Tech Duinn: An Ether Collapse Series (Ether Flows Book 1)

by Ryan DeBruyn

  Congratulations! You have completed a quest.

  Dungeon Quest

  Apprentice Combatant

  Third Level Survival Challenge

  Basher Colony

  You have completed the third challenge of the dungeon: the Basher Colony.

  Congratulations.

  Rewards:

  400,000 Etherience

  Access the Fourth Level Survival Quest

  He limped into the antechamber and the announcer began preparing the crowd for the next fight. Instead of taking Azrael back upstairs, the guard just moved him to the team waiting room. He informed him that food would be delivered. Which meant everyone got gruel and not Louis’ deliciously prepared foods.

  Azrael ate it and equipped his full suit of armor. He considered the group’s next move as the timer slowly ticked down on his injured tendons. They had six days left, and then he would face the first mini-boss. He had been told that most champions failed at least a single time on each boss as they climbed the ranks, and the crowd didn’t actually save all the champions who failed to complete a stage.

  Ogma had assured him that the crowd was on his side. Oberan’s plan to publicize him was a double-edged sword in some ways. If Azrael stayed and kept fighting, he may in time become the most popular champion within the Pit. On the other hand, all final decisions could be overruled by Oberan, as the Arena Moderator. He likely wouldn’t turn Azrael into a martyr but he still shivered—he truly didn’t enjoy feeling as though his life was being entirely controlled by others.

  His team arrived at the waiting room when he had forty minutes left on his tendon damage debuff. That likely meant that he would have to fight the first combatant with highly diminished Dexterity and Agility. If he hadn’t had the Ether-Tech suit, he wouldn’t have considered it.

  “How did your fight go? Ogma couldn’t recall what the challenge was. Now that you fought it, what was the third challenge?” Jophi asked as she came in and sat down near him.

  Azrael had the Ether-Tech helmet sitting on the bench next to him. He picked it up and stood with it under his arm. “It was a Basher Colony. Bunch of rabbits with battering rams for heads. Twelve of them. I really wish Ogma would have told me more. Regardless, at least he could tell me a bit about Plotz.”

  Why does my stomach flutter now? Does this next fight worry me that much? I still have the armor’s advantage, after all.

  Azrael moved to the double gated entrance to the sands. The werewolf assassin would likely be first, if Ogma’s information proved accurate. He didn’t like the idea of fighting a speed-based fighter with his injury, but giving the gear to someone else and having them fight still created problems he wasn’t ready to deal with. His agreement with Oberan was quite possibly the reason he would escape. Then again, all of his backup plans until now had failed. He really hated pinning all of his hopes on hijacking a transport truck filled with cut stone.

  At least his plan today should give him a higher chance of having the crowd on his side.

  “Az, do you have a plan for this first opponent? Assassins are dangerous when they are hidden. If you survive the first strike and can force them out into the open, their risk is usually mitigated,” Verimy suggested from his crossed-arm lean.

  That was common knowledge and Azrael didn’t need to be told, but he nodded to placate his former trainer. He glanced up at his debuff bar again—still thirty minutes remained. The five-minute timer for the beginning of the match popped onto his interface and he swallowed. Guess he would have to face these opponents injured.

  Is it even worth it? Oberan may not even care if I let one of the others fight.

  He shook his head, and placed on the helmet to hide the sweat that began to bead on his scalp and neck. He went over his plan again and shuddered. He was certain the mob mentality of the crowd would appreciate it. The only question was—

  The timer cut off and went red. What had just happened?

  Azrael shifted his attention back to the drawling announcer.

  “Team Plotz has forfeited the match. The group got into a fight inside of their own team room. All of them are severely injured and we even have the footage to show the crowd. Enjoy this unplanned spectacle!”

  The gate behind Azrael opened and the grinding sound of stone on stone sounded simultaneously. The sound was echoed over the entire arena as well as inside his team’s antechamber. A viewing screen was revealed behind the stone wall inside and an image flickered to life, showing three men.

  “You saw his last fight. He was only missing the gauntlets. He probably completed the Ether-Tech set already!” a werewolf covered in black cloth spat into the room. “I refuse to go first!” It finished by drawing two silver daggers from the folds of its fabric. The werewolf crouched low and bared its fangs at the other two.

  “I agree. We should meet their strength with our strength!” a blue-skinned creature concurred. The creature had a smooth, beautiful face but didn’t appear to have a mouth. The features made the creature look mystical. Strapped to each wrist was a gleaming silver short sword, which left the creature’s hands free. Its glowing blue eyes stared at the third member. It shifted its steel-clad feet minutely, setting itself into a better position to respond to battle.

  The final member in the room was sitting down. It cracked its long neck and slowly stood. Then hissed through a fanged mouth at the other two, “Don’t you remember the resssultsss of lassst time?” A book and a gavel appeared in the green-scaled hands of the snake-like man.

  “Together?” the werewolf asked.

  The templar didn’t respond but lunged at the snake. The camera did a pretty poor job of capturing the intricacies of the combat, but Azrael could tell that the snake creature had the upper hand. If the two other members hadn’t attacked together, they both would have been defeated soundly. The others in Azrael’s team room looked to him a few times throughout the contest.

  This is only going to make the rumors of the rigged tournament worse.

  Finally, Jophi spoke, “This means they will likely change the rules for the next contest.”

  Azrael replayed the beginning of the altercation. The werewolf had mentioned his Ether-Tech gear. He clicked his cheek and pursed his lips as he considered. This definitely meant they would adjust the tournament.

  Congratulations! You have completed a quest.

  Arena Chain Quest

  Single Elimination Tournament

  Win the Round of 16

  ● You have won the round of 16 with a ‘solo’ combatant. This earns your team 6 points and 4 times the Etherience.

  Congratulations!

  Rewards:

  8,000,000 Etherience

  Six points to spend in the Tournament Shop – Click for Access

  10,504,912 Etherience remaining until level 21.

  --

  Congratulations, you have gained a new level. Level 20!

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  It was crunch time. They had five days to plan and execute their escape. Otherwise, Azrael would risk his death. His backup plans had all failed and he was left with this single option to pin his hopes on.

  He felt his hand twitch as his nerves sent a shiver of sensation into his toes, starting from his neck. Azrael hated feeling desperate. Still, it was unfortunately the only plan for escape left after his near constant failures. He used a physical action to dispel some of his own stress and shook his body like a dog.

  He desperately tried to think of some other plan but failed there as well. What other option did he have? They still had the hypogeum, but that was suicide. Or as close to it as he knew. There was a better chance out in the wilderness of Tech Duinn that they might lose their pursuers or defeat them. Down under the arena floor, they would encounter the Treant, the Enbarr, and Musth. Not to mention the Wendigo from his upcoming fifth challenge.

  “Do you think they check the rooms after we leave, to ensure we left the purchased gear behind?” Azrael whispered as he pretended to blow on a spo
on filled with green soup. He took the bite right after and savored the flavors. It was pea soup, with some sort of white meat inside. He would guess pork based on the texture and salty flavor.

  Verimy met his eye and made an unmistakable nod with his lips pressed tight together. Of course they would check the team rooms. It was going to be really hard to leave the Ether-Tech gear behind, though. They could really use it during the escape.

  He dipped his spoon again and jolted, causing a wave in his bowl that almost exited the container. “Wait. How many points do you two have right now?” he whispered again using the same tactic of placing the spoon and his hand in front of his mouth.

  “We have been discussing it quite a bit. We each have twelve points and need to figure out what to get you for the next contest. I have a feeling that the other teams will be allowed to pool their points from now on. Or, at the very least, something is expected to change,” Bat squeaked into the conversation.

  Azrael nodded and smiled. That meant Jophi also had twelve points. Maybe they could buy a second set of gear to leave in the room and fool the guards. Was there a ledger that told the guards exactly what they had purchased?

  He nodded and continued eating in the silence. The group had decided to talk about their escape plans only at dinner from now on. The camera being placed in Team Plotz’ room made them all acutely aware that they were likely being watched.

  It was plausible that their only saving grace so far was due to the fact that no one had studied the tapes of whatever had been recorded. If every area was under surveillance, his guess was that video was monitored but not audio. Still, in a large open room like the dining hall, they could talk with very little chance of audio being picked up. Other than from nearby combatants.

  That put the hypogeum even farther behind in his estimations of a successful escape. How would they be able to escape a monitored room? Had security already noted Bat’s meditation near the grate?

  ***

  Azrael slept fitfully that night, waking up repeatedly in cold sweats. Each time he startled awake, it was because in the dream their plan failed, was found out, or he got assassinated by faceless shadows. On his fifth such heart-pounding episode, he chose to meditate for the remainder of the night.

  He circulated his Ether and felt himself relax as his mind methodically began to compartmentalize his worries. If they had been recorded discussing the plans and found out, Oberan would have already reacted. Additionally, Oberan would have known about Apep and why their old cells collapsed.

  Instead, Oberan didn’t know, and Frag had been allowed to alter the work crews. That didn’t mean that the new cell block wasn’t being monitored, though.

  Azrael began absently spiraling his Ether inside one of his channels as he continued to think. The planet was small, certainly, but not so small that there weren’t areas outside of Oberan’s control. There must be a rebel faction that existed outside of the arena.

  His heart stuttered and he grabbed his chest. What in the name of the Sovereign had just happened? He calmed himself and entered back into his meditation. He felt nothing out of place. Was that a heart murmur? No, his heart didn’t hurt or feel abnormal to him.

  He saw a small black spot in one of his channels that was slowly refilling with the unmistakable blue of Ether. The spot was moving away from his heart. The outer edges of the space still had a small swirl from his absent-minded spiraling.

  He watched it hit the capillaries in his foot and vanish. He considered what he had just done. The areas on the outside of the small patch of blackness were much denser. More vivid. He mentally narrowed the flow near his heart and felt the tightness return. It was almost like he was underwater and in desperate need of fresh air. He immediately widened the flow back out. That was not comfortable in the slightest. Still, he experimented with narrowing the channels leading away from his heart. No immediate pain.

  He held it for a time, wanting to ensure no problem existed with the Ether that returned to his heart. The capillaries diluted the Ether back to normal by the time the Ether traced back towards his center. Azrael ground his teeth. What if he changed the flow of the entire leg?

  He narrowed the side returning to his heart. The swirling pattern that existed at his pool intensified, but he felt no pain. Was it similar to water and pressure? Did a narrow channel move the Ether faster?

  He worked to refine each channel and watched in fascination as his center became a true whirlpool. He touched it with his mind and intense pain shot through his head.

  ***

  He woke up to the sound of Louis placing a tray on the floor nearby. Azrael clutched his head, a massive headache invading his thoughts. His hand found sticky, cold sweat drenching his brow. Had that been a dream?

  At least I was meditating in bed this time.

  A peek at his channels told him they were normal. Maybe it had been a dream.

  A quick glance at his character sheet told him it hadn’t.

  Azrael Sovereign Level 20

  Class: Sovereign (Revenant)

  Class Skills: Soul Strike (V), Soul Cloak (V), Soul Storage (V), Bloodletter (V)

  Health Points = 270/270 Points

  Ether Pool = 190/190 Points

  You have 7 stat points and 0 skill points to distribute.

  Stamina – 27

  Strength – 21

  Agility – 36

  Dexterity – 36

  Intelligence – 19

  Wisdom – 18

  Charisma – 18

  Luck – 12

  Skills:

  Analyze – Strong 11

  Butcher – Moderate 21

  Combatant – Strong 35

  Enchanting – Weak 5

  Endurance – Strong 21

  Ether Channels – Moderate 12

  Ether Manipulation – Moderate 14

  Essence Conversion – Weak 3

  Martial Arts – Strong 46

  Mediation – Moderate 18

  Obfuscate – Strong 15

  Sneak – Moderate 4

  Stone Cutting – Moderate 11

  Swordsmanship – Greater 45

  Tracking – Weak 12

  He had jumped up in Ether Channels and Manipulation quite a bit, which told part of the story. Still, it was the new skill that made him scroll back through his minimized notifications. Essence Conversion?

  Congratulations! You have learned a new skill, Essence Conversion.

  Essence Conversion

  ● You have made your body a better vessel for converting Ether to Essence. Your body’s ability to act as a filter increased fractionally. Planetary Gods always need more Essence; since you stand out in this regard, you will be awarded 1% more Etherience per kill per level in this skill.

  Current Rank: Weak level 3.

  Azrael stared at the notification—this skill was beyond rare. If he took a guess, this skill would be worth millions of Crystals if purchased as a scroll. How had he never been taught this skill in the Sovereign Halls? If this was the weak effect of the skill, how powerful were its effects at the moderate ranks?

  Let’s make that a priority to practice then. Should I ask Ogma about it?

  He glanced at the Firbolg, who was eating slowly, lost in his own thoughts. Maybe after they managed to escape from here.

  Azrael ate his food mechanically and opened his Class Skills. Trying to plan what he would do with his twenty-first point.

  Tier 5 Skills

  Call of the Soul

  ● All Soul abilities will increase in potency by 10% per talent point.

  Skill gained at 5/5, “Unknown.”

  0/5

  Each skill will be updated per talent point.

  Call of Blood

  ● All Blood abilities will increase in potency by 10% per talent point.

  Skill gained at 5/5, “Unknown.”

  0/5

  Each skill will be updated per talent point.

  The fifth-tier skills didn’t give him any new offensive or def
ensive options. He knew that a fifty percent increase in skill damage and effectiveness would be strong. However, for the ultimate tier of Apprentice rank? He looked into the Fog of Discovery. To his surprise, there was still a filament leading to another tier. Azrael had never heard of a class that offered a sixth tier before.

  He wondered; would this class offer a rank up at level thirty instead of twenty-five? That wasn’t exactly a benefit. In fact, that would mean that he had a longer ‘grind period.’ He heard his teeth clacking together in his inner ear. He forced himself to calm down with a breath—at least the class had proven powerful so far. Choosing a custom class, as he had, could have turned out very badly.

  As Azrael ate, he got his pool spinning as he had the previous night. This time he avoided touching the whirlpool. He vowed to keep the speed of circulation for the rest of the day as he worked and ate.

  When Azrael looked up, Ogma was staring at him with narrowed eyes and a distinctive frowny shape in the hair that surrounded his mouth.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The next three days went by in a blur as the group planned the escape from the stone cutting yard and, before Azrael knew it, the next day of fights dawned. He was currently sitting in the antechamber getting ready to fight the fourth challenge. He checked his quest again.

  Dungeon Quest

  Apprentice Combatant

  Fourth Level Survival Challenge

  Armored Rhino

  The dungeon will pit your skills against its fourth level mob, the Armored Rhino. Defeating the fourth challenge will unlock the fifth challenge. Completing these challenges will increase your rank in the arena and offer rewards along the way. Every fifth challenge will be a mini-boss, until the 20th round, at which point you will compete against the Arena Boss spawn.

  Good luck!

  Rewards:

  Etherience

  Looted reward

  Progression through Combat Ranks

  His fight was scheduled to begin after the current combatant finished its fight with the Doom Wolf Pack. Azrael paid the contest no mind, instead meditating and circulating his Ether. He would have watched if the individual was higher ranked, but he had already fought the wolves himself and would be able to pull from first-hand experience if he faced them again.