Chapter 1128

As with the last third tier gathering, the meeting was set to take place at a city on a coast, allowing for a space where both the terrestrial and aquatic races could mingle, and as with the last time, the first thing they did was secure their rooms, with accommodations already set and provided for them, letting them sit down for a little while they waited for the meeting time to draw closer, but that was it. They had no bags to drop off, there was no need when Ben’s rings could hold anything they needed and more, so it left them to relax for a bit before getting up to go off, pulling Valaria and Tress from their own rooms as well.

Not that they had gotten to rest. The range of Ben’s soul went far beyond a few simple hotel rooms and, even as they sat, he didn’t stop training them, trying to squeeze as many levels out of them as possible before the meeting was to start.

With his soul reaching out across the city, though, there were plenty more to be found, letting them walk through its quiet streets to make their way to another companion, all of them looking around as they did.

Near an invasion point, able to see it reaching into the sky from where he stood, it seemed that it had actually been placed beside another city further in the distance, but that hadn’t mattered. It was too close for anyone to feel safe, and well within the range of danger any time it would open, leaving the population low, with only a few still stubbornly keeping to their homes and jobs, creating just enough work that they had somewhere to sleep and they’d find a restaurant or two still serving food for meals, meaning he wouldn’t have to cook for everyone himself.

It was enough to support the people coming through for work, those who were making their way too or from that invasion point in preparation of the next wave, but it left the place feeling sparse, a ten-minute walk leaving them to see only three others out and about, all of them clearly with their own tasks keeping them occupied.

Depressing, Ben thought. All of the abandoned gate cities really are just so depressing.

Given invasion points kept near the world’s largest population centers and given gates were typically put in those same places, there were more than a few empty settlements, and he’d traveled through them all by that point doing one task or another, but every time it felt wrong. A city wasn’t meant to be so empty or so quiet; the silence practically screamed at him each time he visited one.

But it was a silence that didn't last for long. As he and the others walked, other groups were walking to him as well, the first being one he’d specifically wanted to encounter, leaving him to put a smile on his face as a tall figure, clad in white fur, appeared at the end of the street.

“Falk!” Ben called out as he waved the man down. “Come over here and be impressed already!”

“I can see your messed-up soul across the city, boy,” his teacher yelled back as he joined them. “I knew you had to be the reason I’ve been seein’ people with so many more blessed skills, but how are you goin’ even beyond that?”

“Minor self-inflicted suffering. Doesn’t matter. Decide what in your status you’d want becoming a blessed skill and then look at your niece for a bit.”

“You don’t need to be tellin’ me that. Thera, it’s been a bit, but you’re looking…” Falk trailed off, properly looking at Thera’s soul through the haze of Ben’s own that was filling the city, grabbing her shoulders when he did. “I’ll be damned, girl! When did you become a… soul mage?”

He whispered the last few words, not wanting to risk drawing any uninvolved eyes when the point of meeting where they were was to keep too many people from finding out that the third-tiers were gathering there, even if no one else was around, while Thera herself looked pleased with the reaction.

“It’s been over a month at least, uncle. I’ve been busy.”

“I see that. I always knew you had it in you; I just thought it would be your earth magic. How’d you pull it off?”

“Ugh, your student went and got himself beheaded,” she explained, less pleased to be remembering what had led to it. “Growing him a new one before he died let me manage it.”

“Infinite hells, boy. Is that why everyone’s been saying you’re dead?”

“Oh no, funny you should say that, actually. Some of the gods decided to drop me into hell not long after. Don’t worry though, it wasn’t actually that hard to escape but, before I did, word spread pretty far about some gods murdering Myriad’s apostle.”

“... You’ve got me thinkin’ I might actually be away the perfect amount of time, because keepin’ up with your life on a day-to-day basis sounds like a nightmare.”

“What can I say?” Ben shrugged. “It’s a dangerous world.”

“It’s more like you’re somehow livin’ on a completely different one than the rest of us,” his teacher said, shaking his head. “I’m not even sure I wanna know what else you’ve been up to.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Well, too bad, because if we’re all heading to the meeting point, then I’m catching you up on the way. For starters, your grand-apprentice looks like she’s already going to manage to awaken a skill of her own soon, so you really should stop by the shop more to give me a hand training her…”

Continuing to fill his teacher in on the way, he could see in real time as Falk slowly developed a headache, the yeti looking like he’d wanted to say more by the time they reached their meeting point but lost the chance to react as Ben saw another familiar face.

“Yuzu, hey!” he yelled over, same as he had with his teacher. “It’s been busy since I last saw you; come over here and be shocked and impressed with me!”

“I could see your soul since I got to town, and who else would be the one giving everyone new blessed skills?” she asked him. “I’ve gotten used to seeing it already.”

“Man, you and Falk both, such similar and dull reactions. Guys, I have transgressed the limits of my soul; please be a little impressed with that.”

“At this point, you transgress some limit or other every time I see you,” Falk shrugged while Yuzu nodded in agreement with the statement. “At a certain point, you get used to it.”

“Genuinely can’t believe I’m hearing you say that, but fine, whatever. I know one person who will give me a good reaction, and-”

Cutting himself off, he cocked his head in surprise before giving a wide smile, leaving the others to look on in confusion.

“Ben?” Thera asked, worried about whatever might have managed to cause that reaction from him, and just how it might impact the coming meeting, even after he tried to wave her off.

“Just discovered an interesting side effect of a particular skill synergy; I’ll fill you in later,” he said. “If nobody is going to give me a fun reaction like I’m looking for, should we just go in? It looks like most of the others are already seated.”

They’d have more time to talk later if they wanted, considering the meeting was expected to last two days, so with the few of them gathered, they went in to join the rest, showing their cards to the single guard stationed at the door before being let through to go down stairs and enter the meeting room it held.

Same as the last one, there was an enchantment in place that divided it, filling one half of the room for the aquatic races to swim in while the other half was made comfortable for the terrestrial, with seats placed around the table, four already there on the drier side, while three were at the wet, though the last two for the aquatic streamed in just after he and the rest with his group did.

While some light, casual discussion had been taking place among the table there while they waited for the remaining to arrive, that ended the second he got there as eyes turned to him. While Verbum’s reactions to Ben’s status had sadly grown more muted with time, the record holder still jumped a little when he saw all of the changes Ben’s soul held, while another there gave a far bigger reaction.

Abel tried to jump from her seat and throw herself across the table their way, only stopped by Foast grabbing her by the scruff of her neck, even if he had to brace against the table against all of the force she’d tried to propel herself with, leaving her to turn to the shifter at her side.

“What? I’m just going to say hi!”

“What, with your teeth? You’re drooling.”

“Lot’s of people drool,” she said in her defense, wiping her mouth as she did. “I’m not gonna bite anyone if they won’t let me, so let me go!”

Her body was melting as she said it, taking on one of her more chaotic forms to stretch out closer to Ben specifically, leaving him to give her a friendly wave in the face of such an enthusiastic response.

“Nice seeing you too, Abel. If you’re really that hungry, I’ll give you some blood later, okay?”

“You’d better; there’s no way anyone else on the planet smells as good as you at this point,” she told him, forcing herself to return to a more hominid shape despite the way his scent was stimulating her hunger, even if he was still left seeing her teeth grow in response. “I’m not buying it a second time; you managed to snag at least one more third-tier skill, didn’t you?”

A statement that managed to end conversations around them and draw the eyes of everyone there who heard it, wondering just how powerful one of their newest third tiers had to be to get a reaction like that from Abel while Ben only shrugged.

“We can talk about that and more over the meeting. There’s a lot of little ways for me to contribute.”

“I’ll bet,” she grinned before sniffing the air once more. “And Thera, you got one too, huh? Does that mean you’ll finally let me have a taste?”

“I did, but still no,” she said, taking her seat. “Ben should be more than enough for you to snack on if you’re that hungry.”

“Aw, come on, I’m curious!”

“I’m sure you’ll forget all about trying me after getting a taste of Ben.”

“Are you really using me as a sacrifice right now?” he asked her, watching Thera shrug.

“I just know you don’t have whatever survival instincts keeps everyone else from being eaten. Besides, you’re going to give way higher values than me, right? Why let her have an inferior meal? Don’t worry though, I’ll patch you up right after.”

“Gee, thanks,” he sighed as he took a seat of his own while the rest there followed. Valaria was the only one among his group left standing, taking her place behind Tress, acting as her guest while continuing to practice in his head at the same time.

Still, way less contenders brought along this time compared to last, Ben noted, seeing only two others on the aquatic side. I guess that makes sense, though. Any time they spend here would be better spent doing their best to awaken before the next wave.

With the table almost filled, though, a small frown touched Killi’s lips, slight enough that not many others noticed as she spoke up.

“I’m not sure if this is everyone, but we’ll give it one more minute before we get things started.”

“It’s not,” Ben told her, the certainty in his tone left her to deflate at the prospect of the last member of their tier joining them, but was given no room to voice those complaints. Before anyone else could notice, let alone react, Ben felt space ripple behind him and turned, grabbing the blade of the knife that was plunging towards his neck before it could strike and smiled madly at the one who swung it. “Hello again, Rook.”