PenguinKills
patreon
Chapter 119 - Thoughts from the Heart
🕑 Added 2024-08-27 20:00:06 +0000 UTCWhen I came to, the first thing I did was pull up my status sheet. I needed to know that the ding I heard was the Body of Wood notification and not something else.
If it wasn't the case, and I had to go through all of that again, I wasn't sure I would make it.
Body Stage Upgraded:
Unranked -> Body of Wood (Northern Winds Body)
Even with the notification saying I did it, I pulled up my status to make double sure.
~~
Name: Christopher Zalenski
Race: (F) Human
Class: (F) Champion of Niflheim(Rare) – Level 50
Profession: (F) Runic Blacksmith(Uncommon) – Level 44
Affinity: Ice
Faction: Zalenski Family (Temporary) (Faction Head)
Strength - 425
Agility - 230
Perception - 114
Fortitude - 358
Endurance - 162
Vitality - 135
Intelligence - 103
Wisdom - 204
Acumen - 74
Free Points: 0
Laws: Lesser Law of Ice
Body Stage: Body of Wood (Northern Winds Body)
Spirit Stage: Anchor Formation
~~
My stats hadn't changed much but there were a few new additions to the bottom of my sheet. Spirit Stage unlocked after I formed my Anchor and now Body Stage was on the list.
The to-do list I had set out to do before my evolution was complete, now the only thing I had to do was level up my profession. It had leveled a lot during the building of the chamber but I still had 6 more to go for a perfect evolution.
Rushing was unnecessary but I wanted to level again. To feel myself grow. I didn't want to waste the experience of the last wave since there was bound to be a lot of it.
After everything I went through, and all the new strength coursing through me, the last wave didn't worry me. It would be just another fight. Another battle just like any other.
The 29th wave was almost child's play and I was looking forward to the challenge the last would pose.
Shuffling around me drew my attention and I watched Abigail walk into my- Austin's lodge.
"How long was I out?" I needed to know how long I was out to plan what I would do next.
The Chamber was set to run for just under three days. The longest it was supposed to take was 65 hours so that I would have some time to recover before fighting the final wave.
"Just over a day. We were shocked at how quick it was. Nothing we read indicated that it would be over so soon and we are still trying to figure out why. The leading theory is because we didn't have to heal you that much." She sounded upset. An upset Abigail was not good for anyone.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"You know what's wrong." She muttered.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips.
She had tried to get me to not go through with it but I did it anyway. She read what was going to happen, the technique described it in exacting detail. She also knew the pain that it would cause.
My excuse of 'It was necessary' didn't work on her anymore. I was so far above them in strength that she didn't think clawing for more was needed.
I did.
There was no way to get over that differing of opinion and we both tried to be civil about it.
"Sigh," A sigh of her own sounded out and she deflated, "Look, I just don't like seeing you hurt. You throw yourself into danger for our sake and come back covered in blood. The scars you had weren't from arts and crafts."
I made to defend myself but she continued over me.
"I'm working through it, but it's hard. It hurts to see you in pain. To know you're doing it for us. For me." She sounded almost dejected.
"We both know what awaits us when we get back. We've read the same information. We need strength now more than ever." I said back.
"I know, Chris, I know." She said softly, "I'm trying to get over it but it's hard. How would you feel if it was me getting hurt all the time instead of you?"
Terrible, that was how, but there was no way I was telling her that. I would throw myself in the line of fire a hundred times before she had to once, if it ever came to that.
I sat there in silence. We had this conversation multiple times by now, and we both knew where the other stood.
In that silence, Abigail checked me over before giving me the all-clear. The healers worked to fix me up and did a marvelous job of it. There wasn't any pain in my body as I moved around and stretched my limbs.
After she left, I went over my body to see if there was anything different. When Mitchell went through his procedure there was nothing visible afterward other than a feeling that he gave off.
Rachel had been trying to get me better at reading auras but I didn't have the time for it. She said that the 'feeling' I got from other people was the aura they gave off.
The only thing different about Mitchell was that he felt a little stronger to my senses but that was about it. No discoloration or other visible indicators of poison.
The same was true for my body. Nothing was different other than it felt stronger. My body felt more sturdy than before and like I could take a sword swing to my bare chest and be fine.
I would have to test it to see the effectiveness but I felt great.
The only visible difference between my body before compared to now was that my scars were mostly gone. They weren't gone entirely, but most had faded so much they weren't visible.
The big ones were still there but that was it.
It was a tad disheartening but it cleaned out room for new ones. For the fights I would have in the future.
It was late in theafternoon of Day 86, and by all accounts, the process was surprisingly quick. I thought it would have taken a while longer to finish. I hadn't realized getting healed prolonged it as much as it did.
Now the only thing left to do was test my body and do as much forging and enchanting as humanly possible.
I knew how many levels I needed to get before evolving and had set up a way to power level before going under.
Finished products gave more experience than anything else and I sought to exploit that. I imposed a little on Vincent but he was happy to help.
The plan was for him to forge countless weapons only until they were most of the way done. That way, I could come and finish them quickly before engraving Runes on them.
I would get the experience from finishing the weapon from forging, and then more from engraving Runes on them. Double the experience from half the work.
There was certainly some sort of penalty in terms of total experience for what I was doing but it should still put me out ahead in the long run.
6 levels in a day and a half. How hard could it be?
~~
Pound the metal, flip the metal, quench the metal, engrave the metal.
Repeat.
Pound the metal, flip the metal, quench the metal, engrave the metal.
It was mind-numbingly repetitive but the results spoke for themselves.
Congratulations! You have leveled up.
The first few were easy to get but I ran out of pre-prepared works quicker than I would have liked.
Vinny didn't have all the time in the world to prepare them for me and we ran dry halfway into Day 87. I switched to doing all kinds of things trying to scrape the last few levels into existence.
Enchanting buildings, walls, and weapons people were already using. Making as many swords as I could in the forge. My skills were taking a hit from the rush jobs but the experience was good.
Without focusing on the process, my skills didn't have a chance to upgrade and would be behind in rarity compared to my rank. Most were still in the common tier when Vinny's were mostly rare.
There would be time to fix it later though.
The only other thing I had to prepare for was the material I was going to use. Austin used the Wings of a Golden Eagle and Jonathan used the shell of Stone Turtles.
Mine was a touch different. It wasn't animals we were talking about but humanoids. It was a little creepy considering the body part I would be integrating into myself.
Different parts did different things and there was a lot to consider. Price was another thing but I didn't have to worry about that thankfully. My points alone weren't enough to buy all possibilities but with the help of my family, we had enough for any body part.
There was also something else to consider. Stronger body parts had a chance of failure but I felt like I could take a bit more than most.
My stats, body, and spirit felt more robust than what most people could handle.
There were so many things that I still needed to decide and not that long to do it.
Congratulations! You have leveled up.
Another chime signaled that time was coming nearer.
As soon as I hit level 50, I would be evolving and I had to make a decision.
Ugh, why did deciding have to be so hard?
A part of me just wanted to be told what to do or for there to be only one option. It would make things a hell of a lot easier.
I had an idea of what I would use but it was set in stone yet and there was still time to consider other avenues. My mind was nothing if not actively pondering.
The smithing didn't take a lot of deep thought which left it free to doubt and question all the ideas I had come up with.
The body part I was considering the most was the Heart. I felt like the Heart made the most sense to start with. Frostborn, or Frost Giants for that matter, didn't have wings to consider or shells to use.
They were mostly humanoid and had mostly human-like parts. Some were made of Ice or were more magically inclined than others but a great number were flesh and blood just like me.
The heart of a Frost Giant was where most of their magic resided. Where they drew power from the cold and where the strength of their bodies started.
They still had monstrous muscles and strong bones, but it all started with the heart.
They were almost like dragons in a sense. Dragons had some of the sharpest claws and most indestructible scales in existence but their most prized part was their heart.
It was where most of their magic resided and the place their famous Dragon's Breath came from.
Nothing could compare to a Dragon's Fire Breath.
Frost Giants didn't have a famous breath attack that they used or anything close, but they did have magics of their own. Great powers with Ice and Frost that came from their hearts.
If I started there, the rest of the body would come later. It would boost the function of my heart and give strength to the rest of my body.
If I started with the muscles, the rest of my body wouldn't be able to keep up.
With that mostly decided, my mind worked through the different things I could do with it. Austin and Jonathan both went the temporary route. They built upon their bloodline so their changes would only surface when they called on their bloodline.
Austin wouldn't sprout wings randomly and Jonathan wouldn't grow a turtle shell. They would only show up when they needed them to and were called on.
A heart was different.
It wasn't wings I needed to conjure at certain times and put away at others. It wasn't a noticeable change that was visible for people to see.
The main question in my mind was Would it really change me?
Not knowing the answer to that question killed me.
Congratulations! You have leveled up.
The time to evolve was drawing near.
Comments
Aaron Weingrad
Now he has a reason to conquer the entire planet. Only way he can have all the doors he might pass through scaled to his incoming height.
Supperwaffle
To be fair it's presumed that they are building a base from scratch I figure he can decide standard door height
Demonlord
Thanks for the nice chapter 😊 Can't wait for him to finally evolve... I hope he's going with the permanent changes and that there will be no major complications with his evolution
Baconwargod
Please height upgrade there really aren’t enough huge protags out there. A 7 foot tall big boy would be so nice.
Aaron Weingrad
I foresee him constantly banging his head on doorway lintels after he evolves.
James Faulkner
Let’s go permanent modifications!! Cast off your humanity and yeet yourself into the magical dark! 😁
HADES
God damn it I’m salivating here🥺😭😭
