Henry was almost done going through his notifications as they approached the submerged tree-trunks that signaled their arrival in Thalis’ territory. Considering he’d just spent slightly more than a week doing nothing but training, the progress in his Aspects and levels was non-negligeable.

  Hunger of the Trickster (C): Level 3 -> Level 4

  Shiftiness of the Trickster (C): Level 7 -> Level 8

  Misdirection of the Trickster (C): Level 7 -> Level 9

  Thaumaturgy of the Trickster (C: Level 6 -> Level 8

  Vitality of the Trickster (C): Level 2 -> Level 4

  Swiftness of the Trickster (D): Level 4 -> Level 7

  Fury of the Trickster (D): Level 5 -> Level 9

  It was a good haul, and Henry couldn’t help but eye Misdirection and Thaumaturgy. Both were approaching B-rank, which was exciting. What would they become capable of? Already, between the clones and the Octominds, the two Aspects were doing some mighty heavy lifting. And considering their nature, he expected a strong upgrade once the cornerstone passed on to the next level.

  I might get there by the next outing. Once I get the crash-course in Aspect and skill fusions, I’ll head back out for some more power-leveling.

  It wasn’t that Henry hadn’t gotten levels in the last few days. He did get some, but most of his targets hadn’t been that impressive, so there weren’t a lot of advantages from consuming their cores. Still he’d gotten what he’d been after, and so had Maurice.

  As Henry went through the level notifications, Maurice was munching on a singular kraken roe, taking his sweet time after not having had the treat in so long.

  Watchful Guardian (C) - Level 47 achieved!

  ...

  Watchful Guardian (C) - Level 52 achieved!

  1x Stat points awarded.

  1x Strength Stat points awarded.

  1x Spirit Stat points awarded.

  1x Constitution Stat points awarded.

  With that done, and with the center of the underwater forest quickly approaching, Henry turned his attention to the kraken swimming alongside him.

  “[You’re sure you don’t want to see the city, Rocky?]”

  The kraken replied in the negative once again, but Henry knew Rocky was very much curious and interested in seeing it. It was just that a settlement full of B-rank humans was a bit threatening to him, on top of having to be out of the water. Plus, Ricky couldn’t make himself smaller, and that’d make him visible to everyone. With all of that in mind, the visit became a worrisome prospect for him, and frankly, Henry couldn’t blame him.

  “[Alright. In that case, I’ll leave a clone with you while I go and get you a telepathy potion. I’m pretty sure I saw one, but I’ll come back in an hour at most either way. Stay safe, okay?]”

  Rocky gave him a pat on the head, looming over him now that Henry had made himself smaller, then gave Maurice a tap as the crab reached into his storage and pulled out yet another kraken roe. Henry had refrained from saying anything for the last six roes, but it was time to speak up.

  “[We’re going to need to talk about budgeting, Maurice.]”

  The crab paused mid-bite. “[What’s that? Is this about the roes? We have plenty! And I’m hungry!]”

  “[If you just eat the roes when you’re hungry, we’re gonna run out in no time.]”

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  Maurice clacked a pincer, but Henry was faster. “[And no, it doesn’t matter that we left half the eggs in the nest. Even if we took them all, if you don’t pace yourself, you’re gonna finish them up too quickly. Have some tuna and keep the roes for dessert. Trust me Maurice, you’ll hate them if you keep eating them day in and day out.]”

  “[Fine,]” grumbled the crab. “[Only be—]”

  Maurice went quiet, and Henry instantly tensed up right as he detected movement through one of his scouts. When Henry recognized them, he frowned.

  What are they doing here?

  ***

  Tevarius swam ahead as they made their way back home, while Sev and their retinue followed suit. He sensed them, trailing after him, and once more falling behind, but he didn’t even want to look back. The lord resented having to call Thalis “home”, but he didn’t want to dwell on that. Right now, he was still fuming at his son’s showing against the beast.

  He can’t even handle a mid C-rank without someone holding his spear for him. It was just a young shark, for heaven’s sake.

  The lord was incensed, and he forced himself to relax his grip on the spear lest he damage the shaft. Having decided to take his son’s training into his own hands since he got humiliated in the tournament, Tevarius was quick to realize how behind Sev was.

  How far we have fallen, he bitterly thought as he slowed down so the others could catch up. After all, the reason he was here was to stave off any dangers that might pop up. His warriors should be plenty capable, but one could never know. After all, his father had thought he’d be fine braving the sea by himself.

  What would you say about all of this, father…

  Tevarius had grown up hearing about their house’s old glory. How they used to have their own kingdom before the damned monsters broke the land in half. True, that had happened a long time ago, way before his father’s time. But it was a tradition for them to remember their history and the importance of their lineage.

  Still, it was… irritating to be protected by yet another monster. Even if it was intelligent and part of that ancient druid order, it was still a monster. And it was monsters that drove humanity out of Faldor.

  Now they called it The Reach. A whole continent completely overrun by monsters…

  It stung. And now, yet another monster shows up and humiliates him. But no matter. That beast would pay. It wanted to take part in the B-rank trials? So be it. Tevarius had not participated in decades, but maybe it was time to remind the beasts what humanity was capable of.

  Just the thought of driving his spear through that kraken’s brains was almost enough to quell his rage.

  After that, it might be to try another push for A-rank. Get my affairs in order then head back out to sea. And this time, if– No. When I break through, I will chase the ape away. Or I’ll take my people and go reclaim my real home.

  The idea was tantalizing. It was the thought that allowed him to stomach living under the absent rule of a beast. The thought that one day, he would have soil under their feet. He would walk the land his ancestors had stood upon, after he’d cleansed it from the monsters and beasts that took it away.

  Tevarius basked in the image for a moment, but it was cut short, as no sooner had he begun his ascent toward Thalis, he saw them. The monsters. And instantly, the fury came back with a vengeance. Not only had the kraken and its pet crab come back, they brought another monster along with them.

  His heartbeat picked up, and all of his concerns fell away as they were replaced by a single resolve. Enough is enough, he thought. He’d pay the fines if it got to that. But he wasn’t allowing this corruption to endure.

  Tevarius shot forward, mana rushing down his arm and into his spear, and for good measure, he channeled his Aspect of Blades into the spearhead before chucking it at the largest monster of the bunch. The two C-ranks might be the guests of the ape, but no one said anything about the B-rank. And this would serve as punishment for the mud slung on his reputation.

  The spear blurred toward the large kraken, blade glowing gray with Aspected mana as it homed in on its designated target. The rock-covered kraken flailed, seeing its end rushing toward it, only for the C-rank kraken to disappear and reappear in the path of the spear.

  For a fraction of a second, Tevarius considered recalling his spear before it killed the C-rank. It may be capable of healing itself, but there was enough Aspect essence in that spear to shred a B-rank into bits. But in the end, he let it continue its flight, and he almost laughed when he sensed some sort of protective Aspect flowing down the creature’s body.

  I put all of my Blade essence in that. Good luck trying to counter it, beast, Tevarius thought. Today might be a good day after all.

  The spear met a haze of purple and tore right through before it reached the kraken’s arm, at which point it exploded in a storm of blades, instantly drowning the space in blue blood as the monster’s flesh was minced.

  The cloud of blue blood grew larger and larger still as Tevarius waited for the notification, but it didn’t arrive. He frowned, and with an outstretched arm, flexed his will and the spear appeared in his hand once more. This time, he charged it with the Aspect of Blood. If the sharpness had not been enough, then he would turn its own body against—

  “[That’s enough, Tevarius.]”

  The essence he was collecting in his bone spear disappeared at the same time as the warning voice echoed in his mind. The ape appeared in front of him, face clouded, lips drawn in a line.

  A shiver ran down his body as the ape’s presence pressed on him, and Tevarius had to channel his mana through his spirit to resist the aura. He was about to protest when he noticed the sea king’s arm. It was rotten, and it was emanating some sort of miasma that made him want to create as much distance as he could between him and the ape. Then a thought crossed his mind. A dangerous thought.

  Could he finish off the ape?

  Whatever it’d been fighting, it clearly had done a number on it. No, that’s suicidal, he thought, snapping himself out of the train of thought. Tevarius had just burned through all of his reserve of his best Aspects. He couldn’t win against the injured A-rank. But soon, he would get his pound of flesh. For now, he put the spear back in storage, and with a smile, he raised both hands. After all, the damage was done. Now he just needed to wait for the blood to part so he could see his handiwork.

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