Xera had begun to glow. Familiar runes, reminiscent of two particular caves, appeared on the sword. Essence Bond surged from Luke’s hands onto her hilt.
“Finally! I was done looking so dull. Who’s the sword? I’m the sword!” Xera yelled out.
The Essence Bond Luke cast on Xera empowered her greatly. Slowly, Luke was forcing back the statue, and his neck was no longer in danger of being severed by his own blade. The scythe continued to try and reap his life.
Luke took in the sorely missed air. Xera had been sharpened to the point she was cutting into the scythe. The frost effect around the scythe prevented her from going any further. The statue and Luke struggled for opposite goals. One, to live, the other to kill. Sooty continued to bash herself against the essence cage, keeping her trapped. Leaving her desperate to help her Reaver.
The pressure around his body had lifted, and the statue had stopped trying to take his life. Luke noticed the frost spreading all over his body rapidly thawed. He hadn’t felt the temperature much, but now he was freezing. His breath even had ice crystals.
Wayfinder gave his version of praise. “You've handled yourself well in the fray, laddie. Had you ceased acting the numpty sooner, you might've spared us the dire straits. Heed the counsel of your old grandpa compass Wayfinder a wee more, and you'll be the mightiest Reaver this world has seen. Just you wait."
Sooty flew to him. She started hopping accusingly at the statue and letting out several displeased clicks and caws while flaring her wings occasionally.
When am I getting out of this tomb? Luke began to think. I’d have gone crazy with all these situations and an all-powerful Interface controlling my life if it hadn’t been for Sooty and those two talking madhouses.
Contradicting his inner thoughts, Luke comforted Sooty. “It’s fine, Sooty, we passed his test. If anything, I’ve got to be grateful to him. His pointers let me figure out another use of this Reaver Essence and its powers.” The corvid only glanced back before continuing her crusade against the statue.
Treating Sooty like air, the statue started to speak to Luke. “You’ve earned a passing mark, Reaver. Now stay there and listen, the current you will still die to the Spectral Lord.”
Those words quickly stole back Luke’s attention. His expression slackened a little, and his eyes came into a trance. He was focusing on the words about to come. The statue returned to its previous holding spot and sat down, facing Luke. Sooty finally gave up on giving the figure a piece of her mind and walked back toward Luke.
“My creator made the Spectral Lord intentionally difficult to defeat. The reward in return is tremendous. You’ll gain the exalted heart required to have the perfect foundation for Reavers. At least in the small pond that is the human lands, you’ll be powerful enough to stand on your own.”
The stone human was lost in thought for a moment. If Luke hadn’t noticed its eyes staring up at its upper left corner, he would’ve thought that would be all it had to say. A long stretch of silence later, it continued.
“You’ve likely noticed this class has an unusual growth potential by now. But it also has plenty of enemies. You can grow to be a threat to the world’s balance, much like my creator did. The Spectral Lord is a being at the 1st tier; the limit of this tomb is level 19. You won’t be able to advance to the next level here no matter how hard you try.”
The stone human blinked, an odd sight when you think about it.
“Enough on that. Your aim now is the mirror hall and the Spectral Lord. The mirror hall is meant as a mixture of a power check and an adaptation period. You found Xera. You might find the last gift there. She’s required for it.”
The statue pointed at Xera with stone grains floating down its arms.
“That Sword Wand is your way of crossing tiers and coming out victorious. Strikes of shallow power won’t harm the Spectral Lord. Nor will half-powered magic. Before entering the final room, ensure that Sword Wand reaches rare quality. If you want to leave this tomb alive, that is. That’s all else I have to say. Giving you more would defeat the point of this trial.”
The stone human stood up, stepped onto the pedestal it came from, and retook its original position with its hands swayed slightly out from its sides. The scythe returned to the void. The pedestal quickly reformed the statue. All signs of damage were gone in moments.
The rune lit up and left the figure’s forehead, returning to its rightful place among the other runes between the pillars. A swirling black and white circle opened up in the middle of the area, only a few inches away from where Luke sat.
"That's likely the portal to the next area, lad. Don't dawdle now. We’re nearly through this. Stay sharp and on your toes," Wayfinder encouraged, pushing Luke towards what might be their exit.
Feeling he had enough rest with the short lecture of the hooded statue, Luke rose to his feet, feeling a renewed sense of vigor. Sooty, ever-present, trotted faithfully by his side.
“Ah, the mystery. I’ll be fine with the mirrors again, as long as it’s exciting! So you’re going to feed me more, right? Make my wand and sword self sparkle and do shiny things? I’ve been starving for so long.” Xera questioned Luke rapidly.
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He mumbled a reply as he stepped into the swirling circle on the floor with Sooty.
“You’re the key to getting out of here, Xera. So yes, I’ll be powering you up. Do what you can if you don’t want to be placed back in the chest again.”
Xera started to give her reply, only to be interrupted by the teleportation to the last test before the Spectral Lord.
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A grand chamber spread out before Luke. Mirrors in various positions shone around the chamber. The mirrors weren’t of uniform size, but they did usually come in pairs, with one always being on the right and left of any path in the grand chamber. They were almost forming a maze of sorts. At the end of the great chamber was a double door fit for giants to pass through. Each one was over thirty feet long and twenty feet wide.
Three kinds of crystals floated above, moving slowly above the mirrors—one of light, another of shaded darkness, and the final of muted emptiness. A silver-red granite stone made up the floor Luke stood on. The visibility around him was completely normal again.
The roof had several arches. The occasional platform could be seen, with a giant statue of the hooded figure holding up the white stone ceiling. Two small waterfalls would pour past the sides of the grand doors and empty into somewhere unknown.
"Finally, out of the darkness, there’s nothing but mirrors here. I wonder what that’s all about?" Luke thought out loud.
Two Interface notices forcibly popped up in Luke’s vision.
[You have completed the quest: Explore the Reaver’s Tomb. Rewarded one level and ten frost resistance to both you and your companion]
[You and your companion have reached level 19. Experience gained will forcibly be redistributed to other eligible party members until you leave the restricted zone]
The second notice hadn’t been a surprise to Luke. He had been warned about that restriction. He only wondered if he could control if his experience went more to Xera or Wayfinder. Both could take experience, after all. For now, he sent intent for experience to go to Xera, if possible.
“This is the end of the tomb then. The Spectral Lord must be behind those doors. He’s the last boss left; let’s go, Sooty.”
Sooty let out an excited caw. She wanted to see the sky again. Being in an underground area for so long was unnatural to the crow.
Wayfinder's firm yet reassuring voice sought to anchor Luke's rising impatience. "Ease up, laddie. Remember the stone sage's words about the mirror trial ahead. We need to shine up the sword lass before we leap. Reel it in, lad. No sense in bolting to folly after all you've endured. You're nearly there—approach these final strides with care."
Seeing the end in sight made Luke forget this situation. Wayfinder’s timely reminder let him re-land in reality.
“Thanks. You're right. Seeing no monsters in the area, I let my guard down a bit much, didn’t I?” Luke replied.
Xera burst through. “This mirror place is tons of fun. There’s surprises everywhere. Don’t worry, though! I won’t spoil the fun for you. I’ll give a hint: keep me up as a sword for now. You’ll need it. Let’s go, let’s go!”
You’d think Xera would spill what she knew, but Luke didn’t press for it despite it concerning his survival. Not that he didn’t want to, but because he knew he wouldn’t successfully get her to tell him.
“Overenthusiastic lassie, your secrets could help us escape this hellish trial. Don’t you want to avoid goin' back in the chest? Spill the beans. What do you know about this area?” Wayfinder tried to change Xera’s mind.
“Nope! I believe in my new Reaver, and knowing in advance is no fun. I already told you enough to make it. Onward!” Xera reacted exactly as Luke thought she would.
Sooty had been walking forward, exploring on her own. She let out a rattle at Luke, telling him to get a move on as well. Walking cautiously, Luke made his way down, pausing before the first sets of mirrors. His warning bells were going off, and Xera was snickering. Sooty had paused beside him, waiting for Luke to make a decision.
“What’s a mirror going to do?" He had enough waiting around.
Striding forward, Luke felt nothing happen as he came to the first set of mirrors. His eye caught sight of something on the mirror to his right. Unable to resist the sensation to satisfy his curiosity, he looked.
A horde of ghouls were staring right at him. With his eyes reflecting reality, the mirror shattered, becoming a door freeing them from their holding area. The mass of ghouls started to force themselves through. One spit poison at him, and he instinctively had Xera slice it in two.
“That stings! Hey, let me sword that one. He spit on me!” Xera altered the course of Luke’s arm, and the sword pointed right at the offending ghoul.
The ghouls were the same as he met back on the platform that Veronica had begged him to get on. Sooty had cut their rampage short; an Essence Screech from her disoriented all of them and killed many. Remembering how these ghouls treated her last time, Sooty began to enact her revenge, ripping the skulls off with Reaver Beak and her talons.
“Leave some for me, Sooty. Luke, swing me already.” Xera was over-eager.
Taking Xera, Luke cut through the rotting bodies of the red ghouls like paper. With the limited entrance of the shattered mirror, which was on the smaller side, the tag team of Sooty and Luke only had to deal with three ghouls at a time. As Sooty covered for Luke and vice versa, the horde of ghouls quickly became thin. With each strike ending a ravenous ghoul, the pressure on the duo was low.
Taking the remaining ten ghouls, Luke placed Essence Bond on Xera, getting used to the difference. She would swipe through three ghouls at once. The runes that appeared on her sword body vastly sharpened her.
“Keep that thing on me. It feels too good. This is how a sword wand should live!” Xera commented.
Leaving the two for Sooty, Luke changed Xera into a wand. Curious to see if Essence Bond would remain, and if it did, if the wand acted or looked any different. Xera, in her wand form, had a cloud of Essence shimmer around her. The shaft of the wand was covered in the same runic language.
Deciding now would be the best time to know if this state did anything to his other abilities, Luke cast Essence Lance, targeting the last ghoul. The lance formed, and Luke noticed it was the same size when he forced too much essence into it while fighting the two battalions of trolls.
The empowered lance spiked in speed. The resulting force decimated the ghoul; nothing was left. The area of effect was more extensive, and the frost seemed more potent.
"Xera, in this form, can bring the most out of my spell abilities?" Luke was thinking aloud again.
“What else can you do, Xera? What about Infusion or Essence Fissure? Can you help Sooty somehow?”
“It’s no fun if I tell you, dummy. Let’s find out in this room of deadly mirrors. I’m having so much fun now. Thanks for taking me out of that boring old chest!” Xera was concerned about having fun and being excited as usual.
Observing the area around him and ensuring not to peer at another mirror, he confirmed no other ghouls were left. Deciding now was a good time as any, Luke began to cast Infusion on every available target in the party, including himself.
The difference he felt made his eyes light up.