Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1)

Home > Other > Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1) > Page 25
Twilight Templar (The Eternal Journey Book 1) Page 25

by C. J. Carella


  Hawke nodded and turned to Dorrham. “I might be able to bring more help as well. A Guild of my people has been formed in Akila.”

  “That is good. It will take a great deal to set things to rights along the Sunset Range. We will need all the help we can get!”

  He hoped the Dwarf was right. Hawke had the outlines of a plan if his worst fears came true, just in case. But if he could bring in half a dozen Eternals along with the Dwarves, the Necromancer was a good as dead. And with Eternals, Hawke wouldn’t be constantly worried about having them die on him, unlike the normal people he would be asking to risk their lives in the days to come.

  “There was one more thing I wanted to ask you,” he told the Dwarf. “I’ve become an Arcane Smith, and Katros the blacksmith said I could learn Arcane Mining from you.”

  “Katros inducted ye into the Craft? He is a fine smith, for a human, that is. It would be my honor to help ye. It has been many a year since I dug into the folds of the earth, looking for its secret treasures, but once ye are an Arcane Gatherer, ye never lose the knack.”

  When dinner was over, Dorrham conducted a quickie induction ceremony; unlike blacksmithing, Arcane Mining was so different from the real thing Hawke didn’t even need to learn the actual trade. He swore his oath, felt magical energy rush through him, imparting the knowledge he needed, and he got a new set of prompts:

  Congratulations! You have become an Arcane Miner!

  You have learned: Detect Ore

  You have learned: Call Ore to Surface

  You have learned: Extract Ore

  At your current level, you can extract the following mineral ores:

  Copper, Iron, Gold, Silver.

  Current XP/Next Level: 0/100

  “Thank you,” Hawke said when the process was over. Unlike Katros, Dorrham didn’t charge him a dime.

  “It is nothing. Perhaps when you return you will be able to advance on the Miner’s Path, out by the mountains surrounding this valley.” Dorrham paused and smacked his forehead. “And I just have the thing for you! Curse my aging memory for forgetting it!”

  The Dwarf left the small dining room in a hurry. Hawke wondered what he would bring back. Dorrham had taken the loss of the shield he’d gifted Hawke rather well. Hearing the shield had saved his life and been destroyed in the process of fighting a deadly enemy had been reward enough. When he came back, he was beaming and holding a pick and a shovel. Their hafts were unusually short; they reminded him of the e-tools soldiers got, which had extensible handles.

  So did the Dwarf’s tools. He showed Hawke how to extend and collapse them. And they had other properties as well.

  Dwarven Shovel and Pick (Good Quality)

  Using these tools of the trade will increase the chance of success of any tasks related to Arcane Mining by 10%. Ore extraction yields will be improved by 5%.

  “I can’t accept them without paying you,” Hawke protested. “How much does that set sell for?”

  “Well, they were given to me when I was inducted into the Trade. Ye can buy their like for eight, maybe ten silver denars if ye go to a Dwarven trader.”

  “Ten silver it is, then,” Hawke insisted, and Dorrham accepted the money, somewhat reluctantly but in good grace, and Hawke sent the tools into his inventory.

  “A man who pays his debts, even unasked, is a man of honor,” the innkeeper told him. Hawke’s Reputation with him grew by another 16 points.

  I hope I am.

  He wanted to be someone he wasn’t ashamed of.

 

  You are prejudiced, he told the sword, and for a change, she had nothing to say.

  * * *

  That night, as he slept – alone – Hawke did some bookkeeping.

  He had a lot of message prompts to open. He started by examining his new Elite Class:

  Twilight Templar (Elite Hybrid Class)

  You have become a shadow paladin, able to infiltrate enemy forces and strike without warning! As a champion of Light and Darkness, favored by the Goddesses Lumina and Tenebra, you have access to a number of special abilities, unique to your class.

  Elemental Affinities: You have an Affinity to the Light, Darkness, and Twilight Schools of Magic. Note: Your Soul-Sword’s Chosen Element now encompasses Light, Darkness and Twilight.

  Twilight Effects: You have learned Twilight versions of a number of your spells, with different effects and Mana costs. Examine each of your spells to learn more.

  Backstab: any attack on an unsuspecting enemy will inflict triple damage and have a 50% increased chance of becoming a critical hit.

  Hidden Status: To casual onlookers, you will continue to be a Paladin of Light of the appropriate level. Furthermore, by spending Mana, you can hide your class and level. Fifty Mana will allow you to appear to be a member of any Class you are aware of, and increase or reduce your current status by up to five levels, which will adjust your apparent Characteristics accordingly. The new class and level are illusions and have no physical impact on your real status, however. The Mana spent on this ability is not regained until you remove the illusion.

  Follower of Tenebra: As a disciple of the Goddess of Darkness and Secrets, you gain the following bonuses: -98% chance to be detected or located by magical means; +25% to Stealth tasks. +10% Experience for slaying enemies by ambush or trickery. +15% Experience to Quests involving discovering secrets or keeping them from others.

  “Holy crap. I’m a freaking Ninja. Just like I said.”

 

  “I wanted to talk to you about that first.”

 

  “Can people see my actual level before I allocate my Attribute points and other leveling bennies?”

 

  “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

 

  “Maybe I want to surprise somebody.”

 

  “It’s the Ninja way. My other question is, if I’m wounded and I raise my Constitution with Attribute points, will the extra Health I gain heal the wound?”

 

  “Perfect. I had hoped that was how things worked.”

 

  “Keeping those levels under wraps is going to be my ace in the hole. If I get into trouble, I’ll level up. I’ll be fully healed and have more Health, Mana and Endurance on top of that. With three unclaimed levels, I can pull off that trick three times.”