by A F Kay
Ruwen spoke in Chat. Tell Rami what you need, and she’ll direct you.
Toward the back of the vault, one pillar pulsed yellow, and Ruwen strode toward it. When he arrived, the pulsing changed to just one locker, twenty feet above him. He pulled down on the pillar and the locker rotated lower. When it stopped in front of him, he placed his palm on the round disk under the small window. The locker opened and Ruwen pulled out a sliding drawer.
The lockers near the front had many items of a single type, but this locker contained five distinct pieces of armor colored a dark reddish-brown, like dried blood. He took the helmet out, which covered the entire head with only a slit for the eyes. The armor looked like scale but felt and bent like soft leather. A notification appeared.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Overseer’s Cowl of Revelation
Set: Overseer’s Cowl of Revelation, Overseer’s Tunic of Faith, Overseer’s Gauntlets of Servitude, Overseer’s Boots of Duty, Overseer’s Pants of Obedience.
AC: 100
Quality: Epic
Durability: 157 of 190
Weight: 3.3 lbs.
Effect (Passive): +7 Wisdom.
Effect (Passive): Detect Trap +20% per 5 seconds.
Effect (Passive): Blood Tithe. Requires constant nourishment of 0.20 Health per second.
Set Bonus (Passive): Increase Armor Class of set items by 50%.
Set Bonus (Passive): Decrease Armor Encumbrance of set items by 50%.
Set Bonus (Active): Instant heal once per hour by casting Last Rites, tapping the blood of every enemy within a twenty-foot radius, damaging them for 5% of their max Health and transferring that Health to the wearer.
Restriction: Scale capable Classes.
Restriction: Health Regeneration must match or exceed Blood Tithe.
Description: Rumored to be drenched in the almighty lord's own blood, the Overseer set is 50% less restrictive and 50% more protective than normal scale. This armor is proudly worn by the elite guards charged with protecting the almighty lord’s temples, providing an honor guard, and ensuring the devotion of his servants.
This armor was truly epic, and the added fifty percent set bonus would increase the Armor Class of this piece from one hundred to one hundred fifty. He had learned of the Overseer Class when trapped in the Spirit Realm with Jagen, the Champion of Uru’s brother, Izac. Jagen had told them his Classes were Knight and Overseer, which correlated to Uru’s Fighter and Priest. The man had loved to talk about armor, and Ruwen wondered if he owned a set like this.
Ruwen thought back to what Jagen had taught him about armor. If the scale armor increased in effectiveness by fifty percent, it would make it better than chainmail, splint, and banded. Only plate would offer more protection.
The instant heal is what really made this armor special. Even if its cooldown lasted an hour, it could still save his life while damaging his enemies. The extra Wisdom would do him good, as would the Detect Traps. He really missed some of his Observer capabilities and this buffed an important skill.
Ruwen focused on Rami. This is Izac’s armor.
I know. And the Priests have forbidden anyone from wearing it because it consumes the wearer’s blood. They consider it evil and an abomination.
And you want me to wear it.
The pieces are all Epic quality, and Priests of one god always think the others are evil. It is the way of your kind.
The way of my kind?
Yes. You are tribal, shortsighted, and kill what you fear or don’t understand.
Ouch.
My point is the armor isn’t evil. It uses blood to work. So does your body. Uru’s Priests just hate Izac’s blood magic and so this is locked away.
Ruwen ran his hands across the rest of the set and opened his notifications. All the pieces were Epic in quality and he skimmed the parts that repeated between items, focusing on the details and abilities of each piece.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Overseer’s Tunic of Faith
AC: 189
Durability: 203 of 288
Weight: 9.9 lbs.
Effect (Passive): +7 Strength.
Effect (Active): Shield of the Faithful: Convert 100 Health into a 500 Health Point tower shield of blood.
Effect (Passive): Blood Tithe. Requires constant nourishment of 0.40 Health per second.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Overseer’s Gauntlets of Servitude
AC: 137
Durability: 89 of 154
Weight: 2.0 lbs.
Effect (Passive): +100 Health.
Effect (Passive): +1 Mana Regeneration per second.
Effect (Passive): Blood Tithe. Requires constant nourishment of 0.10 Health per second.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Overseer’s Boots of Duty
AC: 122
Durability: 101 of 166
Weight: 4.8 lbs.
Effect (Passive): +7 Dexterity.
Effect (Passive): +3 Energy Regeneration per second.
Effect (Passive): Blood Tithe. Requires constant nourishment of 0.10 Health per second.
Tring!
You have discovered…
Name: Overseer’s Pants of Obedience
AC: 178
Durability: 139 of 199
Weight: 7.1 lbs.
Effect (Passive): +7 Stamina.
Effect (Active): Holy Ground: once per thirty minutes, all enemies within a ten-foot radius are forced to their knees.
Effect (Passive): Blood Tithe. Requires constant nourishment of 0.20 Health per second.
Blood Tithe, from the entire set, consumed a full one point of Health per second, and his current Regeneration provided just under four per second. Even though the armor would cost him over twenty-five percent of his Health Regen, the benefits outweighed that cost.
The Mana Regen, Energy Regen, and other stat increases were great, but two of the pieces had Active Effects as well. Ruwen didn’t plan on carrying a shield, so creating one when needed helped a lot. Even with his limited experience, he knew you could never have enough crowd control, and Holy Ground was an area of affect, making it incredibly powerful. It really would be a shame to leave this armor here.
After a few moments of thought, Ruwen removed the armor and placed it in his Void Band.
Chapter 52
Good choice, Rami said. There are upgrades here for almost every piece of your gear.
Ruwen slid the drawer into the locker and closed the door. This probably sounds stupid, but I don’t want to take all the best gear. I already have so many advantages, and whatever I take, someone else can’t use. That is one reason I like the Overseer armor. No one else would wear it.
That’s noble, so I won’t lecture you. But we should reevaluate this when the main army arrives. You’re also the leader here, so it warrants better gear. For sure you need a weapon.
The only weapons Ruwen had were the oak staff he’d gotten from Hamma when he’d given her the Staff of Chimes, the Fastidious Dagger, and the Spirit Infused Baton of a Thousand Uses. The staff was more for practice and the dagger became problematic when it got dirty. The baton, after filling it with Spirit in the Spirit Realm, did four to sixteen damage and best of all, ignored twenty-five percent of the enemy’s armor. But it wasn’t a true weapon.
With the new armor and all the Fighter buffs, Ruwen would be the shield in the party, keeping the enemy’s attention while his group killed it. He planned to use Scrub and his Unarmed Combat skills primarily, but it would be smart to plan for other situations.
How about a heavy staff, Ruwen said.
Those are back toward the front, Rami replied.
As Ruwen neared the front of the vault, he found Sift and Xavier in the same place he’d left them. Xavier still held Io and Sift laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. Ruwen couldn’t tell how Xavier felt since he just looked like a pillar of
energy. A bright pillar that would draw attention.
“Xavier, are you open to wearing clothes that hide you better?” Ruwen asked.
Xavier flared brightly.
Ruwen held up his hands, realizing how his question sounded. “I only asked so we could find something that hides you better from our kind.”
After a moment, Xavier replied. “I can inhabit a light robe, and any water resistance is beneficial.”
Rami, are there any robes like that? Make sure they have a hood.
I told him where to find one.
“Do you need a weapon?” Ruwen asked the energy creature.
“I am the weapon,” Xavier responded.
Sift nodded. “Good answer.”
Ruwen shook his head. Sift had told Ruwen the exact same thing as they’d entered Blapy’s dungeon for the first time. He didn’t bother asking Sift, he already knew his friend wouldn’t want anything in this room.
The women stood by two open lockers. It looked like they were comparing different sets of leather. As Ruwen approached, he realized they were discussing the different colors. He didn’t judge them, since he’d spent many nights thinking about what color robes he’d wear as a Mage.
“Did you find some good gear?” Ruwen asked.
Lylan twisted her body and Ruwen saw a medium crossbow on her back and a smaller one on her hip.
“I’m deciding on armor now,” Hamma said. “What about you?”
“Almost done. Could you grab us all some potions, too?” Ruwen asked.
“Sure,” Hamma replied.
Ruwen smiled at her. “Thanks. And you’ll look great in either of those.”
Hamma beamed at Ruwen and he moved toward the locker Rami had marked for him. Inside, he found a single staff.
I thought we’d agreed I’d get a normal weapon, Ruwen said.
This is another item that has never been checked out, Rami said.
Ruwen removed a dark red staff from the locker, surprised by its weight. It made his skin itch like the Coiled Lightning Rings did, and he read the notification.
Name: Heavy Walking Stick
Damage: 24-32
Quality: Fine
Durability: 864 of 864
Weight: 12.00 lbs.
Effect: 10% Parry
Effect: +3 Energy Regeneration
Restriction: 30 Strength (Minimum)
Restriction: 30 Dexterity (Minimum)
Description: Red six-foot rod with black veins. Made from the remains of a falling star, this bo staff is almost indestructible. Its durability comes at the cost of weight, making this staff ten times heavier than normal.
Ruwen shut the locker and turned parallel with all the pillars in the room. He spun the Heavy Walking Stick, and unlike the Staff of Chimes Hamma had, he needed to put effort into the motion. The weight of this weapon would certainly turn off everyone. It was only his Fortification, and all the improvements it made in his body, that made using this weapon possible. While harder to use, getting hit with something this heavy would hurt, and he placed it in his Void Band.
Ruwen opened his Profile and found how many ability and spell points he had.
Ability Points: 12
Spell Points: 11
Moving to the Abilities tab, Ruwen found Ringleader. For every point he added, he could create another five-man group. With the addition of Xavier, Ruwen’s current group was full. But he needed to speak with the other Warlord, Elder Vachyl, and Ruwen knew soon, he would probably need even more groups.
Adding points to the Draft ability allowed more people into each group, but it didn’t work on his primary group of five, so he couldn’t use it. His only option was to add a point to Ringleader and create another group. He added the point and confirmed his choice. A notification appeared.
Ping!
You have advanced the Ability Ringleader (Commander Level 2)
Ruwen pictured the other Warlord in his mind and sent out an invitation. A moment later his current group condensed into a larger circle containing all five portraits of his team. A new group appeared, with the portrait of Elder Vachyl.
Yes? Vachyl said in Chat.
When do you think our first scouting teams will leave?
Enough Priests have revived that we’ve started on the combat revivals in bulk. I believe by morning our first teams will be ready, assuming we have permission to gear them from the vault.
Lir, allow Vachyl, or anyone he designates, to distribute combat gear and potions from the vault. After a moment, Ruwen added. Anything of quality Rare or greater and any quantities greater than five hundred need my permission first.
Understood, Architect Starfield. As a reminder, my carbon stores are critical.
I’ll take care of that shortly.
Ruwen didn’t know Vachyl that well, and while Ruwen wanted to gear up his people, he didn’t want to give the man a way to stage a coup.
You can gear up our people from the vault, Ruwen told Vachyl. My team and I will join the first wave. Please incorporate us into your plan.
As you command.
Ruwen expected Vachyl to argue, not agree. He didn’t know if that stemmed from Vachyl obeying the chain of command or wanting to get rid of Ruwen. Probably both.
Walking back toward the door, he found everyone but Hamma there. Xavier now inhabited a long midnight-blue robe that hid him completely. With the hood pulled up, only a faint white-blue light emerged. Ruwen had to admit Xavier looked kind of cool.
“We’re heading out with the first wave in about six hours,” Ruwen said. “Go get some rest.”
“Come on, Xavier,” Sift said. “There’s an empty room by mine you can have.”
Lylan paused and glanced at Hamma, who was placing potions in her Dimensional Bag across the room.
“I’ll wait for her,” Ruwen said. “I need her help with some oil anyway.”
Lylan raised her eyebrows. “Moving fast now, huh Starfield.”
Ruwen felt his cheeks heat, and Sift laughed, but Ruwen didn’t bother to explain. The three left and Ruwen strode over to Hamma. She closed the locker and faced him.
“I got some Health and Mana potions for everyone,” Hamma said. “A few Attribute ones as well.”
“Thanks,” Ruwen said. “Lir is short on carbon and I need to give him some of this oil I’m carrying around.”
“I’ll show you.”
Ruwen nodded his thanks. “Everyone else left. I told them to go get some rest, since we’re headed out with the first groups in the morning.”
“It will be nice to get out of here for a bit. You headed to Blapy until morning?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to hang out?” Ruwen asked, trying to sound natural. “Maybe listen to some music.”
Hamma stared at Ruwen and his heart thumped loudly in his ears. It had seemed like the right thing to do, but suddenly now he wasn’t so sure. He should have thought about it instead of going with his stupid gut.
Hamma reached up and touched his forehead. “Just checking to make sure you’re not feverish.” Then she grinned and kissed him.
Rami jumped into the air and flew toward the exit. I’ll see you in the morning. I’ve been wanting to stretch my new wings, and it’s a beautiful night.
Be careful.
Ruwen took Hamma’s hand and pulled her toward the vault door. He wasn’t feverish, just out of balance. And for the first time in far too long, he pushed all his fears and obligations away.
Chapter 53
Ruwen let go of Hamma’s hand as they entered the dining room. The six Elders were already shouting at each other and he glanced at his clock: 5:54 AM. Evidently, they enjoyed arguing so much they’d all arrived early.
“We have prioritized warriors all morning,” the Elder Priest Gabryel said. “If we don’t start reviving more Workers and Merchants, the enemy will walk right into the city.”
Elder Vachyl leaned forward. “All morning? I see hundreds of Priests running around.”
“You kno
w that was necessary,” Gabryel said. “Reviving so many people requires support.”
“Good morning, everyone,” Ruwen said as he and Hamma sat.
The Elders all turned to Ruwen and Gabryel hissed. “That armor is an abomination. You tempt Uru’s wrath by wearing it.”
Ruwen nodded at the Priest, knowing a philosophical argument would get nowhere. He wore everything but the Overseer helmet, wanting them to see his face as they discussed the next few days. The Observer Elder Drivyd still had red balloons over his head, thankfully, even though Rami hadn’t returned yet.
“I’ve provided the temple with enough terium to revive at our current pace for three days,” Ruwen said. “I’ve also filled the temple’s carbon storage to capacity, which is fifty thousand gallons and will last us a week. A team is currently retrieving additional terium. My team will leave this morning to aid in protecting the city, and I want to plan the next three days before we depart.”
“Leaving the city seems like an unnecessary risk,” the Mage Elder Odalys said.
“We have too many leaders and not enough warriors,” Ruwen said. “And I don’t need to be here physically to manage.”
In Chat, Ruwen focused on Hamma. I’m going to take an ability that allows you to form a group. I want you to make one with the City Council so you can handle them while we’re gone and inform me of any issues. I’ll make a similar one for myself and the War Council.
That sounds good, Hamma replied.
Ruwen looked around the room. “In a moment we’ll form a War Council party and a City Council party. In this way, I’ll always be available, and can break any stalemates you encounter.”
Ruwen opened his Abilities tab and found Battlefield Promotion, a level eighteen Commander ability. Adding one point would allow him to give a person in each of his groups the ability to make a group of their own. If he added another point, that person could pass the ability down another level. In this way, information could quickly pass up the chain of command from the front lines to the War Council. He didn’t need that though, and added just the one ability point, bringing his total remaining down to ten. He glanced at the notification.
