by A F Kay
The second book Ruwen looked through had what he wanted. Thanks to the divine amulet from the camping trip, he already knew the first five levels of spells and abilities for every Class. Which it turned out was most of them. Uru front-loaded her Classes’ choices, and only two abilities remained for the base Worker Class.
At level six, he could invest in the ability Survey.
Ability: Survey
Effect: Increase map details and automatically update map from all sources. Provide alternative views. Each Ability Point allows a connection to someone else's map. Updates to their map instantly update yours.
At level eight, he had this option.
Ability: Insect Repellant
Effect: Create a barrier to keep unwanted pests away. Each Ability Point increases the sphere radius by 100 feet. Adjustable.
Ruwen skipped the sections on Laborer and Household Sub Classes and moved to the pages detailing the Collector abilities. There were five of them.
Ability: Immunity
Effect: Increase Resistance to Acid, Poison, and Disease by 20% per Ability Point.
Ability: Prospector
Effect: Increase Perception by 20% per Ability Point.
Ability: Ripen
Effect: Accelerate growth of target. Increase speed by 200% per Ability Point.
Ability: Stone Echo
Effect: Sense reflected vibrations allowing discovery of buried or hidden resources. 500 feet per Ability Point.
Ability: Sunburn
Effect: Convert sunlight and other power sources into Energy. Increase efficiency by 20% per Ability Point.
Ruwen had twenty-two ability points to spend, and while there were some interesting abilities here, especially Sunburn, he needed to wait until he could go through the Fighter and Commander abilities. And he couldn’t do that until he learned how to select his Sub Class.
Ruwen had far more spell points, forty-three to be exact, and he glanced at the Mana-based Worker spells.
Spell: Steady
Effect: Increase balance by 25% per spell level. Each spell level reduces width required for safe movement.
1 level: 12 inches
2 levels: 6 inches
3 levels: 3 inches
4 levels: 1 inch
5 levels: Rope
Spell: Tumble
Effect: Falls (20 feet per spell level) are slowed to that of a three-foot drop.
Ruwen had seen both these buffs when Ahvy’s team of Shooters had loaded Ruwen’s Void Band at the city warehouse. Both appealed to him because he hated heights, and these would make him safer and help survive a fall.
The level seven and nine Worker Energy-based spells were next.
Spell: Fresh Air
Effect: Creates a bubble of clean air around the Worker's head. 2 feet per spell level.
Spell: Climb
Effect: Creates 100 feet of magical rope for every spell level. Use Energy to propel items along the rope.
Ruwen continued on to the Mana-based spells for the Collector Sub Class.
Spell: Lockbox
Effect: Create a magical lock that can only be opened with keyword uttered during creation. Each spell level increases the strength of the lock by 200%.
Spell: Net
Effect: Creates a magical trap. Each spell level increases trap size and strength.
1 level: Small Creatures
2 levels: Medium Creatures
3 levels: Large Creatures
4 levels: Very Large Creatures
5 levels: Gigantic Creatures
Spell: Shed
Effect: Create 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet basic structure to keep occupants safe from the elements. Each spell level increases all dimensions by 5 feet.
Spell: Minion
Effect: Create a helper from rocks, trees, or other solid items. Will follow very simple commands (dig, fetch, chop, etc.) for 4 hours. Each spell level increases duration by 5 hours.
Spell: Fresh Harvest
Effect: Alter the flow of time, slowing it immensely, keeping the target from spoiling. Each spell level increases the bubble by three feet, and the duration by 6 hours—movement within the sphere destroys the effect.
Fresh Harvest was how the cities received and stored fruits and vegetables. That just left the Energy-based Collector spells for Collectors.
Spell: Drizzle
Effect: Generate rain in a radius around the Worker. 10 Energy per second for every 100 feet of radius. Every spell level increases the radius by 100 feet.
Spell: Chaff
Effect: Remove unwanted objects from harvest. Every spell level increases Haste by 25%.
Spell: Sow Seed
Effect: Move small objects using Telekinesis. One pound per spell level.
Spell: Harvest
Effect: Magical scythe cuts crops in a 120-degree arc in front of the Worker. 10 feet per spell level.
Spell: Greenhouse
Effect: Alter the temperature up or down by ten degrees in a 100 foot radius around the Worker. Every spell level increases the radius by 100 feet and the temperature by ten degrees. Temperature and distance are adjustable.
Like almost everything with the Worker Class, the abilities and spells seemed to be utility-based and meant to help get jobs done. Ruwen’s shoulders slumped, and old bitterness tried to surface. But the emotions didn’t feel right, and he wondered if his two-point drop in Wisdom affected his judgment.
Ruwen’s entire experience with Worker capabilities had shown their incredible versatility. While the spell and ability names weren’t flashy, they could, with a little imagination, be used in powerful ways. With just a little thought, you could see how powerful some of these capabilities were.
Insect Repellent might allow Ruwen to keep poison gas or acid away or clear the way through a fog. He wondered if Stone Echo might be a basic version of Rami’s vibration magic and allow him to see his surroundings better. Sunburn could be a great way to augment his Void Band’s Energy needs. His Scarf of Freshness was a powerful piece of gear, but if he didn’t have it, or was in an environment where it wouldn’t work, Fresh Air might let him breathe underwater or other hostile environments. Chaff might have an insane impact on his fighting skills.
Distributing his spell points between the Worker and Fighter choices would be difficult. He closed the book with a mental hand, clearing his vision.
Ruwen’s years of training with Rami triggered as he sensed a disturbance near him. He didn’t slow or look around, but concentrated on his other senses to provide clues. Because the temple Guardians hadn’t reacted, it probably meant it was one of his friends.
The first hint of dawn colored the eastern sky grey, but it remained dark around the temple. Ruwen had spent the entire night circling the giant structure. The temple Guardians’ humming was the only sound, which made hearing the attack easier to catch.
Ruwen recognized the sound of the Viper Step.
Sift had ambushed him.
Chapter 5
Ruwen reacted immediately, no longer having to think before acting, and leaped to the right, away from the temple. As he landed, he pivoted to face Sift, sinking into a defensive stance.
This part of his route remained the darkest as the temple blocked the rising sun. Ruwen turned his head slowly back and forth, using his peripheral vision to see Sift, but there wasn’t enough light. Ruwen could have toggled on Detect Temperature to aid him, but he knew Sift would frown on that. Honing your senses to work without magic was a valuable skill, too.
Ruwen didn’t move, knowing Sift would use any sound to mask his attack. A small thud to Ruwen’s right almost caused him to move left, but his training stopped him. There had been a slight secondary sound, like a bounce, and Ruwen guessed Sift had thrown a small stone. Which meant he’d wanted Ruwen to move left into a trap.
From the defensive stance, Ruwen sank lower, placing his left fingers on the ground. With a quick twist, he brought his right leg around in a sweep to his left, hoping to catch S
ift in the middle of his attack.
Ruwen didn’t connect with anything, but he felt the air disturbance as Sift shifted his attack into a flip over Ruwen’s leg sweep. Knowing better than to stay in one spot, Ruwen used the momentum of his sweep and flipped backward and away.
The snap of a kick echoed off the temple wall as Sift attacked the spot Ruwen had just left. Ruwen didn’t let his success distract him. Later he would smile and congratulate himself, but now, his entire focus needed to be on this fight. In his last year with Rami, they’d sometimes practiced with blindfolds. He hated it, as blind-fighting was one of his weaknesses. Relying on his sight was a crutch he eventually needed to overcome.
Despite that, Ruwen closed his eyes to boost his other senses. Sift was probably barefoot, and Ruwen weighed the risk of removing his Feather Boots of Grasping, as it would make feeling the vibrations of Sift’s movements easier. But it would take too long and make too much noise. The boots reduced the pressure of Ruwen’s steps by twenty percent, which made him harder to detect, and provided some benefit.
Taking a slow deep breath, Ruwen tried to smell Sift. To Ruwen’s surprise, he did. Not Sift exactly, but Lylan. When Ruwen had returned with Blapy, Hamma and Lylan had been comparing perfumes and soaps they each had in their Dimensional Bags. Far more than he’d thought any one person needed. Sift had been sitting by the women the entire time, and now faintly smelled of strawberries and lemon.
The scent didn’t help a lot, as it tended to diffuse over an area, but it gave Ruwen an idea of Sift’s general location, and Ruwen attempted another leg sweep. He struck Sift’s leg, but the contact only lasted a moment, as Sift used the momentum of the kick to power a backflip away.
Ruwen followed the sound of the flip and felt the impact of Sift’s landing as a small vibration. Instead of striking at the area with a punch, Ruwen used a side kick, a less aggressive move that allowed him to keep his distance from Sift.
The kick struck what felt like Sift’s lower ribs, but the blow lacked any power as Sift was already moving away. Sift gripped Ruwen’s leg and twisted his body, pulling Ruwen off balance. Ruwen used his planted foot to jump into the air. Rotating his body, he aimed a kick at Sift’s head.
Sift, still holding Ruwen’s leg from the first kick, crouched lower as he pulled downward. In midair, Ruwen had nothing to use as leverage and was helpless to change his trajectory. Sift released Ruwen’s leg and stepped to the side, causing Ruwen to land awkwardly.
Ruwen regained his balance and then felt Sift’s fingertips against his temple. The soft-touch might just as easily been a strike, which would have knocked Ruwen unconscious.
The sun had crept close enough to the horizon that the sky had turned grey, providing enough light to see Sift’s faint form. Ruwen bowed.
“You had the advantage,” Sift said in his serious Sisen voice. “Where did you surrender it?”
Ruwen thought through the short fight. “I should have used a punch instead of a kick after the second sweep.”
“Perhaps,” Sift said. “Your kick took too long and gave me time to reset. Why that choice?”
Ruwen told the truth. “I don’t trust my skills while blind, so I used a less aggressive attack to maintain a safe distance.”
After a moment, Sift replied, “A good reason. We’ve never fought in the dark before. Bamboo teaches caution and patience when confronted with an unknown opponent. What drove you from Bamboo’s path?”
Ruwen thought through the choices he’d made. His jumping kick had been far too aggressive and allowed Sift to win the fight immediately. He should have stayed with his Bamboo approach. “When I held the advantage after the sweep, the Viper should have led. After you reset, I should have followed the Bamboo. In both cases, fear caused me to choose the wrong path.”
Distant sunlight colored the sky and filtered down to them. Sift only wore the loose pants they used to spar in. He was barefoot and shirtless, and the snake tattoo seemed even more alive in the dim light.
Sift nodded. “Most Clans have a single set of Steps. This simplifies their path but also reveals their destination. Our Clan has two choices, two Steps, two paths. It makes us hard to predict, but having to choose can also lead to disaster.”
Ruwen bowed in understanding. He had worked hard on his decisiveness, trying to overcome his tendency to overthink. But not thinking at all made him susceptible to his fear or any other emotion. He needed to find a balance until he consistently made the right choices automatically.
Sift smiled. “How did you find me so quickly?”
“You stink.”
Sift smelled his armpit.
Ruwen laughed. “Lylan’s perfume.”
Sift scowled. “Curse that woman and her oils. Every time she’s somewhere safe, she gets them out. She’s obsessed with them.”
“Well, she can’t use them normally. A Shade you can smell won't live long.”
“That’s true,” Sift said. “And explains the spell she casts whenever she’s finished.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Ruwen asked.
Sift looked worried. “Since I made my Core, I haven’t been very tired or hungry. Is that what happened to you?”
Ruwen nodded.
Sift shook his head. “Great. After all that work to get the pastries.”
Ruwen shook his head at Sift’s priorities. Sift had become one of Blapy’s Favorites, a designation that came with many benefits, but the only one Sift cared about related to food.
“Do you have time to spar?” Sift asked.
“I’m still on watch.”
“Lylan took over. I came to tell you.”
“In that case, sure.”
Ruwen didn’t know how many people were looking for him, but his cloak protected him from location magic if he stayed within fifty feet of it. He stripped down to his shorts, retrieved a pair of sparring pants from his Void Band, and put them on. He made a pile of his clothes near the base of the temple and faced Sift.
Just like with Rami, the Steps consumed Ruwen’s entire focus, and time became meaningless. While Ruwen had the advantage in Strength, Sift moved faster, and his moves were a bit more refined. In the end, Sift always beat Ruwen, building on each small advantage minute after minute until he overwhelmed Ruwen.
Do you have time for a question? Lir asked.
Ruwen barely dodged a strike to the head as Lir’s telepathic question distracted him. Taking three steps backward, Ruwen bowed and raised his hand to Sift. “Just a moment, the temple is talking to me.”
“What?” Sift asked as he looked up at the massive spire next to them. “This thing talks?”
Ruwen nodded and then responded. Hi, Lir. What’s up?
That is a difficult question as geospatial orientation is not fixed or in a plane perpendicular to the—
No, no. I meant what do you need?
We are critically low on terium and carbon.
Ruwen rubbed his head and tried again. What is the question you wanted to ask me?
A Guardian has detected two men approaching the city. Both are bound to Uru. What course of action should I follow regarding them?
Ruwen’s thoughts spun. Who even knew they were here? Lir, are you in contact with the other temples?
Of course. The moment I finished complete restoration, I initiated contact.
Which meant at the minimum, the High Priest in Stone Harbor and High Priest Fusil in Deepwell knew the temple here had come back alive. The thought of Fusil made Ruwen’s stomach clench. Even if Uru had manipulated the Hight Priest into making Ruwen a Worker, how it happened still bothered him. He couldn’t wait to get his parent’s story, so he could begin clearing their name.
Ruwen almost scolded Lir about the communication when he realized there was a much easier way to see something had happened here. When Ruwen had restored the temple, Uru’s Blessing, the area where you constantly synched your state with the goddess, had increased for hundreds of miles north and south. That meant anyone who look
ed at their map would have noticed. So he shouldn’t be surprised that people were curious and headed this way.
But the lands south of Stone Harbor were filled with Cultivators, not Uru’s subjects. So the approaching duo couldn’t be curious farmers. A Dimensional Mage could have gotten here in the twelve hours New Eiru had been restored, or maybe an Elemental Mage using an air sled. But the southern plains were filling with an invading army, and travel like that would be foolish and dangerous.
Ruwen didn’t know how to handle this. How far away are they?
At their current pace, forty-three minutes and sixteen seconds.
Can you tell what Classes they are?
Until they bind here, I can’t be sure. However, I can see the larger one has a Dimensional Bracer like yours.
Wait, you can see them? Ruwen asked.
Of course. The Guardian is feeding me information in real-time.
Rami? Ruwen asked.
You are so needy. Rami said.
I know.
Pictures appeared in Ruwen’s mind as Rami passed him the images from Lir. Ruwen’s stomach twisted as the view came from over a thousand feet in the air. The pictures zoomed in on the figures, and Ruwen’s heart thudded loudly as a dozen emotions swirled through his chest.
Tremine and Bliz were less than an hour away.
Chapter 6
Let them through. They’re friends, Ruwen told Lir.
As you wish, Architect Starfield, Lir responded.
Tremine and Bliz had exited the mountains to the north. Ruwen figured if he left now, he could meet them halfway, around the area of the new portal to Fractal.
