Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

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"Red touch, Bluestreak 32nd street. Show the bartender this sign then ask for greenlasp on the rocks."

Ayemon gave him instructions on how to get to Echo.

"It's not just Echo, from there you can get to almost any underground organizations. You can get anything whether legal or not."

"What's gotten you so riled up?" Aldrich asked.

Ayemon was clearly in a bad mood and he was unlucky enough to get caught up with him at such a time.

"It's about tomorrow's gathering." Norge who appeared at some point replied to him instead of Ayemon.

"I can see why," Aldrich nodded in understanding, "with all these big weights coming here at once, I can't blame you for being nervous."

Aldrich tried to comfort Ayemon but he was met with a weird look instead, as Ayemon and Norge were holding themselves back from laughing.

"Ehem! Yes, I guess you can see it that way too." Ayemon laughed, and took out his smoking pipe at which Aldrich frowned.

"You don't like when people smoke?" Ayemon asked after he noticed his discomfort.

"Not really, I don't mind." Aldrich didn't expect to be asked that and he didn't have any problems with smokers.

"Well, not with that look that you gave me just now. If it bothers you then you should've said so."

"What look?" Aldrich asked back, annoyed, "and I said it's fine. I never had a problem with people smoking. I wouldn't do it myself but that's just me."

"…. I see. You— never mind. Want me to help you with that ring?" Ayemon change the subject and pointed at his black ring.

"Oh, this?" Aldrich looked at Cazmer's ring, he knew that it was a grade two wondrous item but he wasn't sure about attunment, it belonged to Cazmer not long ago. But, it's time to move on.

"It's supposed to be a long process…"

"Not if I help you, but be sure to protect it properly, if it broke during a battle then your done for."

"Sure, let's do it." Aldrich agreed although he had never heard that other people can help in this process but since Ayemon said it, obviously he wasn't joking.

"Alright, just look into my eyes." Ayemon said and his voice somehow echoed in his mind many many times. He felt that his head was spinning.

Ayemon's eyes were the same grey but now there was a sliver ting to them.

"Aldrich release your Ether, don't restrain it."

In day to day Aldrich and all Crestmasters kept their Ether within themselves in order not to hurt ordinary people or draw attention to themselves.

"Good, now reach out to the ring."

Aldrich thought about the ring and his Ether converged into it. In the darkness or his mind he saw the ring and he reached out into it.

"Inscribe your crest into it and make it yours." Ayemon ordered.

"How? I don't know." Aldrich asked in his daze.

"You do, just don't think about it. Just do it!" Ayemon said and Aldrich felt his voice booming in his head.

Aldrich felt a portion of his crest merging with the empty ring and suddenly it responded to him.

With a thought it he was back to normal, "whoa, what was that?" He asked in astonishment.

"Want to know, eh?" Ayemon smugly raised his head and looked into the distance, "it's just a little trick don't let it bother you. Something only someone of my caliber can do."

"That's amazing." Aldrich honesty was impressed, that ability can make it so an opponent is distracted in a battle, "just how strong are you?"

"How strong?" Ayemon repeated as if he was surprised by the question, "hmm. Hmmmm."

Aldrich held his breath and was dying to know. It looks like Ayemon was not averse to answering.

"The strongest." Ayemon looked him in the eye.

Aldrich took a deep breath out of shock, his jaw was about to fall off, "y-you are the strongest???"

Suddenly Ayemon and Norge erupted into laughter together. Aldrich looked between the two of them in confusion until his cheeks went red in shame. They got him.

"Did you see the look on his face!" Ayemon slapped Norge on the back, tears about to roll out of he eyes.

"I did, I did!" Norge slapped him back, giving up on his professional act.

"Enough!" Aldrich roared to put a stop to this, "It wasn't that funny! Stop it…"

The two of them give him a deaf ear and kept on laughing for a while more until after a long time the laughter died down.

By that time Aldrich had attained enlightenment and became one with the world, achieving the sought after harmony of monks, no longer was he affected by the trivial mortal world.

"Hey now no need to be so grumpy…" Norge tried to comfort him but Aldrich did not respond.

"It was a good joke, huh." Ayemon the asshole mocked him further.

"Yeah, you got me good." Aldrich nodded and laughed at himself, "not bad, not bad."

"Don't be mad." Ayemon waved with his hand, "what was it again? How strong am I? Average, I guess."

Aldrich replied with a deadpan look.

"A-above average, I guess." Ayemon coughed.

Aldrich left the mansion with the servants attire in hand and before returning home he bought an adventurers backpack and foldable cart of the biggest size.

Back home during his routine meditation he felt himself growing closer to the Immatirum, this was normal after advancing to become a true Crestmaster but he felt it even more distinctly today.

It was an addicting feeling, that connection with the Immatirum, the Ether within him was excited and active as if responding to the Immatirum. Aldrich had the illusion that he could actually physically go in to the Immatirum.

After the meditation was over he read on Cazmer's information about his adventures and especially the dungeons he wrote about.

At the end of the night he extended his senses to the backpack and the cart, and then he unleashed his Aurora carefully to cover them.

After he was sure that it wasn't unstable he willed himself to go to the nightmare realm. After advancing he no longer needed to sleep to do so.

He opened his eyes in Voros and looked to his left. There he saw the backpack and the cart. He did it! He finally succeeded in bringing things over to this side.

He payed fifty red orbs for that but it was worth it. With this he could really start looting this treasure trove. Hehe, as for the roaming hoard of Malformed husks? He didn't care for them.

Actually he wanted them to find him instead of going out of his way to hunt them down.

Back in the real world he washed up and fed his new pet, after that he showed it the map of Voryhrm and point it to Tarzin's inn, the grinning Aatax. He wrote a simple message and sent it flying.

The message was simple it said: It's me, Aldrich, this is my new pet. Send a reply, I'm trying to train it.

After that he put on his servant's garb and took a carriage to the mansion, he slept in so he didn't have any time to waste.

The mansion was rife with movement, even more so than the past couple of days. Aldrich walked right in but he felt like he was crossing the sea, with so many people darting in and out.

The decorations of the mansion were always top notch but today he discovered that there was a sky beyond the sky. The paintings, vases and ancient battle armaments were sparkling and the red carpets were lined with exquisite patterns.

The place looked amazing, and even smelled better. But the most breathtaking sight was the colorfully shining butterflies on the ceiling. They filled the place with a hundred different colors and lights which was also soothing.

Ishaw butterflies. That was their name. They were so expensive because of their colorful lights and because they lived for only a week after hatching.

"Hey, Aldrich come on in here. Stand behind me." Norge pulled him out of his thoughts and handed him a tray on which there was white wine glasses.

Ayemon and Norge were standing at the entrance in front of the inner gate. Aldrich was told to stand behind Norge. Ayemon was suited in a sky-blue and lined with dark gold, he looked so dignified and different from usual.

Norge tapped three times with his cane on the floor, "the guest of honor is about to arrive." He said quietly.

Yet it seems that all the servants and maids heard him as some of them dispersed and the others lined up perfectly from the outer gate to the inner door of the mansion.

Soon enough in that pin drop silence three high class carriages pulled by majestic lions and white tigers entered through the gates.

"Been a while since I've been to Voryhrm."

A fat middle aged man walked out of the foremost carriage.