His possessed body had become something else:
Hawke/Saturnyx (Half-Elven Eternal/Celestial)
Level ?? (20) Fury
Health 980 Mana 1,200 Endurance 1,010
Being in the Common Realm meant Saturnyx’s actual level couldn’t manifest itself, but her power at level twenty was more than enough to deal with the Risen Lord. The master vampire cast several spells as it fought: death curses, a bolt of pure darkness that tore Hawke’s Legionnaire’s Shield and his Rusty Breast Plate apart and delivered over a hundred points of damage, and finally, another Death Cry, this time focused only on him. Hawke felt his heart stop and then start again, fueled by the Fury’s relentless rage.
The Risen Lord’s twin blades crackled with magical lightning and he wielded them with incredible skill, but against Saturnyx, he was completely outmatched. In the span of a handful of seconds, the Fury hit the vampire multiple times, carving holes into its armor and reducing its health by half. Hawke turned away from the brutal fight and checked his Adventuring Party interface: the Risen Lord’s Death Cry was still affecting Tava and Kinto, and surely Gosto as well. They were dying.
You have to heal them! Hawke shouted at Saturnyx.
For several seconds, the Fury ignored him, too busy with the fighting, and with the savage joy of giving full rein to her rage.
Please! I swore I wouldn’t let them die!
That finally sunk in. Saturnyx delivered a roundhouse kick that sent the master vampire flying against the nearest wall, and used Hawke’s Bolt of Life spell to reach out to his friends, ignoring the spell’s normal cooldown and casting them instantly. It took three healing bolts apiece to get them breathing again. Gosto had been near zero Health when Saturnyx turned away from killing to save their lives. And something started happening to her just as she cast the last spell.
Hawke found himself lying on the ground. He was back in control of his body, and his stats had returned to normal. His Health, Mana and Endurance were down by one third, and his armor was gone. The Risen Lord was hurt far worse, but he was getting up.
And Hawke’s sword was broken.
As he watched, the simple iron blade melted and then evaporated away, leaving behind only Saturnyx’s guard, hilt, and pommel. The glowing red orb on its pommel was cracked, and something like smoke made of white light was seeping out of the cracks.
Hawke realized that the master vampire was struggling to his feet. Hawke cast a Bolt of Life on the sword, hoping it would help. He held the broken handle and charged the Lair Master. Saturnyx had shown him where the Orb was: encrusted on the Risen Lord’s chest armor. The black sphere was radiating negative energy like crazy. Time to fix that.
“Cover me!” he shouted at his friends, and caught the master vampire in a tackle that would have made his high school football coach proud.
Hawke’s Strength was nothing compared to the Undead monster’s, but one of his hands touched the Orb even as the vampire drove one of its swords into his bare stomach. The pain wasn’t as bad as being burned alive; he held on.
You have accessed: Death Orb
Destroy Orb? Y/N
Purify Orb? Y/N
He selected Purify just as the vampire grabbed him by the throat and began to crush his trachea. One of Tava’s arrows struck the Undead lord’s chest, but that didn’t slow him down.
The purification ritual did.
Thirty-Four
Everything slowed down to a crawl, like it had when Hawke touched the Goddess Vitara’s sacred vessel.
Stop the damn death speech! The Sacred Ruby is broken, you said. How about the Orb? Could you use that to house your soul?
Good enough. Don’t die yet.
Several agonizingly slow seconds went by. The Orb had been solid black with specks of greenish gray like what you’d find growing on spoiled food. Its color shifted to gray, and then to the warm golden glow of Life.
Purification Complete
Saturnyx is attempting to claim: Life Orb
Warning! This will result in the loss of the Orb. The Life Orb will become part of Saturnyx Demons-Bane. Some of its qualities will be transmitted to the sword, but others, such as Holy Focus and Mana Storage, will be lost.
Continue: Y/N?
Hawke didn’t hesitate to choose ‘Yes.’ Pedantic and annoying as the talking sword was, he’d grown fond of her. More than fond; she was as much his friend as Kinto’s family. And she had sacrificed herself to save his life. The least he could do was return the favor.
Time began to move again, still slowly. The vampire’s crushing pressure around his throat resumed and his Health began to drop at a steady pace, like a dripping faucet. But the important thing was that Hawke could move, although at a snail pace. He dragged the hand still holding Saturnyx towards the Orb. He lost another thirty Health in the time it took him to get the two objects to touch each other. The master vampire was strong!
Things began moving at full speed again. The pressure around his neck became unbearable, but a moment later Kinto arrived and drove his spear clean through the vampire’s side. The blow, combined to the continuous burn Hawke’s auras had been dealing to the Undead, not to mention Gosto and Tava’s attacks and the brutal beating Saturnyx had delivered earlier, pushed the Risen Lord below sixty Health. The gauntleted hand relaxed its grip. Hawke almost collapsed but managed to hold on while he continued to press Saturnyx’s broken pommel against the Life Orb.
The vampire punched him, but the strength behind the blow was no longer superhuman. The Lair Master’s helmet had fallen off at some point. Hawke saw its face for the first time. Strangely enough, the vampire looked disgustingly normal. It had black hair and its features reminded him of a younger version of the guy from the Expendables and Rocky movies. Its eyes locked with Hawke’s as the vampire started mouthing the words of yet another spell.
An arrow suddenly sprouted out of the vampire’s left eye. Hawke noticed a big ’87!’ leap from the critical hit, and the normal-looking face came unraveled, rotting from the inside out as the monster’s unnatural immortality gave away under the physical attacks. The transformation of the Orb that had awakened the monster from its endless sleep ensured it would not rise again. Hawke staggered away from the crumbling body.
Hawke checked; he had about thirty points of each left. What the hell, emptying those pools wouldn’t even kill him, just make him pass out.
Take it all.
Hawke fell to his knees, then leaned against the nearest wall and turned to Kinto, who was looking at him with a concerned look in his face.
“Dibs on the head vampire’s weapons and armor!” he called out as darkness closed in.
* * *
Hawke came to and found himself face to face with Tava. The Ranger had been wiping his face with a wet cloth. It felt pretty good. Saturnyx’s hilt was in his hand, and he could feel the Fury’s presence inside it. She was alive! There were also dozens of notification prompts floating all over his field of vision, but he decided to ignore them for the time being.
“Good morning,” he told her.
“It’s been but a few minutes,” she said gruffly, but there was a smile in her face.
“After we get back to civilization, can I take you out somewhere?”
She frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
Tread carefully here. This isn’t 21st-century America. “I mean, have food and drinks, talk, get to know each other.”
“Do you me
an to court me, Hawke Lightseeker?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I like you. I like your looks, and I like that you can kick ass and want to go on adventures. I like that you saved my life just a couple minutes ago. I like pretty much everything about you, really.”
“Oh.” She blushed. “You would need to ask my father first.”
“I will, if you would be interested in getting to know me better.”
Tava grinned. “Yes. I would.”
“Good. I will speak with him in a few. I have a bunch of messages from the Arbiters I probably should check first.”
“Of course! Gosto and I gained another level after triumphing over the Lair. Father still has not reached the tenth level on the Path, but he has grown closer than he ever hoped he would.” She squeezed one of his hands. “All thanks to you.”
“I wouldn’t have made it without all of you. I owe you big, and I won’t forget that.”
She blushed again and kissed his forehead. “I will let Father know you are better. He is exploring the final chamber. We have found many items so far.”
“Thank you.”
Hawke laid back down. He’d beaten the monster and was in the process of getting the girl. Life was good. He turned to the other woman in his life.
How are you doing, Saturnyx?
What’s with the Master stuff? Did I screw up again?
Okay, just don’t get weird on me. How is the Orb working?
Hawke examined the broken sword. Where the huge ruby used to rest, there now was a yellow sphere, pulsing brightly every few seconds. The rest of the hilt and sword guard looked the same, while still missing a blade, of course. He needed to fix that. The Rusty Longsword had performed admirably, but he bet he would find a much better replacement among the Lair’s loot.
Saturnyx explained.
Crap. “How long are we talking about?”
“We’ll take care of that right now.”
It was time to claim some loot.
Thirty-Five
Still ignoring the notifications, Hawke walked over to where Kinto had arranged all the weapons and armor he had taken from the dead vampires. The double-headed axes were powerful, with bonuses to Strength and Constitution and hefty basic damage, but Hawke ignored them, since they were the wrong kind of weapon for Saturnyx. Besides, those weapons and armor should go to Kinto and his family. Also any additional coin they found, to make up for his calling dibs on the Boss’ weapons and armor.
The paired blades the Risen Lord had wielded were in a category of their own:
Blades of the Battle-Mage (Masterwork Quality – Set Item)
Item Level: 10 (Minimum Level 5).
Base Damage: Strength + 3-18 (Physical), 1-10 Elemental (Air)
Attribute Bonuses: +3 to Strength and Dexterity
Skill Bonus: +2 to Sword Skill, +2 to defensive maneuvers (Only when both swords are used).
Mana Storage: 150 Mana per blade.
Spell Focus: Reduce casting time by 1 second or 10%, whichever is better.
Durability: 211/300. Requires Sword Skill (Paired Weapons Specialty)
Set bonuses: Two pieces: +50 Mana. Three pieces: +10% Damage Resistance (All). Full Set (four or more pieces): +100 Mana; Reduce Casting Time by 1 second or 10%, whichever is better.
“Holy crap,” Hawke muttered. He saw the Lair Master’s armor was part of the same set, and if he used all three pieces of armor with the swords, he would gain its full set bonuses.
Helmet of the Battle-Mage (Masterwork Quality – Set Item)
Head Armor Piece
Item Level: 10 (Minimum Level 5).
Damage Absorption: Physical 18/40% Elemental (All) 12/20% Forces (All) 5/10%, Agility Penalty: 0. Stealth Penalty: -5% Speed Penalty: 0%. Perception Penalty: -12%. Durability 185/250. Requires Heavy Armor Skill.
Attribute Bonuses: +2 to Intelligence, +2 to Willpower, +4 to Spirit
Mana Storage: 50 Mana capacity
Magic Focus: Reduces Mana cost of spells by 2 or 20%, whichever is greater.
Set bonuses: Two pieces: +50 Mana. Three pieces: +10% Damage Resistance (All). Full Set (four or more pieces): +100 Mana; Reduce Casting Time by 1 second or 10%, whichever is better.
Breast Plate of the Battle-Mage (Masterwork Quality – Set Item)
Chest Armor Piece
Item Level: 10 (Minimum Level 5).
Damage Absorption: Physical 18/40%; Elemental (All) 12/20%; Forces (All) 5/10%. Agility Penalty: 0. Stealth Penalty: -10% Speed Penalty: -5%. Durability 98/275. Requires Heavy Armor Skill.
Attribute Bonuses: +2 to Constitution, +2 to Willpower
Mana Storage: 100 Mana capacity
Spell Resistance: Reduces spell damage by 10%
Artifact Slot: Can fit one Gem, Orb or Device. Maximum Level: 20.
Set bonuses: Two pieces: +50 Mana. Three pieces: +10% Damage Resistance (All). Full Set (four or more pieces): +100 Mana; Reduce Casting Time by 1 second or 10%, whichever is better.
Vambraces of the Battle-Mage (Masterwork Quality – Set Item)
Arms Armor Pieces
Item Level: 10 (Minimum Level 5).
Damage Absorption: Physical 18/40%; Elemental (All) 12/20%; Forces (All) 5/10%. Agility Penalty: 0. Stealth Penalty: -12% Speed Penalty: 0%. Durability 111/250. Requires Heavy Armor Skill.
Attribute Bonuses: +3 to Dexterity
Set bonuses: Two pieces: +50 Mana. Three pieces: +10% Damage Resistance (All). Full Set (four or more pieces): +100 Mana; Reduce Casting Time by 1 second or 10%, whichever is better.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting the set,” Kinto said. “If I understand what that word, ‘dibs’ means.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“You earned it, and there is plenty more treasure for the rest of us. The axes alone will fetch a few gold denars apiece, if we bring them to market at Akila or another large city. Their armor is of Enchanted quality as well. I have not done so well in a long time, and unlike those wilder times, I know better than to waste these winnings on gambling, drink, and loose women.”
Hawke didn’t even bother checking the vampire minions’ armor. The Battle-Mage set was too good to pass up. The only thing was…
Will the two-sword set work for you? Hawke asked Saturnyx.
That’s my other problem. If go dual-wield, I won’t be able to use a shield. That may make tanking more difficult.
Hawke felt some relief at hearing the familiar know-it-all tone of the sword. Will this help extend the time we’ve got?
That’s fine with me. And we’ll figure something out long before then.
He picked up the paired swords and had them touch Saturnyx. Once again, there was a bri
ef lightshow; at the end, both paired swords had slightly smaller versions of her hilt, guard and pommel, along with two copies of the Orb.
Instead of putting on the articulated plate armor suit the old-fashioned way, Hawke moved the armor pieces to his inventory with a mental command, and then had them appear on his body. Doing so activated a message:
You are trying to equip: Gear of the Battle-Mage
These items will become Soul-Bound to you. Soul-Bound items will follow you through Reincarnation and cannot be taken from you until your Final Death. Once Soul-Bonded, the items cannot be sold or given away, but you can designate an heir who can take them after your Final Death.
Accept? Y/N
He did. A moment later, he was clad in the black armor with the glowing blue highlights. Despite the fact that he could only see through a thin viewing slit on the helmet, he didn’t feel claustrophobic or cramped. His head instinctively began swiveling side to side to compensate for the lack of peripheral vision, all part of his Heavy Armor Skill. Still, sneaking up on him would be a lot easier as long as he wore it. The Battle-Mage set hadn’t included a leg piece, but he still had his new Greaves of the Warrior. The bronze armor didn’t match the rest of the outfit, but Hawke figured that wasn’t an uncommon sight for Adventurers who wore whatever bits of equipment they found.
All in all, he looked and felt like a one tough mother-effer. For the first time since his arrival, he seriously considered never going back to Earth. The memories of his two deaths seemed distant already, almost as if they had happened years ago instead of days or, in the second case, a couple of hours ago. The strength he felt coursing through his body as the armor bonuses subtly altered his physique was almost intoxicating. And he glanced over at Tava, who was ‘innocently’ doing some stretching exercises in a most eye-catching manner. Yeah, things could be good in the Realms. Really good.
I’d almost missed the cloud inside the silver lining. Thanks for pointing it out.
Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1) Page 20
