Mel wasn’t taking chances. She packed up what little she had laid out and got moving. Over the next few hours, she followed the stream downhill. The sun began to sink deeper in the sky overhead and the trees started to thin as the temperature steadily dropped.
Every few minutes, or as near as she could tell, Mel tried to open the Emporium. It never worked, which only further urged her on. With the sun sinking fast, spreading its last golden rays across the heavens, she was in dire need of shelter.
Should have stayed in the damn tomb, she thought to herself. Wouldn’t have gotten ambushed, could’ve been confident that there were no more monsters because I killed them all.
The problem with that was eventually she would need to leave. The earlier she left, the more likely she would be away when people came to investigate points of interest. Like the hero’s tomb.
What hero was laid to rest there? Mel wondered. I was the only asshole in the box at the end.
Being barricaded in a room all alone without water and no way out while a group of murderhobos came looking for loot was not an ideal situation.
Said murderhobos would probably be quite a bit stronger than somebody who was sheltering in place too. No, her best chance for survival was to find a place she could rest at, then go out hunting.
She still had four other aspects to find, with no idea how to get another one. Based on the [Blood Coins] the Bloodtide Covenant members dropped on their death, there was at least Blood aspect out there somewhere.
It was too bad she couldn’t steal that aspect like she had the title. Having more vigor would be nice. Or maybe arcane.
Mel came to a fork in the stream. She could go left where the bulk of the water went, but she was curious where the smaller stream ended up and followed that instead.
Less than an hour later, she found herself beside a small pond at the edge of an absolutely massive plateau. “Holy shit,” she said in awe.
Spread out before her was the most surreal and fantastical landscape she had ever seen. Dozens of plateaus the size of cities rose up at varying heights. She saw purple lightning storms constantly lashing one plateau, green rain pelting another, a perpetual ice storm shrouding a third, and countless others.
Mel squinted. “Is that…an entire plateau covered by a tornado of fire?”
Leaning over the edge, she looked down at an autumnal forest far below. By her best estimate, she was at least a thousand feet up in the air on top of a sheer-sided plateau.
“There’s no way this wasn’t magically created,” she said, sure of her assessment. Which made sense, considering she was in a magical competition pitted against countless other people from both Earth, and a place called Lormar.
She felt like she should know that word. It tickled some memory in the back of her head, but she couldn’t seem to unlock it.
Those Bloodtide people were clearly from Lormar, which automatically put the whole population on her shit list.
Not that it was important right now. Mel had found a supply of water, a relatively defensible location, and she could finally open the Emporium thanks to the notification that appeared the moment she found this area.
You have discovered a Haven.
As soon as she did, her quest was completed.
Quest Complete: This isn’t Kansas
Objective: Discover a Haven (1/1).
Reward: [Soul Kiln]
[Campfire Instant Scroll]
The first reward appeared at her feet, while the other vanished into her inventory. Mel knelt and inspected the [Soul Kiln]. It was a perfect cube, made of polished gray stone and inlaid with a gorgeous golden tree motif. The top hinged back to reveal that the cube was empty inside.
Frowning, Mel did a proper examination.
[Soul Kiln]
(Great Work, Relic)
A weighty box engraved with the design of the Realmtree, etched with gold lacquered designs of the Greater Shardrune that hint at a tenebrous truth. Soul kilns are one of the first Great Works, gifted to every sapient soul that enters the multiverse.
Imprint: Place items inside to enhance, then inject mana to fuel the process. Requires a Haven. Requires applicable catalysts.
Mel stared at the item. “This thing is as big as my inventory! How am I going to lug this damn thing around?”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the kiln vanished in a familiar swirl of silver ash.
Less alarmed than she might have been a few hours ago, she focused on bringing the [Soul Kiln] back.
It arrived in another flurry of silver ash, right where she had been hoping it would. “Okay, totally take it back. My b. It’s been a rough day.”
Mel paused and looked around. Her shoulders slumped. “Annnnd I’m talking to myself again.”
Though the kiln was undoubtedly impressive, she had no catalysts that she could use. So far, every item had a category attached to it, even if it was just “item” and nothing else. She had come across armor, weapon, item, crafting material, and now relic types. Not a single catalyst.
Dismissing the kiln, Mel fished in her inventory until she found the scroll. A small bag of copper coins shifted around and nearly fell out before she caught it and shoved it back.
[Campfire Instant Scroll]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A furled bundle of yellowed parchment inked with the imagery of a campfire ringed with stones merrily burning beneath a bubbling pot.
Imprint: Spend (2) [Copper Rune Coins] to instantly conjure a campfire bordered by stones with a pot accessory. This item has a chance to be consumed with each use.
“Useful,” Mel said, putting it back into her inventory.
She had a small bag of [Copper Rune Coins] that she could use. So far, this was the first example of something she could spend the money on.
It would be better to keep something that could instantly create a campfire for when it would be needed. Right now, it was dry, the sky was clear, and she had passed plenty of dry fallen branches and twigs to use as kindling.
With yet another quest under her belt, Mel went back into the forest to gather wood for her fire.
The rest of the evening passed swiftly as she set up a small campfire next to the pond, but far enough away from the edge of the plateau that her fire wouldn’t be easily spotted below.
It wasn’t that she thought somebody would scale the sheer cliff face, but better to be safe than sorry after those Bloodtide Covenant members spotted Mel exiting the tomb.
I guess fighting the skeletons and possessed armor monsters wasn’t exactly what I would call low profile.
Warmed by a crackling fire, she roasted a few more glimshrooms with a [Death Morel] on the side. She used small sticks to make kebabs out of the hastily sliced mushrooms. Mel stabbed the skewers into the dirt and angled them near the fire. She turned them every few minutes (or whenever she remembered) to make sure they cooked all the way through and didn’t completely burn.
They tasted bad enough as they were.
While her evening meal was prepared, Mel perused the Emporium at last.
The magical shop was split up into multiple sections. The only one that she could access was something called “Core Items”.
Many unlocks required a higher Convocation Standing or something called an “Authority Level”. Neither of which Mel qualified for. Whenever she tried to open another section, nothing happened.
Even with so much of the Emporium locked down, she was surprised at how much was available.
[The Emporium]
(Battle Points: 267)
(Core Items)
[Fallen Realm Seed]
(Mundane Rank, Item)
(Rare)
Darkly glowing desiccated vines tangled around a seed of dwindling energy, which fell from a higher realm of power in the multiverse.
Imprint: Use to permanently enhance restoration and recovery-based effects from items and food by 1 tier, limited to a maximum of 5 tiers at Mundane Rank.
Price: 100 Battle Points.
The very first item caught her eye. It was hard not to. It seemed utterly perfect. Something that permanently increased restoration and recovery from items?
Mel had no idea what it meant by a single tier, but even if it was a pitiful 1% increase to healing, an increase was an increase.
It would mean her glimshrooms would go a little further, restoring more of her health, mana, and stamina, all at the cost of some BP. She could almost get three seeds with how much she had on hand.
I had hoped for more, she thought to herself. Having killed a boss, two Copper monsters, and a score of Mundanes, she figured she would have a lot more BP.
Not to mention those three Bloodtide guys. You’d think killing a person would net you a lot of BP, especially if they killed any other people or monsters.
A normal person might have freaked out about having to defend herself from murderous bandits. Mel was starting to realize she was anything but normal, even with missing memories.
She couldn’t begin to understand how BP was apportioned, but she wasn’t about to hike out into the woods to find a monster to kill, only to hike back and check.
Even that wouldn’t be enough. There were too many variables to cover. What if the system counted style? Previous kills the monster had made, how close it was to advancing to the next rank?
It sounded too much like homework.
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She’d rather go out, slaughter a bunch of monsters, then see where she stood once she got back to camp.
Mel looked around the campsite and nodded to herself. She could make a small sleeping nook in that outcrop of rock near the ledge. It faced the fire, which would keep it warm throughout the night, and it had a modicum of shelter from rain and wind.
With more time, she might be able to construct something a bit better. She only had to rough it for 55 more days.
What an odd number. I’ve heard of tendays, but every month is only 28 days here? How many months are there?
Mel perused the rest of the list. Most of the items made zero sense to her. Those that did, she couldn’t understand why she would use them.
[Aspect Seeker Scroll]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Rare)
A yellowed parchment scroll sealed with the wax insignia of the Raiders Company. The magic contained within directs the wielder to a bindable aspect of any rarity located within the area.
Imprint: Break the seal with mana to activate. One time use only.
Price: 1,000 Battle Points.
Too rich for my blood, damn. How the hell am I going to get 1,000 BP without having all of my aspects? That seems like the sort of thing you’d want early on, not when you’re already strong enough to have all 5 aspects.
Then again, perhaps that was the point. It might be the system’s way of helping people catch up to those who already had all their aspects. She had gained a little over a quarter of that amount in a single day. By the end of her first week, it wasn’t too unlikely that she would have the BP necessary.
[Petrified Branch of Vigor]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A wooden branch fossilized in ambient elemental Earth mana, suffusing it with the power of Vigor.
Imprint: Use to temporarily accelerate the natural growth of the Vigor attribute through training, battle and meditation. Effective for Copper Rankers and below.
Price: 250 Battle Points.
“Now we’re talking,” Mel said. “Not too expensive, allows me to focus on the improvement of one stat?” It sounded perfect, which immediately made her suspicious.
Anything that was too good to be true usually was. Something that was a “training accelerator” sounded a lot like “magical performance enhancer” to her ears.
Not that she was against it, but if it was like steroids from Earth, she worried about the side effects.
Do you really have the luxury of morals when you know everybody around you will be using them to get ahead? Good morals are fun and all, right up until you’re dead.
With 267 BP to her name, she could buy a single petrified branch, or two fallen seeds. One would help her recover…but if she didn’t get hit by improving her agility, then the fallen seeds became less useful.
[Petrified Branch of Strength]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A wooden branch fossilized in ambient elemental Fire mana, suffusing it with the power of Strength.
Imprint: Use to temporarily accelerate the natural growth of the Strength attribute through training, battle and meditation. Effective for Copper Rankers and below.
Price: 250 Battle Points.
[Petrified Branch of Agility]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A wooden branch fossilized in ambient elemental Thunder mana, suffusing it with the power of Agility.
Imprint: Use to temporarily accelerate the natural growth of the Agility attribute through training, battle and meditation. Effective for Copper Rankers and below.
Price: 250 Battle Points.
[Petrified Branch of Sense]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A wooden branch fossilized in ambient elemental Wind mana, suffusing it with the power of Sense.
Imprint: Use to temporarily accelerate the natural growth of the Sense attribute through training, battle and meditation. Effective for Copper Rankers and below.
Price: 250 Battle Points.
[Petrified Branch of Arcane]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A wooden branch fossilized in ambient elemental Ice mana, suffusing it with the power of Arcane.
Imprint: Use to temporarily accelerate the natural growth of the Arcane attribute through training, battle and meditation. Effective for Copper Rankers and below.
Price: 250 Battle Points.
[Elemental Petrified Branch]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A wooden branch fossilized in ambient Fire, Thunder, Earth, Wind, Ice and Water elemental mana, suffusing it with the combined power of all attributes. Inherently unstable, this item’s potency diminishes rapidly when exposed to the environment.
Imprint: Use to temporarily accelerate the natural growth of all attributes through training, battle and meditation. Somewhat effective for Copper Rankers and below.
Price: 450 Battle Points.
So there’s a branch for every attribute, and then one that affects all attributes, Mel thought before moving on to the rest available to purchase from the Emporium.
[Fire Blossom]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
A blazing flower edged in char. Gives off a tremendous heat, but like all flowers, it only lasts for a moment. Used in medicinal concoctions.
Price: 300 Battle Points.
[Thundermelon Bud]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
A tiny crackling bud of a thundermelon, ripe with potential.
Price: 400 Battle Points.
[Glintfly Carapace]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
The discarded shell of a glintfly. Traces of the stars still linger on its shell providing a dull luminescence like the heavens on a misty night.
Price: 200 Battle Points.
[Gravebloom]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
This darkly glowing violet flower blooms in the lightless caverns and tombs of the dead.
Price: 450 Battle Points.
[Sterling Sunflower]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
A silver sunflower that grows facing the moon, from which it derives its medicinal properties.
Price: 500 Battle Points.
[Tarnished Sunflower]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
A darkly tarnished sunflower that might have once been silver. Deprived of the moon’s embrace, this flower has rotted from within and exudes a thick tarry substance.
Price: 650 Battle Points.
[Blightraven Feathers]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
A bundle of glossy black-and-green feathers from a blightraven. Delicate toxins drip from the quills.
Price: 150 Battle Points.
Mel wasn’t sure why a [Tarnished Sunflower] was so much more expensive than the rest of the crafting materials. It was pricier than even the [Sterling Sunflower], so it was possible that it was a more potent version of it, despite being the same rarity.
Maybe I would have a better idea if I knew how to craft. Could that count as a catalyst for the [Soul Kiln]?
She had her doubts.
So far, the system was very explicit about its categories. There was nothing with a catalyst for a category, suggesting that the crafting materials at the end of the list were for something else. Namely, crafting.
Big surprise.
Something she had no idea how to do. Mel wasn’t about to waste her precious BP trying to figure it out. Not yet.
Mel pulled a skewered [Roasted Death Morel] away from the fire before it could burn and inspected it thoughtfully.
[Roasted Death Morel]
(Copper Rank, Food)
(Rare)
A honeycomb textured mushroom that grows in areas steeped in Death and the lingering traces of Guilt. Contrary to its name, an overwhelming amount of energy is trapped within its wrinkled flesh. Though highly poisonous if eaten raw, when cooked, it gives off a pleasant aroma of seared beef.
Imprint: Sates hunger and vastly replenishes vital resources. Raises maximum stamina and health for 24 hours. The amount increases with additional [Roasted Death Morels] eaten.
“Well, damn, wish I found more of you.”
True to the system’s description, it not only smelled like seared beef, it tasted like it too. The texture was a little off, but nothing like the old sponges she had endured with the glimshrooms.
Looking at the [Roasted Glimshrooms] skewered around the edge of the fire, Mel started to wonder if she had just been an idiot for eating them raw instead of taking the time to cook them.
There had to be a reason they were listed as “food” now instead of “item” right?
For the first time since arriving in the multiverse, Mel had a peaceful meal and took her leisure to decide what item she should get first.
Which naturally meant her otherwise peaceful night had to be disturbed by a shrill, blood-curdling scream.