I said. “Tell us how your heart crushing power works. In as much detail as you know.”

Richard grinned. “Mate, it’d be my pleasure!”