Richmond Rain Stroudwater
CLASS
LVL
CAP
+STAT
Engine of Change
30
30
0
EXP
NEXT
TOTAL
+SKILL
130,422
130,423
2,636,316
4
Vitals
CUR
MAX
RGN
Health
12,196
12,400
112.5/h
Stamina
5,118
5,720
112.5/h
Mana
107,750
107,750
663.0/s
Attributes
1,500/2,690
EFF
TOTAL
BASE
ACCLD
MISC
SYN
STR
520
520
10
10
500/530
20.6
(103%)
RCV
142
270
10
10
250/770
10.5
(53%)
END
157
286
10
26
250/500
19.8
(55%)
VGR
135
270
10
10
250/1,140
10
(50%)
FCS
270
270
10
10
250/2,000
50
(250%)
CLR
330
330
320
10
0/2,500
330
(100%)
PER
20
20
10
10
0/0
26.9
(134%)
SPD
9.4
10
10
0
0/11
9.4
(94%)
Resistances
TOTAL
END
ACCLD
MISC
HEAT
1,528.6
0%
28.6
1,000
0%
500
0%
COLD
528.6
0%
28.6
0
0%
500
0%
LIGHT
28.6
0%
28.6
0
0%
0
0%
DARK
28.6
0%
28.6
0
0%
0
0%
FORCE
578.6
0%
28.6
200
0%
350
0%
ARCANE
5,028.6
0%
28.6
0
0%
5,000
0%
CHEMICAL
403.6
0%
28.6
0
0%
375
0%
MENTAL
28.6
0%
28.6
0
0%
0
0%
31/31 Slots
Accolade
Bonus
10 [5x2]
Blackfoot Trench
+10 (+2x5)
All Attributes
4 [2x2]
The Icy Cellar
+1,000 (+500x2)
Health
4 [2x2]
Oh Gods!
Not Another Chem Lair!
+2,000 (+1,000x2)
Mana
3
The Lair of Embers
+1000
Heat Res
3
We Canât Just Call It
âThe Lairâ
+200
Force Res
2
Southshore Rat Warren
+1,000
Health
2 [2x1]
Badlands Cold Lair
3060 1 4
+6 (+3x2)
Endurance
2 [2x1]
Snow Sprite Lair
+10 (+5x2)
Endurance
1
Everdeep Fortress
+10
Perception
Slot
Item
Charge
Saturation
Durability
Head
Chest
Legs
Hands
Feet
Offhand
Myriad Plate
Bound
Durability
Hardness [12,047]
500 Heat Resistance
500 Cold Resistance
375 Chem Resistance
350 Force Resistance
5,000 Arcane Resistance
Lightness
Compression
Thermal Regulation [ON]
Tactile Transference [ON]
Facade [ON]
Obfuscation [ON]
Arcane Regeneration [OFF]
Kinetic Conversion
185,500 / 185,500
0 / 154,209
602,044 / 602,044
Ring[0]
Grand Malleable Ring
Bound, Unity
300/300 Attributes [Ë]
500 / 500
0 / 4,270
903 / 903
Ring[1]
Grand Malleable Ring
Bound, Unity
300/300 Attributes [Ë]
500 / 500
0 / 4,271
902 / 902
Ring[2]
Grand Malleable Ring
Bound, Unity
300/300 Attributes [Ë]
500 / 500
0 / 4,269
908 / 908
Ring[3]
Grand Malleable Ring
Bound, Unity
300/300 Attributes [Ë]
500 / 500
0 / 4,247
901 / 901
Ring[4]
Grand Malleable Ring
Bound, Unity
300/300 Attributes [Ë]
500 / 500
0 / 4,271
911 / 911
Ring[5]
Aura Collectorâs Ring
Bound, Unity
+1.12 Aura Synergy [ON]
500 / 500
0 / 4,272
813 / 813
Ring[6]
Aura Collectorâs Ring
Bound, Unity
+1.12 Aura Synergy [ON]
500 / 500
0 / 4,278
814 / 814
Ring[7]
Aura Collectorâs Ring
Bound, Unity
+1.12 Aura Synergy [ON]
500 / 500
0 / 4,273
816 / 816
Ring[8]
Aura Collectorâs Ring
Bound, Unity
+1.12 Aura Synergy [ON]
500 / 500
0 / 4,274
813 / 813
Ring[9]
Aura Collectorâs Ring
Bound, Unity
+1.12 Aura Synergy [ON]
500 / 500
0 / 4,271
814 / 814
Amulet
Magewell Amulet
Bound, Unity
Mana Well
100% Import Efficiency
100% Export Efficiency
50,000 / 50,000
0 / 39,211
313 / 313
Mainhand
None
NA
NA
NA
Underwear
Forceweave
Mundane
NA
NA
NA
Overwear
None
NA
NA
NA
Skills
Aura Metamagic
Tier 0
Amplify Aura (15/15)
Multiply aura intensity by 250%
Multiply aura mana cost by 400%
Extend Aura (15/15)
Extend aura range by 15 meters
Multiply aura mana cost by 400%
Tier 1
Aura Focus (15/15)
Focus on an aura to boost its output
Multiply aura intensity by 400%
Multiply aura range by 400%
Multiply aura mana cost by 400%
User loses all external senses while focusing
Aura Synergy (20/15)
Increase all aura output by 2.0% for each rank in any aura
Effective boost: 450.0%
Tier 2
Aura IFF (15/15)
User may exempt entities from direct aura effects at will
Selected entities receive -50.0% aura output
Prismatic Intent (1/15) Exp: 17/400
User may maintain 2 auras simultaneously
Tier 3
Aura Compression (15/15)
Compress aura output, reducing range to boost intensity
Increase intensity by 3% per meter of compression
Defensive Auras
Tier 1
Arcane Ward (15/15)
Increase arcane resistance by 247.5% for all entities
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Chemical Ward (15/15)
Increase chemical resistance by 247.5% for all entities
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Mental Ward (15/15)
Increase mental resistance by 247.5% for all entities
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Tier 2
Force Ward (15/15)
Increase physical resistance by 247.5% for all entities
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Tier 3
Suppression (15/15)
Increase mana costs for all entities by 1938.75 mp (fcs)
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 15 mp/s
Magical Utility
Tier 0
Intrinsic Clarity (15/15)
Multiply base mana regeneration by 400%
Intrinsic Focus (15/15)
Multiply base mana by 400%
Tier 1
Channel Mastery (15/15)
Allows intuitive control of channeled skill intensity and tick rate
Minimum skill intensity: 0%
Maximum skill intensity: 200%
Maximum skill tick rate: 2.0s
Minimum skill tick rate: 0.0s
Skill mana cost modified by intensity adjustment
Skill intensity per tick modified proportional to tick rate
Mana Manipulation (15/15)
Allows internal control of mana
Allows expulsion of mana to environment
Allows transfer of mana to and from capacitive items with direct contact
Maximum transfer rate 9600.0 mp/s (fcs)
Tier 2
Magical Synergy (15/15)
Enables limited synergistic cross-coupling of magical attributes
37.5% of Focus contributes to mana regen
37.5% of Clarity contributes to mana
Offensive Auras
Tier 0
Immolate (15/15)
1357.12-1551.00 heat (fcs) damage per second to entities and environment
Sufficient damage causes ignition
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 75 mp/s
Refrigerate (15/15)
1357.12-1551.00 cold (fcs) damage per second to entities and environment
Sufficient damage causes slow
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 75 mp/s
Tier 1
Radiance (15/15)
1357.12-1551.00 light (fcs) damage per second to entities
Brightens environment (fcs)
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 75 mp/s
Shroud (15/15)
1357.12-1551.00 dark (fcs) damage per second to entities
Darkens environment (fcs)
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 75 mp/s
Tier 2
Fulmination (15/15)
1357.12-1551.00 arcane (fcs) damage per second to entities and environment
Sufficient damage causes paralysis
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 75 mp/s
Utility Auras
Tier 0
Purify (15/15)
Purify poison, corruption, and contamination
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 150 mp/min
Winter (15/15)
Boost M.Regen by 825% for all entities
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 15 mp/hr
Tier 1
Detection (15/15)
Sense selected items of interest
Not occluded by mundane materials
Resolution: 0.49 mm
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 15 mp/s
Essence Well (15/15)
Transfer mana to all entities within range, including user
Transfer Rate: 82.5 mp/s
Efficiency: 20%
Range: 82.5 meters
Velocity (15/15)
825.00% boost to speed for all entities
Range: 82.5 meters
Cost: 15 mp/s
Free Skill Points: 4
Progress Report
marker_1: t4_amm [3061 Seedlings 25 12:10]
marker_2: enduro4 [3061 Seedlings 28 23:15]
Span: 3.5 days
Character
Total Exp: 2,536,316 -> 2,636,316 (+100,000)
â³Mana Use: 100,000
Skills
Winter: +10,729 exp, 13 -> 15 (+2)
Mana Manipulation: +7,241 exp, 14 -> 15 (+1)
Prismatic Intent: +9 exp
Tolerance
Strength: 524 -> 530 (+6)
Endurance: 472 -> 500 (+28)
Synchronization
Recovery: 6.1 -> 10.5 (+4.4)
Endurance: 7.6 -> 19.8 (+12.2)
Vigor: 9.3 -> 10.0 (+0.7)
Clarity: 320.0 -> 330.0 (+10.0)
Rain stood silently in the center of the wall of blue windows, rocking slowly with the gentle motion of the ship beneath his feet. Despite it being the dead of night, the room he and Ameliah shared was brightly lit by no fewer than four light bulbs, set into fixtures high in the walls and wired into the electrical network that now ran through the entire vessel. Below him, where the journey core had once been, was the main generator, built from parts that had once belonged to Subtlety. The forgewagon didnât need them anymore.
Tallheartâs solution to getting the heavy vehicle down the cliff had been straightforward: driving it over the edge at high speed. With all the enchantments on it, the vehicleâs frame had weathered the impact with the water quite well, but that hardly mattered. The plan had always been to cannibalize it for parts. It couldnât go where they were going. The smelter was in Engineering now, just across the hall from where Rain stood, and the turbines were below, powering the twin Force Steel propellers that now adorned Temerityâs stern.
Rain smiled.
Tallheart is a legend.
The cervidian smith was resting now, and it was well earned. They would be leaving tomorrow through his efforts, weeks sooner than Rain had thought possible. The downside was that it meant preparation had become a bit rushed everywhere else.
His eyes returned to his progress report, and he sighed, waving the windows away. With all his skills besides Prismatic Intent maxed, heâd pivoted to work on his synchronizations. Endurance was first on the list, given where they were headed. There was a small Watch stronghold in Barstone, and several of the accolades in Ascensionâs care belonged to them. There was no question that theyâd be returning them. Rain would need to rely on his status as a Custodian to keep Temerity out of the DKEâs hands. Returning the accoladesâtwo of which were currently boosting his Enduranceâwas a part of that. Heâd have done so already if he wasnât afraid of what Velika would do if she were to find out that heâd teleported off somewhere.
She has to know Glavin and Halgrave are here by now. The fact she hasnât done anything is a good sign, but damn if her being so quiet isnât making me nervous.
He glanced at his clock, the numbers steadily ticking forward toward the time heâd specified in his note. He didnât want to know what sheâd do if they were late. The last thing he needed was for the volatile ex-Citizen to be in a bad mood. They couldnât even Message her to tell her theyâd been held up. She wasnât accepting calls, which was why theyâd had to send her a physical note in the first place. Message connecting would be a dead giveaway she was around, so sheâd clearly blocked it somehow. Whether that was deliberate, or simply through passive Mental resistance and the desire to hide, it made things damn inconvenient.
Filth, I am not looking forward to this.
Stifling another sigh, Rain removed his helmet, tossing it on his bed and running a hand through his flattened hair. He didnât stop there, however, proceeding to remove his gauntlets, shifting his rings between his fingers to avoid depleting his vitals. His boots came next, and then, with some difficulty, the rest of his armor. Finally, he reached up to the neck of his Forceweave underlayer, stretching it wide and shimmying out like a snake. âNakedâ didnât even begin to describe how he felt then, staring at himself in the tiny mirror mounted to one wall.
He moved quickly to the pile of clothing heâd laid out earlier, throwing on the plain workmanâs clothes. His skin was sensitive after pushing his physical stats so hard, and the coarse fabric felt like sandpaper compared to the silky Forceweave. It didnât help that the shirt was about two sizes too small. The flimsy clothing also did very little to help with the utter vulnerability he felt looking down at his armor on the bed.
Ameliahâs right. Iâve developed a complex.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the comforting presence of Ameliahâs soul washed over him. Rain smiled, then turned, walking barefoot to the door and pulling it open to see her standing there, one fist raised to knock.
âWoahâ!â she said, taking a step back in startlement, then she blinked and grinned, looking him up and down. âTight much?â
Rain laughed, tugging at the hem of his tunic. âYes, it is very much tight, thank you. Itâll be fine with a cloak. Now, get in here before someone sees.â
Ameliah laughed and slipped inside, closing the door after her and propping her bow against the wall. A moment later, her armor vanishedânot just the helmet, but all of itâleaving her standing in a layer of Forceweave not unlike his own. The quivers that had been at her hips fell to the ground with a rattle. It was Rainâs turn to grin, taking in the curves of her body through the clingy fabric. âTight much?â
Ameliah stuck her tongue out at him, then tossed him a leather sack. âHere.â
âYou got the rings back?â Rain asked, snagging it out of the air. It clinked as he caught it and reached for the string. His fingers felt clumsy without his gauntlets. Too small. His loose rings werenât helping matters.
âMmhmm,â Ameliah said, reaching for the neck of her forceweave. âI wouldnât look in there if I were you. There might be a thumb or two.â
Rain laughed. âGreen really didnât want to give them up, did he? Too bad I couldnât convince him to join us.â Abandoning his attempt to undo the string, he confirmed the sackâs contents with Detection, then tossed it toward the bed. Returning his attention to Ameliah, he watched with significant interest as she struggled her way free of her stretchy bodysuit. He didnât bother to hide his smile as she turned to face him, planting her hands on her hips. Like him, she was still wearing her rings, slightly loose around her fingers. Unlike him, her amulet dangled not against a craggy plane, but in a lush, inviting valley...
âWell?â she asked, grinning.
Rain whistled, loud and long, trusting the Muffle runes on the walls to keep the sound contained to the room.
Ameliah rolled her eyes, still smiling at him. From the vague impression of her mood Rain got through his soul sense, he could tell she was feeling playful. âPick up your jaw and tell me where my old clothes are, please? You can ogle all you want when weâre not on a schedule.â
âOver there,â Rain said, waving a hand vaguely but still not looking away. âIn your trunk.â
Ameliah tilted her head. âMy what?â
âHere,â Rain said, abandoning the game and leaning over the corner of the bed to retrieve a large lacquered cherrywood box with brass hinges. With his boosted stats, he had no trouble at all lifting the heavy object and placing it on the bed. âTrunk.â
Ameliah stared down at the box, still wearing a confused expression. âSince when do I have a trunk?â
Rain smiled, shifting closer to her. âSince yesterday. I asked Shena to make it a few weeks ago, and she finally finished it last night.â
There was a long pause before Ameliah spoke, and when she did, her voice was tight. âIâve never had a trunk.â
Ah.
The feel of her soul had changed ever so slightly, shifting away from playfulness and toward...something complicated. He bit his lip, trying to identify it.
Damn it. Itâs not clear like it is with Dozer. Well, clearISH like it is with Dozer. Youâd think being the same species would make up for the lack of a proper link, but I guess not. Doesnât really matter, though. I donât need to feel it to know what sheâs thinking. How long has it been since sheâs had a place to call home? Has she ever, really?
Shaking herself, Ameliah reached out and ran her hands over the trunk before undoing the catch and throwing back the lid. âThank you. This is really nice.â She tilted her head, then reached in and pulled out a paper-wrapped package from atop her neatly folded cloak. âWhatâs this?â She lifted the package to her nose and took a quick sniff.
Rain grinned. âYou remember those cocoa beans we found in the jungle?â
Ameliah lifted the package again and took another whiff, breathing deeply this time. âGods, you made chocolate?â
Rain laughed. âI did. Go on. Have a piece.â
Ameliah sighed, setting the package back down in the box and pulling out a pile of clothes instead. She tossed them haphazardly on the bed beside the trunk on top of his armor, then began getting dressed. âWe donât have time for that kind of thing right now. I want to enjoy it properly. You still owe me that day out, remember?â She paused, glancing back at the chocolate, then at him over her shoulder. âActually, hang on, Captain Busy Busy. When did you have time? Didnât you have more important things to be doing than trying to figure out the recipe?â
âI made time,â Rain replied easily, tugging on a large pair of gloves over his rings to hide them and to encourage them to stay on his fingers. âYouâre important too.â
Ameliah chuckled and turned back around to resume dressing. âCheesy.â
Rain grinned at her back. âI try.â
Ameliah exhaled deeply, poking her head through the collar of her white linen shirt. âDepths, the chocolate made everything in there smell amazing.â She turned to face him, brushing her hair out of her face with one hand. âHow do I look?â
âAs delicious as you smell,â Rain replied, receiving a punch to the upper arm for his trouble. âHey!â
Ameliah laughed, then stepped forward and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. âThank you.â
âYouâre welcome,â Rain said, squeezing tightly. They lingered there for a moment before they broke apart in mutual acknowledgment of the time. They really were running late.
They finished dressing in a rush, adding boots, Ascension cloaks, and in Ameliahâs case, her bow and quivers. Both of them tucked their amulets beneath their clothing, safely out of sight. Though he hated to do it, Rain released a quick pulse of Purify to banish the delicious odor from the room.
âRight,â Ameliah said, closing her trunk with a solid thunk. âLetâs go get her.â
Halgrave sat crosslegged at the bow of the metal ship, hunched in his armor beneath a borrowed cloak against the steady rain. The unenchanted fabric had long since soaked through, but it scarcely mattered. Heâd slept through worse. If heâd wanted to be dry, he could have sought accommodation in the city like Glavin, or at least moved under the wooden platform at the shipâs stern. In truth, sleep was far from his thoughts this night. What he felt was a vague anxiety. He was running out of time to convince his daughter to leave.
These people...
âBizarreâ was an insufficient word to describe some of the things he had seen, just as âdampâ was inadequate to describe his current state.
On the surface, Ascension was just an overgrown Adventuring team, held together by common interest. He had seen its like before. Eight was usually as large as a group got, given the system limit on party size, but there was nothing in the Guild rules that prevented larger teams from being registered. Neither was there a rule prohibiting dull followers. Teams often hired such to carry the bags and tend to the horses. What they didnât do was assign them positions of leadership, as Ascension had done with the Vanna woman, someone whoâd previously made a living scraping muck out of sewer tunnels. They didnât awaken them, squandering the chance for a powerful accolade in exchange for a fresh crop of weakling bronzes. It was insanity.
To him, to anyone that mattered, the difference between unawakened and bronze was immaterial. A few extra bronzes would not save Ascension when someone came to take what they had earned, not unless they somehow reached the scale of the Adamant Empire itself. Then, it could work, as the ship he sat upon was proof. That wasnât going to happen, though. They might as well aim to build a fortress on the moon. They would never get there.
What is their endgame?
Halgrave frowned, considering again what would happen when the fools sailed this ship into the Barstone harbor. It would be taken from them. The talk was that Rain intended to rely on his status as Custodian to keep the DKE at bay, but that only meant the Watch would be the ones to end up in possession of the ship. There was no scenario in which Ascension got to keep itâor, for that matter, any of their other secrets.
Light without Light Crysts? A mechanical journey core large enough to move this vessel? A long-distance communication device that takes the place of a Mentalist? And all of it powered by artificial lightning?
Halgrave grunted.
He had demanded no answers thus far, not judging it to be worth the annoyance of getting them, but even his interest was beginning to move beyond idle curiosity. Heâd been barredâpolitelyâfrom going below deck, and Mahria had told him next to nothing, showing more loyalty to her new friends than to her own father. He could understand her devotion, given that theyâd helped her to unlock her class, but such devotion was misplaced. Ascension had made her promises that it could not keep, and she, young and foolish, believed them.
She would learn.
This world was brutal. You could keep only what you could hold with your own two hands.
A flicker of movement caught Halgraveâs eye, and he tensed, reaching for the hammer that rested across his knees as a pair of white-cloaked and hooded figures emerged onto the deck. The hatch theyâd exited was dimly lit from within by one of the Crystless lights, tinted red for some reason and not bright enough to make out details through the rain. Both were too tall to be his daughter, and the taller of them was significantly too broad as well.
With a sigh, Halgrave released his weapon. The pair passed into darkness, moving toward the starboard railing.
It was just a shift change, and not the first of the night. Ascension might not have the power to protect what they had taken, but they were not slouching about going through the motions. He could respect that. Here, it would even work for them. Not so in Barstone. They were not strong enough. Perhaps once he pulled his daughter out of the wreckage of this company of hers, then she would see.
Halgrave snorted.
Or perhaps not. She is stubborn. Like me.
âWhew,â Rain sighed in relief as his boots struck the wooden plank of the rowboatâs seat. His relief was not at being down from the mooring rope, which heâd descended with ease that his past gym-class self would have never believed. Instead, it was simply at being out of Halgraveâs line of sight. âDoes that man never sleep?â
âYouâre one to talk,â Ameliah whispered from above him, little more than a shadowy form in the darkness.
Rain smiled, the small boat rocking alarmingly as he negotiated his way into it. Vanna, sitting on the central bench and holding the oars, didnât react to his arrival other than by leaning to compensate. She was humming to herself softly, seemingly completely unaware that she was no longer alone.
This spell is insane.
âMove so I can get in,â Ameliah whispered. Before Rain could figure out a way to comply, she spoke again. âForget it.â Letting go of the rope, she took two easy steps through the air. The boat rocked again, the ocean lapping against its sides as she found purchase near the bow.
That works. Sitting to steady himself, Rain reached forward and placed a hand on Vannaâs shoulder, shaking her gently. âVanna. Psst. Itâs us.â
Vanna jerked back sharply in alarm, opening her mouth, but before she cried out, she blinked and stopped herself. âRain? Gods, that spell is insane.â
Rain smiled. âRight? I was just thinking that.â
Vanna shook her head, shivering in a way that had nothing to do with the water soaking her cloak. âI remember you climbing down right in front of me. Hells, I watched you. You even almost flipped the boat over. It just didnât seem...important. Gods, thatâs disturbing.â
âSorry,â Rain said. âThereâs no way to exclude someone from the inverted effect other than by limiting the range. IFF controls who or what is being veiled, not whose mindâs getting played with.â
Vanna shuddered again. âDonât like it.â
Rain grimaced in sympathy. âYeah. Just remember to keep thinking about us. Otherwise, youâll forget weâre here.â
âWe?â Vanna blinked, still looking shaken. âOh, yeah. Ameliah. Whereâs...â She turned sharply, placing a hand over her heart.
Ameliah smiled and gave her a little wave. âHi.â
Vanna sighed, lowering her hand. âGods.â
âYou did keep Halgrave out of it, right?â Ameliah asked Rain over Vannaâs shoulder.
âYeah,â Rain replied, checking the goldplateâs position with the non-inverted effect of the spell as he untied the rowboat. Regular Detection was basically undetectable as far as he knew, but not so the inverted version. Halgrave would have noticed the influence on his mind, no question about it. At gold, he had both the resistances and the experience. Their disguises would have to be enough. Fortunately, it looked like they had been.
âHere we go,â Vanna whispered, seeming to have recovered. She began hauling at the oars, pointing the bow toward the shore. âThe cloaks are under your benches.â
Rain nodded, retrieving a tightly-wrapped bundle from beneath his bench. He and Ameliah had debated making the crossing with Airwalk or by swimming but had decided that the boat was the best option. It was the least remarkable. Inverted Detection worked best when what was being hidden was something commonplace. People would be more inclined to pay attention if they spotted someone like Ameliah walking through the sky or two mysterious figures hauling themselves dripping from the sea.
As Vanna rowed, Rain occupied himself by looking inward, using Mana Manipulation to trace the pathways within himself as he kept the spell active. As usual, it was an incomprehensible mess, as it was whenever he was using metamagic. Needless to say, he made no progress toward untangling it by the time they reached shore.
After they tied up at the dock, all three got out to make their way up to the clinic. Just before they got there, though, Rain and Ameliah ducked aside into an alley, leaving Vanna to carry on alone. Safely out of sight, they changed their white Ascension cloaks for brown ones, shoving the white ones into a barrel that was waiting there for exactly that purpose. The bundles Vanna had prepared had contained a spare Ascension cloak as well, and it joined the others. That would be for Velika on the way back. From a distance, three people would have been seen rowing to shore, and three people would be seen rowing back.
Only once the barrel was closed did Rain release Detection, wanting to take the chance to refresh his mana. When he activated Winter, he almost gave himself away by yelping in surprise, but he managed to strangle the cry in his throat.
Holyâ
Through his endless hours of practice, Rain had grown quite adept at determining a good cast from a bad one. Checking had become almost automatic. This cast wasnât just his best one ever; it was near flawless. At least, it was as far as he could tell with the limits of Mana Manipulation. His view was just as fuzzy as ever, but with this much metamagic active, the mess should have been way more...messy.
âWhat is it?â Ameliah whispered.
Rain looked up at her, then blinked and closed his jaw. âUse Mana Sight on me,â he managed.
Ameliah arched an eyebrow, then it was her turn to look shocked. âOh.â
Rain nodded numbly. âUh-huh.â He let Winter fade, then cast it again. It wasnât quite so perfect this time, but it was close. He looked down at his chest, at the damp shirt stretched tightly across it. The thin fabric offered no protection, but...
It wasnât metal.
The amulet beneath it was, and so were the rings on his fingers. Those were the places the spell looked the worst. He carefully pressed with Mana Manipulation, finding that his dexterity with the spell, for lack of a better word, had likewise been improved.
He looked up at Ameliah, barely trusting himself to speak. âYou know that feeling you get when you realize youâre an idiot?â
âBut you tried using Prismatic Intent without your armor already,â Ameliah countered, sounding just as shocked as he felt.
Rain shook his head. âYeah, but I was...â
â...in the ship,â Ameliah finished for him. âIn the metal ship in our metal room, surrounded by metal. The only place you felt safe enough to take off your turtle shell.â
âYeah,â Rain said, licking his lips. âI got as far away from the walls as I could, but...â He trailed off. Looking around, he decided it was worth the risk, then activated Force Ward, ready to drop it the moment he felt he was in danger of passing out.
âCareful,â Ameliah said, watching him closely. âActually...huh. The sootâs not too bad, even with all that metamagic. Donât push it, though. Itâs starting to build up.â
âRight,â Rain said, dropping the second spell to focus on Winter. Heâd already begun to feel it, the foggy weakness that would end with him staring up at the sky, imitating a birdbath. The onset had been slow, though, even compared to what would have happened if heâd been using both spells unmodified. âDepths.â
âYeah,â Ameliah said, stepping forward. âThis changes things.â
Rain nodded again, triggering an essence exchange and checking for any experience gained.
Progress Report
marker_1: enduro4 [3061 Seedlings 28 23:15]
marker_2: WHAT?! [3061 Seedlings 28 23:56]
Span: 41 minutes
He muttered a curse under his breath.
âWhat?â Ameliah asked.
âNo experience,â Rain said, waving the panel away. âAnd no time to think about why. We need to hurry.â
âRight,â Ameliah said. âNo distractions. Fill yourself back up, then letâs go.â
Rain nodded, running Winter as a singularity until he was back at full mana, then activating Detection and inverting it. The pattern formed quickly. It was no less devilishly complicated than when heâd inspected it on the boat, but it was significantly less tangled, hazy though his view was. Orderly, even. Realizing he was again distracted and in danger of losing his grip on the king-link, Rain clamped down on his emotions.
It would be just like Dozer to wake up and pop out to say hello at the worst possible moment.
He and Ameliah set off at a brisk walk, heading for the cliffside house theyâd previously identified as Velikaâs hideout. Despite his determination and the importance of their mission, Rain couldnât entirely stop his thoughts from spinning.
I am such an idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid...
Thus it came as a complete shock when, as he was turning the corner onto Velikaâs street, he felt a ripple of wind behind him and a naked blade being laid across his throat.
Shit! I should have put something in the note about Detecâ
The blade moved sharply, pressing hard against his skin. Cutting. Cutting deep.
dmgnum.sh version 0.5.0
Physical Damage Detected
Health: -9,770
Force Resist: 228.6
Original Damage: ~9,999 (capped)
âRain!â Ameliah screamed as he stumbled, beginning to fall. He didnât have the presence of mind to react, but his combat macros did it for him, dropping Detection and activating Force Ward in response to the damage. Just in time, too, as a moment later, the blade slashed again, slicing across the arm heâd raised to defend himself.
dmgnum.sh version 0.5.0
Physical Damage Detected
Mana: -1,136
Force Ward: 100%
Rate: 0.116271 mp/dmg
Force Resist: 228.6
Original Damage: ~9,999 (capped)
Rain managed not to fall, backpedaling and taking in not one, but two shadowy figures. The second was struggling with Ameliahâarmored nowâas the first stalked cautiously toward him, buckler raised to fend off any counterattack. With the weather and the darkness, he couldnât make out much more than that, but it hardly mattered. It wasnât Velika. She didnât use a shield.
dmgnum.sh version 0.5.0
Physical Damage Detected
Health: -99
Force Resist: 228.6
Original Damage: 99 (Bleed?)
Bleedout in 23.5 s (?)
Still reeling, Rain tried to cry out, releasing only a bubbling gurgle.
dmgnum.sh version 0.5.0
Physical Damage Detected
Health: -99
Force Resist: 228.6
Original Damage: 99 (Bleed?)
Bleedout in 22.5 s (?)
Desperate, he reached for his rings and pulled every last point from Strength and dumped it into Focus, unsocketing one of his health-boosting accolades too. Overhealth rushed through him, but he didnât have time to discover if heâd managed to stop the bleeding before an enormous flash of orange light lit the sky over the harbor, followed by a colossal boom.
Another second passed. No further damage dialog appeared.
Blinking against the glare and still scrambling away from his attacker with one hand raised to his bloody neck, Rain risked a glance over the cliff in time to see the second wave of Fireballs detonate against Temerityâs deck before the magic dissolved and was drawn into the metal. If how close heâd just come to death hadnât been enough to make his saliva turn to ash in his mouth, the two ships he saw floating off Temerityâs stern surely did the trick. They gleamed like phantoms within the cloud of fog that now filled the harbor, purple from the reflected light from the magical barriers surrounding them.
The Empire was here.
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