Up to level 45, he had been unlocking another eight spells and skills, to which it was necessary to add the increase of his statistics, and the equipment’s bonuses or better weapons.
At level 38, he had unlocked Sanctuary, an area similar to Stove or Air Conditioning, and whose effect is to heal, little by little, all those present, including poisons or mind alterations. He had it at compatibility 3, since he hadn’t used it much in the game.
After that, he had recovered the Burning, Frozen, Lightning and Rock Rings. They are a little more powerful version of the Walls, but limited, because there can be only one active for each element. They consume mana in the activation and while active, creating a circle of ten meters of radius around him, and affecting whoever wants to cross it, depending on the element. He had them at 10, since, once he had reached the highest level in the game, the consumption of mana was acceptable, and they were very effective against large groups, which were damaged, slowed down, stunned or stopped with very little effort. Rock Ring was significantly more expensive, being able to use it at this time for approximately one minute, while depleting all his mana.
At level 43, he had gotten Band-Aid for Everyone, taking great effort to maintain his composure at the name. With compatibility 7, it heals in an area of three meters around him, the same as Basic Healing does one by one, but costing twice the mana. That makes it more efficient if there are three or more allies to heal, including him.
The next one had been Boil which, as the name implies, boils a volume of water. It can be used to cook, but, above all, to attack underwater targets. It was at 4, since water combat wasn’t very common in the game, and, there, he didn’t need to make tea. He wondered where he could get a kettle, something that his fellow-moles didn’t even know what it was.
And at 45, he had just gotten Icicle, which allows creating sharp spikes of ice. It can be placed on the armor, on the floor, on the ceiling or on a wall. And he had provoked the laughter and teasing of Goldmi and Gjaki when he had covered his armor with them, being pointed out, and facing murmurs about something like “ice porcupine”. He had it at 8, which allowed it to last sixteen minutes, making it a regular substitute for spears in traps.
As for the skills, Colander, at level 38, had been very successful among the warrior-moles, so many of them were trying to dominate it. It consists of a series of consecutive attacks with the spear that, if all succeed, can leave the enemy full of holes, like a colander. He had it at 10, since it is a very powerful attack skill against tender skinned beings.
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Block, at level 39, allows using the two-handed axe handle to stop an attack. Although Double Edge can also achieve this, this new skill can block more powerful attacks, it is low consumption and very fast, so he had used it a lot as a last resort in the game, raising it to 8. Its greatest weakness lies in not being able to counterattack immediately with the weapon, but it is possible to block again.
The next one had been a hammer skill he had at level 7, Buttstock, which allows a quick hit, using the tip of the hilt to disrupt and even stun briefly. Its damage is low, but it is very useful to have a quick trick when using a slow weapon.
At 41, he had reacquired Stability, which prevents from falling to the ground, so not having to depend on Balance. It consumes mana per second, but not too much. Although of sporadic use, he had leveled up it to 10 in missions in an icy zone, after his companions had been laughing at him every time he fell.
The next three had been passive resistance to burning, freezing and lightning, the same elements to which he had affinity.
And at 45, he had gotten Scare, which consists of a shout to interrupt the adversaries’ actions, mainly spells, and whose compatibility was at 5.
The end of the road led to an armored gate that was open and quite damaged. After it, there was a short tunnel that served as a slightly wider security chamber, and whose next gate was sealed.
It took them several hours to open it, as it was closed from the inside. In a normal situation, alarms and defensive spells would have triggered, but these had lost their power long time ago, as they had unloaded it against the beings that had invaded the tunnel. Although, without any interest in that gate, they hadn’t tried to cross it, just as they avoid the rock, and dig where the ground is less hard.
As on other occasions, the gate led to a chamber, but this time it was much wider and had several gates. It was what they call a nexus, a point that connects several tunnels, the roads to other settlements-mole.
Eldi looked at the gates curiously, wondering where they would lead, but his companions had much more mixed feelings. They didn’t know how many of the other communities would have survived, or if they would be hostile. On the one hand, they wanted to reestablish contact, and on the other, they were afraid to do so. However, it wasn’t something they could decide, neither they nor there. In addition to that, before undertaking new explorations, they needed to completely secure their rearguard, and complete their current mission: explore the city.
So, once they had secured and reinforced the gates, they went to a larger one, the destination of most of those who had come through those tunnels in the past, the lost city they called the Great Brotherhood, which had symbolized peace and cooperation between the mole-people.
The wars of the past had led to the end of trade, to the end of collaborations in research or other projects, and to the decline of the city that served as a bridge, which was nourished by that trade, and by being a meeting point. It hadn’t directly suffered the impact of the battles, but, without trade, they had run out of supplies, and had been forced to abandon it completely. The few that could have been left behind and subsist on what they could gather from the earth wouldn’t have been able to defend a city of that size from the enemies that exist in the depths.