Chapter 87 Ready.
“Drider silk treatment has all arrived and is being used, Lenny is still training with Marie, James is busy doing whatever it is he does to collect all the information we could ever need, the Windwalkers are still in Ben’s End, Clayton is still waiting on the research materials, Drider skeleton is created and standing by in Alexander’s tower, Izen is handling all the troop related things for the not-actually-a-siege, Edward is handling the adventurer side of it, we’ve borrowed and purchased all of the gear we reasonably could, you leveled up, what are we missing?” Isaac summarized their preparations before ending with a question.
Lenna shook her head. “Nothing aside from what you are about to do.” She told him while leaning against the wall of their room. Isaac was standing in front of the bed and had all of the magic items sprawled across it. “We already let Celeste know that you were going to be meditating up here for a bit today.”
Isaac took a deep breath before putting on the Lets of Quickness and the Amulet of the Hero. “Time until contact?” He questioned her about the V’Nova army’s arrival.
“Thirty seven hours according to Edward’s scout’s estimate.” Lenna replied. “Are you going to be able to keep that gear hidden until then?”
Isaac nodded once resolutely. “‘I’m experimenting with summoned shadow armor.’ I’ll just coat it all in shadows and run with that. It won’t hold up under proper scrutiny but it’ll work for a day at least.” He replied.
“Then by all means.” Lenna told him. “Begin attuning to items made for and created by legends.”
Isaac sat on the floor and focused his breathing. Within minutes he felt a soft thrum of power seem to lock into place across the surface of his skin and he felt a gentle, warm, touch rest along his mana pathways near all of the magical items he had just attuned to. The feeling pulled him from his meditation and he looked down at them. The Lets were all humming with magic and he knew instinctively that they were charged and ready to go at a word. The amulet was cold to the touch and lacked any luminescents but it still felt warm across his chest somehow.
“How are they?” Lenna asked Isaac who was still looking them over.
“They feel… powerful.” He replied. “Like the magic inside is qualitatively better than anything I have felt thus far.”
Lenna raised an eyebrow. “You’ve met deities.” She reminded him.
“They are different. I can’t feel much of them at all because their power isn’t mana based.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure how I know that it isn’t mana based but I can feel it.” He shook his head again, this time to clear it. “Regardless, these are more dense and of a higher quality than even the wards in Alexander’s tower, though in much smaller numbers, obviously.”
Lenna nodded. “My uncle’s gear is along the level of those items. Well, some of it is.” She explained.
“It brings ‘clothes make the man’ to a whole new level.” Isaac commented. “Do you have any other secrets about Jallen’s arsenal to share before our big day?”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Lenna shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so. He was very careful about things like that. I remember hearing that he was thinking about challenging the clan head to take his position. He would’ve needed every advantage he could get.” She replied.
“Why?” Isaac questioned. “So he could hold the position for a few decades? A century?”
Lenna nodded. “Yes. Power is the path, the goal, and the reward for many people, Jallen included.” She explained. “Now, stop dallying and put on the gambeson.”
Isaac nodded and slipped into the snug fitting, thick, cotton-like, platinum thread and buttoned coat. Once it was on he frowned. “It’s a bit tight.” He told her.
“Whoever wore it last must’ve been smaller than you. They always make magical armor like that with the automatic sizing enchantment.” She replied.
“Makes sense.” Isaac said and sat down. He shifted a bit and then a bit more. “I can’t get comfortable.”
“Unbutton it.” Lenna told him. “It doesn’t have to be on properly, just on.”
“Oh.” Isaac replied and did as she said. He was finally able to enter meditation again and soon the gambeson had resized to fit him properly. It was still a snug fit but he found that it was easier to move in then its slight bulk would’ve suggested. “Not bad, not great, but not bad.” He said more to himself than to Lenna.
“It might save your life. Remember that armor will be almost useless against my uncle’s sword. The armor would need to be built to repel holy light and damage. The divine oath fueled strikes that he will be making will wash through objects with little resistance.” Lenna warned him. “The gambeson might actually help slow some of it a bit but I wouldn’t bet your life on it.”
Isaac nodded in understanding. “Now that I have all of this on, let’s do some testing. I need to get used to moving under the Quicken’s effects and with the gambeson on.” Lenna gave him a questioning look. “I’ll be able to keep the illusion of hardened shadow armor up while we train as long as I don’t try to boost myself or anything.”
“How will we explain the effects of Quicken?” Lenna questioned.
“I, uh, found a new way to boost myself without scaring everyone within a hundred yards.” Isaac put forth an excuse.
Lenna nodded. “If you think that will suffice then I am sure it will.” She replied and reached for the door to leave.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Isaac replied and pulled on his Cloak of Shadows.
—
Isaac felt the weight of the world bear down upon him as his gravity was increased by fifty percent. The weight increase was there exclusively to help him keep traction while moving at twice the speed. It worked. He was moving at a speed akin to his one minute duration boost but without a strength enhancement. It would be nice for quick strikes that lacked power which was exactly what he would need for their opening engagement. Isaac had poured over how he would start his battle with Jallen and he had come to a conclusion; Jallen was alive for a reason.
Isaac knew that Jallen V’Nova had survived more battles than he could properly imagine and anyone who had done something of the like wouldn’t come out the other end normal. Isaac, Fable, Lenna, Edward, Marie, Lisa, and some of the drow assassins all had the same uncanny ability to know when something bad was about to happen to them. Their sixth senses had been either trained or forcibly honed to a degree where they were truly reliable. Knowing this, Isaac figured that Jallen had the same vague feeling of danger that the rest of them had. If ambushing Jallen wouldn’t give Isaac the opening strike with a hundred percent certainty then he would save the main target for last. Isaac was going to remove all of the advisors first and then go for Jallen. During that opening attack he would need to remove all three of those accompanying the ancient paladin in a hair’s breadth over an instant. The Quicken spell would hopefully allow him to do that.
Something else Isaac realized while under the effects of the quicken spell was what Alexander had warned him about. His mana regeneration was slowed. It wasn’t slowed quite to half of its usual rate like the Court Wizard had said but it was a noticeable decline. He quickly realized the reason why; He was moving faster through time than the mana around him. While that was happening the mana around him would need to speed up to the rate he was moving through time while it entered him. This would cause a backup of sorts as too much mana tried to get sucked through the proverbial straw. He would still be taking in more mana than usual but not nearly as much as his rate through time would’ve suggested.
The perceived mana regeneration slowdown meant that his boosting ability would be burning through more of his perceived mana regeneration rate than it usually would have but due to the properties of his shadowcloak the cloak would actually require a bit less. Time was doing odd things with his perceived balance of mana regeneration to skill cost ratio and it was a good thing that he was taking the time to understand it before crossing mana with a legendary ancient paladin.
“Ready.” He heard Lenna’s voice in slow motion and he nodded his reply before launching at her. It was time to truly experience the Quicken spell.