Chapter Forty-Two


    Mug slapped against mug in a slosh of golden liquid that splattered wetly to the wooden floor below as a triumphant “Hurrah!” boomed throughout the room.


    “We have done it, mon ami!” Tina called, her eyes bright, lips spread wide in a bright grin.


    Ambrose grunted and sipped his…what is this? It tasted of some kind of berry, and honey. Normally, he didn’t enjoy alcohol much, but Tina had pressed the issue, and he gave in. Whatever this was, it was good, and he allowed himself to enjoy it. Just a little bit.


    Tina was grinning like a mad cat, and soldiers all around her were laughing, jostling each other, and pouring golden liquid down their throats.


    Ambrose had manifested Noelle, and a group of fighters were pouring the alcohol down her throat, screaming their delight. The result was..entertaining. Noelle stumbled away, looking for all the world like a newborn kitten. Her tongue snaked outward, licking the air, and her bright blue eyes whirled this way and that.


    Then she promptly tripped over her own tail, giving rise to giggling laughter.


    Smiling slightly, Ambrose checked his notifications.


    [You have defeated a level 195 Leshi Bear Horror and closed an Incursion into your world. Experience shared with allies. You have advanced to level 185. Note that no more skills or skill upgrades will be offered until C-Grade is reached and your class has been upgraded.]


    Twenty-two levels was nothing to sneeze at. One-hundred and seventy-six points to spend. Since he hadn’t looked at his character sheet in a while, he brought it up now.


    [Name: Ambrose Severen


    Level: 185


    Race: Human (D-Grade)


    Traits: Ruthless(Uncommon), Giant Slayer(Uncommon), Reforged-Legendary, Infernal(Mythic)


    Class: Infernal Paladin (Epic)


    Profession: Knight Of Avalon (Level 35)


    Skills: [Hellfire Manipulation-Mythic], [Retributions Gaze-Epic], [Infernal Sanctuary-Legendary], [Infernal Aegis-Legendary(Spiritual Skill)], [Infernal Recall-Rare], [Infernal Dimension-Epic]


    Constitution: 300


    Strength: 300


    Intellect: 300


    Wisdom: 300


    Willpower: 313


    SC: 0


    Attribute Points: 176]


    His character sheet looked solid to him. He had one mythic skill and one mythic trait. That was probably way more than most people had, so he couldn’t complain. His fingers tightened, nonetheless. He had struggled against the Leshi, and for a moment, he genuinely thought that was going to be the end of him.


    He hated feeling like he had given up, but his bag of tricks had run out at the time. If it hadn’t been for Tina…he shook his head. He was still here; they had won.


    But it highlighted a problem that Ambrose hadn’t wanted to admit to himself.


    He needed to slow down. He had noticed it back in the dungeon with Lizella and Akaroth. He didn’t ask the questions he should have asked and didn’t gather the information he needed to. He just kept pressing on. He had access to people and beings who knew things. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    He could have talked to Vivienne about the Leshi or talked to Troy about buying relevant information on them. Had he done that, he may not have been blindsided.


    Ambrose blew a breath out through his nose and bit the side of his tongue. If he just took the time to do some serious meditation on his Icon, he may not have had to have been saved by Tina. There were lots of things the Tree of Avalon could do if he spent some time hunting down evil souls.


    Instead, he rushed headlong into task after task, not stopping to ask relevant questions, consolidate power, or even find his enemies'' weaknesses. For his whole life, Raylen had been teaching him that knowledge was an important weapon like any other.


    He hadn’t even asked the dwarves for help, and they had promised to do so.


    Ambrose sipped at his drink. He couldn’t make it to Eric if he was dead.


    He didn’t want to, but acknowledging the necessity, Ambrose resolved to slow down.  Grumbling, he addressed his advancement.


    He dropped thirty-five points in every attribute. He had one point left over. He took a sip of his drink, savoring the sweetness on his tongue and the warm tang in his throat.


    Shrugging, he put the final point into willpower. He felt his core grow within him. Newfound strength rushed through him, causing goosebumps to break out over his skin. He clenched his fist and resisted the urge to shout at the zing of power.


    Yes. He had made mistakes. Yes. He needed to slow down.


    But the results were clear.


    He chuckled, the sound lost in the cacophony of the party around him.


    His stupidity had been rewarded. Anyone else might have been incentivised to keep being stupid.


    Noelle stumbled over to him, chuffing and pressing her head underneath his hand. Her anger at him had abated somewhat since the battle.


    He scratched her ears and she wobbled, slumping against him.


    He still had one more Incursion to deal with.


    But true to his word, Ambrose slowed down.


    And allowed himself to enjoy the victory he had fought for.


    ***


    Tina’s palm slapped into his, shaking vigorously.


    “Thank you, le chevalier. Without you, my home would be no more.”


    Ambrose nodded.


    “Keep in touch, Tina.”


    She smiled at him,


    “But of course. We are allies, after all.”


    Like a bolt of lightning, a thought struck Ambrose.


    They were allies.


    For a while now, he had been wondering how to help Andrea without compromising and making sure she could deal with things on her own.


    But she didn''t have to be on her own.


    “Hey, Tina. Could I ask a favor?”


    Her eyebrow rose,


    “Name it.”


    He told her what he wanted.


    Her answering grin was all the answer he needed to see. Waving, he opened a portal beneath the tree of Avalon and stepped through it.


    Vivienne stood before him here as she always did.


    “Vivienne.”


    She inclined her head,


    “Sir Knight.”


    Ambrose took a breath.


    No more rushing.


    He had two things he needed to accomplish. He wanted to work on understanding his Icon, and he had a way to go about that, though it was unpleasant.


    Secondly, he wanted to know everything he could about Fire Giants.


    He decided to pursue the Icon option first.


    “I''d like you to replay some old memories for me. It''s time I reviewed some of Dad''s old lessons.”


    Vivienne inclined her head.


    “As you wish, Sir Knight.”


    She raised her hand, and Ambrose’s world became an ocean of white.


    Memory after memory played through his mind, not unlike when he was first exploring himself and his spirit. But this time, he tried to connect it to his Icon, the Forge.


    He tried to find out how he fit in it.


    Already, he had established that he was forging himself; already, he had connected himself to fire.


    It took many memories of his past self for Ambrose to understand another piece.


    He wasn’t the only forger. It wasn''t just him forging himself; it was his past and the people in it.


    His father.


    His mother.


    His Alice.


    These were the fires, the anvil, the hammer, and the blacksmiths. They made him what he was and drove his actions even to this day.


    Just like that, another puzzle piece clicked into place.