Chapter 73: Promotion?

"You don't need to sign a soul contract with me. You are free to act within the area I control. As for gods, I trust you will keep your word. However, I must cleanse you of the stench of sorcery and the power of voodoo that clings to you. Elves are deeply repulsed by trollish sorcery and voodoo. Without purging these forces, you won't be able to take a single step in Quel'Thalas."

"Truly?" The Spirit of the Mountain Cat let out several delighted sounds, not unlike the mewling of a cat, upon hearing that a soul contract was not required. As for cleansing itself of sorcery and voodoo, that was a trivial matter, hardly worth mentioning.

It had assumed it would be forced into servitude for this elf, yet unexpectedly, there was not even a request for a formal pact—just immediate trust.

"Just as I thought—such a feline temperament," Patrick mused darkly.

With the mountain cat spirit’s assent, Patrick unleashed a vast surge of arcane energy. The elves nearby were startled, fearing some major arcane mishap. The torrent of arcane power slowly flowed into the mountain cat spirit’s body, washing out the residual voodoo energy. What emerged was no longer the pale blue of pure arcane power, but a swirling purple-black.

As the arcane energy entered, it forcibly drew out the sorcery that had collected within the mountain cat for years, causing it visible discomfort—its body trembled and struggled lightly.

After a time, the mountain cat spirit slipped from Patrick’s sleeve and seated itself by his side like a kitten, while copious purple-black energy seeped from its limbs, eyes, and mouth.

The mountain cat’s sudden appearance made Alleria immediately seize her weapon, fully alert. The foul aura of sorcery wafting from the creature set her nerves on edge, fearing the troll’s mountain cat might suddenly turn on Patrick.

But sensing the arcane energy swirling actively around Patrick, and observing the mountain cat’s lack of aggression, Alleria held her hand, watching the creature tensely instead.

A strange mood settled over the entire elven company: every ranger, as well as Ithonis, Candiris, and the priests, fixed their gaze on the mountain cat. No one spoke a word, yet the withdrawal continued in eerie silence.

At last, the mountain cat leapt down from Patrick’s strider. All traces of sorcery had been driven out; now, faint blue arcane energy radiated from its eyes and limbs. Its body, now filled with pure arcane energy, felt refreshingly clean and comfortable—so much so that its eyes narrowed contentedly.

Next, Regba’s form began to grow, expanding until it once more matched the size of a lion, complete with two long fangs, resembling a sabertooth from another life.

"Arcanist, this is my spiritual mark. It contains a portion of my divine power and will allow us to communicate directly through the mind." A beam of light drifted from the mountain cat spirit and sank into Patrick’s body.

The primal animal gods are not like those greedy, duplicitous mortals. Through the mark, Patrick grasped the origin of the animal gods’ power—Nature itself.

All animal gods command vast reserves of natural energy, but their approach is unlike that of other spellcasters. Mages require mental focus to guide runes and incantations; warlocks channel soul fragments; priests use their will to invoke holy power.

Animal gods, however, wield energy by sheer force of will. It is instinctive, requiring no material components or complex arcane techniques. Natural energy bends to their intent, needing little conscious shaping or refinement—thus, they shift reality in accordance with their desires, creating spells at will.

When their will reaches a certain zenith, the natural force mastered by animal gods evolves further, becoming pure soul power and life energy. Their souls become truly indestructible—only then do they become true "gods."

Within the mark, Patrick discovered Regba’s most refined divine essence, as well as his pursuit and exploration of divine power. These very aspirations had given the Lord of Sorcery his opportunity. Marakas first won the mountain cat spirit’s favor by promising sacrifices, but during the rituals, he secretly placed a voodoo curse upon the spirit.

As the sacrifices increased, Regba fell ever more under the sway of sorcery, until he was utterly ensnared. Marakas then frequently siphoned Regba’s divine power for his troll warriors. Ultimately, when Patrick led the elven army against them, he managed to outwit the Lord of Sorcery during their magical duel, rescuing Regba.

With the animal god’s spiritual mark, Patrick’s mind grew ever more vigorous. The previously pouring arcane energy now began to slowly gather back into his body.

The series of sudden, strange events left the elves bewildered, unable to make sense of what was happening to Patrick.

"Your leader is in no danger. You may return without fear," the mountain cat spirit said, in flawless Thalassian—a gift of arcane wisdom and linguistic mastery from Patrick.

The rangers were startled into silence by the talking mountain cat, and even Ithonis and the others were somewhat shaken. None had ever conversed with an animal before, let alone one rescued by Patrick from a troll altar.

However, the familiar aura of arcane energy emanating from the spirit reassured Alleria, Ithonis, and the others—it was clearly no longer an agent of the trolls.

"Then why hasn’t he awakened?" Alleria pressed, eager for answers.

"He is in deep meditation and will not awaken for some time," the mountain cat spirit replied, sharing all it knew.

The retreating elves could all sense the wild accumulation of arcane power around Patrick. Alleria had witnessed something like this once before, during Patrick’s ascent to the sixth circle, when he’d seemed to absorb arcane energy even in his sleep.

Within the realm of spirit, Patrick remained oblivious to the events outside. All he knew was that, as he deciphered the soul mark, his own mental strength skyrocketed—even the earlier runaway arcane energy gradually came under control, and his mind approached ever closer to manifesting in reality.

Slowly, Patrick felt his spiritual sight returning, broader than before. Where once he could only sense the feedback of magic, now everything around him cast a faint, ethereal projection.