Chapter 129
The hot sun beat down upon them, warming the black leathery skin of the already hot cockatrice, as their meaty claws beat down upon hard, scrabble earth, jolting Riley awake yet again.
"I'd kill for an unbroken hour of sleep." She groaned.
Within their connection, she could feel Tobias' misery and discomfort as well, the heat baking him in his black cloak, the sticky feeling that came from hours of sweating, and the general fatigue of almost two days without sufficient rest.
"We're almost halfway. We'll be switching mounts soon. Try to catch some more sleep," Tobias urged, good naturedly ignoring his own suffering.
"Oh, if I get anything more than fifteen minutes of light and broken sleep,I'm groggy the whole day," Riley glowered.
After a scant hour at the inn, procuring what supplies they could, they were back underway with the rising of the sun, riding like hell for Avanagarde.
Riley sighed, pressed up against Tobias. The sweat leaking out from his jerkin was making things uncomfortably moist, but there was little she could do about it, stretched out sideways over their mount like some kind of hunting prize.
Being pressed up against a sweaty human was better than falling off at speed, after all...
Or being in the rucksack.
"I don't bounce as much, at least," she mused, counting her blessings.
The scenery pitched and rolled in syncopation with the claw beats of the running creature, its hot breath and laboring heart audible to her sensitive ears.
A lathering foam was covering the poor beast's mouth as it ran for all its worth towards their intended direction.
Small tufts of jungle delineated the borders of acres of cleared lands, growing the tea Tobias loved so much. It was becoming familiar to see Dracovani clans working in the fields, many wearing broad straw hats, each with an opening allowing their horns to protrude through.
Riley yawned, her mind drifting to the particular thicket of jungle where they had battled the night before. It was the last place she had been anywhere near cool.
"Prompts... I'll get caught up with my prompts," she said to herself, all as she felt Tobias begin to dip, his head drooping in accordance with the feeling of extreme fatigue over their bond before he straightened up and slapped himself.
"Don't hog all the fun. Can I help?" She quipped, going for humor, still her tone was testy.
He only grumbled in response.
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"I'm sorry," Riley mentioned, willing the interface forward.
A deluge of windows surged forward, making her dizzy.
You have defeated Hedwig, faeblind infernal servant.
You have consumed a portion of his mana and his soul.
Riley shuddered to consider the implications of such a deed.
You have reached level 2-8. Congratulations! All abilities have increased.
You have unlocked the ability "Prompt Brevity."
Your neglect of a core informational system intrinsic to your being has altered its expression in the magic. You will now receive information in a more compressed format.
You have unlocked the boon, "Balance in all things."
When faced with a greater temptation to give into the darker side of your nature, you tempered this with wisdom and still found reason to trust yourself. This greater confidence has buffeted your soul, granting all abilities an increase in potency.
Quickly, she flipped through them. "Zombies X 73... Oh, I'm nearing another threshold... Holy shit!"
You have consumed much of the essence of an elite infernal, defeating a true enemy of all celestials. This was a being of deep and ancient power, adding an additional experience modifier to your progression bonus.
You have reached Level 2-9. Congratulations! All spells are currently at 25% progression to level 2-10
You have unlocked "Ascendancy."
Your immortal soul and unique nature are continuing to define your mortal existence, pushing you toward a horizon. The continued exposure of immortal energies have unlocked long hidden pathways of progression in the magic.
Continue to level up to discover more.
Your analyze ability has evolved to Celestial Insight. Congratulations!
You will now be able to sense a being's alignment and opinion of you, along with other information. This will work for all tier one and tier two creatures unless restricted by item or deity.
Your bonded soul has transferred access to these abilities to your partner.
Your dimensional storage has increased. You now have space for 75 items. Congratulations!
"I wonder what ascendancy does?" Riley stared at the translucent screen staring back at her, with the baking landscape just behind, showing her character sheet and Tobias', each revealing that they were at level 2-9 and almost to the pinnacle, 2-10.
And then what? She knew that there was a time when you stopped growing and reached the top of your game. She had never encountered anyone beyond 2-10. Even Cid, her demonic trainer, was 2-10, and it was common knowledge that your tier was where you lived and died.
All of society in the Ashenrealm was based on that rule. Second Tiers lived and died as Second Tiers.
But maybe not…
"I guess I'll find out. I really need to check my prompts more," she said to herself as the cockatrice began to slow.
Perking up, hoping for relief, there was a squat, three-story building set just off the road ahead, with a stable out front.
"An inn, thank the Gods!" Riley proclaimed, dismissing her windows.
Caedmon was riding at the fore next to Terrox atop a massive cockatrice.
They slowed, drawing up alongside Tobias, whose eyes were squinted both against the sun and the fatigue he felt.
"We must make haste, friend, but we must also be certain to rest. What say you to a few hours of sleep, a wash, and a meal?" Caedmon asked.
"Can we afford it?" Tobias looked back as their mounts synchronized through what Riley presumed was instinct.
"I've been watching you droop in the saddle, and I'm not all that better. It'll do no good to arrive in Avanagarde dead or injured. We've each taken enough damage as is," he replied, his eyes smiling out from his loose-fitting mask.
"Are you hot in that thing?" Riley asked.
"Oh terribly, I've leather armor on underneath. The robes billow and move air, but they're still black. It was better when I was a student. We wore grey robes," he sighed wistfully.
"A wash, some rest, and a meal would certainly help," Tobias concluded.
"Then let us make haste for the inn and hope the tap is cold and the bathwater hot," Caedmon laughed jovially before spurring his mount forward.