[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1021114179333148682/1204453897364709376/arthelad1_a_knight_in_leather_armor_armed_with_a_spear_dignifie_c7e8723c-f6e6-4c9d-8531-068f6c72af01.png?ex=65d4ca1a&is=65c2551a&hm=fcab717feb3d81b08489301a2fb6c3599ceb74fb414922d0d2bdbe81679ced60&]

Six days later, on the first day of November, Rowan took on Cory’s Quest. Convincing Grace to let him go alone had been a hard feat and a last-minute one. There were no danger premonitions that morning and that sealed the deal. The ship, as far as the minimap showed, was just outside the middle of the Randolph’s county’s northern border. Nothing there, for miles, but forest.

He parked Grace’s car as close to the spot as possible, hiked for an hour, took fifteen minutes to rest, and then approached the border. A transparent, yet shiny light blocked the path: the County’s Quantum forcefield. On the other side, the hills continued, and nothing looked out of the ordinary.

“Wasn’t the exterior supposed to be irradiated or something?”

[Cory]: Only on the western side of Elkins.

“OK, so what now?”

[Cory]: I’ll open a passage. You can’t see the ship, because of its cloaking device, but it’s just ahead.

Why didn’t the government claim it?

[Cory]: They tried, but failed. There’s only one way in, and impossible to find without my help. Go due north and you’ll find a hull breach. Once inside, keep going straight. After the first airlock, the Quest activates. Follow the minimap. Godspeed, and please—

Communication with the entity known as Cory is now cut, to prevent exploits and spoilers.

The passage out of the County resembled a portal, only less shiny. Before going out, Rowan checked his armor. It was made in the technoforge, assembling a segmented armor with a race driver helmet made from mana-strengthened material. It was a compromise, Cory had insisted on a full plate armor, but he felt too encumbered in it to properly fight. Finally, Rowan fixed his huge rucksack on his back and stepped through.

You have left a High Mana Density area (Randolph County) for a Low Mana Density Area. Warning: Your stats and skills will remain the same, but your HP and MP will regenerate at a much lower rate.

Straight ahead was easy to say, but in a forest, harder to follow. He found the break in the outer hull—a patch of darkness among the already murky shadows of the wood—a couple of hundred feet to his left, hidden under an overhanging. Not an easy thing to spot.

You have entered a High Mana Density area.

The ship’s wall looked thick and weird, with cables hanging out of the rupture, not the kind of shooting sparks of electricity one sees in movies, more like conduits of sorts. Or veins. The tech looked at the border between artificial and organic.

Shotgun at the ready, he went past the wall, arriving inside a corridor, its blackness going forever to the left and right. He switched on the torch affixed to the gun, but it didn’t reach as far as the advertising had promised. Thirty feet wide, or maybe more, the tunnel had a double rail in its middle. Far away, Rowan could see the remains of a wrecked mini-train.

Just in front of him was an airlock, plain and metallic. On its right was a round red button, and he pressed it, obtaining a notification.

Warning: Dungeon Wing 1 is malfunctioning. Missing Core. Pocket Universe Perk: unavailable. Resurrection Perk: unavailable. Damage Reduction Perk: unavailable. Detecting residual constructs from the previous iteration: Broken Lab (Tier 1, Type: Training, Lvl. 20). Do you want to continue? Y/N

“Yes.”

Instead of opening, the airlock vanished. One second, it was there, the next, only the empty doorframe. He stepped inside.

You have 12 hours to complete the Main Objective of the Explore the Traipenent Quest.

The first room was covered in absolute darkness, the torch barely reached the next wall. On the floor was a maze of fallen furniture, scattered lab equipment, and broken glass tanks. It looked ominous, so Rowan opted to proceed slowly.

Monsters are compelled to attack you, no matter the difference in levels, he remembered one of Cory’s warnings. The first creature jumped from a shelf, smashing itself on his enhanced helmet.

You have slain Lab Rat, Lvl. 20, 1/100.

The rest arrived like a flood, from every corner. He shot at some, stomped, kicked, squashed, and then the wave receded, but the notification was worrying.

You have slain Lab Rat, Lvl. 20 x5, 6/100

Shit, this will take forever! I need AoE.

He had no skill or spell for that, but he was prepared nevertheless. The backpack wasn’t, in fact, a backpack, but one of the devices made by the technoforge, a weapon-carrying platform. With a single gesture, Rowan replaced his shotgun with a portable fumigation device. He also put on a breather, two seconds before the second wave arrived.

DOTs and Debuffs applied on Targets (Lab Rat x30): Poison, Paralysis, 60 seconds.

He continued to release gas around. The Target count went up, and soon it showed 93/100 rats immobilized. Finding all of them under the furniture would have been a hard task, but the DOT finished the job.

Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 1 cleared: 100/100 Targets killed. No XP or APs awarded. 41/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck

Forty-one? Who cleared the rest? Is somebody else on the Quest?

It was not the time for hesitation, though. He walked around the room, and a hundred feet later, he found the next airlock, on the right wall. Pressing the same type of red button dismissed the panel, again. The next space was smaller in size and empty. A few lights still worked here and there, on the walls, offering some more light over his torch.

Anew, a push on the button and the airlock disappeared. Walking forward, he forgot to close the door behind him. Ten steps later, he heard terrible screeches from above and behind. A cloud of tiny flying monsters covered him, trying to get into his suit or his helmet, and a second swarm attacked from behind, exiting the previous room. Rowan waved his arms, wildly, releasing a plume of poisonous smoke at the same time.

You have slain Lab Bat Lvl. 20 x 11 (5/100 + 6/100)

You have been inflicted with DOT x3 (3 X 0.05% HP/second)

Heavier than air, the poison cloud started to flow down, and the monster flew up, escaping.

“Just you wait, you little fuckers,” he cussed, waving his fist. Unstrapping two stun grenades, he pulled the safety pin and threw one in each room, covering his ears and closing his eyes, continuing by releasing poisonous smoke around and up. The disoriented bat swarms began to hit the walls, or the floor, in a frenzy.

You have slain Lab Bat, Lvl. 20 x 188 (100/100 + 99/100).

He finally found the last bat squirming on the floor of the previous room, untouched by the poison but with a broken wing. He put it out of the misery, squashing it under his boot. The DOTs disappeared as soon as the last monster was killed.

Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 2-3 cleared: 200/200 Targets killed. You have received: 0 XP, and 1 AP. 43/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck.

AP reward rule discovered. AP granted = number or rooms cleared simultaneously -1.

Well, well, well…

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Happiness crept into Rowan’s heart. There were quite a bit of APs to be obtained there. The plan was simple: reach the Bridge, get Cory back online, then exploit the rule, clearing two or more rooms at a time. On the map, there were seventeen more divisions until the Main objective. He resolved to take it easy, go into a room, see how tough the monsters were, and decide on the go if to continue or not.

Unlocking the next space, he took a peek. Snakes, slithering on the floor.

Eek…

He ran around, luring them after him. Kiting, as Thomas taught him. Poison didn’t seem to bother them so he took back his shotgun, shot a couple, and stomped others.

You have slain Lab Snake x 4 (4/20)

Good, numbers vary from room to room.

The next room had spiders, as big as his fists, then came snails.

That’s so nice… Easy peasy.

To prove him wrong, his feet got stuck in something, and he fell on the floor.

You have been immobilized by Snail Trail Glue. You cannot move until all foes are defeated.

That sucked. His knees and right hand, the one holding the shotgun, were caught on the floor. With his left, he took a real grenade, pulled the pin with his teeth, and threw it. Then another. Bits of metal hit him but didn’t manage to penetrate the armor. The spiders' fangs and the serpents’ teeth on the other hand…

You have slain Lab Snake x 10, Lab Snail x 9, Lab Spider x 45 (14/20, 9/20, 45/100)

You have been inflicted with multiple DOTs of Venom and Acid. Total HP loss 1%/second.

Shit.

If he didn’t manage to kill the rest of the critters, he had less than two minutes to live. His right index pressed the trigger again and again. Even if immobilized, the revolver shotgun managed to get a few kills. Searching in hurry above his shoulder, he found the third weapon handle. The flamethrower. It was heavy and aiming a pain in the ass, while monsters kept attacking him. Yet even the radiating hit on the sides of the flame was enough to turn the spiders into cinders and make the last snake alive retreat.

You have slain Lab Snake x 5, Lab Snail x9, Lab Spider x65 (19/20, 18/20, 100/100).

Acid DOT has been dismissed.

Warning, your Health is under 50%.

The Venom DOT was still there. He didn’t have the luxury to pause the fighting. The two remaining snails were in his sight but had retreated into their shell, the flamethrower was not going through. He let it down, took the shotgun, and shot it with his left hand. It took four shots to get the monsters.

20/20 Lab Snails slain. Snail Trail: Glue dismissed.

Warning, your Health is under 20%.

Jumping on his feet, Rowan ran back to the previous room, searching for the snake. He willed his senses to search around, listen for noises, look for any movement, and even try to detect the repugnant odor of the scales, now imprinted in his memory. And then, Rowan knew where the creature was. In his back, on the floor, trying to hide and let the venom do its job. Two shots later, the monster was dead.

20/20 Lab Snakes killed. Venom DOT dismissed.

Dungeon Wing 1: Floor 4-6 cleared: 200/200 Targets killed. You have received: 0 XP, and 2 AP. 46/100 sections cleared on the Main Deck.

You have discovered the skill Mana Sense. By Feeding 1 MP/second in the surrounding Mana, you can detect enemies up to a radius of 30 feet. The skill can be improved through practice and experimentation.

Warning, your Health is 10%.

Letting himself down on the floor, his back on the wall, Rowan closed his eyes, panting. It had been too close. There were lessons to be learned. The difference in levels was not such a big factor. After all, he had killed the DireDeers elites, twenty levels higher than him on his first day. Now, low-level monsters almost had him. He had been smart, against the Deers, and stupid, here. Too greedy.

Understanding how the monsters did the damage was a priority. None had managed to pierce his skin, yet, the DOTs had appeared.

There must be a Magic component in DOTs, bypassing the armor and all…

Most of all, he felt that his weaponry was inadequate for taking on more than a room at a time. He had to think of better ways. But first, he had to get back to full health. In Rowan’s spatial storage, there were ten High-Quality potions, but he had forgotten about them. The potions were a series of patches set on a bracelet, courtesy of Cory’s technoforge. All he had to do was to put it on and think about activating it. He did the first but renounced the latter.

Let’s not waste them. Regeneration will get me in full health in about an hour. Meanwhile, I can experiment with things.

Fifteen minutes later, with his health nearing thirty percent, Rowan decided to put the remaining time to good use. Extracting his favorite weapon from the spatial storage: a half-pike, he started exercising his thrusts and flourishes. After a while, he felt his Mana was trying to help him achieve a better technique and tried to let it flow freely around his body. To his surprise, it slid over his skin and continued along the shaft and the blade. A strange sensation, like the weapon was now a part of himself.

You have discovered Imbuing.

“Imbuing? What’s that supposed to mean?”

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: It is a combat or crafting Mana-related ability. The question denotes a lack of familiarity with basic notions. Are you an adult of your species? If not, please exit this place ASAP.

An AI? Hey there. I’m an adult.

There was no answer.

“I’m an adult, newly Awakened. You’re some sort of help, right? Can’t you read thoughts?”

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Negative. Function disabled due to the ship’s malfunction. But I can project my answers in your mind nevertheless because receiving messages is an ability you have.

“What were you saying about the Imbuing stuff?”

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Imbuing lets you project your mana on a weapon or your body at all times, increasing your overall performance on normal attacks, or applying Elemental Damage, if you have some affinity for it.

“Oh… OK. What’s elemental damage? Fire stuff?”

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: For the simple-minded, it represents things like fire.

“Thank you so much,” Rowan sneered.

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: For one who masters true understanding, elemental damage means using Mana, the fifth fundamental force of the Universe, to interact with the other four to create specific effects.

“OK. Go on. How?”

The notification shone all of a sudden, making Rowan take a step back.

You have discovered a Secondary Secret Quest: Learn Secrets by interacting with a Learning Module. The Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ will deliver a package of customized data to you. The quest is cleared by listening to it and the only reward is what you can learn.

“Did you see that?”

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Affirmative. Expanding explanations. The main advantage of Mana is not only that it interacts with the other fundamental forces, but that it interacts with sentience too. An Awakened Mind can use Mana to produce countless effects, and the higher its tier, the stronger the outcome.

You asked about the Fire Elemental Damage. What is Fire? Combustion, a chemical reaction? Heat, the transfer of thermal energy between systems? Is it the result of heating a gas until it becomes a plasma? The byproduct of the fusion or fission of atoms for energy or bombs? Correct answer: all of the above and more.

But what is Cold? In scientific terms, Cold is the absence of heat, the exact opposite of Fire. But to obtain Cold, understanding Fire is a must, or else your Mana would be wasted. Will you use an Endothermic process? Manipulate conduction, convection, and radiation? How about calling forth a temporary mass of Dark Matter, and manipulating Gravity itself, reducing the thermal energy of molecules?

What is Light? For the naked eye, the visible spectrum of Electromagnetic radiation. This element can Blind the enemies or shape energy into a magical saber. Yet, Cure also uses microscopic flashes of Ultraviolet light to sterilize wounds, along with its alchemic reactions to neutralize poisons.

What is Life? Growing plants faster? Understanding nature? Healing? Again, the answer is all of those and more. Healing enhances Natural Regeneration in potent bursts but also uses X-rays to diagnose the problem, thus Light.

“Looks like there’s a synergy there,” Rowan said.

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: It is so, that Light and Healing work well together. Yet, how does a Health Potion diagnose your problem? What if it would heal your cavities first and let you bleed to death? Healing and Alchemy also synergize with Mind Magic, letting your subconsciousness direct the Health Potion where it’s needed.

What is an Energy Shield? It’s plasma, so in a way, Fire, but plasma is birthed by Electromagnetism every day, in Lightning.

The data package is reaching the conclusion. Elemental Magic can take many forms, and each person has its own way of addressing it. A Main INT class could study the scientific aspects, preferring their Tech over the instinctual use of Magic. CHA builds are versatile, but adverse to risk, and often make their way out of danger through personal charm, shaping Light into Illusions, and using Mental Manipulation. WIL classes force themselves onward, learning on the go, through grit and instinct. Genetics, learning, personal history, luck, experience, training, help from friends, and other things, all are part of a bigger bespoke puzzle that one can put together step by step in their quest to become better.

“Then I guess I should start experimenting. One more question. Are DOTs magical? I had some Venom on me but no wound.”

[Traipenent Wing 1 FAQ]: Venom and Poison DOTs have a Mana component and can be applied if the Poisoned Mana touches your skin. Those remain active as long you are in combat or until you apply a Cure. Bleeds or Burns require real wounds but deliver more DPS and need specific types of First Aid or Healing to be mitigated.

Rowan nodded, rotating his shoulders to warm up for the next fight. “Thanks. Time to get working again.”