But then the sounds of drums could be heard. The sound of armour and boots crunching and Jazmel turned to the gate where the sounds were coming from, and he saw elves in full armour and regalia coming towards them all.
“Cease this! The coronation has been completed the kingdom still stands!” An elf who was great in power and full of Mana and strength. Jazmel could tell she was master tier, she seemed as strong as Baek who had stopped his battle with the sworn masters. They had gone back to their ranks, a little bloodied and bruised. Baek himself was sporting wounds, for the first time since Jazmel had ever met him. but he held his own against two master tier. He truly was strong and Jazmel realised it more and more.
“Elder Panea and Elder Yilana!” queen Araea uttered and Jazmel could hear the relief in her voice. Corin appeared from the ranks, she flew through the air and landed beside the queen and her daughter.
“You have besmirched the honour of the elves.” The elders said and raising their hands they sent the elves forward and into the ranks of the sworn.
“Retreat!” one of the sworn masters uttered and Jazmel watched as they tried to split off and depart into the woods.
A sworn master who seemed to be the leader of the others, stepped forward and raising his hand.
Black night!
He cast and Jazmel watched as all his senses were blocked. He couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything. But the sworn split, disappearing into the forest and leaving the beasts and creatures. the skill eroded and soon the elves and everyone could see again. But the elves took the opportunity to descend into the clearing and kill the creatures of the beast tide.
The system chimed with notifications, but he flicked them away. He didn’t have time to read them now.
“Thank you.” He heard, turning he saw Sadé standing next to him. He looked at her and smiled, she surprised him but leaning up and kissing him.
They stopped, a cough behind them both could be heard and looking. He noticed the queen; Araea was flanked by both elders and another which made Jazmel’s heart thump. Entil was wounded, Jazmel could see he was wounded. But he could also tell he would survive too.
“the sworn have disappeared your majesty.” One of the elven captains uttered and then bowed low.
“See to it that all our guests are sent home. We are going to shut down the kingdom and we need to recover.” Queen Araea commanded, and her captains split off to do their job. She turned to her elders and continued.
“See to it that no more sworn are in the vicinity, I don’t even want any hiding. Scan the area and kill any you find.” She said and the elders bowed, before splitting off and moving faster than Jazmel could even see.
“Come, we will go back to my home, and we can gain respite.” She expressed and Jazmel nodded, he turned and saw Mary with the claw.
“Take them home, we will follow you as soon as everything here is sorted.” He said, Mary stepped up and moved off towards the elven captains and where they were directing the guests who had survived to leave.
“Your majesty.” Frae said, coming before the queen of the elves.
“We were thankful to fight beside you and yours. Your lineage is truly mighty.” Frae said and smiled brightly at Sadé who grinned back.
“the dwarves are a friend to the elves forever. Let it be known, on this crown and when we have recovered. We can sit down and figure out an alliance.” She offered and Frae bowed before turning to Jazmel.
“Recover, we return to the mountain. Send word when you return to the outpost, I look forward to your safe return.” Frae said, grasping forearms with his brother. He left with his kings guard, some of the dwarves had died but they had buried them already. Using their skills to turn the earth over.
The dwarves followed behind Mary and the claw. But they were not worried, the elves were already pushing and reinforcing their kingdom.
Jazmel followed the queen and her family as they headed back to her home. He was followed by Baek, Katie and Bannerman.
They entered the house and the queen sat down and waited as she went over the notifications.
“Your faction helped me, you managed to drive off a beast tide and also fight a master tier sworn. Not forgetting the tier V ifrit. My daughter tells me you are skilled, I didn’t believe her before. But now I see that she was underestimating you. You will become a burning star within the labyrinth.” She said and Jazmel listened to her, not sure if it was a compliment or not.
“You may rest here; you can return to your home as soon as you are ready, and my daughter may return with you. All I ask is you fight for her, like you fought for us today.” She said and Jazmel looked at the queen, who in front of him was just a mother in that moment.
“Always.” He said and she inclined her head, a sign of great respect. Especially for a monarch, but he did the same and she smiled, leaving them in the main room and taking her husband away.
“Did we just get the blessing to keep the princess?” Katie asked and Sadé looked at her before laughing.
“This might have been the best ceremony I have ever been to.” Katie said and Sadé laughed again, clutching her stomach. Kazumi appeared from her ring and curled up on the ground. Paldane did the same, Jazmel was at peace surrounded by his friends.
“A tier V creature?” Jazmel said and Baek nodded.
“I thought it actually only went up to tier III, but I have fought a tier IV and a tier V now.” Jazmel pointed out and Baek offered his hands in appeasement.
“The system tends to create tier only usually I, II and III creatures and monsters. Sometimes you might find a rare tier IV also, the more floors you discover these will become more frequent. But still uncommon. A tier V monster is rare, an absolute anomaly even. The beast on the 100th floor is a tier V ancient dragon. I have never heard of anything higher than tier V.” Baek explained and Jazmel breathed a sigh of relief, but then worried again he had barely been able to do anything against the tier V creature.
“Do not worry about your strength, your party will be strong enough for tier IV and V sooner, rather than later.” Baek motivated and Jazmel breathed a sigh of relief before remembering his notifications. He looked them over now.
DING!
YOU STOPPED THE BEAST TIDE!
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
EXP ACCRUED!
…
YOU SAVED THE ELVEN QUEEN!
+3 INT
+3 VIT
+3 WIL
…
YOU DEFEATED A TIER V ELDER IFRIT!
LEVEL UP!
…
YOU HAVE GAINED THE AFFECTION OF THE ELVES OF THE TENERIEL KINGDOM!
He looked over his notifications and smiled, he was ready for a tier tribulation, and he had gained levels atop of that too.
“I need to tier up.” He said and the others smiled, happy for him and beckoned for him to do so. He sat on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his palms atop his knees. He closed his eyes and focused his system on his needs.
TIER TRIBULATION BEGINS!
…
TIER TRIBULATION INCOMING
…
TRIBULATION ITEMS PRESENT!
…
WILL YOU USE THEM?
…
He focused on the three items he planned on using and felt his heart thump with excitement. He felt his breath quicken and he really wondered what would happen after he completed his plot.
TIER TRIBULATION HAS BEGUN
TIER TRIBULATION OF THE MIND
WHAT WILL YOU USE?
The first item and the one he had been holding onto for the longest amount of time. He took out the breath of Aule, the wind spirit flared as it was released finally. But he pulled it into his spirit quickly. It still flared and like a birthing star, it didn’t hurt him. It simply pushed the boundaries of his spirit and instead expanded it.
The breath of the wind, the mind seemed to merge with his own. They coexisted and he felt no pain at all. The wind spirit flared across his body from the top of his head down to his toes. He felt it brush through his fingertips and his spirit simply swelled with it, a maturity to it now. Denser and more corporeal, Jazmel couldn’t quite tell what it meant. But he figured he would find out later.
He moved on, to the next part of the tribulation.
TIER TRIBULATION OF THE MIND
COMPLETE
1/3
WHAT WILL YOU USE?
He pulled from his ring the monarch tier ancient one bone, a gnarled bone that had scars and wounds from constant battle. He wasn’t even sure what an ancient one was, but it was stronger than any of the other items he had possibly planned to use to strengthen his body.
He felt it merge with his spine. Literally gripping it and then fusing with it. Using his spine’s connection with his body, he felt muscle fibres and tendrils flare from the ancient one bone. Darting through his body running along the lines of his previous. The pain was excruciating, it felt like the new tendrils were eating his old ones as they replaced them, and he felt his body compound. He felt his muscles deflate and then grow rapidly with new tendons and greater mass. He put on more weight than before, and he felt his body chisel away at the small amount of fat he carried. Instead he felt his abs form up and etch into his stomach. Sitting atop of it like gates and a portcullis of muscle.
The pain didn’t recede even when it finished, the bone drilled into his other bones. Reinforcing them with its monarch tier power and raised their density, he felt heavier and stronger. He realised he probably would grow taller again. But he quickly latched onto that tangent, pulling it back into his mind. No he wouldn’t lose focus, he couldn’t.
He felt firmer, more solid and he could feel that he had packed on more muscle, his arms rippled with them, and his thighs felt sturdy and strengthened.
TIER TRIBULATION OF THE BODY
COMPLETE
2/3
WHAT WILL YOU USE?
Jazmel willed the tier V aeonic gem forward and using the system he crushed the gem. Using its granules to meld into his spirit. He was flushed with flame, at first it was light and soothing. But it grew in intensity and soon he was being bathed thoroughly and washing his body from the inside out. The flame started in his spirit and then flared across his whole body. It did this repeatedly and soon he was sweating but also suffering from the impurities being pushed from his mind also.
His body shuddered and the flame burned, fluctuating around the recesses of his spirit. His willpower fought against it, but it was beginning to flounder. He pushed back with everything and even his tyrant body was beginning to wilt under the pressure of this tier V item. But he couldn’t fail here, no there was no way he could. He grit his teeth and felt them grinding together, he bit his lip and felt the iron taste of blood. But still the flame raged.
He suffered, but he wasn’t failing, he could feel it. The small change in the intensity of the flame as it washed over him, it was beginning to ebb away and simply flare in his spirit like a pulse. Like a blaring alarm of flame. But he didn’t concede to it and felt better for it. the system chimed for him, letting him know he had completed this step of the journey, but another notification popped up
DING!
YOU HAVE SURVIVED THE USE OF A TIER V ITEM BEFORE BECOMING A MASTER!
YOUR STATS WILL BE IMPROVED AT THE END!
That was new, nothing like that had ever been said during a tier tribulation for himself. But he was trying his best to grow stronger and the things that were happening in front of him were as the labyrinth created. He guessed no other ranker tier, besides his own friends. Could ever say they fought a tier V creature and lived to tell the tale. But here they were. Strengthened and continuing to grow inside the labyrinth.
DING!
TIER TRIBULATION OF THE SPIRIT
COMPLETE
3/3
…
CONGRATULATIONS ON SURVIVING THE TIER TRIBULATION
EXP REWARD
…
RANKER TIER I
EXP REWARD!
CONGRATULATIONS ON REACHING RANKER TIER II!
…
CONGRATULATIONS!
…
YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MERGED WITH THE TIER V AEONIC GEM!
+6 PER
+5 WIL
+5 INT
…
…
YOU INCORPORATED A MONARCH TIER ANCIENT ONE BONE!
+5 STR
+5 END
+5 VIT
+5 WIL
…
…
YOU MERGED WITH A MONARCH TIER BREATH OF AULE!
+6 AGL
+6 DEX
..
…
…
CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR PLOT
MARCH OF THE MONARCH PLOT HAS BEEN COMPLETED!
MIND
- BREATH OF AULE
BODY
- ANCIENT ONE BONE
SPIRIT
- TWILIGHT CROWN
YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR PLOT EARLIER THAN NEEDED!
REWARDS WILL BE GREATLY IMPROVED!!
…
…
ERROR!
ERROR
…
REWARDS ARE UNABLE TO BE RELEASED BEFORE MASTER TIER!
…
REWARDS HELD BACK!
PLEASE REACH MASTER TIER BEFORE UNLOCKING REWARDS!
What?! Jazmel thought to himself, the system had never held back things from him before. But here it was, alluding to him being too weak to gain the rewards it was offering.
DING!
A SUBSTITUTE HAS BEEN OFFERED FOR THE TIME BEING!
REWARDS!
- 20 STAT POINTS
- TIER IV BEAST CORE
- PIECE OF THE PLAQUE
He mulled over the items and realising that they were good, he figured that when he reached master tier. The system would provide him with his true reward.
He accepted his rewards and immediately split up his stat points, adding ten stats to his lowest stats and system energy burst forth. Leaving him almost stricken while it enhanced his body.
DING!
3/3 PLAQUE PIECES
WILL YOU COMBINE?
Y/N?
He combined them and before him the plaques combined and completed appearing in his hand from within the system.
He stood up, feeling stronger and powerful. The others had been watching him undergo the tier tribulation and were happy to see him overcome it.
“I have something to tell you all.” He said and they waited listening, he took that time to explain his plot. Then what the system told him regarding not reaching master tier yet. He explained the rewards he had been given and everyone listened.
“That is interesting.” Baek uttered first.
“I didn’t find my first monarch tier item until I was a master tier and yet here you are. You even found three.” He commented and the others just listened, none having found monarch tier items yet.
“Whatever the system is building you up for, it seems it will be a monumental task. I hope we are all enough to support you.” Baek said and the air of the conversation changed.
“We will face it together, whatever the labyrinth and the system throws at us.” Jazmel said and everyone grinned, happy and motivated.
“Should we go home?” Jazmel asked and everyone murmured about being ready.
“Let’s go home.” Jazmel offered and Sadé flitted off to bid her parents goodbye. The others prepared, simply rising up and stretching, he realised he had undergone the tier tribulation and it had taken him just under 4 hours.