The going was much slower than his work with the already existing runes, as the arrays were both unfamiliar to him and much more complicated in their form than any rune he had yet etched. He was able to squeeze five of the arrays in total onto his armor, one on each shoulder, one on each thigh, and one on the back of his helm. Filling the runes first with ruby and then a thin layer of silver, he mentally congratulated himself. If it worked as well as he hoped, it would allow him to increase his skill usage in combat and create more things before needing to take a break, especially since he preferred to keep at least half his mana at any given time.
Putting on his armor, Xander felt no different, but then again, his mana was not very depleted. His pool had grown drastically when his classes had combined and shot him up to level eighteen, and [Create]ing natural materials such as metals and gemstones did not drain too much, nor did manipulating the materials. He’d need to drain more of his mana, and he might as well be productive while doing it. Sitting down again, he began creating more shotshells, as they had traditionally cost him quite a bit of mana. While the cost had not changed, the impact it made on his mana was less noticeable now, and he was able to create plenty before he reached half mana. He was pleased to see that, looking at his status sheet, he could noticeably see the bar filling up, whereas before it had been so slow as to be imperceptible. Of course, this could also be due in part to his increased level and intelligence stat, but Xander felt he had to attribute at least some of it to his new array. With this level of regen, he could use his skills about as often as he’d like, and use skills that would be a constant drain, like [Ferokinesis], more consistently in combat.
Finally looking around and paying attention to the world around him, Xander noticed that it was beginning to darken outside. He should eat and then sleep before his shift, as it was the amount of sleep he’d be getting would be paltry. He stretched, his neck aching from his crouched position during his tests and made his way out of his room to fill his belly. Freyja was still asleep on the couch.
Xander’s shift came too soon. He was still tired and groggy from the small amount of sleep he’d managed to gather before Frazay had shaken him awake. He groaned to himself as he laced up his boots. He’d be struggling to stay awake for the next five hours before Gabrelle relieved him.
Xander’s shift passed uneventfully. That next day, after taking a nap, he reset the triggered alarm devices with the materials that Vitril and Huron had acquired for him, but no attempts came. Not that night, and not the next night. Three days after they had participated in the raid on the warehouse, Vitril knocked on their door.
“Lord Huraven has requested to speak to all of you, at the same gazebo where you first met,” Vitril said, waiting patiently for the mercenaries, who were all in the room at the moment, besides Atrax, who was on shift, looked at each other and then began to rise and make their way out the door. As the group passed Alesse’s door, Vitril knocked on it as well, informing Atrax of the news once he opened the door. The five mercenaries, as well as Freyja, who had followed the group out of the door, made their way down the stairs of the manor and then into the gardens adjacent to it. There, in the gazebo, sat Lord Huraven, just as he had when they’d first met.
The group all shuffled into the gazebo, unsure as to what exactly the nature of the conversation would be. As they sat at the table that Huraven was already seated at, his normally frigid expression cracked slightly into a small smile. “I am pleased to inform you that the raid you participated in was indeed the keystone in taking down the Bone Daggers. As of last night, the group has been, to the best of my knowledge, stamped out. As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, this means that your contract has been fulfilled, and more importantly, it means that my daughter is now safe from that criminal scum. You have my gratitude, and of course, my payment, bonus as well. I’ve ensured that the funds have already been made available to the guild to disburse to you. I just want to say, that I have been impressed with your work. Should you ever find yourself in need of employment, my doors and the city guard’s are open. Each of you would be a valuable asset in the city. Please understand, I am not trying to tempt you away from the life of adventuring, I know that mercenaries rarely settle in one place, but should you ever decide to hang up your hat, as it were, do consider my offer.”
The group was silent for a moment after Lord Huraven spoke. That was probably the most emotion the man had showed in any interaction with them. The total collapse of the criminal syndicate that the Huraven family had been under threat from was also a bit of a shock. They’d had no news of the ongoing investigation, and so had been unaware of its extensive progress.
“Thank you, Lord Huraven,” Atrax spoke up after the moment had passed. “We are happy to have been able to be of service.”
“I would say that you have been more than ‘of service,’ considering you foiled not one, but two attempts to kidnap my daughter, at injury to your own team, no less, from what I hear of the incident. I am pleased that it did not seem to be a lasting wound, though. Should you ever need a recommendation from a client, I would be happy to provide one, considering how well you’ve acquitted your duties.” It seemed that Lord Huraven was quite sincere in his gratitude. “You are of course welcome to continue to use the guest suite for another few days until you can arrange for other accommodations as well. I hate to seem brief with you, but I have quite a bit of work cut out for me to ensure that no Bone Dagger members slip through the cracks. Once again, my gratitude, and goodbye.” Lord Huraven rose from the table and quickly paced back to the manor, leaving the mercenaries and Vitril, who quickly followed his employer after a bow to the mercs.
“Well, I’m glad he’s a happy customer?” Xander said, somewhat questioningly.
“He’s a good one to have in our pocket, for sure,” Atrax replied. “Having the recommendation of any noble house, especially one as old as the Huravens will make it more likely to be accepted for other contracts that nobles have put out. You saw how there was a bit of an interview before we could formally accept this contract. It will be a good addition to our resumé as team.”
Xander nodded in understanding. “So it will open some doors for us if we pursue other contracts for nobles?”
“Precisely.”
“I wonder how much the bonus will be,” wondered Graffus.
“I hope it’s enough for us to be able to take a contract with some travel, next,” Gabrelle said hopefully.
“I could go for some time outside of the city as well,” Frazay commented.
“I’m up for whatever,” Xander said. He trusted his more experienced teammates to pick a good contract.
“Aye, it would be good to get away from the hustle and bustle, I’ll keep an eye out for anything like that when we head to the guild to collect payment.”
“Well, I for one, have been enjoying the amenities of civilization,” Atrax countered.
“I think you’ve been outvoted,” Xander pointed out to him. Atrax sighed in minor annoyance in response.
“Speaking of the guild, when do we want to go pick up our payment?” Frazay asked. “And do we want to stay at Robert’s again?”
“I liked Robert’s alright,” Xander said.
“The beer wasn’t too bad there,” was Atrax’s input.
“I’ll miss Alesse, but it feels a little odd to be staying here for no reason… I felt out of place here even with the job giving me a reason to be here,” Gabrelle said.
“Mm, that’s fair,” Xander replied. “It does feel a bit like overstaying one’s welcome.”
“Right then, we head to the guild and find rooms at Robert’s for tonight?” Frazay questioned the group. Nods were had all around.
Xander had little to pack, as most everything he needed or wanted was on his person or in his inventory space. His companions also took little time to ready themselves, as they were light travelers, used to being on the road. Well, the three more experienced mercs were. Gabrelle simply had little to pack because she owned little at the moment. They made their goodbyes to Alesse, who surprised the team with a small portrait of each of them. Xander’s was of him standing out on the balcony, shotgun at the ready. Gabrelle and Alesse shared a hug, Gabrelle promising to write to Alesse about their next adventure if she was able. And with that, they made their way off the estate.
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The mercenary’s guild hall was as crowded as it had been the first time Xander had been there. He suspected that it was always busy, with the population of the city and the number of passers-by. As Graffus and Atrax once more peeled away to scour the walls of contracts, Xander, Frazay, Gabrelle and Freyja made there way to the back of one of the lines to see a clerk.
Xander turned to Gabrelle. “So, decided to stick with us and the mercenary life in general?”
Gabrelle laughed at the question. “Of course I have, I already told you once! Beside, there’s no way you’re getting rid of my now that Graffus has promised me lessons. Sure, some parts of this job were… gory. Gruesome, even. But I got to flex my ability to heal. I leveled up. I got to learn about the world around me, instead of just doing the same things every day, day after day. I don’t want to give up on that kind of excitement yet.”
Frazay nodded. “Once you get a rush like that from a fight, you’ll never feel anything quite like it again.”
Xander nodded in understanding. “Just double checking. Didn’t want you to feel pressured to stay, is all.”
The line was moving quickly, and they were soon in front of the clerk, a diminutive man with half-moon glasses. “Can I help you?” he asked, in a nasal voice.
“We’re here to collect our payment for the Huraven contract,” Frazay relayed to the man.
“Mm, Huraven. Let me check.” He wandered over to a board on his side of the counter, muttering “Huraven… Huraven… where… ah! There it is.” He struggled to reach the paper pinned to the board and had to result to jumping to snatch it from its pin. He returned, looking down at the paper and back at each of the mercenaries in turn. “Hmm, you match the description of the team well enough… especially the cat… but there should be two more of you, yes?”
“Oh, ah, Atrax and Graffus are looking through the contracts on the boards.” Xander pointed them out to the man, who stood on his stool to get a good enough vantage point to be able to see the two mercenaries.
“I see, good, good. I shall collect your payment and return shortly.” The small man hopped down from his stool and made his way out of a door that had been behind him. A few minutes later, he returned with a large purse, which he sat down on the counter, causing the coins inside to clink together. “Your payment, bonus included. Fifty gold for the each of you. You must have impressed your client quite a deal for that much to be added as a bonus.”
Xander reached out and hefted the coin purse. “He did say he was quite pleased with our work. I’m happy to see he was pleased enough to show his gratitude monetarily, too.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No, not until we end up selecting a contract,” Frazay replied.
“Then good day.” The man waved as they walked off before calling out for the next group.
The group reconvened by the contract boards. Atrax and Graffus were still perusing the available contracts, but had taken a break to inquire about the pay.
“So, how much did we net?” Atrax asked.
“Two hundred and fifty,” Frazay replied. “So fifty gold each.”
Graffus whistled. “Damn… that’s a hefty bonus. Perks of working for old money nobles, I suppose.”
“You two find anything interesting on the board?” Xander asked.
“A few, but most are a bit low paying or involve an excessive amount of travel, amongst the ones that are outside the city itself. There is one we both found interesting, though. A contract to retrieve a stolen enchanted weapon. Seems that someone ordered quite an expensive sword, but it never made its way to Anlet. Paper states there’s some knowledge pointing to highwaymen who have been operating on the roads leading to Anlet that the shipment would have been traveling from. Roughly a week’s worth of travel, if we get Gabrelle a horse.”
“Is the pay good?” Frazay asked.
“For a simple job like this, I’d say so,” Graffus responded. “Says there’s a nominal pay amount if we can locate where the blade is or who has it and return with just he knowledge, and a significantly larger payout for bringing back the weapon itself.”
“It’s a good short trip for Gabrelle’s first contract outside of Anlet itself,” Atrax commented. “And I haven’t seen anything else interesting posted about outside the city, either.”
“Well I suppose that settles it then,” Xander said.
Gabrelle seemed excited. “I’ve never been so far out of Anlet! Certainly not far enough to ever have needed a horse… Oh! I’m going to have to get a horse! Goodness… what am I going to name a horse?”
Graffus shrugged. “I named mine ‘horse,’ so that’s taken.”
The mercenaries went through the line once again, confirming their interest in the contract. There was no interview to be had later for this contract, just a few sheets of paper that gave some extra details. The gist of it was that the caravan that this special order had been ambushed, according to the few surviving members of the caravan, a week from the city. Almost all the wagons had been captured, including the one that the special ordered weapon was on. The client wanted their weapon back, but didn’t care about any of the other supplies. Included in the information was an approximate location marked of the ambush marked on a map.
Robert’s Inn once again had space for the five mercenaries, as well as a stall for Freyja. They decided they would take two days off before beginning their journey out of the city. Gabrelle wanted to buy more travel supplies, and of course a horse. They all would enjoy not having to spend five hours every day guarding a teenager, except perhaps Gabrelle, who had been on a much friendlier basis with Alesse.
Xander looked forward to getting back to a regular sleep schedule. Waking up at midnight every night had thrown him off. He also had an entire library of runes to study, and he wanted to study as much as he could before they set off, and during their days of travel. Doubtless, he would find himself reworking his runes as well, and he already knew he wanted to rework his mace to incorporate the denser devil’s iron.
Xander’s first area of research was one other elemental effects. He’d only created an array that would create flames on a weapon. But he wanted the versatility that being able to create other arrays would bring, so that he could tailor his weapon arrays to his enemies. Accessing [Rune Master’s Library], he began writing down the runes as they appeared in his mind’s eye. Runes for frost and lighting seemed straightforward to him, but there were more that were both more complicated and less flashy in their operation. There was a rune of corrosion that Xander definitely wanted to add to the flanges of his mace, that would act as if he’d coated the weapon in an acid. A few different arrays seemed to be focused on creating toxins within a struck target, and still others focused on making the object that was struck more brittle. Xander wrote it all down, as he knew there was no way he’d be able to remember them all with his current intelligence stat. He spent most of that first day researching runes, and most of the rest of it trying to come up with ideas for how he could implement what he wanted for his new mace.
The design that he had roughly sketched out kept all the trappings of his original mace, the impact triggered increase to momentum and weight having proved themselves in combat. However, he wanted to incorporate the corrosion effect into it as well. He decided to focus on a single effect and increase its power as much as possible instead of using two or more effects with less power individually. The entire shaft of the mace was densely runed with the more effective gathering array he’d already discovered, and half of them led to the runic circuits that would increase momentum and weight for a short time upon being activated as well as the strengthening runes. The other half would power the corrosion runes, also designed to activate upon a strike. Stopping only for a dinner break, Xander began work on the new weapon.
He started with a head and flanges of devil’s iron, the denser metal leading to a smaller overall head so as to keep the mace from being too heavy to effectively wield. Xander didn’t mind it being smaller in that manner. It would simply concentrate the force he delivered with a blow. He then connected it to a shaft of steel. With the easy part done, he began the process of painstakingly fitting as many improved mana gathering arrays as he possibly could up the entire shaft of the weapon, ensuring they were deep enough to hold ruby and silver filling. The head of the mace ended up being just as densely packed with runes, the arrays for the impact activated corrosion effect taking up every inch of available space on the flanges, and the momentum and weight arrays were squeezed together due to the smaller size of the mace compared to the first. By the time he was finished, it was time for him to sleep. He’d have to wait ‘til tomorrow to test the weapon.
Xander was excited to test out his new mace. The bright crimson head of it gave it an exotic look, and the silver coating over the ruby inlay stood out against the red. It was bright and early, as Xander had immediately gone out to the stable area behind the inn after a quick breakfast. He created a small steel target to test with, giving it angled legs in the back to prevent it from getting knocked over.
Mace in hand, Xander swung at the target, the runes activating as the devil’s iron head struck the target. Xander felt the odd sensation of the weight and momentum increasing for a moment as the mace embedded itself in the target, crumpling the center of the target. Xander put his boot against the target and wrenched the mace back and forth until it broke free from the target, revealing where the flanges had punctured the steel in places. The edges of the holes from the flanges were sizzling as if dipped in acid. He could see it eating the metal away in real time, enlarging the holes. It continued sizzling and smoking for a solid five minutes before ceasing, having enlarged the relatively small holes in the target into a single gaping wound in the target. Xander was impressed. He imagined that it would be just as effective on flesh or hide as it would be on solid materials like steel armor or bones. Of course, with the impact being so great, the mace might be overkill for anything he’d consider ‘normal.’ But against something like another bone giant, he’d take every advantage he could.
Satisfied with his mace, he pondered where his next area of research should be. Probably his armor, he thought. Utility enchantments would be nice, but they weren’t as integral to keeping him intact as his armor was. Xander opened his status sheet to see if he had made any progress in his class the previous night, considering how many runes he’d carved and inlaid.
---You have created runes and runic arrays---
---[Rune Lord] leveled to 3---
---[Rune Lord] level 3 skills---
[Runic Dominion] – Runic arrays that are not your own have a reduced effect within 50 feet of you if you wish them to. Scales with level.
Xander was pleased to see progress in his newest class. [Combat Artificer] had not leveled up since it had been amalgamated, though it had not really been all that long, Xander considered. He expected that the progress of the class would be comparably slow to [Rune Lord] since it was a higher level. He’d yet to come up against any other arrays, so it wasn’t a particularly exciting skill for him, but it had the potential to be useful if he ever did.