Chapter 131: Acolyte Reward

By the time Charon had finished gorging himself, the others had returned.Liam had grabbed him in a bear hug, his face all smiles as he boisterously announced how proud he was that Charon had managed to kill the bastard. He tried to explain that he hadn’t, in fact, confirmed the kill, but the brute heard none of it, instead doubling down on the claim that the cultist was dead, evidenced by his summons falling silent. ’The machines don’t work that way. They aren’t normal summons, I’m sure of that.’ He wasn’t sure why, or how, but he was. It was a fact he knew in his heart of hearts, a sixth sense that he innately possessed. Emerius made no attempt to support his argument either, instead choosing to watch everything play out with a satisfied grin. Charon couldn’t complain about that, either. The blonde swordsman had just spent over an hour feeding him, revealing more and more sources of sustenance. Annie was the next one to find him, bounding forward to stare at him with an expression he instantly disliked. When she began poking him in different areas while muttering to himself, he felt even weirder. ’I never thought being touched by a pretty girl would wind up like this.’ After a few seconds of her prodding, he backstepped away and frowned, his tone confused. "What are you doing?" She waved his words away and closed the gap to continue her work. "Do you know how rare it is to see someone freshly ascended? I tried to collect data when you were passed out, but it was like trying to draw blood from a stone! You gave nothing away, nothing at all!" She splayed her hand and began to tap each of her fingers as if counting off her reasons. "You were cold to the touch, your heart rate was deathly slow, and you never moved, except every few hours when you jerked like a dying fish! None of the books I’ve read have talked about an ascension like that, even without preparation!" Annie grew more and more animated as she spoke, shrugging off a bulging pack as she began to pace in a line. Her hand randomly tapped her collarbone like a nervous tic, something Charon had never seen before. "None of it lined up! When I tried to do more research, these-" She waved at Emerius and Liam. "- morons wouldn’t let me do anything except the basic tests! Do you know how much of a waste of time that was? You have got to let me do more now that you have ascended, the knowledge is critical for our growth!" Throughout it all, he watched with mounting worry, unsure what kind of mad scientist he was looking at. ’I’ve never seen her like this before. Is this how she is when she really wants to study something? What does that mean for me? Am I a lab rat now?’ He had read enough stories about how that usually ended to know he wanted nothing to do with it! With a sheepish laugh, he scratched the back of his head and looked to Emerius for support, who was currently glaring daggers at the energetic blonde girl. "I’d rather not do any tests until I’m sure about what happened myself. I haven’t checked what my ascension reward was, anyway. Can’t it wait?" It was as if sparks were shooting from her eyes as she squealed in delight. "You haven’t!? This is amazing! It’s so rare we can document those! Some theories indicate that the gods themselves are what grant ascension rewards, so they are personal and deeply revealing about the character of someone!" A strong hand wrapped around her mouth and jerked her back, Darius appearing with an apologetic look. The man winced as he strained his shoulder, his chest tightening as he gritted his teeth. His shirt was tight enough to reveal bandages across his midsection, thick enough to jut out more than an inch. "I apologize on her behalf, Charon. It is not often that she finds a particularly interesting object of research, causing her to lose her composure upon such an occurrence. Do not hold it against her; she has done the same on a variety of subjects." The girl in question was struggling against his grip, her eyes burning in fury as he tightened his hand and yanked her to the side before releasing her, a stern gaze beaming down on her. "Annastasia, you know better than to bombard the newly ascended with your own curiosities. Allow him some time to settle, then I am sure Charon would be more than willing to satiate your queries." She opened her mouth as if to argue, before closing it, a sigh escaping her lips. "Fine, fine, I suppose he could use some time to relax. After that, I want my answers, though! I can’t let this opportunity slip away." Darius looked to Charon, who gave a short nod, unsure what he was agreeing to. ’I just want to move on to the interesting stuff; my reward!’ It was like a special gift, just for him, waiting to be unwrapped. ’Not like, it is! Annie was just saying some people think the gods design them per person!’ Darius crouched down with a grunt, flipping open Annie’s dropped pack and withdrawing a fruit that looked like a cross between an apple and a plum. Its skin was scarlet, but soft, with some fuzz growing on it. Taking the offered item, Charon hesitantly bit into it, his eyes widening as he tasted the sweet nectar. It was sugary but also tangy, a contrast of sensations that made his tongue curl in delight. His eyes rolled back as he savored the delicacy. Swallowing, he eagerly took another before wiping some of the juice from his lips. "What in the gods’ great galaxy is this?" Darius smirked and sat on one of the dirt mounds, his breath short and horse as he settled in. "A Midas fruit. The story goes that it is named after an ancient king who could turn items to gold, a valuable material. The fruit tastes so good that it was valued much like the material. They are rare and hard to grow, but we found an orchard near here that had a few. Enjoy them while you can." There was a gratitude in his voice, something Charon wasn’t sure what to do with. ’Why is he so happy with me? Did I say something during my ascension about him? A compliment, maybe?’ He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t going to complain. ’It’s better than him being an asshole and not trusting me.’ Charon did his best not to think about how he had been, and still was, lying and withholding information from the others. ’I really need to stop doing that as much. At least with Emerius, I can tell him, and if he thinks the others deserve to know, then I can share with them as well.’ It was a plan, something he could enact once they had some time alone. For now, he took another bite of the fruit, letting the sweetness coat his tongue while Annie fumed silently nearby, already planning her next assault of questions. He knew it was only a matter of time before she struck again, and the thought made his stomach turn almost as much as it thrilled him to talk with the beautiful girl more. Before too much time had passed, Emerius stood and gave him a light tap on the shoulder, drawing his attention. "You know, Charon, she does have a point about figuring out your reward. These things are important, and best not left alone for too long." The others vigorously nodded, with Liam smiling with a scoff. "Just lookin’ at him, I know what he is gonna get! Another spell, like every other summoner! Probably a new kind of summon, or maybe a way to keep his distance." Darius tilted his head, one eyebrow raising. "And you know much about summoners, how exactly?" Liam grinned viciously, like a predator with his prey in sight. His teeth were bared, perfectly white. "Killed a lot of them before. Wilely bastards, hard to pin down, but the moment you get close, they fall apart like shit in a storm." Darius grimaced in disgust. "Vivid vulgarity." The brute laughed aloud at that, slapping his knee in glee. "Wouldn’t have it any other way!" Tuning out the others, Charon decided to heed their advice and focus inward. He activated the holo-pad, a stream of text appearing in his vision. It felt like it came easier than before, for some unknown reason. [Name: Charon] [Rank: Acolyte 1] [Patron: Death] [Element: Soul] [Abilities: Soul Summon*, Soul Sense*, Soul Enhancement*] [Relics: Mask of the Jester*, Crown of the Mists*] The order of things was the same, but Charon noticed two big differences right away. His rank, which was now Acolyte. And a new ability, Soul Enhancement.