Aurelian relayed the messages to the others and looked to them for an answer.
“THE FELL CREATURES MAKE OUR TASK ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT. THE PALACE ARMOURY IS VAST AND CONTAINS MANY WONDERS. IT WILL NOT BE EASY TO DECIDE ON A PROPER ACQUISITION IN SUCH A SHORT TIME FRAME.”
“Perhaps not,” Tarixi said after a few moments’ thought, “but what Aurelian needs and what he might want are not inherently the same. There are many relics of power there, that is true, but those are not necessarily useful to him given he isn’t strong enough to use many of them. Most of those items assume an Expert’s power at the bare minimum. Hmm…”
Is there no way to peruse what treasures are on offer?
“Not a bad idea, dude.” Aurelian said while rewarding Bahamut with an instinctive scratch behind his horns. To his delight, the dragon let loose a low growl of appreciation. He turned to Tarixi after smirking at the little dragon. “Bahamut suggested taking inventory before we access the Armoury.”
“It is not a bad suggestion…” Tarixi admitted. “See what the System says, though.”
Aurelian nodded and selected ‘NO’ on the prompt, then projected his will to the System again with emphasis on ‘Inventory’.
Input acknowledged.
WARNING: Armoury inventory collation has been eroded due to mana shortage.
Do you wish to proceed?
Y / N
Aurelian groaned and repeated the latest hiccup. So much for a simple process.
“THAT IS THE RESULT OF MAINTAINING MY STASIS, I IMAGINE. AN UNFORTUNATE COMPLICATION, THOUGH AT LEAST THERE IS SOME FUNCTIONALITY.”
“Agreed,” Tarixi said after Bael’tharax’s rumbling died down. “And it isn’t something I regret given the circumstances.” She smiled up at the dragon, and then turned back to Aurelian. “Okay, Aurelian, you need to seek after items of Aspirant Tier or lower. Anything else will be worthless to you right now.”
Aurelian glanced between them, nodded, and then selected ‘YES’ mentally.
Please define search parameters.
“Aspirant Tier or lower.” He said out loud, once again for the others’ benefit.
Input acknowledged. Parameters accepted.
Populating available inventory . . .
Legio Initiate’s Platemail
Legio Initiate’s Supply Pack
Legio Initiate’s Survival Kit
Legio Initiate’s Standard Attire x 3
Epic Mind Essence Draught
Mana Potion x 2
10,365,209 Imperial Thrones
Ȃ̶̜̣̊̒̋͠d̴͎̣̭͂̎͂̚v̸̠́̕ą̵̲̩̖̪͋̀a̴̛̮̳̩͛̇̔͘a̸̦͕͊/̷̥̦̼̬́͂͜/̷̖̝͎̠̓̃#̷̢̭͍͕͇̀̍͆͘$̶̛̩̠͌͌!̵̢̯̹̬̎͋͛̍̏!̸̢͍̪̦̙͆̔
WARNING: Data Corrupted. Remainder of inventory irrecoverable.
Would you like to change your search parameters?
Y / N
Aurelian rattled off the list of available items and then shrugged at his three companions while still scratching Bahamut. “No idea why there’s like ten million chairs, but—”
“Aurelian…” Tarixi said with a look of pained bemusement. “Thrones are not literal. They are currency. A tin coin is a bit, a copper coin is a piece, a bronze coin is a shield, a silver coin is a sword, a gold coin is a crown, and a platinum coin is a throne. That is enough money to buy a Kingdom, Aurelian.”
Why buy what you can simply conquer? Bahamut asked with a pleased rumble.
Aurelian eyed the little dragon in amusement, and then turned back to Tarixi. “So I’m rich?”
“You have likely inherited the considerable fortunes of our last Imperator, yes. He did have the dominant Empire on Terra, after all.”
“Wait. Wait.” Aurelian said with a sharpness that made Tarixi’s eyebrows shoot up and Bael’tharax’s watching pupil slit. “Terra? Is that what you just said?”
“Well yes.” Tarixi said with evident confusion. “That is the name of the central landmass that occupies the Prime Material.”
“Central landmass? So there are others?” Aurelian continued less forcefully while trying to calm his thundering heart.
“There are some,” Tarixi said with a nod while studying him carefully, “but they are specks in comparison to Terra. Like human babies next to Bael’tharax.”
“So it’s a supercontinent…” Aurelian murmured while his heart slowed. “Okay. Okay. Sorry, just… Terra is a name that—” he sighed and waved a hand “—doesn’t matter, actually. Forget it. I’m sorry for getting a little crazy there. Please continue what you were saying.”
“Are you certain?” Tarixi asked carefully.
“Very.” Aurelian said with a nod. “Please continue. Please.”
“Very well.” The goblin acquiesced with a gaze that told him she was even more curious. “As I was saying, you are likely extremely wealthy — but that is a matter for much later in your path. At present we must work with what we have, and it appears that we might at least be able to give you several critically needed items. Clothes, a pack to carry them and the rest of your supplies in, an Epic Mind Essence Draught—”
“AUSPICIOUS ENOUGH TO ALMOST BE SUSPICIOUS.” Bael’tharax growled.
“You’re not wrong…” Aurelian agreed while Tarixi continued, and Bahamut growled happily at the scratches while ignoring them all.
“—a much-needed survival kit, and even a set of armour you could feasibly use that upgrade gem on.”
“Does the armour not have a skill or attribute requirement?” Aurelian asked curiously.
“It does,” Tarixi confirmed, “but I daresay you will exceed it by several orders of magnitude, and besides which the gem you received is something of a sneaky bypass. Any item you use it on, as long as you successfully equip them first, will still be usable after they are upgraded. It binds the armour to you in the process of upgrading it. It’s a nice way of sidestepping the System’s rules, though it could be argued that the System made the exception, so…”
Aurelian nodded along with what she said while idly tracing his fingers along Bahamut’s ridged and spiked skull. The dragon’s head reminded him of a mix between a crocodile, tyrannosaurus, and traditional western dragon in a mix that was both physically powerful and proportional. It was quite satisfying to feel underhand.
“I think I get it, Tarixi.” Aurelian said when she started diving into the postulation of correlations between System sapience and intentional loopholes. “The System is smarter than anyone realises, in a nutshell. Can we move on to getting what we need, now?”
“Ah… yes… indeed…” The Echo said with a look of mild embarrassment.
“SUMMON YOUR ITEMS, AURELIAN, AND LET US BE ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF ENDING THIS INFESTATION.”
Yes. I am eager to fight these creatures my Sire has spoken to me of.
Bael’tharax told you about undead? Aurelian sent back in reflexive surprise.
Indeed he did, and they sound utterly repulsive.
Aurelian snorted in amusement and ignored Tarixi’s questioning stare to instead focus his will on the System. Without waiting for any prompts, he simply pushed forward the desire to transfer all previously listed items to him immediately.
WARNING: Instantaneous translocation will cut perusal time down drastically due to energy conservation requirements.
Do you wish to proceed?
Y / N
Aurelian was done waiting. He could always clear the undead and search the vault manually. Without another hesitation he mentally slammed the ‘YES’ option. The prompt vanished from his vision, and he glanced around in with a questing gaze for a moment, only to startle as a sudden hum filled the air.
Bahamut hissed beside him and turned to look around with a flex of his already-impressive wings, and Tarixi chuckled. “That is just the translocator.” She explained.
True to her words, a sudden fzzt of energy rippled through the air and a small pile of items appeared atop a simple red blanket on the granite floor nearby to Aurelian. He raised his eyebrows at the neat presentation, then sent his thanks to System — which of course it ignored — and stepped forward to crouch down over the presented bounty.
He simply cast Revelate over the entire lot.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Name: Mind Essence Draught (Uninfused)
Type: Essence Draught
Quality: Epic
Description: Essence Draughts are used in conjunction with skills that breach a new threshold, and allow the user to Temper themselves when used. This draught has been designed for the Mind and is currently lacking the infusion of materials required to catalyse it.
Name: Legio Initiate’s Standard Attire
Type: Clothing
Quality: Uncommon
Description: This set of comfortable black clothing is designed as the standard uniform for initiates of the Legio Invicta, and boasts a resilience and self-cleaning capability that is rare among clothing of its tier. Absent absolute destruction, this clothing will clean and repair itself completely over the course of a 24 hour period.
“Well damn.” He said with an impressed glance at Bahamut. “That’ll be useful.”
You should simply grow scales, Aurelian. You would not need such trifles then.
“I’ll take that under advisement.” He said with a laugh while turning back to the rest of the pile.
Name: Legio Initiate’s Supply Pack
Type: Container
Quality: Uncommon
Description: Created to securely store and protect the supplies of a Legio Initiate on the campaign trail, this supply pack is immune to all natural weather damage, and very hardy against damage. While it will not stand up to Specialist or higher force, it is ideal for the storing and transportation of important items.
Name: Legio Initiate’s Survival Kit
Type: Utility
Description: This survival kit contains a compass, bandages, self-refilling canteen, guidestone, and map of the Elysean homeland inclusive of the following; terrain, palace, and immediately bordering protectorates.
Name: Minor Mana Potion
Type: Potion
Description: This Mana Potion restores between 80 and 120 Mana in a single go, and increases Mana regeneration x10 for 10 seconds afterward.
Name: Legion Initiate’s Platemail
Type: Armour
Quality: Rare
Tier: Aspirant
Requirement: Aspirant Tier Strength (25)
Description: This set of black platemail is the uniform standard for all Legionarii of the Legio Invicta. It has been enchanted to fit the body of whomever wears it, so long as they have appropriate permissions to do so, and to repair itself from anything less than total destruction. Maximum repair time: 72 hours.
Special Effects: This armour will mimic the thematic appearance of its wearer’s Runeweapon.
“Well that is very cool.” Aurelian said while examining the armour. Its general appearance was a mix between what he would have called greek and roman designs, with touches of mediaeval europe thrown in as well. It was difficult to tell the exact appearance of the armour because it appeared to be somehow retracted or in a dormant state. A magical effect of the armour, no doubt.
You should wear the clothing first. Bahamut sent with affected disinterest.
“Good idea.” Aurelian agreed out loud, turning to the clothing and then abruptly hesitating. “I just realised I have not bathed since I got—”
“The clothes are self-cleaning,” Tarixi interrupted, “and will clean you as well. It was a means to ensure hygiene and avoid disease and sickness among the Legionarii.”
“Ah.” Aurelian said with a relieved smile. “That is smart. Very nice.”
With his concerns quashed he reached out happily for the new clothes and doffed his old ones and sword sheath, feeling little to no shame in stripping naked — thanks in part to how much bullshit had happened — and even relished in the feeling of the silk-like softness of the new undergarments and clothes when he pulled them on. The pants shifted and adjusted to cling proudly to his legs, not tight enough to mimic skinny jeans but enough to show off the new muscle definition in his calves and elsewhere.
The black combat boots, when he slipped them on, were sturdy and possessed soft soles that felt good against his feet; especially when compared to the ruined shoes he’d been bumming around him since his arrival. The moment he pulled them up, they tightened and affixed themselves comfortably to his feet and lower shins. His leggings even tucked themselves into the tops with military precision to create a stylishly tactical look.
Aurelian marvelled at the new attire for a moment before pulling on the shirt and stuffing the bottom into his new waistband. A cinch built into the bands was clicked together, and the entire waistband contracted and smoothed against his body, creating the illusion of a belted set of trousers where no belt existed.
The shirt itself was a wrist-length turtleneck, and shifted like liquid to fit his now-muscled chest and all-but-vanished gut with admirable comfort. The area over his heart even manifested a calligraphic representation of his name in what he could only compare to an extremely elaborate form of copperplate gothic text, but as runes he only understood because of his connection to the clothing.
Philology is now Level 6!
“Okay, I look awesome.” He said appreciatively as he stared down at himself and turned his arms over to examine the new muscles present under the skin-tight, wrist-length material. “Feels like I’m barely wearing anything at all.”
Bahamut lifted his horned head to sniff at the clothing and snorted in derision.
“That is the point,” Tarixi confirmed. “The Empire wanted its soldiers to focus on battle, not itching or other discomforts. Its Legionarii especially needed to be always attentive to the field, given the difficulty of even their most mundane assignments.”
“The Elyseans were pretty advanced, huh?” He asked half-rhetorically.
As expected of any race allied to a superior species like Dragons. Bahamut commented mentally.
“We were.” Tarixi agreed sadly and without hearing the curled up hatchling. “I am certain there are similar productions among the world’s current populace, but I would wager they pale in elegance to what was a standard among our people. The Godsworn burned books enough to fill entire cities in their condemnation of what they called ‘heresy’. It is likely many of our most common practises died in those flames.”
“Good thing you’re with me to bring them back, then.” Aurelian said with what he hoped was a reassuring grin.
“Indeed…” Tarixi answered quietly. “But the armour?”
“Right!” Aurelian exclaimed before reaching out to pick up the black armour. “Uh, how do I…?”
“Pull it against your chest.” Tarixi said helpfully.
Aurelian complied and nearly jumped when the armour hummed against his torso. Something seemed to spark against his Soulforce and then with a speed he might have almost called excitement the platemail rapidly expanded. Metal moved to consume his limbs in rapidly growing plates of segmented steel, in a pattern of outfolding metal that Aurelian could now see the origins of as it spread.
Surprisingly warm steel ensconced him from neck to toes in a mix of segmented plates and lighter scalemail as he was enveloped by the armour. A pair of smoothed and rounded pauldrons connected to a pair of flowing chevron plates with scalemail over his biceps and down to his large, blackened steel vambraces. His breastplate was largely one piece, with stylised chevrons in the form of inverted Vs pushing down toward his lower abdomen.
A set of layered leather strips unfolded across his waist, reminiscent of a roman pteruges. It was a form of stylisation and protection, he knew, and was a surprisingly pleasant addition to his appearance.
His legs were marked by two large plates which flowed over steel that covered his thighs, connected to guards over his kneecaps, and from there to powerful sabatons that enclosed his shins and feet entirely. His gauntlets were plated on the top with flexible leather beneath, and he had no helmet to speak of. The lack of one was momentarily jarring and he turned to Tarixi, who smirked at him as if knowing what he was going to ask.
“Helmets are separate pieces of attire. It’s so they can be removed when inside or among relevant figures of authority.”
“...well that’s just inconvenient.” Aurelian griped.
“It was made for a different time,” Tarixi said with a simple shrug.
“No helmet never ends well…” Aurelian muttered.
It is fine, Aurelian. I will protect you. Bahamut projected confidently.
Thanks. Aurelian sent back with a smile for the hatchling.
“Perhaps you can use the blanket to wrap your Essenceloaves,” Tarixi suggested, “and to pad your new pack. Transfer your potions to your satchel and store the rest inside the larger bag.”
“That was the plan, yep.” Aurelian replied to Tarixi with a glance of amusement, all while already moving around to begin sorting his things. “But what about these Essence Dr—?”
“I WAS NOT UNAWARE OF YOUR CONVERSATION, RECLAIMER. I WILL INFUSE ALL THREE VIALS, SO THAT YOU MAY AT LEAST HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR YOUR FIRST OF EACH TEMPER.”
“First?” Aurelian asked while looking up at Bael’tharax. “And… thanks. A lot.”
“Oh yes.” Tarixi cut in seriously. “You must Temper three skills each to create your new Mind, Body, or Spirit. The nature of these skills will imprint upon each of your three Pillars and inform what manner of change comes over them. The skills themselves may or may not change, but it is the impression they leave that matters most. That will change based on the infusion in the Essence Draught.”
“I see…” He said thoughtfully while turning toward Bael’tharax. “So how do we…?”
Instead of answering immediately, Bael’tharax instead opened his jaws and then quite determinedly bit down on his own lower lip. Not even a shiver of discomfort ran through the dragon when he did so. “BRING FORTH THE DRAUGHTS UNCAPPED AND HOLD THEM TO MY DRIPPING FANG.”
Aurelian hurried to do as instructed and gathered all three draughts before racing over and uncapping the first — the Mind — and holding it under the blood-soaked fang. With shocking precision, a single drop of blood divested itself from Bael’tharax’s man-sized tooth and splashed into the bottle. The moment it did, the Essence Draught flared with prismatic light and then settled into a semi-transparent shade of lavender, with unsourced waves dancing throughout it.
Aurelian capped the draught and moved onto the next; his Body. This time when the blood met the distilled mana, the draught shifted to a deep and regal crimson, and seemed to contain within itself the condensed crackles of lightning. He stared at the draught for a moment in surprise, and then remembered himself and capped it as well before setting it down beside the Mind and picking up the final bottle.
When the dragon king’s blood met the distilled mana of the Spirit draught, the interior turned a brilliant gold and flared with flickering tongues of white fire across its interior. Aurelian stared at it in wonder after capping it, and set it down with the other two. He raised his eyes to Bael’tharax, but the dragon pre-empted him.
“KNOW ONLY THAT MY CURSE HOLDS NO DOMINANCE WITHIN THOSE DRAUGHTS, AND I HAVE INFUSED THEM AS I BELIEVE WILL BE NEEDED FOR YOUR SUCCESS. CHOOSE WELL THE SKILL YOU IMPRINT, RECLAIMER. YOUR FIRST TEMPER DEFINES YOU MORE THAN ANY OTHER.”
“How long do I have before a skill cannot be Tempered?” Aurelian asked while moving the draughts and storing them carefully in the supply pack. He started checking over the rest of his things when he was done, and ensuring he was ready to go. He could feel the time of departure approaching rapidly in his gut.
“Minutes at best.” Tarixi answered from behind him as he worked. “It is advised to ignore the notification until you’re ready. You will be able to feel it coming, and suppressing it will be unpleasant — but it is possible. You merely need to focus your mind on holding it at bay. With Dragon’s Resolve, that should prove easier than previously thought.”
“True… though it sucks that the skill reset.” Aurelian lamented at her mention of it. “It would have been nice to Temper that one.”
“If nothing of greater value presents itself, you may yet do so. It is simply a matter of patience.” Tarixi advised.
While she was speaking Bahamut prowled his way forward and plopped down on his haunches, tail flicking the air idly like some strange reptilian impersonation of a bored cat. His golden eyes focused in on Aurelian and the creature growled in a way that Aurelian intrinsically knew meant he was annoyed.
Are you finished with your preparations, Aurelian? I grow impatient.
“Bahamut wants to go fight, and I’m inclined to agree.” Aurelian said with a nod and scratch for the dragonling. “I’m not eager to put myself in danger, but I would like to get this over with. The waiting is the worst part about it. What else do I need to do before I go, Tarixi?”
“The—the armour gem.” She said as if catching herself mid-statement and redirecting. “That is all that remains.”
“Right. How does that work?” He asked while fetching the gem in question out of where he’d placed it in his satchel alongside his potions. “Do I just rub it against the armour or something?”
“Actually… yes.” Tarixi said with a tone of surprise. “How did you know?”
Aurelian snorted. “I was being sarcastic. That’s pretty funny.”
“Use the gem, Reclaimer.” Tarixi said in a long-suffering voice.
“INDEED. I AM INTERESTED TO SEE THE RESULTS.”
Hurry up, Aurelian!
“Christ, alright! You three are so impatient.” He grumbled while lifting the gem, eyeing his shiny new breastplate, and then slapping the gem against it and giving it a light rub. The moment he did so, a System prompt appeared in his vision.
Would you like to upgrade Legio Initiate’s Platemail to Specialist Tier?
WARNING: This action is irreversible, and will bind this armour to you. Only one set of armour may be bound at a time.
Would you like to proceed?
Y / N
“That implies there’s a way to unbind…” He murmured while reading the prompt. “Neat.” He said with a nod while willing his intent toward the ‘YES’ option. The moment he did so, the gem in his grip shattered and its shards morphed into prismatic light. Each flowing filament slammed itself into his armour, and Aurelian felt a connection surge between himself and the plate… and then it began to change.
The metal over his biceps shifted from scale to articulated plate, and created a more seamless joint between his vambraces — which also thickened and elongated — and his pauldrons, which spread out in segmented layers of plate four deep across his shoulders. The pteruges across his waist streamlined as well, and he detected metal layering in among the now-thinner, and more evenly spread strips with silvered metal hanging off their ends.
The overall density of the armour also increased, and he felt the design of the breastplate solidify into something reminiscent of a grecian design, with abdominal and pectoral designs — absent the nipple bumps thankfully — pressed onto the surface of the metal. Not deep enough to warp its durability, but clear enough to be discerned.
The armour felt… sturdier in a way he couldn’t quite pinpoint
It did feel good, though.
He felt ready.
“Alright,” he said with a smirk, “time to go find a Necromancer.”