More searching revealed the amenities of life, a mess hall and kitchens, baths, gymnasiums. Six took a moment to grab their version of an olympic bar set and a ton of plates before he led Nibbler and Charles further. This facility could probably house 500 comfortably, over a thousand if you squeezed. Still they had only found about 50 or sixty skeletons so it must have been real empty when it was in use.
Charles looked shook, the boy was too tense. His grip on his sword shaking and white. His eyes darted about and it seemed as though the lack of fight was eating away at him. The tension inside of him building with nothing to release it.
Six spoke. “Eh, you ok Charles?”
Charles snapped his eyes to Six. “Yes Sir.”
“Sir?”
Charles shot Six a look of irritation. “This is more than I’m used to, heh. This is your operation, forgive me for using professional language.”
Six smiled. “No no, professionally speaking, what should I refer to you as?”
“Charles or Penult.”
“Penult? That’s your last name?”
“Yes.”
“Alright Penult. You ok? You’ve been trying to strangle your sword for the last few minutes.”
Charles stumbled on some words, looking for the right ones before a nervous chuckle escaped his lips.
“Look, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but getting it out will definitely feel good. But figure it out.”
“I just… I just never thought I’d fight spectres so soon, or at all really. I’ve read about them but books are not the same as fighting them yourself. I was expecting one or two… that was… we could have died.”
“Yea.”
“I- I just thought it would be different.”
“You do not have to continue with me, if you don’t want to.”
“No! No. I do, I… I grew by two levels. I destroyed spectres, granted it was the sword that allowed me to banish them but I stood against them myself. I did not break. I need this. I need strength.”
Six gave a sad smile. “Me too buddy. Let me know if you need anything.”
Six checked his prompts and brought up his new spell.
Spell Discovered:
- Mana Wave -
Rank: Minor
Cooldown: 10s
Range: Variable
Casting Time: Instant
Duration: Instant
Mana Cost: Variable
Effect: The user gathers a minimum of 60 mana before releasing the energies from their core in an expanding sphere. Effect decreases as an inverse percentage of the range. Users can increase the amount of gathered mana to increase the total effect and range. Effect and range scale with the skill level of magic type used to cast this spell.
This spell was simple, vaguely versatile, and he was sure he could use it with all the forms of the mana he had access to currently. He wondered if infusing the spell with fire mana could create a Final Flash like attack.
He laid out the gear they retrieved. “Do you see anything you want?”
Six could see Charles lean in towards the bangles and bite his tongue but after that short hesitation Charles asked for the Bangles.
Six nodded and handed the bangles, the wand, and an amulet to Charles.
Charles accepted all three with a graceful, “thank you.”
“No eh, thank you.”
Six went to put on the rings of Triple Strike and Stone Skin but hesitated when something occurred to him. “Charles, how many things can I be attuned to?”
“Shoul, most likely eight. Humans can generally have eight attunements but it varies from person to person, race to race. Orcs like us muldstanii can attune to six usually.”
Six was at four attunements and slipped the rings on bringing him up to six attunements and seven rings. The bling wouldn’t stop and the magical bands seemed to adjust themselves, fitting over his gauntlets and looking dope. The Amulet of Unknown was also an item he had been waiting for, just like a bag of holding this was something he knew he needed. He was fortunate to find these. Finding multiple suggested that it had been a common item for the K’gan people. He slipped it over his neck bringing his attunements to seven.
They headed back to the station hub, this time Six led them to the Maintenance wing and brought them through a series of doors. The artisanal line work inscribed into the walls continued even into this area of the complex. The airlock setup opened to what Six thought might be a massive chamber but he was unsure simply because of the density of rune covered pipes and inert machinery. The lights were now tiny blots of light spaced out within the tunnel structure, as the potlights would fail to penetrate the dense overhead service lines.
His mind whispered at the meanings of the myriad runes etched into almost every surface but they remained just that, whisperings at the edge of his understanding. There was no sense of defeat for he knew all he needed was time to examine and test them, experimentation was a good way to learn and his stolen mastery of enchanting should inform him of any pitfalls.
They began to slowly explore the maze of tunnels and corridors that were created by the negative space left by the endless pipes, plates, and wires.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
It didn’t take long for them to find a looming hunched humanoid form that almost filled the tunnel of pipes. Six went into a ready stance for a moment until he realized that it stood inert. For whatever reason the hulking derelict had deactivated.
Six approached and laid a hand upon its form and wiped away a layer of dust. He inspected it.
- K’gan Artificed Immortal Steel Servitor -
Rank: Enhanced
Rarity: Rare
Weight - 380 KG
Durability 849/850
Traits:
Inactive
Artificed golem that is tied to the Deathspire Ley Nexus. Capable of complex maintenance tasks and basic defensive protocols.
Six scoffed internally. Basic defensive protocols? Yea fucking right, just look at the thing!
The steel plated machine looked like it could easily end all three of them if given the chance.
The description specifically states that it's inactive, so that meant he couldn’t allow it the chance to change state.
He examined the plated form and quickly found the structural weak points of its design. The joints and fastenings were mostly armored but it was of a humanoid design and the required mobility left the shoulder and hip joints exposed. It was basic hammer and chisel work to work its four limbs off over the course of an hour, his enchanted tools proving durable enough for the task.
Charles stayed focused on lookout the entire time as Six worked and soon they were off into the corridors of utility lines.
As Six led the way he found what he understood to be inert conveyor belts, leading to and from inert circular portals that were inscribed with endless rune work. Six began to notice differences and labels pointing out the water and sewage, the heating and ventilation. All these services were etched with their own unique rune structures, Six would have to return and study these later.
Two more times through their wandering did they find servitors and each time Six paused to dismantle them.
He actually gained a level in construction from the act of demolition.
Nice.
It was a smell that alerted Six to the next challenge. The air turned from dry and sterile to damp and alive. There was something nearby and Six scanned about actively, noticing a darkness further along. Somewhere the emergency lights weren’t working. He informed Charles of the point of interest with a gesture and moved forward carefully.
The closer he came, the more it focused, whatever it was. It was a body of darkeness that dominated the area that opened up ahead. Wispy strands of shadow oozed forth and fought against the dim lights that dotted these service corridors. It was a slow way of attrition but whatever this was seemed to be grinding out tiny victories.
He analyzed it.
Shadow Mycelium
Level 11
He slowly approached it and held his spear at the ready. As he came within thirty meters the strands surged forth and speared towards Six. He tried to dodge backwards but the strands were fast and they managed to take hold of him.
Instantly Six felt blood begin to wet his clothes and the shadows pressed down and cut him. He grunted through the pain and dropped into a crouch, lowering his center of gravity and fighting the shadows that were now attempting to pull him into their center.
You have been lacerated for 45 damage. 472/517
You have been afflicted with the condition bleeding1.
You are bleeding, you lose 11 health.
Nibbler screeched and tried to claw at the shadows to no avail, far more agile than Six she managed to skitter away from the shadow strands that attempted to capture her as well.
He lashed out with an activation of his vital spear but it had absolutely no effect on the shadow creature. Charles fired arrows but they too had no effect.
Basic game logic dictated his next move.
He struggled against the restraining shadows, fighting to produce the arcane movements necessary to perform his next spell. With an utterance of the spells words of power he summoned a Luminous Beacon.
A disc of light manifested above Six and shone its light upon everything. Instantly the hairs of shadows retracted to the main mass as the light burned the shadow like dust blowing away in the wind.
Blood spattered on the ground before Six as the razor-like hairs retreated but he wasn’t done.
He applied a Vital Surge to himself using the spear then stored it away, his body began to immediately respond, staunching the blood and healing him up. He then conjured an Ember Spark upon his supinated palm and with a thought launched it forward into the mass of darkness.
That provoked a response from the creature as it hissed in pain like a pipe organ.
SIx moved forward, dragging his Luminous Beacon behind and firing Ember Spark after Ember Spark from alternating palms, he dipped into his health just slightly.
Charles let loose with a mana spear and a three foot long spear of shimmering mana shot past Six and hammered deep into the shadows.
The nodule turned in on itself, pulling at the mana spear and protecting its core from the touch of the beacon but whatever base intelligence the monster had, it realized it could not remain strictly defensive. Once again the hairs surged forward and there was no distance to dodge. Six smiled as he was pulled deeper, blood leaking from between his armor. Blood. He spent more blood to cast.
“Luminous Beacon!”
The appearance of a second Luminous Beacon caused it to scream like a broken jet and the undulating mass of shadow hairs quivered upwards in pain like threads of seaweed.
“Hah motherfucker!” Six yelled in triumph.
Triumph short lived as the strands reached up and encompassed the shining disc in complete blackness. The shadow sizzled from the interaction but Six could feel it trying to shift his spell elsewhere. It was trying to move his beacon somehow. Six yelled in frustration as the shadow threads cut deeper into his flesh as the mass tried to consume him.
But a small form sailed through the air and bared her claws, it was Nibbler. Six could see glowing silver energies coat her talons as she unleashed a slash that sent the energies flying in a rotating crescent blade. The twilight blade sliced through the suppressing strands easily and released the second Luminous Beacon before it could be translocated.
Instead its glorious purifying light returned.
Six conjured another Ember Spark this time holding it within his hand for as long as the spell would allow. He used it like a weapon, passing it through the mass of shadow tendrils before him with great arcing slashes, then releasing it forward into the center of shadows.
The thing died abruptly, with its shadows just losing cohesion and dissipating. Leaving behind a solid black mass that ate all light, reflecting nothing. But still, the death prompt came through.
You have killed level 11 Expansive Shadow Mycelium. Experience gained 520+(130).
He skritched Nibbler in thanks.
Which was just enough to push him over level ten.
Nice.
Six chewed some rootbust while checking his surroundings for more threats and found nothing immediate. It looked like they stood in some sort of garden area, beds of petrified soil were spaced about and services were attached to each of them. He could identify one as a water line and the other was most likely to power the runes inscribed on the beds themselves.
There were lights that serviced this growing area but they were dead and It was dark save for Six’s Luminous Beacons. The shadow mycelium must have attacked the light producing enchantments and eroded them over time but Six was confident in his ability to repair such things. Later though, this area was neat but too far away from his cave to be particularly useful to him.
He inspected the remains of the mycelium and pulled a mundane core from the center of the thing's mass.
- Shadow Mycelium Foot -
Rank: Enhanced
Rarity: Unusual
Weight - 20 KG
Durability 89/110
Traits:
Material, Reagent.
Six had achieved his goal of level ten and wished to consolidate his gains. “We’re done for now Charles.”
The boy visibly relaxed his grip on his bow. “We’re done? But…”
Six chuckled, “What? Two levels ain’t enough? It's stressful, take a break.” He clapped Charles on the back in his best impression of a reassuring pat. “We are here though so let's make sure there's nothing else lurking around in maintenance and then we’ll go back. Don’t worry, after I get my class, you can join me for the rest of this place.”
Charles looked surprised and a little impressed. “You reached level ten?”
“That I did. Speaking of, what's getting a class like? Is it something I should do here or in the safety of my lair?”
“What? No! Don’t do it here, it can take awhile for the selection to take effect and one can be vulnerable during their time in the selection space.”
“Figured, just thought to check. I plan to take an enchanting based class so the perks wouldn’t be of immediate use to me right now anyways. There is a selection space?”
“Well, more a selection void. A place where one has no self, rather, you see potential representations of yourself, or so I’ve been told. One representation may be a warrior, one a mage. Time still passes in this space and your body is vulnerable when you are in the state of class selection. Also, when your choice is made your mind is overcome with knowledge and for a period you are vulnerable from the overload in cognition.”
The void sounded like where Six had respawned after his death. “These representations are what? You from an alternate future timeline?”
Charles shrugged. “My instructors stressed that the representations are just that, simple representations, they are not prophetic. They also said that some classes demand certain behaviours to truly shine, berzerkers for example lack a certain amount of self control. All I can say is choose carefully. It is irreversible.”
“Choosing a class is basically a full sensory selection list offered by the System?”
“The System?”
“Like, the visuals, where you access your stats and skills.”
“Ah. Yes.”
“It’s that simple?”
“It's that simple.”
“Well, aight.”