Path to the Apocalypse

The next day, Victoria continued to work on fixing the tension she'd created between her and the rest of the family. With Calvin, it was fairly simple. She just dedicated some of the time she usually reserved for cultivation to playing games with him. Since she didn't need to sleep, it wasn't that big a deal to give up an hour or two to bond with her little brother. As for her mother…

"Victoria!" Melissa exclaimed as Victoria hesitantly entered her chambers, jumping up to pull her into a hug. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

Victoria flushed, internally chastising herself for not doing more to actually develop a connection with her new family as she awkwardly returned Melissa's embrace. "I- I just wanted to apologize. I've been… frustrated, and I've been taking it out on all of you, and you don't deserve that. I- I just wanted to make sure you knew I was sorry and that I'll be better from now on."

"Oh, dear, I know." Melissa pulled her closer, rubbing her back consolingly. "With everything that's happened, everything you've gone through, I'm amazed you're handling it all as well as you are! If you need to vent sometimes, it's more than understandable."

"But my venting shouldn't come at your expense." Victoria replied softly. "I shouldn't make the lives of everyone around me miserable just because I'm having issues."

"You can't hide what you're going through just to make the people around you feel better." Melissa chastised firmly, pulling away to look her firmly in the eye. "We want to be there for you! If you hide your pain, how are we supposed to help?"

Victoria hesitated. "I- I guess, but… shouldn't there be a middle ground between pretending everything is okay and being a complete bitch to everyone around me?"

"Ideally? Absolutely. But how many of us have the wherewithal to actually determine that in the midst of our struggles?" Melissa countered. "Everyone has bad days. Days where they can't, or don't, consider their actions, and simply react. And that's okay. Trying to be perfect all the time will only make you miserable. The key isn't to always respond perfectly, but to acknowledge that even when you respond poorly, the other person still loves and accepts you anyways. That even when you fight and argue, that doesn't mean you hate each other."

Victoria frowned. "I still don't think that's an excuse to abuse the people around you."

Melissa sighed, shaking her head. "No, it isn't, you're right. You will still have to deal with the consequences of your actions. If you make someone angry, they will still be angry and you have to do what you must to deal with that. However, you'll still have a relationship. If you hide everything you're going through, then the relationship breaks down. It's no longer a relationship between you and them, but between them and the person you pretend to be. That isn't a real relationship."

Victoria finally got what she was saying. Melissa wasn't telling her it was okay to be a bitch, but that even if she was a bitch sometimes, it was better than walling herself off from everyone. People were messy and imperfect. They were going to piss you off sometimes, and you were going to piss them off sometimes. It was a part of life. If she hid herself from that, pretended everything was fine, smoothed over every little bump, she could make people like her, but it wouldn't actually be her people liked. "I- I understand. I'll still try to be better though. To be better at recognizing I'm going down a bad path, so I can fix it or get help before things get so… tense."

Melissa smiled. "I know you will. And I also know you'll make mistakes, because you're human. But that's okay, because I love you." She pulled Victoria in for another hug, squeezing her tightly. Victoria hesitated for a moment, before squeezing back, holding onto Melissa tightly as a few tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes. She hadn't even realized how much she missed the unconditional acceptance that could only come from a mother. She could almost feel a part of her loneliness evaporate under Melissa's warm embrace.

They held each other for a long moment, silently comforting each other. After a while, they parted, and began to talk of lighter things. Victoria talked about how her cultivation was going, the various projects she was working on, her ideas going forward, and her concerns about where all this was taking her. "It's just… the more I see, the more I realize how power obsessed this world is." Victoria sighed. "The more you have of it, the more people want to drag you down. Either that, or they just want to use you. I want to keep cultivating, to keep growing stronger, but… it just seems like everything I do invites more and more problems. Sometimes I think I should just run away and forget all of this, find somewhere quiet and just live." Of course, she knew that was just wishful thinking. She couldn't just ignore what had happened to Earth. Still, when she thought about the path in front of her, of the things she'd need to do, she just felt tired. It all seemed so insurmountable.

"That's the burden of power." Melissa nodded. "The more you have, the more you can do, which unfortunately means there's more people want to stop you from doing. You don't need to stop a farmer from overthrowing your kingdom, but if you piss off a sufficiently powerful Cultivator, you won't even have a kingdom to overthrow! However, a sufficiently powerful Cultivator can also save millions, revolutionize a culture, or create an era of prosperity unlike any seen before! The Callowan Empire was born because of a single powerful Cultivator, and we are still benefiting from the stability it provided! Just the effect of clearing out the most dangerous gathering places for Rune Beasts has done wonders for our development. When a Beast Tide runs through your lands every decade or so, it's hard to build anything that will last. I understand the desire to run away, to avoid the hardships that come with pursuing power, but for the good you can accomplish if you succeed, can you really live with yourself if you just gave up?"

Victoria paused. The good she could do, huh? She remembered her time back on Earth, how the world had begun to change. Sure, the government didn't like her, but the system was ready to make everyone's life better! If she could do something like that here, take cultivation from something that a few powerful people lorded over the rest, to something that everyone had access to… Victoria's thoughts cut off as she remembered the end result of that on Earth. The Voice, or someone like them, would show up again and destroy everything, wouldn't they? Victoria scowled. More power being used to oppress, instead of support! She was sick of it! If you didn't use your power for good, you didn't deserve to have it! Kingdoms that would kill people for showing too much promise, Sects that tricked desperate children into signing their lives away, powerful creatures that wiped out entire worlds just because of a little disorder… they all deserved to burn!

Victoria took a deep breath as she got herself under control. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

Melissa smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

Victoria nodded. "I should probably get back to work… Would- would you mind if I stopped by every now and then? To talk?"

"You are always welcome, day or night." Melissa replied in a serious tone. "You come to me whenever you need me, understand?"

Victoria smiled. "Yes, Ma'am. I will."

"Yes, Mom." Melissa corrected her sternly, before giving her one last hug. "Now, go on, get back to work. I expect great things from you!" She pushed Victoria along with a smile.

"I'll try not to disappoint." Victoria laughed, hesitating slightly before adding one last word. "Mom."

*

Victoria was feeling good after her conversation with Melissa, but she still had one person to talk to: her father. She wasn't going to apologize to AJ. He deserved everything she'd thrown at him, and more. The Marquis hadn't. However… she was still a little angry at him. She knew it was unreasonable, that it was the culture, that he didn't know the whole story, that he had to consider how his actions affected the family as a whole, not just her or AJ, but… the casual disregard for Beatrice was something she couldn't get past. She knew she was being too harsh, too unreasonable, but to her, Beatrice was important. To not even consider the fact that dismissing her would literally ruin her life… Victoria scowled. She was getting off track. The point was that she knew her father wasn't a bad man, and he didn't deserve to be treated as one. She needed to apologize for that. The problem was that she didn't know if she could apologize without turning it into another argument over human rights…

Victoria let out a pained groan. Why did this world's culture have to be so backwards?!? And why couldn't she seem to convince anyone that there was a problem with it!?! Everyone was so entrenched in these ideas, and no matter what she said, they wouldn't budge! Objectively she'd known how hard it could be to change a person's view on a subject. She'd had arguments over politics more than enough to realize that there was no way to change some people's minds. It was just that this stuff seemed so basic to her! How could you even question that even the lowliest servant deserved basic human decency? How could any argument refute that? And yet over and over, they did! She almost bought into some of the arguments herself! She could at least see the logic behind it. She understood that no one deserves anything. Expecting someone else to do something for you as if you had some sort of right to it didn't make any sense. It was their life. They got to live it however they wished, and if they didn't wish to help you, well, sucks to be you. However, as a decent human being, you should at least feel some inclination to be good to the people around you, right? If you can help someone, why not do it?

Victoria paused. "Shit, I'm already arguing and I'm not even there yet!" She cursed. Maybe she was too tense? If she slipped into the bathroom, she could- Victoria cut off that train of thought, flushing deeply. There was something deeply wrong about using the orgasm button right before she talked to her father. Plus, if she started using it every time she felt a little tense or stressed, wouldn't she just be using it all the time? She didn't need to be addicted to the thing. She should probably limit herself to only using it once a day, tops, and maybe not even that often. She didn't want to get used to it or something and not be able to enjoy regular sex.

Victoria let out another sigh. "Shit, I'm stalling." She grumbled, willing herself to keep moving towards the Marquis. She knew that even if it was hard, even if she ended up making things worse, she had to try. She had to put herself out there and apologize. She found the Marquis practicing in the courtyard where he'd taught her her dagger drills, swinging a giant blade as if it was as light as a feather, his eyes closed as he flowed through the large, sweeping motions, sending dust flying as wind billowed around him. Victoria waited by the entrance, watching quietly, mesmerized by the beautiful, yet violent motions, a union of skill and brutality. It was completely different from the way she used her daggers. Her dagger forms focused on precision, doing the most work with the least amount of effort. The goal was to be fast and efficient. The wide, arcing motions would never be used in any real fight using a dagger. However, despite their obvious differences, Victoria felt something click inside her as she watched, feeling her Bladework Rune react to the violent motions. She went into a daze as she watched, she felt as if she was on the verge of a breakthrough, when suddenly the Marquis stopped as he noticed her.

"Victoria?" He asked in confusion. "What are you-"

"Damn it!" Victoria cursed as she lost the feeling, before freezing as she remembered why she was actually here. "Uh, sorry. I didn't- I- I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting the last few days. I've been rude and even if we disagree, you don't deserve that. You haven't done anything wrong, we just… have different views on how the world should work."

Albert stared at her for a moment, processing her words. "I- I have been stubborn as well." He finally sighed. "You have… legitimate views that, even if I don't believe they would necessarily work in our society, I shouldn't dismiss the way I have been. I should have been the one to talk to you, but… I've been prideful."

Victoria shook her head. "My behavior wasn't even related to that. I was… frustrated, due to something else, and I was taking it out on all of you. Even if you'd talked to me, we probably would have just gotten into another argument." She sighed.

"I knew there was something else going on! If I'd actually talked to you, maybe I could have helped!" Albert retorted in frustration.

Victoria flushed. "I- I don't think you could have… it was more of a personal issue."

Albert frowned slightly, wondering what she could mean by that, but deciding not to pry. Their situation was already tenuous. It would be best to not push her. "Would you like to spar?" He offered tentatively.

Victoria paused, before smiling and nodding. "I'd like that." Albert breathed a sigh of relief, moving to put his large sword away. "Wait!" Victoria called out to stop him. "Could… could we use the large swords?" She asked hesitantly, remembering the feeling she'd gotten when she watched him practice earlier. Maybe if she fought with one, she could figure out what she was missing!

Albert hesitated. "Are you sure? I know your cultivation gives you a strength boost, but even Essence Cultivators at the first stage of Core Strengthening struggle with a sledgeblade. I know I make it seem light, but this weapon weighs over fifty pounds." He explained, hefting the sledgeblade.

Victoria nodded. "I'm sure." She didn't need to worry about the weight anyway. With her points plus her cultivation, while the sledgeblade wouldn't exactly be light, it wouldn't be that heavy either.

Albert eyed her with a weird look, before shaking his head. "If you really want to, I'm not opposed to a light spar. An introduction to sledgeblades would do you well in any case." He picked another, slightly smaller sledgeblade off the wall, handing it to Victoria.

Victoria took the heavy weapon, feeling the weight in her arms as she gave it a practice swing, stumbling half-way through. The sheer momentum of the thing almost took her off her feet! She swung it a few more times, getting used to bracing herself against the force generated by swinging a weapon that heavy, before pausing with a frown. How exactly was she supposed to fight with this thing? Every time she swung, she'd leave openings that anyone with even a modicum of speed could take advantage of! She thought of how the Marquis had been moving when he was practicing earlier, almost like he was dancing… at the time the movements had seemed excessive, but now… Victoria began to swing again, but instead of bracing herself against the momentum, she flowed with it, letting it carry her along with it.

She was clumsy at first, but as she continued, her steps began to fall in line with the motions as she felt a strange sensation come over her. She wasn't meditating on her Bladework Rune, but she felt the lessons she'd learned before return, remembering how it had guided her through her dagger forms, teaching her how to think about them, how to adjust her movements to fit the weapons better, how to leverage her strength in the most optimal way. The lessons still applied to the sledgeblade, she just had to adjust in a different way! Daggers needed precise control. Small deviations could be the difference between a successful parry and your dagger breaking. However, with a sledgeblade, precision was a joke. Even a glancing blow could send your opponent flying! Instead, the problem was actually controlling the weapon. It was too heavy to fight, but she could guide its momentum, turning herself into a whirlwind of violent motion! It was all about maneuvering herself in the right way so that any opening would become a trap as the sledgeblade swung back around, or even using the momentum of the blade to dodge any potential attack. Where daggers would let her hold back and wear down the opponent through small, precise strikes, the sledgeblade demanded that she attack constantly, because any pause would turn into a real opening, which would leave her vulnerable.

Albert watched Victoria adjust to the sledgeblade, once again awed by the sheer talent of his daughter. It only took her a few moments to go from stumbling about to flowing with her weapon! He could see her figuring out the principles necessary to wield a sledgeblade in a matter of seconds. It was almost like she was destined for combat, for power, and that thought sent a chill down his spine. If it had been AJ, or even Calvin showing this level of talent, he wouldn't be concerned, but his daughter? It was rare for a powerful woman to lead a happy life. They were either pursued as trophies, or rejected for being too aloof, and if she thought Duke Duhallis was bad, then she was in for a rude awakening when she met the truly powerful Cultivators. It was an unfortunate fact that those who reached for power tended to be assholes. A rare individual may pursue power to help those around them, but the majority did it for themselves, searching for power so that they could live how they wanted, disregarding everyone else around them. If Victoria continued down this path she was so very, very suited for… Eventually one of them would take a liking to her, and he just hoped she would be strong enough to stand her ground when they did.

Victoria finished getting used to the sledgeblade, turning to Albert. "Ready?" She asked, hefting the weapon, a hint of excitement in her eyes. She was so close to the revelation! She could practically taste it! All she needed was a little push, and she was positive her Bladework Rune would Advance!

Albert hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Ready." He replied, hefting his own sledgeblade. He was worried for his daughter, but he was also incredibly proud of her. If she was going to face this danger, he needed to make sure she was as prepared as possible.

*

Victoria returned from the spar with her father sweaty and sore. Since she lacked an essence shield, and it was much too dangerous to truly spar using a sledgeblade without one, the Marquis had insisted on a mock spar, where they swung their sledgeblades slowly, mimicking the momentum as best they could. It was less dangerous, but much more difficult to do. Swinging a fifty pound weapon was hard. Slowly moving that same fifty pound weapon as if you had swung it? Victoria had felt like her arms were about to fall off not even five minutes in. Still, she'd learned a lot. For one, the Marquis had shown her that flowing with the momentum was only the start of wielding a sledgeblade. The next step was learning how to chain swings together until you returned to a 'stance'. This allowed you to pause without leaving yourself vulnerable to attack. Most fights between sledgeblade wielders involved shifting between these stances over and over, until one party made a mistake and left themselves vulnerable, or at least, appeared to do so, goading their opponent into an attack that left them vulnerable. It was a lot more mental and calculative than Victoria would have assumed people who wielded giant swords would be interested in. It was practically chess, but with swords!

Not that it was much different with daggers, but she'd been under the impression that daggers were skill based weapons, while weapons like sledgeblades were purely strength based, acting more on a 'who can hit harder' principle. Victoria paused, her eyes widening. That was it! She suddenly sat down, entering her Runescape and focusing on her Bladework Rune. She finally realized the piece she'd been missing! She'd been limiting her Bladework Rune to daggers, but it wasn't a dagger Rune, it was a Bladework Rune! It taught her how to use blades. All blades! Daggers, swords, and sledgeblades! She felt a little dumb for not realizing it earlier. As the realization clicked, her Bladework Rune began to tremble, shaking as new lines formed, her stomach burning as the old lines etched themselves just above her belly button.

Once the process finished, Victoria breathed out a happy sigh, smiling as she opened her eyes. She was officially an Essence Cultivator! All she had to do was condense her new core and she could begin exploring Essence abilities! Victoria paused. Did she even need to wait that long? She already had the Advanced Bladework Rune. Why not just use her points to simulate Essence and start now? Victoria closed her eyes, focusing on the new Bladework Rune, a stream of knowledge beginning to flow through her. She raised her hand, and-

Victoria opened her eyes, frowning slightly. What was she supposed to be doing? She had ideas on how to take energy from her Essence core and layer it over her skin, but… how was she supposed to make the energy layer?!? She didn't know how to do that with her points! She frowned, returning to her Runescape, focusing on the Bladework Rune again. This time, the Rune wanted her to take energy from her Essence core and… connect? To her skin? She sent her points to her skin with a frown. What was the next step here? She felt like she was missing something, like there was some previous step that the Rune just assumed she knew. Like she was trying to go from A to C, but she was missing B. Her points were sitting there, waiting, but she didn't know what to tell them! It was like- like she was trying to make a sandwich without knowing what a sandwich was!

Victoria's eyes widened in understanding. She didn't have Essence, so her points didn't know how Essence worked, therefore they couldn't simulate it! It was just like when she'd tried to have the system make a sandwich without having any idea what made up a sandwich. Essence was the foundation of all this, and until she learned how it worked, she wouldn't be able to use the skills related to it. Victoria shook her head, grinning slightly. "No cheating today, huh? Just gotta do the work." She chuckled, before sitting down to start forming her Essence core.