"Now this is unexpected."
Much like Selena's mutations, the compassion and desperation that drove Eleos turned his attention to the trees around him. What Atlas did not expect was for Eleos to sprint toward one of the trees, fading into it with a faint, wispy trail behind him.
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-Eleos Faewyn-
Race: Elf
Status: Deceased. Wandering Soul.
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-Soul Metempsychosis Underway-
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-Eleos Faewyn-
Race: Tree
Status: Metempsychosis Progressing.
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Switching the overlay from regular terrain to magic, Atlas saw no immediate difference. Eleos's magical connection was long gone. What he did see, however, was a fresh orb of energy forming inside the tree he had entered.
"He's assimilating his soul with the tree...?" Atlas muttered, bewildered. "How does he think that will help, in any way?!"
The thought stirred a memory of Hornfinger- betrayed by Har Firebeard, whose family now ruled over the dwarves in the central landmass.
With a quick cue of his mind, the globe rotated rapidly, zooming into one of the outlying mountains. Inside a vault adorned with rubies, sapphires, amber, and other jewels intricately carved into elaborate designs, lay Har Firebeard's Ignis Obsidian.
Atlas pressed on Ignis Obsidian, and a red console popped up.
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Ignis Obsidian (Cursed)
Grade: F
Description: Obsidian melted by the Primordial Dragon Breath, retaining the fire elemental attribute. HornFinger's soul is bound to this item.
Curse: Received by wielding it. Decreased Fertility. Nightmare Torments. Heightened Aggression.
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Another mental command, and the view quickly tunneled through gray stone, revealing Har and Ignis Firebeard's corpses resting inside a grand tomb- side by side, encased in gem-studded sarcophagi.
The stone faded, allowing Atlas to see their rotting corpses. He tapped them.
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Har & Ignis Firebeard
Race: Dwarf
Status: Deceased.
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"Damn," Atlas frowned. "I was hoping to see some lingering information."
Brushing the globe aside, the world spun back to Eleos's tree, and Atlas pulled up his Divinity console to see the Blessings menu.
"I don't really have anything suited for him… but I think I understand what he's trying to do."
Wisp twittered off to the side. "Does this elf truly need your assistance? His soul will bind to the tree, and that is all. You have yet to deal with Selena's reemergence and the Smiling Tree of Wishes- which, I should mention, has created a problem I need to show you."
Tilting his head, Atlas asked, "Why didn't- ah, never mind. My fault." He didn't even need to look at Wisp's deadpan stare to know the answer.
Still, he didn't ignore Wisp's warning. Alerting the dark elves would require an Oracle, costing ten divinity. Weakening or outright killing Selena? That was another ten to twenty-five divinity.
He checked his resources. 182 Divinity left. And doing that would reduce it to 147 Divinity.
Then there was the Smiling Tree of Wishes. Snorting, he dismissed it as a minor concern. Worst-case scenario? He'd send an Oracle to the Primordial Queen, let her burn the land to ash, and then finish the job with a lightning strike.
The bigger issue was the discontent brewing among the Primordials regarding the Black Primordial. That would need addressing after all of this.
'Two oracles and a lightning strike? Or maybe one oracle and two lightning strikes at worst… That's sixty divinity, worst case.' Atlas frowned. 'That would leave me with eighty-seven.'
He groaned, realizing just how quickly his divinity was disappearing. Keeping the Primordials happy had to remain a priority. Stability meant a steady supply of divine power.
Pulling up the CDIM, he checked on the human and beastkin numbers. Their populations had declined slightly due to goblins, and tensions between kingdoms suggested another war might be brewing.
Still, nothing urgent. But he'd need to keep an eye on it.
Sighing, Atlas returned his attention to Eleos's situation. His soul was now fully immersed within the tree, his status still marked as Metempsychosis Progressing.
"Alright, kid. Let's see what you're trying to do." Atlas hovered his hand over the Blessings panel, debating. "Kid...? He's older than me."
Wisp, still fluttering nearby, let out an exasperated chirp. "This is a waste of divinity. The elf will simply become a tree, nothing more."
"You don't know that," Atlas countered, narrowing his eyes at the orb of energy now pulsing faintly within the bark. "Selena changed. The Smiling Tree of Wishes evolved. Maybe he can too."
"And if he does, what will he become? A sentient tree? A passive, silent observer? A being of nature tied to a single place?" Wisp scoffed. "You have greater problems, Weaver Atlas."
Atlas gritted his teeth, staring at the glowing soul within the tree. He had no time to waste on one wayward soul trying something unprecedented. And yet, part of him respected it.
"I can spare a little divinity," he muttered, pressing on 'Chosen by God' in his Divinity console to see some common options.
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Chosen By God
Saint(ess): Chosen by the Weaver to deliver his will upon the land. Granted divine powers and may be passed down, at Weaver's discretion, through lineage. Requires Divine Will. A permanent, free -Oracle- channel can be opened anytime by the Weaver with this unit, or by enough devotion from the Saint(ess).
Divinity Cost: 100
Holy Warrior: Chosen by the Weaver to deliver his will upon the land. Granted divine powers to defend the Weaver's Will. May be passed down through lineage at Weaver's discretion. Requires Divine Will. Stronger combat prowess than a Saint(ess) due to the lack of -Oracle-. Lacks healing and support capabilities.
Divinity Cost: 100
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"Okay!" Atlas snapped that shut. "That's all I needed to see. Too expensive, not relevant."
His fingers tapped on the 'Create your own Blessing' icon as he muttered, "Eastern folk have a lot about souls in their mythology and fantasy stuff. I can just use that. Soul something... Soul..."
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Blessing: Soul Resonance
-Enhances bound soul's domain. Capable of influencing its surroundings. Increases the chance for metamorphosis and communication with compatible beings.
Radius Increase: 50 meters
Divinity Cost: 50
(Cost scales by meter.)
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"Well... better than nothing," Atlas said grimly while Wisp chirped in frustration.
"Weaver Atlas, please stop! This has nothing to do with the red energy lacing Aello's magic."
"This has everything to do with it. The red energy, at the very least, seems to be birthed through malice and revenge," Atlas replied sharply. "If I were to just bless Aello and remove the energy, his next grievance would bring it back."
"This creates a possible location to cleanse the red energy- if we can nurture Eleos right."
"But you still don't know if this red energy is hostile to you, Weaver." Wisp chirped loudly, frustration growing. "It may be better, if it is controllable, to simply let it take over everything!"
"Wasn't it you who said I need more than one Primordial type?" Atlas finally turned and snapped. "If that's true, it should apply to magic. And we don't know if this magic is friendly, as you just said."
"..."
Turning back around, Atlas sighed as he continued to watch Eleos's soul morph. "I get that you're upset with me because of my behavior before. But try to trust me here to redeem myself. Or at the very least, because it's my own ass on the line- so my own choices."
"..."
No response, nor fluttering of wings, as Atlas's finger pressed the Confirm icon.