The Path of Ascension

Chapter 289

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Matt was enjoying a nice breakfast when he got a message that all of Team Zero was to report in for supplemental Domain training with the assistance of Duke Waters.

The man was a famously bad Domain teacher, and he had heard Allies complaints about his words of wisdom enough times that he wasnt looking forward to having the older Ascender be anywhere near a Domain lesson.

He checked the Team Zero chat to find a tirade of insults from Allie landing on everyone and anyone they knew. With the reaction he saw from the rest of the team, half expected they would have skipped out on the training, but all of them arrived at the Team Zero headquarters.

They just all looked like someone had personally put down their childhood pet. The only exceptions were Zack and General Darrow, who were more straight faced, but their body language didnt exactly suggest excitement either.

Allie ran her thumb over her neck as Matt arrived and he apologized in confusion. I don't understand why you guys are so angry, but Im sorry? It's not like I did this.

Allie growled back at him, I just somehow know it's your fault. Either way, Im going to make you sorry!

Matt just shrugged, which earned him a humph from the grumpy teleporter.

The moment Aster and Liz arrived, Allie teleported them to a lakeside that should have been pretty, but instead of a serene beach or shaded forest, they arrived in what looked like a war zone.

The only other occupant was Duke Waters, who was floating on the water's surface.

They stood there for a long moment, and just when Matt was going to say something, Aiden sunk into the water.

Before Matt knew what was going on, he felt a weight press down on him, and along with everyone else, he was pulled into the lakes depths.

As they sank, Matt had to ponder why a rift went through the effort of making an entire realistic ecosystem in a lake, complete with dead and rotten trees, but his musings were cut off as they arrived down at the bottom of the lake and stood in knee deep mud.

There they found a dozen of the rifts Domain experts waiting for them. Luna looked to the side and said, Were going to be working on resistance training for the next day with the help of Duke Waters, and Aiden will explain some of the tips and tricks he uses to stretch his willpower when he's bottomed out like this. Then, we will be moving onto individual training with your unique Domain powers.

Luna turned to the side and Aiden walked forward like they were standing on solid stone.

His voice traveled through the water with just the smallest distortion.

You need to breathe.

Instantly, Matt felt his body lurch, as it realized that it had no oxygen with which to fuel itself. Essence didnt soothe the issue, the normally life-giving energy being rejected by his cells, flowing past it without alleviating his distress. A faint echo of panic began to worm its way into his brain as well, reminding him of the primal fear of death that all living creatures had.

In response, he brought a mere hint of his willpower to bear, suffusing his body with the simple knowledge that he was Endless, and he was Dauntless. The fear was the first to leave, the supernatural panic twisted into the same thrill of excitement he was accustomed to in such situations.

From there, it was practically second nature to shrug off the rest of Duke Waters domain. There were many, many ways to fight off direct Domain attacks, and while Drowning in the Shallow Depths was a particularly insidious and powerful one, Luna had subjected them all to far worse while theyd been under her care.

He ran through his options, and settled on the simplest and cheapest.

A thin field of repulsion pushed its way out of his spirit, not pushing away the water, but rather the idea of water out of his spirit. Their Domains warred, and Matt closed his eyes to better focus upon the invisible battle.

Matt was a gleaming beacon of light, a radiant humanoid figure in the midst of a stormy sea. A powerful current surrounded him, wrapping him in its deadly embrace and pulling him away from a stretch of rapidly-vanishing rocky shoreline. His head burst above water and gathered a gasp of air, then a powerful wave crashed over him and pushed him underneath the waves.

Below, it was far calmer than the roiling waves above. Matts radiance illuminated the tumultuous seas, showing schools of fish, drifting balls of seaweed, and far, far below, the faintest hints of great and terrible creatures in the deep ocean. The power of the ocean could not be denied, and it tried to crush his will to resist, tried to drag him into the depths to drown. That he resisted was little consolation, for as long as he was below the waves, he could drown.

Water rushed him, but it found no purchase. As a living white hole, Matt had no need to breathe, yet it sought to drown him nonetheless. A wave crashed upon him, trying to push him into the murky waters below, but he would not be moved.

Then the oceans stilled, preparing to strike as Matt began to move. Radiant force burst forth from him, pushing back the waters and letting him burst free from the clutches of the bone-chilling sea. A wave swelled, and Matt simply rode it, letting its crest carry him above the waves. Then it crashed back down, and Matt went flying. But this time, he was the one in control. The oceans were massive, but they were aimless. He, by contrast, was perfectly focused, perfectly in control, and while the images of space he left in his wake were swiftly washed away, the ocean could not smother them completely.

Light burst forth from Matts body, propelling him into the skies. Up here, the ocean could not reach him, and Matt began to ascend to the heavens.

An errant tentacle, barely visible against the gray-blue of the ocean, lashed out and sought to entwine him, drag him down into the depths by itself if needed, but Matts radiance was momentarily replaced with an all-consuming blackness, and the tentacle was cut short. Then the light returned, and Matt returned to the skies where he belonged.

Matt opened his eyes and grinned triumphantly at Aiden. Sure, the man was utterly exhausted, and while even in that state, the Ascender would have plenty of power to spare to break or simply suppress Matts Domain. But still, Matt had actually managed to beat Duke Waters Domain in a contest of wills.

Albeit in a very narrow, very specific setup wherein his colleague was more trying to train him than kill him, and in a way that had taken all of Matts focus while his opponent was trying to affect a dozen people at once But hed still done it, and that was all he cared about.

Around him, his peers were slowly coming to as well. From what Matt could tell, only Zack, Allie and Sebastien had gotten through the effect before him, with the others still struggling. Not that even those who had escaped were idle, but instead were working on more general Domain resistance. Luna was working with Allie and Zack, while Sebastien was talking to a teal-haired man that Matt had talked to a few times.

Elise, a Tier 34 Domain expert, floated next to Matt and acted as his personal coach as Duke Waters simply pressed down on Matt. Admirable restraint, Quill. Luna would be proud, but youre not taking much advantage of your second-order Domain benefits. Youre pushing out at the effect, preventing it from taking hold, but how might you keep it from reaching you even if you were to stop doing so?

Aiden hmmed in his mind next to Elises. Just push it away. Stop thinking so much and just do it. Will it to happen. It's easy if you stop thinking.

Matt tried to do what Aiden said, but he found it difficult to concentrate beyond the crushing weight of the water, and instead tried to focus on what Elise said. Her instructions made much more sense and were easier to implement.

Matt cast his attention to where Allie, surrounded by mirror images of herself, was squirming under the void-purple cats claw that his former manager had trapped her beneath. The teleporter hmm.

If I werent here, he responded.

Elise hesitated, Interesting first response. So, how might you go about that?

Running was the first thought, but that wasnt something that would truly work in an actual fight. But maybe his spatial expansion could replicate it? If he functionally made himself further away from Duke Waters, then perhaps he could get out of range of the Domain attack? It would at least mean that hed have to put more pressure on where Matt was to get the same effect.

He explained his logic, earning a nod from the trainer. Not a bad course of action. However, instead of simply lashing out in every direction, try feeling for the specific place which you feel the attack is mostly coming from, and visualize your own Domain as a sword attacking that source. Better focus, more precision.

Trying to follow what Elise had said, Matt tried to feel out for Aiden's Domain and how it was applying its pressure on him.

Growling, he found that Aidens Domain was like a wet blanket pressing down on him from all sides.

Honing his Domain, Matt punched a hole through Aiden's power, wanting to widen the hole, but found that his hole had been absorbed like a stone being thrown into a lake, much like the one he was drowning under.

No, not quite like that. Honestly, I wasnt expecting you to get it that fast, but you were too focused. Instead of pushing back the attack, you just pierced a hole in Duke Waters Domain. If a sword is too potent an image, try a punch. Something that will help you gain range, but isnt trying to destroy your target. Like that quite spectacular brawl you had with King Rusty, you want distance, not destruction.

Elise seemed like she was going to keep going, but Matt grit his teeth and started to push out with an even power.

Nothing happened.

Elise shook her head. Try returning to the sword-strike. But this time, once you pierce your hole in his Domain, then try the punch. But instead of just pushing out your willpower, just expending energy, try to cycle it. Like withdrawing and throwing several punches in sequence.

The feeling of having the weight of the world on his back started to fade.

Finally.

Just as he was feeling proud of himself, Aidens voice dripped into his mind once more. Ok, now that we got the basics out of the way, let's start work on using your Domain for something else at the same time. Come on, little Endless. Show me what you have.

It took Matt a full day to work up to battling with Aidens Intent, but by the time he did, he felt a lot closer to his Domain.

For all that, he fully understood why Allie was pissed.

No matter what they did, Aiden always seemed to have another trick up his sleeves, and the other trainers used him like a cudgel to beat them down no matter how they advanced.

Worst of all, the man really was an awful trainer.

Advice like resist what Im doing was only so useful when trying to improve. Or its like sailing, where you need to know your place and feel the way that the world is pulling you, but master the winds so that you go where you want to in the end. Combined with his alleged clarifications, statements like that made Matt start to wonder if Aiden either really did find Domains so easy that literally any random advice made sense to him or if the older Ascender was trying to play the mysterious and wise mentor role without understanding that cryptic nonsense needed to actually have a point in order to be useful.

Thankfully, Elise and the other Domain experts actually were good at their jobs, and were able to actually explain things in a way a normal person could understand.

Through the training, Matt had his impression that Duke Waters was only a Domain monster shattered. The older Ascender absolutely was a Domain monster, but he was also damn good as a water mage, and had a dozen methods to counter or bolster Domains with his skills. Elise was even able to explain some of the methods he used.

Like how the Tier 26 upgrade to [Water Shield], which normally increased its energy resistance, could be tweaked to provide a small but appreciable defense against Domains, but Duke Waters had twisted the skill even further to increase that effect.

Matt didnt have [Water Shield], but he thought he understood what Aiden was doing to the skill, and wondered if he could add that effect to [Cracked Phantom Armor] or possibly expand [Barbarians Hide], which had a magical resistance like [Water Shield] had.

What Aiden wasnt able to explain nearly as well was how he was able to make his willpower last far longer than it should.

Elise gave a few general suggestions, like small bursts of power only when the skill was landing, or trying to avoid direct confrontations of Domains, but while that Aiden agreed with suggestions, he insisted that wasnt what he was doing. Without a direction from Aiden, Matt had no way to do anything but learn a few tricks that Elise had that Luna either didnt know or hadnt bothered to teach them.

It was a long three days, and Matt felt like he had gotten his ass beaten, but they were finally able to crawl to the shore. Though, it simply meant they were ready to focus on their personal Domains without having to deal with Duke Waters suppression.

Without that all crushing weight, it felt like Matt had become lighter than air, and his Domain seemed far more nimble than it had been ten minutes before and the trainers capitalized on that to push them through whatever stumbling blocks they had been stuck on while under the lake.

Allie also learned a harsh lesson when she tried to teleport away from Luna.

If she was a higher Tier, she might have succeeded, but instead, she looked like she slammed into a wall at a full sprint and fell to the ground, just to be picked up by a laughing Luna before both of them vanished.

Matt did not want to be Allie. He also didnt want to learn if Lunas threats to eat someone were going to be followed through with. No, he was happy to get some training from the other instructors about being Endless and Dauntless.

He had already had lessons with most of the Domain trainers who were assisting them, but after the crushing weight of Duke Waters Domain pushing his own, everything seemed that little bit easier, and Matt continued working on what he usually called black hole mode. While still ruinously expensive on his willpower reserves, even after all this time, he was slowly learning how to separate the mana-invisibility effect from the mana-concentration effect.

When Allie did come back looking remarkably uneaten, but seemingly with a fire lit under her, she threw herself at working to hone her undetectable Intent like Luna was nibbling at her toes.

Maybe she was.

Aiden was still there, but without his Domain being used to crush them all, he mostly wandered around and made fun of them for struggling to learn these lessons. That would have been fine if he had only been boasting without anything to back it up, but no. Through everything, it was clear Aiden hadnt struggled at all despite training with all of them at once, even while he suffered from willpower withdrawal.

When Aster asked him about it, Matt listened in.

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It would be simple if your brain wasnt so waterlogged! Im only using the first two stages of my Domain, which isn't my limit. My willpower usage for those isnt that high. Once you create your Aspect, you will also find that using your Concept and Intent are relatively cheaper, just as your Concept is cheaper now that you have your Intent. The bonus is just correspondingly stronger for me. Also, I specialize in my Domain, which means I've got a bit more willpower regeneration than most. And this helps me recover. At Lizs scoff Aiden continued, Really, smacking around little shits like you guys helps distract me from my splitting headache.

Liz shook her head. That doesn't make it any more fun to drown for days.

Aiden wiggled his hand back and forth. Youll create something similar, Im sure. Other Domain experts have their own version of what I do as well. It's mostly useful for people substantially weaker than the caster. I can only really do it to Tier 35s whose combat power is ordinary. Even the weakest elite can power through it. Maya, the Republics Ascender, is a reality warper that can just make people vanish from reality if theyre weak enough compared to her. Hers is a mixture of skills and Domain, but it's a similar power.

Matt shuddered a little as he imagined trying to deal with a Duke Waters, who, instead of convincing him he was drowning, convinced him that he just didnt exist. It was a scary thought.

Aster the weirdo perked up at that. Is that an Aspect thing then?

Aiden nodded. Mostly. As in, it's a whole lot easier for me to do it to troops who dont have an Aspect of their own. Like I said about power difference, that difference in strength makes it a lot easier to crush them wholesale. If someone is still a fairly weak combatant despite having an Aspect, I usually just save them for after I already drowned everyone else and focus my attention on them to scrub them out. That said, most people who have an Aspect at Tier 35 are pretty damn strong in their own right. I should tell you about this time I

Matt thought that over and wondered what his version of that would be.

A [Breach]?

While that could wipe out a large amount of people, it wasnt the same thing as what Duke Waters was talking about.

[Mana Beam] was better, as he could wave it around, but that still wasnt the same as Aiden drowning thousands of people at once.

Matts mind drifted to his manipulation spells and he nodded. That seemed like a much better avenue to pursue if he wanted to be able to wipe out a lot of troops who were substantially weaker than him.

He was interrupted as Zack indicated he wished to speak, stopping Aiden from rambling. Is there anything you learned when creating your Aspect so early?

Aiden gave it a thought before responding, Once you have finished filling out your Intent, come back and ask me that. I can probably give you a hint or two, but even at Tier 35, it's dangerous to form an Aspect even if there are resources that can prevent you from outright dying.

That seemed to signal the end of their training period, and a weary Allie teleported them all back to Camp Lightfoot.

Matt wanted to go and pass out in his bed but resisted the urge. Instead, he baked an oven full of scones and delivered them to Allie after seeing how hard the training had been for her. He didnt want the teleporter to add him to her list of prank participants. Actually, with her being such good friends with Aster, he was most certainly on her list. A gift of scones could maybe keep him from being at the top, at least.

She glared at him something fierce when he knocked on the door, but took his apology scones without lashing out, which Matt considered a win.

***

Allie munched on the scone delivery as she shut the door with a grin.

Ahhh. It was good to have a reputation for being scary.

***

Aster sat on a beautiful outcropping and let her spirit expand outward, blinking as the world around her started to turn into a wintery wonderland.

Her Tier 25 Talent was an interesting form of challenge. Difficult to use, but with so much potential sitting just below the surface, she was practically salivating in anticipation. But so far, the only thing she had been able to use it for was a bit of supplemental mana storage which she needed in order to keep her spirit space at its maximum size.

It was a frustrating paradox, but her recent Domain training had given her some ideas as to how she could best bridge the gap between Intent and Talent. Now, she just needed to test it.

From the cliff behind her, Allie, bundled in enough fluffy clothes that she waddled, groused, If I fall on my ass, Im going to kick your ass! And cant you turn down the thermometer? Im freezing my tits off!

You want me to make it colder? Aster grinned as she deliberately misunderstood Allie.

No, you dumb ass. It's too cold. I dont give a shit what way your thermostat works, just make it less cold, damn it!

Aster imperiously waved to Allie. Well, then go ahead. I think I have a firm enough hold on the surroundings.

Stamping forward despite there not being much actual snow in her spirit place, Allie stepped off the edge of what should have been a cliff if she was still in the real world.

With chattering teeth, Allie said, There, test successful! I didnt fall. Let's move on to phase two. Please, I can't feel my toes!

Despite having talked about it before, Aster instead asked, Are y

Allie cut her off. I know the risks. For fucks sake, just do it already!

Grinning, Aster retracted her spirit place and returned the world to normal. Except, there was no Allie.

Counting to five, she expected Allie to blip out of her spirit space, but the other woman didnt immediately appear.

That was sort of a good sign. As per their agreement, Allie would only immediately teleport out if she felt she was in immediate danger. If everything went as they expected, she would remain in there until Aster opened the passage and let her out.

Turning her gaze inward, Aster looked into her spirit place to find Allie shivering and standing there unharmed.

Moving onto phase two, Aster started to pull at Allie. She didnt try to remove Allie, but instead, she tried to drain her.

It started small. Aster was absorbing the energy all living beings with a spirit gave off. Mostly mana and a little heat, but as she created that connection, Aster was able to drain more and more from Allie. It took a few seconds, but she actually started to feel a bit of physical energy that felt like taking a potion feed into her body.

Allie was a physical cultivator, so that made sense.

Pulling deeper, Aster felt more mana start to travel through the link she had created. Now that she was pulling from her mana pool, Allie was no longer giving off ambient mana, but that didn't matter now that Aster had her hooks in.

Step two was done, and everything was the same as they predicted.

Then, all the energy started to slow as Aster felt Allie start to resist the energy drain. But importantly, it didnt stop. Aster was able to keep drawing from Allie, which increased the connection, widening it moment by moment.

Aster felt Allie change the way she resisted, cycling through spells and her Domain, but nothing she did accomplished anything more than slowing the drain. She was in Aster's world, and that meant she was Asters to do with as she would.

Pulsing the connection, Aster signaled they were going to step three. For the first time, they were going into territory they hadnt been able to test with a monster.

Instead of trying to pull energy from Allie, Aster reversed the connection.

She fumbled with the change in idea for a few moments, but after that, she felt the energy she had absorbed start to flow back into Allie.

Laughing at Allies shocked face, Aster pulsed the connection once more.

Step four.

Allie started cutting and slashing with spells and attacks.

Aster winced, but didnt flare the connection despite feeling the damage that was being done to her spirit. So far, the damage was impacting something of a buffer her Talent made with the energy that powered it. Namely her mana pool.

Seeing her mana start to drop faster and faster as Allie lashed out at incredible speeds, Aster did not want to know what would happen if she ran out of mana with someone inside her spirit space.

Either the space would collapse and injure her spirit, or the person in question would simply break free. No matter what the outcome, it wouldnt be very fun for Aster.

Twisting the connection, Aster let Allie know to stop.

Allie paused in her attack before sending out one extra strike.

Ok, so she was a little angry, but two could play that game. Aster lowered the temperature of her spirit space in response.

She laughed as she looked at the poofy Ascender.

Closing her eyes, Allie flickered but didnt teleport out. Interesting.

After a moment, she vanished and appeared next to Aster.

Fuc- fu- fuck you Aster. You owe me big for this one.

Allie waved off the healer, who was on standby, and instead started stripping.

How can you freeze cold weather gear? This isn't fair!

Aster laughed in her face. Yeah, well, you asked for it! You definitely sent that last attack out after I flared the connection.

Allie grumbled but didnt counter the fox.

Once she was out of the cold weather gear Aster had frozen, Allie pulled on more normal fluffy clothes, complete with a beanie, fluffy socks, and mittens.

Aster handed her a cup of steaming hot chocolate once she was done, but got a glare instead of thanks.

What did you do to it?

Aster gasped, Me? I would never!

Yes, you would. I bet you are still holding a grudge for me spiking your tea with catnip.

Aster was very much holding a grudge for that, but she didnt let it show. Wow, I had forgotten about that. You dont deserve hot chocolate! I was just trying to be nice. Never mind.

Before she could withdraw the hot chocolate, Allie snatched it away and took a long sip.

Still not letting her grin show, Aster waited.

Allie looked up at her as if she was going to catch Aster gloating, but Aster kept a bland expression on her face.

Seeing that Aster hadnt started cackling or anything, Allie swallowed and let out a long sigh.

That hits the spot. For an ice fox, youre ok.

Aster finally let her smile start to creep across her face and laughed as Allie's face fell.

I am ok for an ice fox. And thats why I spiked the hot chocolate with a little Powdered Ice Cream. It's delicious and tastes good. Vengeance is at hand.

Allie blinked at her before taking an actual sip of the drink. First of all, those words mean the same thing. Secondly, I thought you were going to try and give me a laxative or something. It does taste good, though.

Aster rolled her eyes. Hook line and sinker.

Im not an asshole like you. Allie was nodding when Aster added, Im worse!

Aster, what did you do to my drink?

Aster giggled. I put Powdered Ice Cream in it.

And it tastes good? Allie tried to confirm.

And it tastes good, Aster confirmed, but her smile never left her face.

What else does it do, Aster? Allie's voice started to squeak as she looked down in horror at the cup.

Giving her best evil laugh, Aster told her, It makes you feel nice and cold on the inside.

Allie cursed but took another sip of the hot chocolate. Damn it! I was drinking this to warm me up, not cool me down. It really does taste good, though.

Aster grinned as she hooked an arm through Allies. Even if her newest friend drank the whole cup, it would, at most, give her a bit of a chill.

Their friendly pranks were just that: friendly. They both had a mischievous streak, and pranking each other was more fun than pranking the others who werent good sports about it.

Not that they didnt prank the others still.

In fact, they had a prank they needed to get to.

Are we still going to go spookie ookie on Melinda?

Allie chortled. Of course we are.

It was through these pranks Aster learned why Allie was so damn good with her Talent. Sure, her teleportation was free, and it was a high-Tier spell, but Allie was always pushing the limits of the spell, and not just in combat.

Ninety percent of Allies pranks were done with her Talent being used in unique ways, inspired by her wanting to push her teleporting.

Once they got back to Camp Lightfoot, Allie pulled them into a spatial fold, and Aster started laughing as she began creating a localized cold front and made it snow right in front of the healer's side entrance.

Right on cue, Melinda walked out, and Aster started moving the single woman snow front to keep up with Melinda.

Allie also created small gaps in the spatial folding and they stuck their heads out, now upside down, and started groaning and moaning.

Im the ghost of New Years Past. And I A snowball smacked Allie in the face and interrupted her.

Melinda laughed even as she readied another projectile.

She launched it at Aster, but Aster just commanded the ball to return to snow. Melinda would need to do better if she wanted to use Aster's own shtick against her.

Im the ghost of New Years Future. And I warn thee that you need to visit your friends more or they will continue to prank you!

Allie nodded as she cleared the snow from her nose with a sneeze. Yeah, go clubbing with us! We can get Liz, Morgan and Pace, Dena, and you can bring Miss I Let People Experiment On Me and we can make it a proper girls night out.

Melinda shook her head. She was either disagreeing or trying to clear the snow from her hair.

Part of this prank was training, and Aster hadnt stopped the downpour of snow on her friend. She just kept it at a normal level of cold, so Melinda wasnt really inconvenienced. Aster even cleaned up after herself.

She was just that nice.

It's the logistics. If we spend even five hours outside, that's nearly two days inside the rift. Id rather spend my weekend off actually being off, and not missing all but eight hours of it.

Aster caught herself as Allie dropped them out of the spatial fold and landed on her feet.

Well, if you dont go out with us, I need you to heal Aster 'cause I need a new scarf, and Im going to use her tail as one. That is, unless you come with us.

As if.

But Aster resisted bonking Allie on her head for even suggesting it, and instead made her eyes water as she trembled her lip a little.

Melinda face palmed and looked to her shadow, Evie. Want to go?

Evie just blinked. It is my duty to protect you, not give my opinions.

That wasnt a no, and Aster had heard Evie say no many a time when they tried to get Melinda to do something wacky. With that in mind, Aster decided to interpret that as agreement and was going to push that angle, but to her surprise, Melinda nodded without any outside influence.

Ok fine. If you can get us all the time off, Im game for a girl's night out. A little dancing could be fun.

Allie cheered, and Aster joined her.

They were going to make a giant mess, and they all knew it.

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