by Ryan DeBruyn
He moved to loot the ferret’s corpse and heard a knock coming from one of the tanks. He sprinted over and found the dented hatch of the tank unserviceable, no matter how hard he pulled on it. He scrambled atop it. Someone shouted from within, and he could just barely make out pleas for help.
“Get back from the hatch.” He used his sword to shear through the metal. He changed its shape to that of a can opener and worked it back and forth to pry the edges apart. Once the destroyed locking mechanism was free, he opened the lid, and a scared-looking young man stared at him. “Let’s get you out of there.” He held out his hand.
The youth took it, and together they checked the other tanks for any signs of trapped personnel. The hatches weren’t fused, and when they opened the other three tanks, they found the interiors empty. Rocky dropped his shoulders in relief and returned to the ferret corpse.
The creature had a large hole punched right through its body, and light was visible down the channel it created. He studied the puncture wound and moved to the other side of the corpse. A tree stood in the same line of view, also pierced. Recalling the last moments of consciousness, he thought that perhaps this was from his Dark Blade. The energy had released, and he had used a thrust attack. He would have to test it later.
He placed his hand on the creature and thought ‘loot.’
Ten Crystallized Ether and a jacket, which was made of dark leather, appeared in his hands. The jacket had a beautiful fur-lined collar and hood. The coat was strangely ‘in fashion,’ at least what little Rocky knew of recent fashion trends.
He Analyzed the item.
Kodo’s Jacket
● This jacket is lined with the Fur of the Territorial Leader Kodo and looks quite warm.
Quality: Excellent
Enchantments: Locked
The prompt made him think of the upcoming winter, and what that might mean for people in his Territory. At least the Crafter’s Hall was finished now. Perhaps if there was an Enchantment that kept gear warmer, he could learn it before the first snows fell. His mood soured as he remembered his recent failures in Enchanting.
Discouraged, he scanned through his notifications.
Congratulations! You have reached Territory Leader level 5. You have been awarded 2 Leader Skill Points.
--
Congratulations, you and your party have successfully conquered a new Territory.
The Nest has been captured due to the death of all three leaders. Would you like to take ownership of the new Territory?
Yes |
Would you like to place the Territory onto the Market?
Yes |
Would you like to condense the Territory into a Territorial Sphere?
Warning! A transfer of this sort will sustain losses.
Rocky selected yes to the last question. Sela had mentioned that this was the option he should choose. He hoped he could place the Territory where it was needed or, worst case, add it to his. He had just discovered another way to increase his and Sela’s Leadership Class levels. This flipped his emotions and Rocky swore again to keep working on his strange ‘Chidi.’
Azoth and Rocky made their way back through the forest, following the clear trail of destroyed trees that Azoth had plowed through. When they made it to the first corpse they had downed, he looted it and received a pile of ten Crystals and a pair of boots.
The boots were of the same Dark Leather and had a fur-lined rim at the top of the ankle-high gear. He Analyzed this item as well.
Podo’s Boots
● These boots are lined with the Fur of the Territorial Leader Podo and look quite warm.
Quality: Excellent
Enchantments: Locked
He assumed the last piece of gear would be pants or a pair of gloves. He grew excited about the prospect of having two sets of equipment. The one from the Puzzle Dungeon and this set from Territorial Leaders. His last collection of gear from Skandranon had been mighty.
He doubted he would be wearing the fur-lined gear, though, unless it was a near-perfect fit for his build. There was something about the style that made him think it would be near impossible for him to pull it off. He mounted atop Azoth, and the Chimera made a quick flight to the main force.
Clean up from the battle had begun, and the military butchered the corpse of the ferret. His heart sank when he saw the line of ten corpses, laid out and ready for transport back to the Grotto. This was the first time his people would be able to return the bodies to the grieving. But they didn’t have room for a cemetery in the Grotto.
Perhaps we can give the corpses to the Dungeons? I doubt people will like that suggestion, though.
When Azoth landed, Zippo and Adam rushed over to greet the big bird-brain. His pet rolled around to allow them access to harder to reach areas. The silly antics, as usual, brightened his mood, and he went in search of Sela after telling the young men, “Don’t spoil him too much.”
Sela was treating some of the wounded with bandages. Upon his arrival, she demanded his Bag of Holding and poured potions down a few throats. “Honestly, combat classers should always have one potion on hand. It’s common sense.”
Once the severe cases were on the mend, thanks to some liberally applied potions and some sparing Dark Mends—his head still felt like the anvil a forge hammer had used too much—Rocky and Sela moved aside to discuss the day.
“Azoth says, ‘Azoth deserve spoiled food. Who else eat if not Azoth?’” Sela looked at him curiously after she finished and he explained where the comment must have originated. They both laughed, partly because it amused them, but her laugh sounded slightly forced. Perhaps his mirth was forced somewhat as well. He could feel a great sense of relief from having survived the encounter, and he knew he needed to release the tension.
Feeling loose and relaxed, Rocky held up the brightly glowing blue sphere.
“So you were listening to me,” Sela said.
“What would the Market have done?”
“Mercenaries and pirates usually used the Market. There was an entire industry that existed to ravage new planets or burgeoning young Territories. The bands of mercenaries used the Market to make a very bloody, but lucrative, living.”
“What are all the options for this sphere? A larger Territory doesn’t seem worth an entire Market centered on this object.”
Sela snapped her fingers. “I think you are missing some of the minutiae of Territories. Territories are usually higher density areas of Ether. Right now on Gaia, that might not appear to be the case, due to the huge levels of Ether spread across the entire planet. However, more area in a Territory allows the owner to increase the Territorial Etherience stores faster, reach higher Territory levels, Leader Levels, and adds safety to areas surrounding it.”
She made a broad gesture with her hands. “While the inside of a Territory is safe, the edges of a Territory also gain a layer of protection from their proximity. Normally, to increase the Ether inside the Territory, it pulls it from just outside the zone. Powerful creatures can feel the slightly lower Ether levels in the environment and move farther away from Territory edges. During my time, there were so many Territories in existence that there were few places on Gaia considered unruly. On the Pangaea, you could only go far north or very far south to encounter untamed lands—”
A voice crackled over the radio. “Scourge Captain here. Finished all drop offs. Ready for extraction? Over.”
Someone, perhaps Victoria, answered, and a response ETA of fifteen minutes relayed back from The Scourge. Rocky pointed to the sphere. “I can’t convert this straight to Territorial Etherience then?”
Sela shook her head. “Unfortunately not. You are more playing the long game with these orbs. There will be other options, and we will go through them when you ground it in the Grotto. The other choice is also something to consider. With an orb like this, you can choose a location and establish a Territory. This was of great use during expeditions upon hostile planets. For us,
it may be worth it to establish somewhere more central?”
He considered that option. Placing a Territory centrally to groups of survivors had its appeal. If they were to capture an area in each Canadian province, then they could perhaps save more. He shook his head after a moment’s consideration, “We know that Territories already exist and are capturable. I think we can assume that we will find additional Territories that are near enough to an area that we could make it work. The issue will probably be finding the time to capture them.”
“I, too, would like to save everyone, Rockland. But it may be impossible. It will likely spread us far too thinly. I suggest we capture Territories closer together and ferry survivors back to them. It may not be ideal, but in the long run, we will have a stronger fortified position.”
His emotions flared, dominated as always by anger. He forced down his initial reaction and considered why he was upset, attempting to separate his emotional turmoil. It didn’t take long to find the actual culprit—his family, which he had been trying not to dwell on recently.
They were alive and out there somewhere. Rocky needed to find them, and right now, a part of him wanted to just search places, one at a time, until he did.
“Your family?” Sela asked. Her soft voice suggested that she understood.
His voice trembled a bit. “Yeah, I just don’t know how else to find them, Sela. What if they are dying right now?”
She hugged him tightly, and he leaned into her embrace. The moment lasted for a gloriously long time and drew a few eyes from army members. He let go, feeling embarrassed for a reason he couldn’t place. He smiled at Sela and mumbled something that could have been a thank you.
A young runner stood nearby, holding the last piece of looted gear from the ferrets and the Crystalized Ether. Rocky accepted them and studied the hideous fur-lined cloak, Analyzing it in the process.
Pan’s Cloak
● This Cloak is lined with the Fur of the Territorial Leader Pan and looks quite warm.
Quality: Superb
Enchantments: Locked
He used the rest of the time until retrieval on attempting to unlock any Enchantment on the pieces of gear he had captured. To his frustration, other than Protection, he wasn’t able to identify anything.
On the flight back to the Territory, he contemplated the Enchanter’s pen. He knew he needed to use the mortar and pestle to make some sort of ink for the pen, but what material he should use was anyone’s guess.
Upon his return, he asked Smith for herb choices, and the latter provided him with five different options.
***
He looked at the five pieces of ruined gear as Sela stood nearby, shaking her head. She had pointed out earlier that regular ink made from herbs wasn’t going to work.
“You need something that can hold the Ether. Right now, it is leaking in all directions, causing the leather to burn up, and the Enchantment to fade. Can we go identify the rest of the gear now?”
They entered the shop to find out what type of gear they might be able to dole out to their citizens at the celebration that evening. Their population had grown by over three thousand, and Sela again suggested a welcoming ceremony. She pointed out that they could reward Victoria with gear in front of everyone at the party to increase morale.
They had decided to postpone the trip to save Toronto by a day. After the attack on North Bay’s Territory, far too many people had Elixir Debuffs that needed to clear. That had been his main argument against the celebration tonight, until Sela pointed out the error in his judgment. Trying to save everyone faster was likely to get them killed.
Plus, she is right that the new citizens need to feel welcome and appreciated.
***
His visit with Lingren was relatively quick—the man did not want to be seen with Beastfolk at his stall. Sela’s previous antics, while gaining them a discount on their current gear, hadn’t been forgotten. Lingren, cold and business-like, unlocked the gear at his quoted price. Rocky observed him closely, hoping to discover tricks in his method. But there wasn’t anything he could identify as unique. Lingren probably simply knew far more glyphs than he did.
They stopped to pick up a large amount of alcohol for the celebration that night, taking a moment to chat with Garnell and schedule a meeting with Amelia. Since they were taking the day off tomorrow, they might as well get it out of the way.
***
That evening, Rocky stood behind the stage as people gathered to hear him and Sela speak. He searched for Smith, remembering another friend standing in his position at the last celebration they had thrown. Joe had supported him when he had been nervous at his first speech to the Grotto. He no longer felt those nerves. Too much had happened since then for him to feel anything other than sad.
He looked over at the gear and Analyzed it one more time, seriously considering changing his class to a tank.
Sphinx’s Golden Breastplate
Ether Pool: Moderate
Current Ether Pool: 56 / 90
Enchantments: Protection V (49%), Stamina V (+10)
--
Sphinx’s Golden Plate Leggings
Ether Pool: Moderate
Current Ether Pool: 55 / 90
Enchantments: Protection V (45%), Stamina V (+10)
--
Sphinx’s Golden Plate Gauntlets
Ether Pool: Moderate
Current Ether Pool: 51 / 70
Enchantments: Protection V (38%), Stamina II (+2), Strength II (+2)
--
Sphinx’s Golden Plate Helm
Ether Pool: Moderate
Current Ether Pool: 59 / 75
Enchantments: Protection V (57%), Stamina I (+1), Vision I
Vision I
● This Enchantment makes the helm translucent for the wearer, creating an unobstructed view in the front-facing direction.
--
Sphinx’s Golden Sabatons
Ether Pool: Moderate
Current Ether Pool: 47 / 70
Enchantments: Protection V (19%), Inertial Increase V (50%)
Inertial Increase
● This Enchantment increases the force required to break the wearer’s inertia, making it harder to knock them down.
Rocky studied this set’s Glyphs for a few hours, drawing them out into his Knowledge Tablet. The increase to his Enchanting skill and unlocking skill probably signified it was a good idea. The other set of gear from the ferrets was better quality, but it had some strange Enchantments.
Kodo’s Jacket
Ether Pool: Large
Current Ether Pool: 110 / 130
Enchantments: Speed of the Ferret (+10 to Agility and Dexterity), Ferret’s Uncontrollable Curiosity
Speed of the Ferret
● This Enchantment increases the Agility and Dexterity of the wearer. Unfortunately, this Enchantment comes with a side effect. Ferret’s Uncontrollable Curiosity always accompanies Speed of the Ferret.
Ferret’s Uncontrollable Curiosity
● This Enchantment forces the wearer to complete random quests for no reward. If these quests remain unfinished, a random negative debuff will sprout.
--
Podo’s Boots
Ether Pool: Large
Current Ether Pool: 90 / 100
Enchantments: Fleet Footed Ferret (+10 Dexterity, Agility, Stealth and Sneak), Fabulous
Fleet Footed Ferret
● The wearer gains the Fleet Footed Ferret Enchant. This will increase Dexterity, Agility, Stealth and Sneak by 10, but comes with the Fabulous Enchant.
Fabulous
● The wearer of these boots must always look their best. If their looks are verbally scrutinized, these boots will fall apart in shame.
--
Pan’s Cloak
Ether Pool: Massive
Current Ether Pool: 150 / 200
Enchantments: Billow, Deflect V
Billow
● This Enchantment allows the cloak to move on its own, even on a windles
s day. Sometimes this is quite uncomfortable, as the mantle can discover nonexistent gale-force winds.
Deflect V
● This Enchantment will cause a strike that would normally impact the wearer to be deflected by the item. Per rotation, this Enchantment can only function five times and will dampen the blow by a maximum of 50%.
They were going to offer the cloak to Victoria, but they wanted to allow her to decide. He wasn’t sure how often the cloak would choose to pull the wearer off their feet. Sela had told him that this type of gear wasn’t prevalent, but it existed. People called it ‘cursed regalia’ and sold it to an Enchanter if it had a decent-sized Ether pool. Enchanters could remove the current Enchantments and add other more reliable ones. Rocky hoped that he could perhaps use the other two pieces in the future to make something more useful.
“Ready to go welcome the new members to the Territory and Guild?” his guide asked.
He nodded, and together, they made their way onto the stage as the buzzing crowd grew silent.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The noise from small pockets of celebration rang out from many directions. Right now, though, he had pulled someone aside that he had meant to have a talk with for a long time. The other partygoers around the bonfire looked concerned and worried at Rocky's choice. He wouldn't kill Derik. Probably.
Once they were far enough away from the crowds, Rocky asked, “What has been your problem with me, Derik?” The few drinks Rocky had consumed had loosened him up just enough to be extremely blunt.
“We were running for our lives, Rocky. Then, out of nowhere, you came and saved us, claimed the land we stood on, and left us here.” His voice grew more agitated. “You ordered Selaphelia to return, and she taught us more about this world. You keep bringing more people here and dumping them on others, but what have you personally done to help any of them?”
Rocky wasn't sure what Derik was trying to tell him. Was he upset that Rocky had saved them? He doubted that. He tried answering the final question Derik had voiced. His buzzing mind finally picked out the string he believed Derik was on.
