by A F Kay
Ruwen felt the stone crack behind him, and the sludge’s spear tip collapsed against his chest. He lowered his left arm, channeled ten Energy into propulsion, and shot forward with his right hand extended.
The sludge had decreased its surface area by rolling into a cone, and Scrub did massive damage to the compacted creature. The sludge lost one hundred thirty-eight Health, bringing it down to four hundred fifty-eight, and its Energy had dropped to zero. It tried to swim away, but Ruwen easily outpaced it.
Striking from behind, Ruwen slowed his momentum and waved his hand around as he passed through the sludge. He must have critically injured it as it stopped moving, and with two more passes the sludge died.
Ruwen glanced at his log to make sure.
An Enormous Tar Sludge (Level 24) has died!
You have gained 17,760 experience (14,800*(1.2 Tutor Modifier))!
Even though Ruwen shared a group with Sift, his log didn’t contain a group modifier. He had received one hundred percent of the experience. That seemed fair since Sift hadn’t done anything.
Ruwen channeled one Energy through his Void Band to keep himself floating near the destroyed sludge. The map overlay from Survey showed many floating chunks of the dead tar sludge. He channeled fifty Energy into Sixth Sense. That was the spell's maximum and would provide the most detail in the thousand feet around him. Three chunks of sludge pulsed on his overlay, as well as many distant nodes deep inside the rock walls.
Ruwen gathered the items near him.
Tring!
You have earned…
Name: Enormous Acid Gland
Quantity: 10 gallons
Quality: Uncommon
Weight: 84.5 lbs.
Description: Alchemy component. Yellow orange liquid capable of dissolving organic substances and metal.
Tring!
You have earned…
Name: Shocking Sinew
Quantity: 300 feet
Quality: Uncommon
Weight: 3.75 lbs.
Description: Crafting component. Threadlike black muscle fiber. Conducts Energy with near 100% efficiency.
Tring!
You have earned…
Name: Tar Blood
Quantity: 5 gallons
Quality: Uncommon
Weight: 41.3 lbs.
Description: Alchemy component. Volatile and flammable light brown liquid.
Ruwen opened his Void Band to ten feet and let himself sink as he sucked in oil to his Inventory. He had figured out that everyone’s dimensional gear linked to the Black Pyramid, and he wondered what that looked like. Deep under the surface of the devastated city that surrounded the pyramid, he was adding millions of gallons of oil. How did Blapy handle that?
Rami? How does your mom organize everyone’s Inventory?
It’s a secret. Imagine what would happen if someone broke into her vault.
Ruwen spent some time thinking about that. Now I really want to know.
Rami laughed. You and every thief in the Universe. The people with one hundred percent weight reduction gear are the only complicated ones. That’s why each deity has a limited number.
That’s what made me ask. I’m going to grab millions of gallons of this oil, and I wondered how she would handle that.
Probably with a lot of cursing.
That is good to know. I’ll try and avoid her until I can unload it all.
Are you checking out that tunnel? Rami asked.
It’s too smooth to be natural.
I admit it’s curious. You get sidetracked easily, so I wanted to know your plan.
I haven’t forgotten why I’m here, and I won’t explore until I’ve gathered plenty of oil. But don’t you wonder why that tunnel is there, seven hundred feet underground?
Yes, but there is so much happening, and I don’t want you to get distracted.
Ruwen knew he had focus issues. He either spent too much time on one thing, or not enough on multiple items. He had to work on balancing his attention better. I tell you what. I’ll go back as soon as you tell me.
Deal.
Ruwen spent almost an hour moving through the oil lake until his Inventory read he’d collected over ten million gallons, ten times more than he needed. The purpose of his trip satisfied, he sank into the depths of the lake, carefully monitoring his body for signs of the pressure causing damage. But his Gold Fortified body didn’t seem to care.
When he reached the tunnel, Stone Echo displayed smooth walls and a very circular entrance.
This isn’t natural, Ruwen told Rami as he started up the shaft.
No, and whatever made it is likely at the other end, so be careful.
Stone Echo displayed some nodes deep in the stone surrounding the tunnel, and Ruwen briefly channeled fifty Energy into Sixth Sense to get their descriptions. They were all small deposits of precious metals or pockets of methane gas.
Rami spoke up. If this angle remains constant, we’ll reach the surface in about five miles.
This is a long tunnel.
Ruwen’s map flashed red. He zoomed out and saw he’d just left Uru’s Blessing. They were no longer in Uru’s lands, and any memories or experience he gained would be vulnerable to loss until he synched back up. Usually you could only do that by reentering Uru’s Blessing, but he had a spell called Uru’s Touch that took two hundred Health, Mana, and Energy to cast. He’d never had the resources to cast it before, but now he did.
I’m going to double my speed for a while, so it only takes half an hour to get there.
Okay. Since we have some time to talk, I finished two of your queries, Rami said.
Which ones?
Lalquinrial and how to get the Scarecrow Aspect off.
What queries are still running?
Information on the Architect Role and essence patterns in your spells.
Have I told you lately how lucky I am you’re with me?
It doesn’t get old. But I’m afraid I don’t have a lot to tell you.
Well, it’s more than I know now.
The Aspect first. I can’t find any records of anyone wearing one in the Material Realm. But that doesn’t surprise me. To have this happen you need to get your physical body into another realm. That means you are near Divine in power already, and Divine beings divulge as little as possible.
The Plague Siren that had owned this Scarecrow Aspect had reached the pinnacle of Diamond, which supported Rami’s hypothesis.
Rami continued. Most Cultivators and Harvesters project their spirit into the Spirit Realm, and they need a vessel to hold and protect it.
Like a turtle’s shell.
Exactly. Aspects serve as this spiritual armor. Usually only Divine beings can translocate their actual body into the Spirit Realm, but spirit or body, the Aspect would serve the same purpose. It would protect its wearer from spiritual attacks and Spirit magic.
By spiritual attacks, you mean attacks directly against my Core or Meridians?
Yes. So the obvious place to remove the Aspect is back in the Spirit Realm. But I think the Realm the Aspect was created in is also a possibility.
I thought all Aspects were created in the Spirit Realm?
This brings me to your second query, Lalquinrial.
Oh, no. I don’t like where this is going.
Seven Aspects have been created outside the Spirit Realm. All created by the Deity Lalquinrial in the Infernal Realm for his most powerful followers.
Including my Aspect.
Yes. So I believe if you ever traveled to the Infernal Realm, you would appear in your Aspect, just as if you’d entered the Spirit Realm.
Ugh.
Why does it bother you? It is valuable protection.
I don’t like how it appears whenever I touch my Spirit, like a snitch. A demon god created it, and then a Plague Siren wore it. The Aspect makes me want to shower every time I think about it being inside me.
It is also Diamond level protection for your spiritual system. If you fight an advanced G
em level or worse, a Divine opponent, you will definitely need it. And the benefits of the clone alone have been immense.
I know. I don’t have plans to visit another realm anytime soon, so I’m stuck with it.
That’s good, because Lalquinrial will want his Aspect back, and he won’t hesitate killing you to retrieve it.
Great, one more god who wants me dead.
Lalquinrial is interesting because he’s the only deity without a presence on this world, and he’s not part of the Divine Pact.
If he’s not here, why did Hamma have such a strong reaction to the Plague Siren?
Demons are rare here, but not unheard of. Because they can damage a person’s soul, all the deities’ Priest Classes despise them.
Well, this is just one more reason not to trigger the Aspect in public. If the Scarecrow suddenly appears in the Material Realm, and Lalquinrial isn’t part of the Pact, who knows what might happen. Nothing good for me, I’m certain.
Sometimes you make sense.
Sometimes?
Rami laughed.
Ruwen focused back on the blackness just outside his bubble of Fresh Air. Survey and Stone Echo painted the invisible walls around him in streaks of yellow. Survey had also allowed him to tilt his Map, providing a side view of the world, and allowing him to visualize how far below ground he’d come.
Five hundred feet ahead of Ruwen, the tunnel suddenly ended into what looked like a small lake. He slowed his ascent and channeled one Energy per second into Sixth Sense. That would give him node information on any resources Stone Echo detected.
A moment later Stone Echo displayed more than just hidden resources. It displayed people. Whoever had created this tunnel was still here.
Chapter 18
White nodes appeared on Ruwen’s map, some of them moving, and Sixth Sense displayed “Unknown Biological” for a description. He slowed down further as he neared the end of the tunnel, coming to a complete stop just before entering the bottom of the lake.
With a thought, Ruwen zoomed the overlay out so he could see more than his immediate surroundings. Like the three-dimensional map he’d used to trace his way down to the original oil lake, he studied what Stone Echo had sensed.
The oil lake had a depth of fifty feet and the cavern’s ceiling was thirty feet above the oil’s surface. A single narrow tunnel led from the edge of the oil lake to a much larger cavern two hundred feet away. There were two “Unknown Biologicals” in the lake cavern and at least fifteen in the larger cavern grouped around twenty oblong structures.
Ruwen’s map took on a blue tinge, and he focused on it, causing a description to appear: Hands of Naktos (You cannot bind to this temple)
Rami, does this mean Naktos has a temple here?
It must be a mobile one for the war. So far from home they need to revive their fallen soldiers quickly. But the temples usually travel with the armies, so this must be some sort of fallback.
Ruwen nodded. It makes sense to have at least one away from the front lines in case of catastrophic damage in the war zone. So those oblong things are revival baths?
Probably. But it’s a bad idea to go look by yourself.
Ruwen could hear the reluctance in Rami’s voice. I just want to verify what this is. Listen, here is my plan. I’ll take out the two guards here. If that triggers an alarm, I retreat. If it doesn’t, I take a quick look.
After a few seconds, Rami replied. Okay.
Retreating down the tunnel a hundred feet, Ruwen refreshed all his buffs, and then returned to his position at the tunnel’s edge. Stone Echo painted a detailed picture for him, and he studied the layout. One guard stood at the end of a twenty-foot dock, next to a pipe that dropped forty feet into the oil lake. The other guard moved at a slow pace around the perimeter of the lake.
Ruwen eased himself into the lake and moved toward the dock. He carefully watched the two guards for any signs they’d detected him. Satisfied he remained undetected, he waited until the moving guard walked to the far end of the lake. He ran through the calculations and angles in his head a final time and then relaxed his body, preparing it for combat.
Ruwen opened his Void Band a foot and channeled thirty Energy per second into propelling himself forward. He had never moved this fast in a liquid before and realized this might not be possible in water. But oil’s lower density, coupled with its slickness, allowed him to reach an amazing speed. Which he needed for his plan to work.
Bright light made Ruwen squint as he broke the surface of the oil lake and flew into the air. He immediately stopped channeling Energy to his Void Band and closed it with a thought. His calculations had been close enough, and he grabbed the guard at the end of the dock as he hurtled past him through the air. Ruwen’s momentum carried them both forward and back into the oil lake. The whole attack had happened in a second.
The two of them tumbled through the oil, and Ruwen wrapped his legs around the guard and gave him a fierce hug, expelling whatever air the guard had in his lungs. The guard thrashed and Ruwen pushed himself away. Opening his Void Band wide, he brought it over the guard like a net.
Ruwen dismissed the popup and let the guard die in his Void Band. Only seconds had passed, and he brought the overlay back into his vision. Stone Echo revealed the other guard striding back toward the dock. He must have heard the splash they’d made when reentering the lake. Ruwen dropped the dead body out of his Void Band and let it sink away.
Shrinking the Void Band to the size of his hand, Ruwen propelled himself toward the shore and behind the remaining guard. He closed his Void Band and pulled himself out of the lake. Oil covered him and dripped onto the stone. He left the Fresh Air spell active, not trusting the air down here. His cloak hung limply behind him, and his skin prickled from the cool air of the cavern.
Stepping carefully because of the oil covering his feet, he moved toward the guard thirty feet in front of him. He triggered Analyze, and as he waited the four seconds for information to return, his Perception gave him initial details.
Name: Stone Breaker
Deity: Naktos
Class Type: Fighter
Level: 15
Health: 441
Mana: 160
Energy: 591
Spirit: 0
Armor Class: 376
The Stone Breaker wore bronze studded leather and carried a bronze hammer on each hip. The guard spoke and Ruwen’s maxed level Hey You allowed him to understand the language like a native.
“Chummo? Did you fall in, you drunk?”
Ruwen pulled the hood of his cloak up and oil seeped down his face. He smeared the oil over his skin. Fresh Air had kept his head mostly clean, but the oil offered a crude disguise. As he neared the Stone Breaker Analyze finally returned.
Target: Stone Breaker
Type: Humanoid
Strengths: High Strength, Increased Endurance, Oxygen Independent
Weaknesses: Fire, Ill-Fitting Armor (Joints and Neck), Side Preference (Right)
Disposition: Hostile
The guard removed the hammer from his right hip. “Chummo?” A second later the guard’s Mana dropped by fifty and a faint sheen surrounded him.
Ruwen had closed to within ten feet, when the Stone Breaker twisted suddenly, swinging his hammer behind him. The hammer struck nothing, and the Stone Breaker turned the momentum into a spinning attack, pulling his second hammer as he turned.
Dodging the hammers, Ruwen stepped up to the guard, gripped his arm, and tried to flip him onto his back. But Ruwen’s slick hands and oil-soaked cloak caused the Stone Breaker to fall sideways. The guard quickly regained his feet.
Grasp Crate, a level three Worker spell, would have increased the roughness of Ruwen’s hands by ten percent and helped counteract the oil that dripped down his arms, but the three second casting time made it impossible to do now. He would remember that next time.
For now, it just meant no more Bamboo Steps. Oil, like being covered in your opponent's blood, would not affect the potency
of Viper Steps, however.
The guard brought both hammers up in an uppercut that would have separated Ruwen’s head from his shoulders. He leaned back, letting the weapons pass, the violent wind from their passage cooling his skin.
The guard’s neck, and the bag of flammable gas at its nape, lay exposed. The guard had probably loosened his armor during the boring hours protecting the lake. Ruwen struck at the bag with his right fist, immediately turning and bringing his right elbow around in a blow to the guard's head.
The guard’s magical shield shuddered, and he stumbled backward, but his Health didn’t drop. Two leeches, generated by Ruwen’s Amulet of Leeches, hung from the guard’s shield, doing extra damage. The guard narrowed his eyes and blinked forward, his Energy dropping by seventy-five, and smashed into Ruwen.
A stun debuff flashed under Ruwen’s Profile. The guard raised both hammers over his right shoulder, preparing for a devastating attack. Ruwen triggered his Fighter ability Tunnel Vision and cleared the stun debuff.
Analyze had said the joints were a weakness, which was the truth for most armor. But this armor fit the guard poorly, and with his arms raised in a backswing, Ruwen saw a large gap in the left armpit.
Ruwen struck the gap with a flat left hand, like a spear. The guard’s magic shield flashed and failed, and while it had absorbed most of Ruwen’s power, he still struck a pressure point under the guard’s arm.
The guard dropped the hammer in his left hand. Ruwen knew from experience that unless the guard had special training, his entire arm would remain numb for the next few minutes.
Another leech hung from the guard’s armpit, and his Health finally dropped by three. Despite the incapacitated arm, the guard swung the hammer in his right hand at Ruwen’s head.
Ruwen ducked and moved to the right, avoiding the blow. He struck the guard’s exposed right elbow, overloading the nerve there and creating a painful numbness. The guard dropped his remaining hammer, and stood in shock, as the pain briefly overwhelmed his mind.
