The suggestion of noting down all their Purge acquisitions perked everyone up, including Amil.
“Great idea, Bryn,” Pax said with a smile. “It’ll be fun to see and write down all the little treasures we’ve all been hoarding. I know my inventory has been getting a bit jumbled. I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten a bunch of items in all the rush of fighting and racing back to Salman.”
“At least we dumped a lot of our bulk low-level beast parts in the auction,” Rin said, already moving toward the table. “Now we all just need to reorganize.”
As the others moved over to the table, Amil was back to his grinning self, though he still hobbled a bit on his leg. “Let’s see what everyone’s got.”
The grins were back as they pulled out all the unique items they’d accumulated in a few months of adventures. They placed things on the tables, some dusty and heavy, while others were carefully packed in boxes.
Pax had to pull various boxes out of his inventory and go through them to make sure he got everything out of the ordinary instead of the few things he kept in his keepsakes box. He told Bryn to note the boxes with the scrolls he was keeping safe on behalf of Fenix 3-one. When he was done, he realized he wasn’t done. He still had all the stuff stashed in the ring from Archivist Evander.
“Um, Bryn?” He waited until she glanced his way. “I’ve also got all the mundane stuff shoved into the ring here. It would be a good idea to do some speed Identifying or Evaluating to see if there are any treasures hidden in the trash.”
That got the attention of the others. Rin looked eager for the chance at all the ancient stuff.
“It won’t fit in here, though, will it?” Bryn scanned the already crowded dorm room. “And when you looked through it before, it was mostly everyday items, right?”
When he nodded, she frowned in thought. “How about we wait until the next time we’re working on our evacuation preparations down in the cave? I bet some mundane stuff will be useful for traveling supplies. Plus, there’s plenty of room to empty it all out down there so we can help sort through it.”
Pax nodded his agreement along with the others. With that settled, the others finished adding their various finds to the stash on the table. By the time everyone had finished and stepped back from the table, Pax wished for an extra day off to spend examining and experimenting with it all.
“First thing we should do is Identify as many items as we have mana for,” Bryn said. “I don’t expect we’ll need much mana for our first day of running errands, and this is a good chance to level the skill. With the unique things we keep accumulating, we should get our skills as high as possible.”
“And I’ll start Evaluating.” Rin moved closer to the crowded table with an eager glint in her eye.
Everyone nodded with enthusiasm and got busy, touching whichever items caught their eye before quietly reporting the information to Bryn so she could record it.
Pax did a quick check of his Identify before he started, so he could get a sense of how much an exercise like this would advance it.
***
Identify Level 3 (Common) - 244/300
***
He wasn’t that far from Level 4 and the incredible assortment of items might just push him over. Just seeing everything laid out like that made him both proud and excited. Pax had been so focused on their skill and spell advancement, he’d kind of forgotten all the treasures they’d accumulated. Excited to revisit all their acquisitions, he dove in, spamming his Identify with just enough breaks to give Bryn the information.
About forty minutes later, they ground to a halt, most pieces Identified at least once and everyone edging toward mana headaches. It was a good time to stop.
Pax checked in with his Identify.
***
Identify Level 3 (Common) - 283/300 (+39)
***
He let out a disbelieving laugh, tempted to dive into a mana headache just to push it to level 4. But there was no need. He still had all of Archivist Evander’s stuff. Plus, if the new assignment turned out as expected today, he’d have plenty of chances to Identify new people and items as his mana recovered today. If he was diligent, he’d have the level before he went to bed tonight.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Bryn was still writing as everyone turned to her. She completed her notes before looking up at the others. “So, who’s ready to see the list?”
The others made cheerful sounds and moved closer to read, which made her smile brighten up more than usual.
“We’ve got a list here that a fourth-year team would be jealous of.” Bryn’s voice thrummed with pride as she spread out the papers so everyone could see. Her notes filled a full page and half of a second.
Silence fell as everyone leaned forward to read.
Pax scanned over the list, focusing on several items that he’d almost forgotten about and knew they needed to do something with. Bryn was right to push for this. They had a lot of untapped potential in their inventories.
***
Item: Mage Student Tracking Map
Rarity: Common
This map is linked to the portable altar of the Northern Purge of 578/579 AC, which has stamped it with the mana signatures of the following student mages, warriors and crafter who have gone missing and need rescuing: Pax Vipersworn, Amil Fajor, Rin Esta, Dahni Basalt, Bryn Hornfoot, Tasar Rodi and Tyrodon Jademaker.
Use is restricted to Instructor Mage Ondul Graybrew and his authorized assistants. If found, please return this map to one of the academy administration offices. Use for unauthorized purposes is illegal and subject to punishment.
Bryn’s Note: Graybrew used this map to find us in the light ruins. It seems to work horizontally without giving any depth location information.
***
Pax was surprised at the information their low-level Identify skills had managed to get from the map they’d taken from Graybrew. But it made sense if the authorities wanted everyone who came across the map to read the warnings.
“We should destroy it.” Amil had been reading at the same pace and pointed at the line with their names. “We wouldn’t want anyone else using it to track us.”
“Not to mention it ties us directly to Graybrew’s disappearance,” Rin said. “If I’d known that, I’d have destroyed it back at the ruin.” She turned and scanned the table for the offending item.
“Wait.” Tyrodon held out a hand. “Can you let me study it first? It’s an amazing piece of magic equipment. And what if we get separated out in the Wilds? Wouldn’t it be helpful to find and rescue each other?”
Rin stopped, looking thoughtful. “We have the Echoes to stay in touch.”
“But they only reach 800 yards. What if something happens to one of us, and we get pulled further away before the others can help?” Tyrodon pointed at the map. “This could help us find them.”
“Unless the one with the map is the one to get snatched.” Rin objected, but it was obvious Tyrodon’s words were winning her over.
“So, it definitely shouldn’t be Pax, since he gets in the most trouble. But no one bothers with the crafter, right?” Tyrodon held up his hands and gave them a perfectly helpless look. “I’ll keep it safe and study it when I can carve out some time. And if I get caught with it, I’ll take the fall. Sound good?”
“You’re also the least likely of us to be Interrogated and have your Inventory broken, so I vote yes.” Pax gave Tyrodon an approving nod.
“Just have a decent story ready if you’re found with it. Nothing will deflect all the suspicion, but a logical story might cause enough doubt to give you time to warn us and escape, alright?”
The eager light in Tyrodon’s eyes from having something new to experiment on sobered as he nodded at Rin.
Pax went back to the list, noting items that caught his interest or he’d forgotten. With very few having more than Bryn’s own descriptions, it was obvious why she wanted them to boost their Identifies.
“Bramblemaw Seed - Level 4
Element: Nature
Bryn’s Note: Found after defeating Level 5 Bramblemaw in ruins.
Item: Ornate Ring
Rarity: Uncommon
This ring is made from both gold and silver, approximately three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Etched along the inside is “M.J & T.Z. forever.” It is well-worn and of ancient date.
Bryn’s Note: Found in Archivist Evander’s office in the light headquarters ruin.
Item: Wand of Sanctuary
Rarity: Legendary
This legendary wand is a wondrous magical item coveted by those who seek solace, privacy or sanctuary in a world filled with chaos and clamor.
Bryn’s Note: Found in Archivist Evander’s office in the light headquarters ruin.
Items: Air Spell Scroll x 5: Windscale Shroud Level 1
Rarity: Elite
This elite spell allows an air mage to summon a mana-based shroud to protect a body part from physical damage for a short duration. The shroud has a scale-based pattern that is both flexible and durable, allowing it to shift during battle without hindering movement. As the spell levels, the mage can protect a larger portion of their body for longer periods. Protection against magical attack is also a future possibility depending on the evolutionary path.
Distance: self
Mana cost: determined by size of shroud.
Duration: as long as available mana lasts.
Cooldown: none
Bryn’s Note: Pax earned these with his developmental spell.
Item: Pendant and chain
Rarity: Uncommon
Bryn’s Note: Tarnished chain with small dark blue gem in a metal setting found in Scarab nest.
Item: Level 5 Lightning Core
Rarity: Epic
Bryn’s Note: We dug this out of the Level 5 Shockstrider we defeated on the Purge.
2 Boxes of items from the student light mage vault.
Note: Still belongs to the light mage headquarters to be administered by Fenix 3-one as soon as it’s safe to return it to him.
Item: Ancient Crystal with core slots and connections of unknown use.
Bryn’s Note: Mage Solani 2-nine’s powering crystal so she can help convince Magesecond Fenix to join us.”
The last item made him groan with regret. He knew he’d been forgetting something important.