by A F Kay
Now he’d redeemed himself and had stolen the time back like a thief. But he hadn’t done it alone.
Rami, look at my thoughts, please. I want you to feel what you’ve done for me.
A moment later, Rami responded, her voice soft. You’re welcome, Ruwen.
Ruwen blinked the tears from his eyes and focused again on the notifications. He had increased both his Viper and Bamboo Step level by eighty-three, adding eighty-three points to his Armor Class, Dodge, Critical Strike, and Haste. Truly, he had become someone to fear.
How much experience was that? Ruwen asked.
Seventy-five thousand eight hundred, Rami responded.
Wow.
After a small pause, Rami added. Each.
What? Ruwen asked in disbelief.
The real experience gains come next when you reach the Master levels. But, all those levels to eighty-four add up. The total experience when you add the Bamboo and Viper quests together is one hundred fifty-one thousand six hundred.
I can’t believe it.
You just got another notification. You probably want to see it.
Ding!
Uru’s Blessings, Worker! You have reached level 19.
You have gained +1 to Strength!
You have gained +1 to Stamina!
You have 2 unassigned points.
Uru’s Blessings, Root! You have reached level 19.
You have 2 unassigned points.
New Spells and Abilities are available to you. Choose wisely.
Ruwen shook his head. He had thought the trip through the Spirit Realm would have little impact, and instead, it had changed everything. The person he’d been before had been trying desperately to survive with very few skills to help. Now, he felt calm. The experience had matured him and provided a confidence he’d never had.
He looked at his new experience values.
Experience: 113,820/190,000
Rami displayed the next notification.
Thrum!
You have accepted the Soul Oath…
Darkness Holds No Shadows
You have vowed never to use the Forbidden Steps of the Shadow Form until discussing their origin, use, and costs with Madda and Padda.
Reward: +1 Knowledge.
Reward: Audience with Shadow Clan.
Restriction: Bamboo Step Rank of Master Required.
Restriction: Viper Step Rank of Master Required.
Penalty (Broken Oath): Exiled from the Bamboo Viper Step Clan.
Penalty (Broken Oath): Marked for Death by the Bamboo Viper and Shadow Step Clans.
Warning!
This is a soul binding and bridges death.
Ruwen swallowed hard. He remembered the seriousness of the Addas when discussing this and wondering if he’d leave the tent alive. The soul oath he’d freely given now seemed unnecessarily severe after reading it. At the time, though, he’d just wanted to survive the encounter.
The next notification appeared.
Thrum!
You have accepted the Soul Oath…
There Goes the Neighborhood
Fractal, a Tier 40 Dungeon, has allied himself, via his Dungeon Master, with the Black Pyramid, a Tier 0 Dungeon.
Reward: Increased access to resources.
Reward: Mentorship from the Black Pyramid.
Penalty: Black Pyramid only area.
Penalty: Black Pyramid monitoring of Dungeon Master and Keeper.
Penalty: Black Pyramid access to local resources.
Warning!
This is a soul binding and bridges death.
Ruwen groaned when he thought about the increased monitoring. Now he needed to worry about Blapy appearing, and she had a habit of making things harder for him. It had been a necessary evil, though, since he owed Fractal, and this alliance should speed up his growth.
This is the last one, Rami said.
Ting!
You have accepted the quest…
You’re Bacon Me Crazy
For carrying your unconscious body after the ordeal of Stone Harbor, you agreed to make Sift breakfast for five days.
Reward: Sift’s happiness and the satisfaction of a debt repaid.
Penalty: If not performed on consecutive days, the five-day counter resets.
Ruwen groaned again. He had to be more careful with what he said. And Uru help him if Sift figured out the counter could reset. Ruwen would never finish this quest.
Okay, what next? Ruwen asked.
We still have your Harvesting, loot, attribute, ability, and spells to go over.
Ruwen looked down at the three rings he’d put on in the Plague Siren’s lair.
Let’s look at the loot.
Chapter 48
Rami showed Ruwen the first loot notification.
Ring!
You have gathered…
Name: Sweetgrass, Divine
Quantity: 5 Clumps
Quality: Epic
Durability: 1 of 1
Weight: 0.12 lbs.
Description: A thin sweet-smelling grass.
Known Uses: Braids, flavoring, rituals.
Ruwen smiled, happy with his decision to take the grass. He didn’t know what he’d use it for, but anything Epic had to be valuable.
Ring!
You have gathered…
Name: Bladed Blue Iris, Dimensional
Quantity: 3
Quality: Legendary
Durability: 1 of 1
Weight: 0.15 lbs.
Description: A six petal flower with sharp leaves and petals. Intense blue color with a faintly sweet fragrance.
Known Uses: Bridge between realms, Spirit-healing potions, purification elixirs.
Ruwen’s mouth went dry. The plants were legendary in quality, and he prayed Fractal could reproduce them. The Purification process between the Metal and Gem, and Gem and Divine levels resulted in the highest Cultivation Stage gains, which probably meant they were insanely difficult. If this plant could make that easier with some sort of elixir, it would be worth its weight in terium.
This is for the Silver ring, Rami said.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Revolving Ring of Elemental Immunity
Quality: Special
Durability: 9 of 16
Weight: 0.1 lbs.
Effect (15 seconds): Immunity to damage from elemental Air.
Effect (15 seconds): Immunity to damage from elemental Fire.
Effect (15 seconds): Immunity to damage from elemental Earth.
Effect (15 seconds): Immunity to damage from elemental Water.
Effect (Triggered): Rotate ring 90 degrees to activate/deactivate sensory indicator. Weightless indicates Air, warmth Fire, pressure Earth, cold Water.
Description: Silver ring constructed from the ground-up remains of four Diamond level Elementals. Ring grants the wearer immunity to a different element every fifteen seconds.
This ring had replaced the Jaga Wedding Band Ruwen had given to Hamma. Twisting the plain silver ring on his right pinky finger to activate the sensory indicator, he immediately felt the ring cool. He let the ring cycle through all the elements twice, so he knew what to expect, and then twisted the ring again to turn off the sensation.
A powerful ring to be sure.
Now the black ring, Rami said.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Watcher’s Ring of Travel
Quality: Rare
Durability: 41 of 50
Charges: 6 of 100
Duration per Charge: Until dismissed or damaged.
Weight: 0.2 lbs.
Effect (Triggered): Rub ring to manifest the Watcher.
Restriction: Watcher is noncombatant.
Restriction: Ring must be equipped for interface to function.
Description: A black ring made of onyx that contains the spirit of the Watcher. The Watcher summoned can be used as a mount, a scout to warn of danger, or simply a companion to discourage attacks. W
atcher obeys simple commands.
Ruwen studied the black ring on his left thumb, and then looked around. Sift’s Aspect covered him, which meant he was still Condensing Spirit. Hamma sat fifteen feet away, her back against a pine, reading the Order textbook Ruwen had given her. Glancing around, he didn’t see Lylan.
Twisting the black ring, he fought with his curiosity. He had so much to do still, but the ring never described the Watcher, and Ruwen really wanted to know what it looked like.
As usual, Ruwen’s curiosity won, and he rubbed the black ring.
Ruwen heard what sounded like a cat purring, and a moment later he leaped to his feet as an eight-foot-tall black panther appeared in front of him. The gigantic cat sat and locked eyes with Ruwen.
The years of training with Rami had forced Ruwen to use all his senses, so he heard Lylan take a soft step forward as she threw a dagger from behind him, which Ruwen also heard as it sliced through the air. He turned, confident of the blade’s destination. Reaching up, Ruwen snatched the dagger from the air, just before it struck the Watcher in the eye.
A three flashed on his Health bar.
The cat never blinked but shifted its gaze to Lylan.
“Sorry,” Ruwen said to Lylan. “I should have warned you.”
Hamma gasped from the other side of the cat, and Ruwen stepped to the side so she could see him.
“It’s okay. I summoned him,” Ruwen said.
Sift appeared from behind the cat, walked up to Ruwen, and looked the cat up and down.
“Where did Whiskers come from?” Sift asked.
A portrait of the cat appeared in the party section on the right side of Ruwen’s vision between his quests and Inventory. Under the picture, it now read, “Whiskers.”
Ruwen glared at Sift. “Uru, help me. You just named my fierce panther Whiskers!”
“What would you have named it?” Sift asked.
Ruwen shrugged. “I don’t know. Black Death? Blood Claw? Something that inspires fear.”
“Those are dumb,” Sift said as he stepped up and stroked the cat’s neck. Whiskers purred, and Sift held up his turtle. “Shelly meet Whiskers. Whiskers, this is Shelly. Do. Not. Eat. Shelly.”
Whiskers blinked at Sift as if to acknowledge him.
Ruwen rubbed his forehead as Lylan took her dagger back and then walked up to the cat.
“Sorry, Whiskers,” Lylan said. “I thought you were an enemy. No hard feelings?”
Lylan slowly raised her hand until she touched the huge panther. She rotated her hand in a slow circle, and Whiskers purred. “Such a good kitty.”
Hamma stepped up next to Ruwen. “Lylan likes cats.”
“Those two will end up with a farm somewhere with like a million animals,” Ruwen said. “And they’ll all have stupid names.”
Sift sat again and started meditating, and Lylan kept watch while petting Whiskers. Hamma grabbed Ruwen’s hand, which had a small cut on the palm, and raised her eyebrows at him.
“It’s nothing,” Ruwen said. “I misjudged a little. A few more points in Dexterity and I’ll be good.”
“Dexterity won’t heal this,” Hamma said as her hands flashed, and his cut disappeared.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. It feels good to cast again.”
“I know what you mean. Did you get through all your notifications?”
Hamma nodded. “But I haven’t distributed any points yet. I need to choose a Sub Class before I decide on any of my spells, abilities, or attributes. What about you?”
“I’ve gotten through my skill and quest notifications. I’m working my way through gear right now. I haven’t even thought about my Sub Classes yet.”
“That’s right,” Hamma said. “You have to choose two.” She raised her palm, and Ruwen could see the tree-shaped mark there. “That’s mostly what Uru wanted to talk to me about—officially bringing me into your mess.”
Ruwen raised his hands. “I’m sorry, Hamma. I feel terrible you’re being forced into a role you didn’t choose.”
“I’m not being forced.”
“What? Ky made it sound like she’d had to do it.”
Hamma shrugged. “Well, that wasn’t the case with me. I agreed.”
Ruwen smiled. “That makes me feel better. But it makes me doubt your Wisdom. I haven’t exactly taken you to the safest places.”
Hamma nodded. “That’s true, but Dad’s disappearance made Mom terrified of losing me, and she would have kept me locked up in that temple my entire life. Since meeting you, I’ve realized danger is a great mirror. Sitting at the bottom of that temple I knew what I didn’t want to do. While hanging out with you has shown me what I can do.”
Ruwen thought about how much he’d grown as a person since his Ascension. Hamma spoke the truth. Without the terrible circumstances that always surrounded him, he’d never have made such progress.
“Fine, you can have your Wisdom card back,” Ruwen said.
Hamma laughed. “Thanks.”
Hamma had brought up her dad a few times, but Ruwen knew nothing about him. “What did your dad do?”
Hamma’s face grew serious, and Ruwen wished he could take the question back. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s okay. I never get to talk about him, and it’s kind of nice.” Hamma paused for a few seconds. “Dad used to be the high priest for Deepwell. After he disappeared, Fusil transferred from Stone Harbor to take over.”
At the mention of High Priest Fusil, Ruwen’s stomach turned. But something else occurred to him. Uru had invested a lot of time in him, so would she leave his Worker Class up to chance? Maybe it didn’t matter since the Root Class allowed him to choose another, but that didn’t feel right. Had Fusil been manipulated like everyone else?
Uru making a statue glow like she did just before Hamma’s Ascendancy didn’t happen often, and Ruwen could understand Uru not doing it for him to avoid the added attention. But she still might have had a plan for the high priest to choose the proper Class. Could Uru have shaped Fusil’s actions? Which meant his parents’ disappearance might also be a result of Uru’s plans. Just one more reason to find his parents and determine the truth.
Hamma looked at the ground, appearing lost in her thoughts. Ruwen cleared his throat. “It’s amazing your father was a high priest. If you want to talk later about your Sub Class choices, I’d love to know your thoughts. I might have to make the same choice someday, and it would be good to have thought it through already.”
“That sounds great,” Hamma said and then turned toward Lylan.
“I’ll take over,” Hamma said to Lylan. “I need to think.”
“Thanks, Hamma,” Lylan said, sitting down next to Sift.
Hamma looked back at Ruwen. “I’m carrying some of your stuff. Let me get it for you.”
Ruwen didn’t know what Hamma meant, but she ran to her bulging pack before he could ask. He focused on Whisker’s portrait, and options appeared.
Notification: Sound/Feeling/Picture.
Map Updates: Yes/No
Scout City (tiny): Patrol area around target.
Scout Wilderness (small): Patrol area around target.
Sentry (medium): Watch over target.
Travel (large): Manifest saddle(s).
Ruwen chose Picture for notification, Yes to map updates, and then Scout Wilderness (small). Another notification appeared, this one requesting input.
Target:
Distance (feet/miles):
Geometry (degrees):
Ruwen selected himself for the target, chose one mile for distance, and three hundred sixty degrees for the geometry. The cat’s eight-foot body shrunk, and the black fur turned into green and brown blotches that blended in with the surroundings. Whiskers bounded away in complete silence, now the size of a puma. The quick transformation shocked him. Whiskers must have materialized as a Sentry, the eight-foot form its medium size. How big would that make the travel one?
Ruwen, still fo
cused on the portrait, lost his balance as he peered out of the running cat’s eyes. He looked away from the portrait, and his own vision returned. It took a few seconds of experimenting to figure out he could change values with a quick look at the portrait, but anything too long and his vision shifted to the cat’s view. This ring would be really useful, and the travel option above had listed saddle as a plural. That must mean Whiskers could carry multiple people.
“Here you go,” Hamma said.
Ruwen focused on Hamma. She held out three books, and he took them. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Hamma said, and then walked up the hill a little to start her watch.
Ruwen sat and placed the books on the ground in front of him. He opened his Void Band long enough to add the two books Blapy had given him to his Inventory. Rami gave him the notifications for The Complete Collector’s Guide to Resources in the Oblivion Peaks of the Desolate Range, Volume Six (Unabridged), and The Barren Universe, How Myth and Legend Replaced Truth in the Age of Despair. He closed both unexciting notifications.
The last book, however, Ruwen had taken from the Plague Siren, and it looked unusual. The dark brown cover had no title, and he flipped through the pages. Even with his Hey You ability back, he couldn’t read any of the contents. The pages felt odd, and he worried they might be some type of skin. He focused on the notification.
Tring!
The Black Pyramid’s Ink Warden has acquired…
Book Title: Unknown
Topic: Unknown
Author: Unknown
Frustrated, Ruwen closed the notification. He had a ton of points to distribute and needed time to figure out the best way to do that. But regardless, he planned to allocate two points to his Hey You ability, increasing it to level five, no matter what.
Ruwen’s current level made him fluent in most languages, level four unlocked technical terms, and level five would fix his current problem: it unlocked esoteric, arcane, and magical topics. With everything that had happened, this ability brought him the most joy. He didn’t care as much about the communicating part, but the book lover in him resonated with the idea that books could no longer keep their secrets.
