For once, Glade didn’t mind floating in the black void after nearly dying. Normally, he would bide his time in the darkness with nothing to do except relive the misery that had become his life. However, this time he had company, and that made all the difference.
The egg hadn’t gone back to sleep like he had originally thought. Instead, it had simply withdrawn for a few moments of rest, promptly returning when it sensed Glade floating in the void. The little ember hadn’t stopped its incessant emotional chatter since.
The egg was in the process of reflecting back to Glade the joy and excitement of its greatest achievement, which happened to be saving Glade’s life. In fact, for the last few hours the egg hadn’t shifted topics in the slightest. It had never helped anyone before, and it quite liked the feeling.
For Glade, the constant bombardment of joy and triumph was cathartic. Yes, he dreaded the inevitable moment when he would lose his companion, but every time that specific emotion surfaced the egg brushed his sadness aside and refocused his attention on what mattered most. That the ember had helped save its friend!
A bare hint of a smile graced Glade’s lips as he savored the impromptu name - Ember. He liked it. It had a certain flare to it that felt right. After all, he couldn’t keep calling it the egg.
“Well, what do you think little guy?” he projected through their bond. “Is Ember a keeper?”
Glade wasn’t an expert on interpreting random flashes of emotion, but the pleasing waves of warmth washing through him seemed to indicate his companion liked its new name.
“Sir,” Kedryn’s voice broke the stillness of the void, “Can you hear me?”
Glade didn’t think it was possible, but Ember became even more excited at hearing Kedryn’s voice. Without warning, it pushed Glade’s subconscious toward the waking world with a pulse of energy, a clear message underpinning the action - Ember wanted to help more!
“Let’s see what we can do,” Glade projected back with a smile, allowing the telepathic nudge to wake him up.
Cold, quickly followed by pain, washed over Glade as he resurfaced from the void, reminding him of what he had been avoiding.
“Sir, can you hear me?” Kedryn asked again.
“You’re pushing him too hard! He… he needs rest,” Riya growled, though the fierceness of the reply was lost on everyone as she yawned halfway through the reply.
“He won’t be wakin up again if he goes back to sleep and ye know it,” Bragden replied with a hint of compassion in the usually grumpy dwarf’s voice. “All we need the poor blighter to do is grant Krazzik or the elf access to the settlement core. Then he can pass in his sleep.”
Ember gave Glade an impatient mental push, jolting him with more than enough energy to open his eyes.
As his eyes focused on the dismal sight of the emotionally drained group, Glade said the first thing that popped into his head.
“Riya, you look terrible,” he said with a strained, but genuine smile.
Riya was swaying where she stood, her face frighteningly pale with heavy bags under her bloodshot eyes. It wasn’t hard for anyone with eyes to see the girl had pushed herself beyond what was wise. After glancing through his more recent notifications he understood why. Riya had given every ounce of magical energy she had for the past few hours to keep him alive.
An immense feeling of gratitude threatened to overwhelm Glade’s already precarious emotional state, a feeling that Ember was more than happy to experience.
“You’re awake!” Kedryn cried.
“Thank the Mother,” Krazzik said with a massive grin. “Ye done gave us a scare, I can tell ye that. Hope ye feel better than ye look, because ye could scare the warts off an orc with that face.”
“At least it’s still prettier than yours,” Glade rasped with a strained smile.
“He should be sleeping…” Riya said in a defeated tone, sagging into Kedryn’s waiting shoulder. Glade was pretty sure the Kid had strategically placed himself there should she need the support.
“Yer all wastin valuable time,” Bragden scowled. “Glade, we need…”
“Shut up,” Glade rasped, not even looking at the surly dwarf. Instead, he looked directly at Riya.
“I have expressed my gratitude to you many times in the past,” he said, pausing long enough to take a much needed breath. “But you have proven time and time again to be more than a simple traveling companion. You are my friend. Thank you, again, for your help.”
As he turned to ask why they had woken him, Glade caught sight of the incredible night sky through the collapsed ceiling. A memory stirred from when he had first arrived on Veil, prompting him to glance through his notifications.
Sure enough, he had completed one of the first quests he’d ever been given. Finally, he had escorted Riya to the surface.
Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Bring her Home I. Da’Riya Ab’Loshere has been separated from her people. Including her in your boon has significantly increased her odds of survival and enhanced the probability of being reunited with her people. You have successfully completed the first step by escorting Da’Riya Ab’Loshere to the surface.
Reward: Increased regard from Da’Riya Ab’Loshere and House Loshere; 667 XP (2,000 / 3 party members); and a place of safety.
Glade reread the prompt, grateful he had shared the quest with both Kedryn and Riya early in their journey. While it felt odd to include Riya in a quest about her, the system had accepted it without question. Probably because she was instrumental in their success.
As he perused the rewards, Glade’s attention focused on the last line. A place of safety.
“Kedryn, Riya, have both of you seen the bring her home quest reward?”
“I noticed the same thing,” Kedryn said. “A place of safety. But I don’t think we’re safe quite yet. We need to repair the hall using the settlement core if we’re going to survive, but before we can do that you need to accept ownership. Can you do that?”
“I’ll need to look through my notifications, but that shouldn’t be an issue. However, before we begin, I’d like to address a few things…”
“We can take care o’ those things later,” Bragden interrupted, obviously displeased at having been interrupted earlier. “I’ll tell ye straight. Yer dyin. There taint nothing we can do about it neither. Before we move forward, ye need to accept ownership and grant Krazzik or Kedryn access to the core so we have a chance to survive.”
Glade patiently waited until the bald dwarf was finished before he spoke.
“Thank you for being as blunt as ever, but as you can see, I’m not dead yet,” Glade said, his voice becoming steadier by the moment. “As I was saying, I’ll accept ownership as soon as I get through the few notifications I have. I don’t want to miss anything this time around. That being said,” Glade paused and looked everyone in the eye, making sure he had their undivided attention. “I will be the one making the final decisions on everything associated with Storms' Rest. I may be new to Veil and don’t know the difference between a skill level and an attunement, but I was the one that nearly died bonding the core, something I chose to do based on your recommendations. I will not be pushed to the side or have decisions made for me. Am I clear?”
“When ye say ye’ll have the final decision, does that mean ye don’t want our help?” Krazzik asked.
“If you think that I don’t want your input, then maybe I hit you over the head a little too hard back in the tunnels,” Glade said with a smirk.
“Just checkin,” Krazzik grinned. “And you just let me know when you’re ready to start negotiatin again, then I’ll show ye who has the harder head! Now, can ye please do what ye got to do so we can get out o’ this slagging weather? I’m so cold I be shakin like a gnome at a garden party.”
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Glade snorted, causing his aches and pains to flare in protest. Not wanting to delay further, he pulled up his notifications.
Your party has defeated 1 x level 23 Stone Golem and have been awarded 2,217XP (12,320 / 20 party members + (12,320 x .13 Strategist/Tactician Bonus)) and 1 x Mana Core.
Glade tried to whistle when he saw the insane amount of XP they had received because of his strategist title and tactician skill, but failed miserably due to his freezer burned lips.
“Did the rest of you see the XP bonus from the Golem?” Glade asked.
“Oh, aye,” Krazzik laughed. “Not only did we see it, but over half o’ the boys we brought up to finish the poor bugger off leveled thanks to that little perk.”
“Everyone else got the bonus?” Glade asked in surprise. “That doesn’t make sense. I didn’t lead any of you in that fight.”
“I’ll make this quick as ye really need to get a move on,” Bragden interjected. “Ye started the fight and set the board so we could bring the Golem down. That was all that was needed to invoke the bonus for any that joined the fight there after. That be the power o’ a titled strategist.”
“The title was fairly easy to obtain,” Glade shrugged, immediately regretting the action as his pain spiked. “I can’t imagine the title is that rare.”
“Ye have a great deal to learn,” Bragden said with a snort. “Most kingdoms would kill to have a titled strategist in their ranks. The only reason I can figure ye got your title so quick is because o’ those brands. Now, we can chit chat all ‘bout that topic later, but for the love o’ the Mother, accept the slaggin ownership already!”
“Yeah, you can wait,” Glade said, ignoring Bragdin’s clenched jaw and instead turned his attention to Krazzik. “It says we received a mana core from the Golem. Do you still have it?”
“Aye, that I do,” Krazzik said, pulling out a solid blue sphere the size of his fist. “It be a real beauty, I can tell ye that. Here, I’ll send ye the specs.”
You have found Mana Core of an Aged Stone Guardian. A core made of pure lapis stone and tied solely to the sphere of earth. May be used to create a Golem or used for other purposes. See an enchanter or artificer for further information.
Size: Large
Durability: 400/400
Purity: Flawless
Rarity: Rare
Weight: 16.3 lbs
“Nice, I’d like to learn more about mana cores later, but is it as rare as I think it is?”
“Oh, it be rarer than that,” Krazzik said with a grin. “Whoever put this here treasure into that weak Golem either didn’t know what they were doin or were in a hurry. It could have powered a Golem four times as powerful as the one we done destroyed!”
“Why do I even bother tellin ye facts if ye never use them!” Bragden snapped, his patience having worn thin. “It could have powered a Golem twice as powerful, ye gnome brained idiot.”
“Yer off yer game, Brag. Ye done used that insult on me once already today,” Krazzik said with a genuine look of concern for his friend.
“I wonder why!?” Bragden snapped, the vein on his bald head bulging to a dangerous level.
“Glade,” Krazzik said with genuine concern. “I think ye best get a move on. I haven’t seen Bragden this angry since we all got captured and turned into slaves.”
“You’re right,” Glade sighed. “I’ve delayed this long enough. Though, it serves him right for acting like… what do you call it? A beardless garden gnome?”
Bragden’s eyes widened in outrage as Krazzik let out a huge whoop of laughter. Even Riya smiled.
Kedryn simply stared at him, likely wondering what had gotten into Glade. He wasn’t sure himself, but the act of almost dying so many times in the last few days had made him a bit more open to messing with others and calling out idiots.
Ember didn’t have a clue what was happening. Glade would have to try and enlighten his companion later on the finer points of male bonding.
Knowing he needed to focus on their current issue, Glade skipped over the next quest chain to get Riya home. Besides, it was likely best to wait until the healer was well enough to process whatever the next quest entailed.
At long last, Glade finally pulled up the notification regarding the settlement.
Congratulations! Through trial, blood, and magic you have bound yourself to the Settlement Core of Storms' Rest! Before access can be granted, you must choose to take responsibility for this named settlement as its owner and identify its initial population.
An intricate screen appeared, providing Glade with an overview of Storms' Rest.
Settlement Name: Storms' Rest
Core: Tri-Pointed Core
Level: 0 (Razed)
Master: (Pending Acceptance by Glade)
Population: 1
Population Disposition: Dying
Buildings: 0
Settlement Quests: ?
To say the list was bare bones was a massive understatement. Kedryn, who had also received the notification, was all too happy to read it out loud.
“Told ye that yer dying,” grumbled Bragden.
“Thanks for pointing that out,” Glade said with a roll of his eyes.
“By the Mother, did ye say a tri-pointed core?” Krazzik asked in a daze. “The Crag only has a dual pointed settlement core!”
“And it has settlement quests!” Kedryn cried with such an intense look in his eyes that Glade was worried the Kid might start frothing at the mouth.
Riya still leaned against Kedryn’s shoulder, fighting to stay awake so she could at least witness the moment.
“First things first,” Glade said, getting everyone’s attention. “We need to decide on who we’re adding to the population. Obviously, Kedryn and I will be listed, but I’m not going to assume…”
“If’n ye don’t add the Slaghammer clan to that list in the next 10 seconds, I’m goin to make ye listen to Croon recite the entire history o’ the dwarven nation,” Krazzik growled, “in song.”
Bragden’s indignation instantly changed to one of wicked glee.
“That might be the best idea ye’ve had all day,” the surly dwarf said, rubbing his hands together. “As long as I’m at least a league away when Croon starts singin.”
“I just wanted to make sure before adding you,” Glade said, Ember nagging at him to explain why they were threating each other if they were supposed to be friends.
Riya gave him her nod of approval without saying a word.
Population: 67
Population Disposition: Hopelessly Optimistic
Without any further deliberation, Glade accepted ownership of Storms' Rest.
Congratulations Glade, Master of Storms! You are among the rare few to be granted the responsibility and title of Master for a named settlement. Do not take this burden lightly. You are the one who used your moderate boon to place yourself, and those you deem under your protection, in a place that will provide the best opportunity to advance. Storms' Rest is the place of refuge you asked for. It is now up to you to develop it into the paragon of safety you envisioned.
As the Master of Storms' Rest, your abilities are integrated into the very makeup of this settlement.
Note: The following ability has been integrated – Will. Effects:
* For every settlement level, the Master of Storms rest can direct one area of enhanced growth.
* Due to your shared bond with Bei’Kedryn Serevlir, of house Serevlir, his ability, Passionate Growth has been integrated - all Residents of Storms' Rest will now receive a +10% to skill growth.
* Due to your blood bond with Krazzik Slaghammer, Chief of the Slaghammer Clan, his ability, Earth Sense has been integrated - +10% in finding rare resources.
* As long as you are within Storms' Rest domain, all Willpower Point regeneration will double.
Congradulations! You have been granted access to the settlement’s interface for Storms' Rest. Appointed leadership and council members may also be granted access.
Note: Your First, Bei’Kedryn Serevlir, of house Serevlir, and Second, Krazzik Slaghammer, Chief of the Slaghammer Clan, have been automatically assigned due to your existing bonds.
For surviving the bonding process and claiming the title of Master of Storms, you, your First, and your Second have been awarded 5,000 XP each.
All founding members of Storms' Rest have been awarded 2,000 XP.
Note: An unknown number of Slaghammer clan members are currently outside of the settlement’s area of detection. They too will be awarded the 2,000 XP bonus upon their arrival.
A cheer erupted from around the ruins as the entire clan celebrated the unexpected windfall of enough XP to catapult someone from level 1 all the way to level 4. Any unfortunate dwarf that had been asleep was quickly woken up and dragged into the impromptu celebration.
Congratulations! You have advanced to levels 8 and 9! Through hard work and sacrifice you have advanced along your path. Let the knowledge of who you are and what you stand for guide you throughout your journey.
As an Enlightened Human you gain 5 attribute points to allocate per level, with an additional point auto allocated to the attribute most used since the last level gained.
Note: One attribute point has been auto allocated to Constitution.
Note: One attribute point has been auto allocated to Chance.
Kedryn’s massive grin, along with several other shouts ringing throughout the ruins, was all the evidence Glade needed to know that he wasn’t the only one to have gained levels.
“Thank the Mother,” Bragden whispered, leaning heavily on Krazzik for support. The normally surly dwarf looked as if he might cry. “I didn’t want to believe…, but here we be. We have a home. After everything we’ve gone through, we finally have a declared home!”