Over the next week, Imri worked through the radio tower problem but hadn’t come any closer to solving it. It didn’t help that no one had been able to even make it to the summit, as the temperature grew frigid and the air thinned. There were also sightings of monsters that were initially thought to be Drakes. However, the creatures were able to sustain flight, making it unlikely they were the same creatures.
In the interim, Imri continued to focus on improving his enchantments. He made several more of the enchanted backpacks, though they were only marginally better than his first attempt. They had a lot more utility than Imri had first realized. He had been fixated on the sustainable rate at which the enchantment could run. However, they efficiently allowed porters to carry far more items per trip, since they were only going on day trips they didn’t need to sustain the mana levels over an extended period. They could run the enchantment at a level that could be sustained for twelve hours, then recharge it for the next day. However, they usually didn’t run them at a level that couldn’t be recharged, as there was still a major dearth of mana for the entire settlement. Imri added two new panels during the week, but the increased capacity was quickly utilized.
As the end of the week neared, Imri worried it would be the first week since the integration where he wouldn’t have gained a single level. Fortunately, his hard work was rewarded as he completed another enchantment.
Base Strength increased to 116 (+1) Base Constitution increased to 103 (+1)
Imri Padar has reached Level 19 (+1) in Runic Engineer (2F) Primary Stats Strength 130 (+1) Constitution 118 (+1) Intelligence 202 (+1) Secondary Stats HP 172 (+4) FP 129 (+1) MP 485 (+5) Mana Efficiency 461 (+5) Crafting Efficiency 512 (+9)
His base stats had improved from his consistent physical training. He had hoped for agility, which was still his lowest stat by a wide margin. Unfortunately, his agility potential was probably abysmal, he was always going to be relatively klutzy.
During the week, the twenty-fifth building was completed, completing the rank-up quest for the settlement.
Celestia has ranked from Settlement F to E Base Radius of Effects: 700 Meters (+200)
Base Bonuses:
Resource Regeneration 6% (+1%)
Experience 1%
System Store has new items
New Quest Settlement Rank Up E to D: 263/500 permanent residents, 25/50 permanent structures
Celestia, Settlement (1E) Level 9 Radius of Effects: 763 Meters
Bonuses:
Resource Regeneration 6.54%
Experience Gained 1.09%
While the improvements to the settlement were welcome, Imri felt the largest improvement was to the system store. There were now level 15 E grade cores available for 2,000 credits. In addition, there was a slew of basic materials, such as stone, lumber, iron, and the unique materials they had found such as Zobralt and Espeonite. While the system store seemed to have infinite supplies of these as well, the prices were not static like the cores. Instead, each time some was purchased the price would spike drastically. Over time the prices seemed to revert, with the most significant portions of the reversion taking place quickly, while the last few percentage points took far longer. It certainly wasn't a replacement for their local economy, but it was good to have another alternative.
The next day, Imri was partway through enchanting another hammer when a man burst into his shop. “Lord Padar, there is an emergency council meeting. They asked that I come bring you to the town hall at once,” The man explained.
Imri left the unfinished hammer on his workbench and made his way to the town hall at a jogging pace. There was already a decent crowd gathered when Imri arrived, including the council, Major Harper, and at least one representative from each of the four divisions of labor. Emelia was also present, though she looked physically ill because of the emotional turmoil that she was experiencing from those around her. Imri moved beside her and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him, smiling and squeezing his hand tightly.
“One at a time,” Steve yelled, the discourse so concordant that no one could follow what was being said. It took a moment for the murmuring to die down.
“I’d like everyone to be briefed on the situation so we're all working from the same set of facts. Mr. Sawyer, could you please restate what you told me to those gathered here?” Major Harper asked. Imri didn’t know Sawyer well, but he knew that the man had been one of the prospectors exploring the cave system nearby. Sawyer was visibly shaking, struggling to find the nerves to speak.
“We were exploring the cave system, mapping it out slowly. We were being careful, not wanting a repeat of what happened to the last group. We assumed some natural disaster had trapped them in the cave, killing them. We hadn’t even gone as far in as they had when something attacked us. Whatever it was, it was fast, I’m the only one who made it out of there. I could hear their screaming but I just kept running,” Sawyer said, telling his story between sobs and long breaks to compose himself.
“What did the creature look like?”
“Did you get a chance to use your Identify skill on it?”
“Was there only one creature or were there many of them?”
“One question at a time,” Major Harper reprimanded the group.
“I don’t know much more than what I already said. I ran before I got a good look at it. I don’t know if it was just one creature or many. I don’t even really know what it looks like, other than it was vaguely human-shaped and fast,” Sawyer said with a defeated tone.
“Thank you, Sawyer. Now that everyone knows the situation I would like to make the first proposal. We have lost too many people to these caves. So, I believe they should be sealed off, collapsed in as much as we can manage,” Laura proposed.
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“We can’t do that,” Imri said immediately. “If we do, we'll lose the only known supply of Espeonite, arguably our greatest material resource.”
“While I’m not keen on putting my people in danger, Imri is right. We can’t just abandon the cave because there is a creature residing within. That being said, I’m not sending another exploration team until the monsters have been eliminated,” James, the representative of the prospectors, said.
“While I’m loath to admit this, we don’t have a force capable of tangling with monsters on that level,” Major Harper said. “We have sufficient soldiers to hold key strategic choke points, but they are not yet well enough trained and leveled to clear out an entrenched enemy, especially with the Earth Reclamation Knights not in Celestia. We also don’t have Captain Vesik, who is scouting the enemy.”
This had been the Major’s concern when the knights were founded. They were essentially the majority of the elite soldiers and mages that Celestia had, making them vulnerable to attacks from powerful enemies. They had assumed the attack would come from without, not within. They did have a few soldiers in the low double digits, but nothing on Zhaire or Sylvi’s level.
“Could we wait for the knights to return?” Someone asked.
“It’s a possibility. However, they left only a few days ago, and they aren’t expected back for at least a month, probably closer to two,” Major Harper said.
“I don’t think anyone is comfortable with monsters of unknown capabilities potentially lurking near the settlement for months,” Laura said, eliciting nods from everyone.
“I can take care of the monsters,” Imri volunteered.
“While I appreciate your enthusiasm Imri, you are critically important to Celestia. If anything were to happen to you it wouldn’t be worth it,” Steve pointed out.
“I’ve already told him, he isn’t allowed to ever die, and I am going to make sure of that,” Emelia said. This somewhat mollified the concerned councilor, though Imri could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced. The next most powerful people in the settlement were probably Caroline and Avery, but both were ill-suited for the cramped cave environment. Some might consider explosive power an asset in cramped spaces, but that was discounting the destruction to the environment. Caroline's magic was more suited towards long-range, with more subtle but long-lasting effects.
“What about me? It’s not like the settlement couldn’t lose its lawyer,” Russ suggested.
“No offense Russ, but how are you going to help? I don’t think the creature would sign a contract,” Laura pointed out.
“I’m more than just a lawyer now, I gained my class. It might only be level 2, but I think I’ll manage not to be a liability,” Russ said with a sly grin. Imri used his identify skill. It met some unexpected resistance but eventually returned a response, likely thanks to his Discerning Eye trait.
Trait Rank Up Discerning Eye F to E: Improves visual acuity by 5.12% (+.12%). Increases the effectiveness of the Identify skill by 25.62% (+.62%). Can see mana in any form.
Russ Nicholson Human (1F) Level 9: Humans are an adaptable race, having originated from a near mana-less planet. They are highly intelligent and willful. System Lawyer (1E) Level 9: Able to write a contract enforced by the system. The amount of mana needed for the contract depends on the severity of the penalty and the number of terms specified in the contract. Warlock of the Ancients (1F) Level 2: A mage who has made a pact with an ancient being of immense power. Warlock's abilities and spells are derived from their patron, as stipulated by the terms of their contract. Mana efficiency is derived from charisma.
Russ was a level 9 Lawyer and a level 2 Warlock of the Ancients. Imri had to immediately refrain from outing the man. The only reason he hadn’t was that whatever this ancient being was it wasn’t some sort of fantasy devil. He needed more information, as his intuition was silent on the matter.
“And that class would be?” Steve asked with a puzzled expression, unaware of what Imri knew. Imri noticed some others frowning as they used the identity skill on the lawyer.
“I’m a Crystal Mage, which does what it sounds like. I can convert pure mana into crystals,” Russ lied. No one else seemed to notice the lie, he must have had a trait similar to Imri’s own Enigmatic Being trait. Russ also had a great poker face, and if Imri hadn’t been curious and used Identify he would have been completely unaware.
“I think Imri should have the final say in the team, he will be the leader of the team after all,” Emery suggested, all eyes turning to Imri.
“If Russ thinks he can help, then that’s good enough for me,” Imri said with a shrug, doing his best to put on an affectation of indifference. Emelia knew something was up, as she could sense both his and Russ’ emotional state.
“I’d also like to go. I know the caves better than anyone else, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t ever go back,” Sawyer said. Imri looked over to Emelia, who was studying the cave explorer. Eventually, she nodded and that was good enough for Imri. The fifth and final member of the team was a warrior named Rayden, who at level 11 was one of the higher-level soldiers who hadn’t joined the Earth Reclamation Knights. He was short, only slightly taller than Emelia, but was wide and stout, almost like a tall dwarf.
“I also want a contingency plan. There should be several guards watching all known entrances at all times. If the mission fails and there’s any signs of these creatures we collapse the entrances,” Laura said. Imri had no objections, if the contingency was ever used it meant that he was dead.
With the plan set into motion, everyone began trickling out. Imri returned to his workshop, wanting to complete a couple of last-minute enchantments before they left for their mission. The first was the half-finished hammer, which he quickly finished. While it had been a commission from Elliot the Bone Shaper, Imri had asked for permission to keep the weapon, intending for it to be a good weapon for Rayden that could also be a necessary tool in the event of a collapse. After that, he raided his shop, taking anything he thought would be necessary. There were plenty of Temporal Expansion and Gravity Manipulation rings so he made sure there were enough for everyone on the team. Unfortunately, the spatial storage backpacks always sold the moment they were finished, so he had to quickly make another. Finally, he had a pair of dimensional sabers, which he planned to give to Emelia and Sawyer, who likely had the least amount of offensive capability.
“Did you notice Russ giving off any unusual emotions when he decided to join the mission?” Imri asked Emelia as they settled in to get some sleep in their house for likely the last time in several days.
“He did give off some strange emotions. He was utterly terrified to be going with us. Most people wouldn’t have been able to function with that strong of an emotion, yet he was able to hide it incredibly well. He also was excited about going, which doesn’t make any sense. How did you know something was off?” Emelia asked.
“My Identify skill worked on him, his new class is a Warlock of the Ancients, not a Crystal Mage” Imri explained.
“Like sell your soul to a devil warlock?” Emelia asked.
“Not necessarily, it's a general class for someone who derives their power from another being. In a lot of ways, their powers are similar to priests, who also derive their power through another being. The main difference is that warlocks have to sign some form of a contract, which details what they must do and in exchange what powers they gain from their patron. A patron could be anything, from something benevolent, like an angel, to something benign, like an elemental, to something malevolent, like the aforementioned devils.”
“If his patron was benevolent or benign I don’t think he would be hiding it,” Emelia pointed out.
“I’m not sure if he knows what it is,” Imri surmised.
“Then why is he coming with us?” Emelia asked, no small amount of annoyance coming through their bond.
“Because I think his patron wants him to go down into the cave. I think there is something down there that a demi-god-like being wants, and I intend to find out what it is,” Imri reasoned. He also was just curious about what the lawyer-turned-warlock was capable of, though he didn't verbalize that reason.
“Just be careful, we have enough problems as it is. I don’t want to add power-hungry warlock to that list,” Emelia pleaded.
“When am I not careful?” Imri asked with a sly grin.
“When are you ever careful?” Emelia countered.