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Chapter 18 - A Full Set
🕑 Added 2024-02-14 05:33:14 +0000 UTCNate laughed, still pumped up on adrenaline it took him a few minutes of controlled breathing to get himself back under control. Frick hovered around him waiting impatiently.
“Come on boss man. Look at the Notifications. How’d we do?” Frick asked.
“We? That fight was mostly me. They didn’t care a whit about you.”
“Yeah true! See this is why goblins survive. We’re beneath the notice of you more powerful beings. So you ignore us until BAM, goblin horde. Like a plague washing over the land!” Frick cackled evilly. “And you know what a plague needs?”
“Victims?”
“No! Mana. Mana to sustain itself. So look at your Notifications boss man! Fricky needs some mana!”
Nate rolled his eyes and brought up the first Notification for the both of them.
Accrued Mana applied to Primary Class.
Level up…
Level up…
Stats adjusted: +4 Dexterity, +2 Endurance, +4 Intellect, +4 Creativity, +2 Perception, +4 Mana Reserve, +10 Free Stats
Runic Intent Level 5 > 7
Skills Available! Please Select 1* Skills.
Class Skill Options:
Improved Mana Reserve (Rare)
Spells and Skills. Most require mana and so the measure of a researcher, a mage, a warrior, is how much mana they can wield and how long they can last. For those lucky few, this Skill increases the users Mana Reserve by 5%. Increases by 0.5% per Skill Level.
Improved Magic Power (Rare)
A Spell is only as powerful as the strength of one’s mana. With enough Magic Power one can turn a gentle rain into a slicing storm or a campfire into a blaze hot enough to melt stone. For those lucky few, this Skill increases the users Magic Power by 5%. Increases by 0.5% per Skill Level.
Improved Magic Control (Rare)
The more mana one wields, the harder it becomes to control. What is the point of using a spell that summons a firestorm that burns down a forest when you just want it to incinerate your enemies? Those with exceptional Magic Control get more out of their spells and mana. For those lucky few, this Skill increases the users Magic Control by 5%. Increases by 0.5% per Skill Level.
Improved Channelling Speed (Rare)
Having a large Mana Reserve is always useful, but what is the point if you can only draw forth a dribble of mana at a time. Truly powerful magic requires a truly powerful throughput. For those lucky few, this Skill increases the users Channelling Speed by 5%. Increases by 0.5% per Skill Level.
Runic Modification (Epic)
Sometimes you create your rune and its structure is not fit for purpose. Happens to the very best. This skill allows the user to spend mana to make modifications to a completed rune. Changes made cost mana with the cost based on Intellect, Creativity, Skill Level and the extent of the modifications desired.
Nate looked at Frick and asked “Runic Modification?”
Frick nodded, “Yep, Runic Modification. The others are still strong but they won’t help you much till you’re a higher level. If we can find civilization like you so desperately want you’ll probably be able to spend some more time on your Skills and Runic Modification will definitely help you develop some new runes for your kit if you can find a few more sigils.”
Nate agreed. That was one of the first things he was going to do. More sigils meant more variance in his runes and so far his lack of adaptability was really bothering him. So sigils were a priority. With that he thought at the System his selection locking in Runic Modification.
“Any thoughts on the Stats?” Nate asked Frick.
“Nah. Spend them however you want.”
“I think I will hold onto them for now. Mana Absorption is an option but I am undecided,” Nate said.
Leaving his 10 Free Stats waiting he moved onto the second Notification, the blue words glowing in the air in front of Frick and himself.
You have completed a Dungeon challenge!
Dungeon: The Temple of Q’ival
Challenge: Defeat the Elder Council and their attendants.
Challenge (Special): Defeat the Elder Council and their attendants as a party of one.
As a reward for completing a Challenge (Special) all reward options are enhanced.
Challenge Rewards (Select One):
1. Power
2. Wealth
3. Equipment
Please select your reward.
“Wealth is out,” Nate commented instantly. “I wasn’t sure last time what I might get for the Power option. Also, do you know what it means by enhancing the reward?”
“Power will be an Orb or a few Orbs. Stats or a Skill most likely. As for enhancing a reward… Dungeons are given tiers, much like everything else. This Dungeon is probably of the Uncommon Tier. Which means its rewards are normally also Uncommon rarity. A single enhancement probably pushes the Reward to Rare rarity. Two enhancements would probably be Epic. Three would get you to Legendary rarity, as we know,” Frick responded, long goblin fingers resting on his chin like he was imparting the wisdom of the world.
Nate snorted at him. “So I will either get a Rare Skill or some Stats. Or a Rare piece of equipment?”
“It’s more than that. But firstly, you shouldn’t rule out wealth so quickly. What do you think it would reward you with?” Frick asked.
“Hmm. Something like gold and gems was what I figured it would give.”
“Close, boss man. It would probably give you some of those. At least a little anyway. But the main benefit of that Reward is the crafting materials. It would give you rare crafting materials. Materials that you could further enhance, with your Legendary Skill,” Frick finished with a dramatic wink.
Nate took a moment to think about that. It was still wealth, but in a different format. But that didn’t change the fact that it likely wouldn’t help him now. And he needed help now. He needed to get out of this Dungeon and so anything that sped that up was the optimal choice. It was short term thinking. He knew that. But it was hard to think about the long term being stuck in here with only his Familiar for company.
“Was I right about Power at least?” he asked.
“Close but not quite. Power is a little different to some of the other rewards. For one, the Skills it gives don’t necessarily start at level one. It will give you a Rare Skill. But when you use the Orb that Skill might start at level five. Or higher. I’ve seen one that started at level eight. As for the Orbs that give Stats, I can guarantee they will be things that push how powerful you are, rather than shoring up weak areas. It’ll likely be in the vicinity of fifteen total stats. So it’s a good reward.”
“And the Equipment would be Rare Quality?” Nate asked.
Frick nodded, reverting to his goblin-esque manner, “So what are you thinking, boss man?”
“You said The System curates its rewards to the user and their needs right? Well I am thinking, my shoes are basically done,” Nate said, stripping off his torn and falling apart shoes, before walking around for a minute on all the broken bits of Construct that covered the floor.
“Wow, that was rough. I could definitely do with some boots,” Nate said out loud before mentally choosing Equipment from the list, while focusing on the image of him wearing boots in his head.
The ground in front of Nate shimmered the same as last time, a kaleidoscopic view of the rainbow appearing before him which faded away, resolving itself into a pair of black boots.
Frick goggled at Nate. “I can’t believe that worked. You got a direct line to The System or something? That was crazy!”
Nate laughed. He hadn’t expected it to work either but he had hoped it might. He really needed to get rid of his shoes either way. They were almost done, his shirt not far behind. He was probably about to start freeballing as well with how bad his underwear had gotten. Maybe that had factored into The Systems calculations. He couldn’t know, but he was pleased with the results as he used Identification on them, levelling the Skill and revealing the properties of his new boots.
Boots of the Wandering Mage (Rare)
Boots crafted for a Mage who wandered the land, they were designed to keep his feet on the road and help open doors for him wherever he found himself.
Stats: +3 Endurance, +3 Charisma
Features: Durable (Rare), Innate Repair (Uncommon)
Durable: This item is Enchanted to be more durable, reducing the wear and tear through usage.
Innate Repair: This item is Enchanted to repair itself over time using ambient mana. Feeding the Enchantment mana can accelerate this process.
The boots themselves were a beautiful shiny black leather, with a fur lining inside that felt comfortable as Nate ran his fingers over them. There were three silver buckles around the boots that he could use to tighten them. The enchantments weren’t ideal but he supposed if his goal was rejoining civilization then a little Charisma wouldn’t go astray. His only regret was that he was going to have to wear them with his dirty socks.
Pulling the boots on and figuring out the buckles took a minute but once he was done he walked around, instantly getting them covered in dust. He had known it would happen but there wasn’t much he could do about it and the boots had no Self Cleaning enchantment like his robe so keeping them clean was going to have to be something he saw to himself.
With that done he walked among the remains of the Constructs, managing to extract eight intact, albeit empty, mana gems. Putting them in his storage he moved on to the Construct Elders, searching through each of their remains. As he suspected, each one gave up a piece of mosaic, though their mana gems and any runes they might have contained were ruined.
Nate looked over the pieces of mosaic in his hand. Each piece was the same colour as the Construct that had held it. Looking around and finding he’d searched everything he needed to, Nate headed for the door and the main antechamber. It was time to plan for the final Challenge. It was almost time to complete the Dungeon.
Bringing up his Character sheet he had a quick look, pondering on where he might put his Free Stats, before closing it again.
Frick floated alongside him as they moved over to the final mosaic. This mosaic was done almost entirely in black, grey and red. A fitting colouration he thought, considering it depicted the temple denizens dying as constructs stood over them. Their fields were burning with red stones marking the flames. The sky was hidden by greys and blacks that Nate thought depicted smoke, rather than clouds. More red for blood flowing. Pale yellow was used for the constructs and people both. Finally, the construct with the feathered headdress stood upon the temple steps, holding a white sceptre. Nate hadn’t noticed it the first time, but there were four missing slots for pieces of stone coming out of the top of that sceptre.
Nate didn’t have to be a genius to figure it out. It almost certainly meant that the final boss would wield that sceptre and would be able to use all the spells or runes or whatever that the Construct Elders had been using. A fire beam, a wind movement or flying spell, a water sphere trap spell and finally the earthen shield spell. If it had better stats for its Channelling Speed and the like that could be a real problem. Nate didn’t have a good counter to the water ball. The others he had answers to, but his barrier did nothing to stop the water sphere from trapping him in place and without the ability to move around he would just get whittled down.
He sat down in front of the mosaic, thinking. Frick floated down, alighting on the floor and taking on physicality. He could feel the extra tug on his Mana Reserve and felt the rate at which it was refilling from the ambient mana slow. As the Familiar became physical his blue ears drooped down and he poked Nate with one of his pointy fingers.
“You look deep in thought, boss man. What’s that meaty appendage you call a brain thinking about? And why aren’t we going back to the campfire to rest?” Frick asked.
“I am trying to figure out a way to counter that water sphere spell,” Nate flicked his fingers up at the mosaic as he spoke, before laying out the four pieces he held on the floor. “Seems like an obvious connection that the final Challenge will involve that spell again. As for why we’re not going and resting… ”
Nate paused for a moment thinking about how to frame his thoughts and feelings.
“I know that the smart thing to do would be to rest, eat, drink, maybe even sleep. Then have a detailed plan to handle this final challenge. But Frick, I can feel my anxiety creeping up on me in here, in this Dungeon. I… I guess being alone is… getting to me. Being completely disconnected from other people. It was never a problem back home, even when I was alone I was still surrounded by people. Strangers, sure, but still people. In here it’s just you and me, and no offence, but you’re not helping for some reason. So while I know what the smart thing to do is, I am telling you, I need to get out of here and start moving towards civilization. Before I have a breakdown. Because if that happens, I am not sure I will make it.” Nate finished in a rush.
Frick looked at Nate for a long moment, tapping his currently physical fingers together as he thought. The goblins' nails made a clack clack clack noise as he continued to think.
After an awkward moment Frick finally spoke, “Well fuck boss man, unless you know another Rune, you’re probably screwed if the Challenge uses that water spell.”
Nate paused for a second as he said that, before he let out a short barking laugh. “HA! Thanks Frick. You’re good people. I got caught up in the moment and was feeling the pressure. It made me miss the obvious solution.”
“You got something else in the tank then, boss man?” Frick asked, the goblin looking at him greedily.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea. Going to take me a little bit to prepare. Watch my back?” said Nate.
“Sentry Spirit is on duty!” Frick yelled. Nate felt the Familiar cease being physical and as it did so he watched as Frick gave himself a single large eye in the centre of his face, like some little goblin cyclops, before zooming off.
Nate felt at his Robe, feeling how he had placed a Rune into it he now focused at removing one. It came far easier than he expected and within a minute he had scrubbed the second Barrier rune. With the easy part done he focused his mind and got to work guiding his mana into the right shape for the replacement rune.
A path out had shown itself. And a path forward. Every hurdle Nate had encountered had been solved with his runes. For him they were becoming an active form of art. He just wondered how far he could take them. He supposed that was the Path he was walking. The path of merging runes with art. The thought made him smile.
The first rune took a few minutes, carved into some wood and stored in his spatial storage. The second rune took almost half an hour but he finally finished the rune and felt it settle into place, the golden threads weaving themselves into his robe as the rune formed in the star near his waist. He was ready.
Standing up he pulled out a mana gem and took the few minutes he needed to completely replenish his Mana Reserve. Two fights back to back. This was the second time he was doing such. He knew it was pushing his limits a little, but he didn’t care enough to stop. He wanted out of this Dungeon. That need overrode the cautious part of his mind that told him he should rest more before facing this final challenge.
Storing the mana gem, Nate picked up the four pieces of mosaic and looked at them. Their shapes were all identical so he wasn’t sure if the order he put them in mattered. Just in case it was, he’d rather face an opponent with a weaker fire beam. With that in mind he put the Blue stone first, followed by the Green, then the Yellow and ending with the Red. As he placed the final stone into the mosaic he heard the click of the door unlocking. He was going to defeat this Challenge and get the fuck out of here.
He moved forward expecting to have to push on the doors and found himself stepping into the room as the doors swung open all on their own. Frick flew down to alight on his shoulder as he got a chance to view the room for the final challenge.
The room was flat with roman plinths, like the rest of the temple, down each side of the room. At the end of the room, about thirty metres away, sat a large stone throne. The stonework was embellished, with imagery carved into it that Nate was too far away to make out. That wasn’t what caught his attention anyway. The room was empty except for the thing that sat upon the throne. It looked different to the other constructs he had encountered. More humanoid. More like the statues he had seen in the alcoves. And within the centre of its chest sat a huge white diamond shaped gem.
Upon its head sat a feathered headdress, decorated with blue, green and white feathers. In its right arm it held the white sceptre detailed in the mosaic. Four gems decorated the top of the sceptre, in red, green, blue and yellow. The construct, if that’s what it really was, leant forward on its throne which revealed for the first time that this construct had red gemstone eyes. Nate couldn’t help but feel a malevolence wash over him as he gazed into the eyes of the construct. That feeling only escalated as the thing spoke with a sickly sweet female voice.
“So finally he comes. The invader of my small Kingdom. Come to do The Systems bidding have we? Then come. You’ll find only death here and perhaps as I climb over your corpse a method of escape will make itself known.”
