<u>001 Searching for a Special Soul (1/2)</u>


    Two figures float through an endless black void, surrounded and protected by a glowing circular energy field.


    The larger one looks like a human medieval warrior in a golden plate armor with an open helm – at least until a theoretical watcher would look closer. Once you try to look closer, something begins to feel off – although it is impossible to see what causes this feeling. The golden eyes without a pupil are not enough to explain that feeling, and neither is the impression that the figure is much larger than a regular human.


    Something just gives a disturbing feeling and would make an unknown watcher as agitated and disturbed as the man himself is behaving.


    “How dared they to betray me and steal my holdings! I am Salengor the Magnificent, and I will get my revenge on them! They wanted to kill me, but no one is stronger than me! I will regain my powers and they will rue the day they failed me! Those ignorant bastards and their holier-than-you-attitude will get their just rewards! Before the millennia is past they will beg at my feet...”


    The second figure is much smaller, reaching only to the belt of the human figure. It is a winged humanoid lizard with red scales covering her entire body including her four boobs and three thin tails that end in some sort of stinger. Her face is surprisingly easy to read despite the scales and the lizard-like snout. She looks mostly bored, sometimes a bit pained at a special curse from her larger companion.


    “Master, it has been twenty years. Don’t you think you should start planning your revenge instead of non-stop ranting? How much better would it feel to actually crush your enemies instead of only cursing at them?”


    “Ah, Kareem, that shows that you should not strain your little mind. I have been working on my revenge for all those years already. I managed to grab an inactive core before I decided to relocate from my former castle. I originally had not intended to use it yet, but with all other realmcores either destroyed or turned against me this one will be the start of my new empire.


    However I can’t use a regular spirit or soul to activate that core – I need something special to stand against that so-called ‘Holy Alliance of Light’, those ignorant bastards. That is why I travelled beyond all borders and all universes to find a soul that has traits that are not part of our System in the Endless World. [unknown] and [unique] traits and abilities will give my chosen champion the power to succeed against everyone.


    Using a regular spirit would never stand against all of them, and all spirits on the World itself have probably heard of how I was betrayed and are afraid to go against my opposition.”


    Or they might not want to ally themselves with someone known to not care for his underlings. Telling your people to give their dead to necromancers or have them processed for manure does not inspire loyalty after all. How I wish I had better researched my options before agreeing to the contract all those centuries ago, thinks Kareem silently.


    Out loud she asks “But it has been years since we last passed a universe that had even a limited System, and without a System there can be no life. What do you expect to find here or even farther into these strange void-filled worlds we traveled for the last years? Nothing survives in a void without strong magic.”


    “Life is possible without a System, the System just prevents the more extreme traits from forming and stabilizes everything for intelligent life. That is why I’m looking for a world where the System is either incomplete or not yet active, because only there a soul can gain and carry the powerful traits I need in my next champion. It is just very likely that a soul is destroyed by such traits after only a few years – we will just have to search longer for someone fitting until we find him or her.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But I agree that this world also seems to be a bust, there is almost nothing but void here with only a limited number of stars and tiny blocks of matter far distant from each other. We should ….


    Wait, what’s that? It isn’t a System Message, but something similar…


    Could it be that the first traces of a System are just forming around here? Let’s try to translate it with magic…


    <<Translate System Message>>


    … That took almost double the Mana of a regular translation spell…”


    [[Viora IV to Council Patrols +stop+ Emergency Call +stop+ Earthquake destroyed Colony Center and Main Power +stop+ Request Help for Survival and Rebuilding]]


    “Yes, it looks like a quest initiation – some village needs help from something that is likely either an adventurer guild or an army group. Wait – there are answers coming in.”


    [[Star Ranger Swiftwing to Viora IV +stop+ SOS received +stop+ ETA in two days]]


    [[Star Ranger Airwave to Viora IV +stop+ SOS received +stop+ delayed for resupply +stop+ ETA in six days]]


    [[Star Ranger Sunhawk to Viora IV +stop+ SOS received +stop+ ETA in four days]]


    “Ah, and now they are dispatching three of their better rangers to help those villagers survive. Perfect, that would mean that any of those three people would have the skills and traits to start building up a village. If any one of those rangers has some extraordinary traits they might carry the perfect soul for my core.


    <<scry status of Star Ranger Swiftwing>>


    <<scry status of Star Ranger Sunhawk>>


    Oww – again more Mana than planned, but both of those rangers have most of their abilities classified as [[unknown]], [[unidentified]] and/or [[unique]] by the System. That means that at least some of those abilities would go beyond regular limitations and be able to improve the core’s chances to get me the energy required for my revenge.


    Perfect.


    If I take three days to prepare the soul initiation to the core, that should increase my Mana effectivity enough that even this additional drain will not stop me. And that would be in time to snatch the second one without anyone understanding what I’ve done.


    Kareem, summon some earth and stone to form a ritual platform here in the void while I meditate.”


    For the next three days the giant floats still in the void, while Kareem uses her magic to summon stone – one block after another, until a stone platform of twenty meters in diameter floats beneath them. Then she begins to carve lines and symbols into that platform.


    “Master, the ritual circle is ready for your work. But there is no System to restrict the mana flow if something goes wrong. You could lose some of your essence if the ritual requires more energy than usual – are you sure you want to risk that?”


    “You’re wrong, Kareem – the messages I intercepted are proof that a [[System]] is beginning to form, even if it is not yet controlling everything. And I have enough Mana to handle six or seven soul-snatching rituals, it’s just too bad that I have only a single core remaining. So there is no danger even if magic is more costly inside this void.”


    Salengor floats to the new stone platform and begins to fill the lines of the circles with his Mana while mumbling to himself.


    “First the scan and targeting formation on that ranger. What’s this – it appears that some of those unique traits are structure-based, not soul-based? Perfect, transposing structures is easier even if it means that I might have to level up the core for more structure spaces – but that would only make it stronger from the beginning.


    Uh – the manadrain is not nice, but lower than I feared.


    I’ll have to make sure to catch the ranger’s equivalent of its core in the ritual to make sure I get those structures as well. Only remove what has no value for my new realmcore, and making sure to get the soul.


    My imprint is on the core, the gate to send it to the endless world is prepared – I’ll select the perfect spot later, when I better know what advantages the core will have.


    Now for the main part, getting the soul out of the ranger.


    Urgh – what? Why is that so difficult? The drain – I need more energy.


    Kareem, give your Mana and Essence, something is wrong!”


    “No, Master, please don’t – I was always your most loyal servant, and I will serve you more in the future, noooo”


    Salengor grabs the lizard lady by the throat and holds her into the formation. Her body is quickly drained and crumbles to dust. “Yes, and I will always fondly remember your loyality for all eternity. But you are mine to use as I see fit.


    That made the ritual hold – no – what this, the soul fractured? I can’t fail, I need to keep it, this core is my only chance of revenge, I have to finish it


    It’s now draining my essence – too late, I have to finish the ritual …


    I will have my revenge on the Holy Alliance of Light.


    I will NOT fail….”