Chronicles of the True Wizard

The battle was over, the war had been won. There was work to be done, but no one was ready to do it just yet. Instead, ale was poured and food was shared. Grim was happy everyone was in a jovial mood but after the initial wave of relief, his worry was slowly growing. Felix was still missing and it had been almost 6 hours. Everyone in the city was participating in something called a barbeque, which Grim understood the definition of, but that didn't translate into an experience for him. He cared about the people around him, he had come to see them as friends, but he didn't overly feel the need to spend time and celebrate. Though it was possible it was his growing anxiety that spoiled the mood for him.

He had spent the entirety of the last hour staring north east, towards the center of the map. His thoughts didn't race, he didn't theorize, he simply waited for a sign of any kind. Noah misinterpreted this as longing and regret so, after spending a solid amount of time with Amelia, walked over to stand next to Grim and stare out at the ocean alongside him. After a few minutes he said, "You think he made it?"

Grim thought about it for a few moments, then wrote out, "No idea. All we can do is hope."

Noah nodded and turned back to the celebrations while Grim flew north. Grim had no intention of getting anywhere near the fight, but he needed to be closer, he needed to know as soon as possible. Instead of the fight, Grim headed to the shore line and floated there, perfectly still. He could see the wall of rain that had passed over the armies in the middle of the sea, at the center of the horizon. He could only see it, that far, because it was so big. His vision at that distance was unusable for precision, but it was able to make out the landscape and weather.

He watched for two, almost three hours. As before, he did not fret, he did not fear. He simply stood there and waited, for a sign of any kind. Grim wasn't from this universe, or at least not this section of it, he knew that almost right away when Felix didn't understand a single language he knew. He knew it when The System rudely probed his existence as soon as he was released.

It was supposed to be impossible. Releasing Grim was supposed to take 6 of the greatest magicians ever, all working in perfect unison. He was meant to be sealed away, only to be released if the time came for the awful secrets he contained to be revealed and forbidden knowledge to be known.

Then a kid from a universe he had never heard of opened the seal and revealed secrets he didn't even know it contained. The intention was to open the cube that sealed the pocket universe containing Grim, what the symbols on the outside of the cube meant, he had no idea. He didn't even know they were there and he doubted the magicians who had sealed him did either. They had just found the cube, opened it and found something mundane inside, realizing how hard it was to open, they used it for their own purposes. He recognized them, he knew what the symbols were. He just didn't know where they led, and he had no intention of finding out, at least, not alone.

The first person he had seen after being released, was Felix. A kid who did the impossible. A monster in every way. Felix probably isn't worthy of the forbidden knowledge Grim contained, he would probably never be so Grim shouldn't be able to bond to him. He wasn't the most morally grounded individual and he wasn't incorruptible. The issue was, the reason Grim deemed him worthy anyway was that Felix didn't need the secrets Grim held.

Whether he learned them or not, one day, Felix would be able to do everything in the book and a million other things no one had even dreamed of. It didn't matter if Grim chose him or not, either way, Felix would outclass everything he had ever heard of. So in the end, the decision was to either hitch himself to the fastest ride that has likely ever existed and just enjoy the journey, or sit back and watch it leave without him.

Grim watched the storm, a large grey blur in front of him. He saw a brilliant flash of light that lit the entire night sky, like an instant of daylight in the inky black night. Then he heard, the crack of thunder, what was certainly one of the loudest sounds he had ever heard. He could feel the sound through his pages as they ruffled and vibrated. He had no idea what had happened, other than a lightning strike. For some reason though, he laughed.

Felix lay on the ocean and watched as the clouds dissolved to reveal the starry sky above. He floated on the surface and just enjoyed the night. He was alive.

He felt guilty, having chosen the amulet or the charm as his favorite piece of gear over the boots. In the end, they were what had saved him. They were also just so comfortable and stylish, which was why he wept when he realized they were damaged beyond repair. They had saved his life. What had the necklace done? Given him stats? That was great too, but right now, he mourned the loss of friends that had been with him since nearly the beginning. He loved those boots, and now they were gone.

He was also recovering as he floated in the sea. He had lost about a quarter of his health and was almost entirely out of mana. His muscles were actually sore, though he wasn't sure why. He hadn't blacked out, but for all intents and purposes he had. The lightning strike blinded him, deafened him, filled his nostrils with smoke and his mouth with something. He was launched into the air off the Kraken and his senses recovered as he floated on the surface of the sea. The Kraken's body was no where to be found, though Felix didn't care, there was no way it would fit in his inventory at least he assumed.

He knew he had notifications waiting but he didn't check them. Not for a while anyway. Eventually, he knew he had to get up, he wanted to find out if the city had succeeded or not and he couldn't just lay there, floating on the sea forever. First though, he checked his notifications, which there were a lot of.

Major City

Grovewatch has declared a siege on your city.

If they manage to either slay you or occupy the city, they will be victorious. You will win if they are captured, slain or surrender.

Major City

Grovewatch has been defeated, you are victorious.

With the co-leaders of Grovewatch captured, the siege is concluded. For the siege to continue a commander of the enemy's army will need to declare a vengeance siege within the next 24 hours.

I think it's time I soul-bond with Grim.

Tutorial Fort Capture

You have successfully captured: Icewatch, Swampwatch, Desertwatch, Cavewatch, Grovewatch, Mountainwatch, Forestwatch.

How creative.

Congratulations!

You have received 2 new titles.

Solo Completionist: Integration Tutorial, Warlord (Commander)

Solo Completionist: This title is given to one who both wholly owns every fort and completes every available standard objective in the integration tutorial, solo.

Warlord (Commander): This title is given to one who commands and leads an army to victory against an army of a larger size with minimal losses.

Would you like to equip one of your titles and display it to those who identify you?

Yes.

No.

No. I never want to do that. It gave me the title? Guess The System is mad it can't give it to Grim?

Tutorial Announcement

The Final Boss has been slain.

The Legendary Kraken, Emperor of the Sea has been vanquished. This is an accomplishment to be proud of, through determination, perseverance, and teamwork, you have come together to accomplish the impossible, and come out victorious on the other end. All rewards will be distributed at the end of the tutorial.

Stats:

Deaths: 0

Total Damage Dealt: 57,903,398

Total Damage Taken: 22

Participants: 1

Thank god it didn't say how long it took. Also note to self, don't get hit by lightning, it does a lot of damage.

Ding You have slain a [D - Legendary] Kraken: Emperor of the Sea (Lvl 105)

Ding You have gained 6 levels in [E - Common] Caster

Congratulations!

You have received 3 new titles.

Slayer: Emperor of the Sea, Hand of Heaven, Titan Killer: Legendary

Slayer: Emperor of the Sea: This title is given to those who single handedly slay a Kraken.

Hand of Heaven: This title is given to remember a great feat, smiting an enemy with the power of the heavens and surviving to tell the tale.

Titan Killer: Legendary: This title is given to those who single handedly slay a creature of a higher tier than they are, the rarity corresponds to the slain beasts rarity.

Alright, time to check my charm.

[E - Legendary] Charm of the Boss Conqueror

…

Current Souls:

Colossal Mountain Turtle (100%)

Griffin (100%)

Royal Elk (100%)

Desert Worm (100%)

Alpha Yeti (100%)

Giant Gator: King of the Swamp (100%)

Tropical Roc (100%)

Stone Giant (100%)

Great Sea Serpent (100%)

Kraken: Emperor of the Sea (100%)

Nice, now it's gotta do something great, right?

Felix knew there was nothing to get back to, know that he knew the war was won, so he thought about just laying on the ocean for a while. Ultimately, that got boring so he righted himself and channeled mana into the plates on his boots to lift him into the air. Except, nothing happened.

They're gone, aren't they, from the lightning. Oh well.

Felix's mana surfboard was shattered so he cast 4 channeled force spells and flew towards the city. On the way back, he spotted a torn piece of cloth, a rag really, floating over the shore. Felix descended down towards it and realized, "Grim!"

"Felix? What happened?"

"I won. I hear you won as well."

"Yeah, yeah war's over. What do you mean, you won?"

"I killed it."

"How?"

"Magic." Grim didn't bother responding so Felix continued, "I smited it."

"Is that even a word?"

"Not sure, smote?"

"Was it actually a Kraken?"

"System said so."

"So the flash of light?"

"You can read my memories right? If we soul-bond?"

"Yeah, I should be able to."

"Ok, let's do it."

"Right here?"

"Sure, why not? I take it this isn't a surgical procedure?"

"No, of course not. Alright, I don't know how the system does it, but here's how we're gonna do it."

The process was simple, both parties just had to carve out a tiny portion of their soul and swap them. It didn't have to be from the core soul or any particular layer. Grim called it a soul seed. Once planted in another soul, it would slowly grow as the bond grew and integrate with the host soul. The bond was then through the seed, that was how either side could communicate with each-other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .