Knowing the mine entrance was only a short jaunt away, and Tallos was no longer slung helplessly over Ripley’s shoulder, I decided to inspect the loot Stella picked up from the boss fight. Even though I was knocked out from using my revival spell, she had thankfully still been able to pick up what would soon become some very nice upgrades for me and Ripley.
I was pleasantly surprised to find only a few items from the hearty foes were unusable. Anything carrying the toxic silvern taint could only be worn by a Silvern Dwarf, so were effectively useless to us. Trying to wear one would instantly tear at skin and melt away our health pools in short order. Those noxious items may find a place and use one day, but not in the present. Ignoring the small handful of useless items, I couldn’t hold back a smile as I peered at the mountain of gear remaining. They were definite upgrades, to be sure.
All of the battlelord’s gear would go to Ripley. Each had a significant amount of strength, constitution, health, stamina, and armor compared to her current smattering of gear. Sure, she would look exactly like the dwarf in our fight, but he did look awesome in his gleaming silver armor. The overall increase to her damage potential, attributes, and defenses was going to be noteworthy. Buram Barrelchest really had been a tank!
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Reberace} (Arms).
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Cuirass} (Chest).
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Sabaton} (Feet).
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Gauntlets} (Hands).
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Greaves} (Legs).
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Pauldrons} (Shoulders).
You received {Battlelord’s Dreadnought Girdle} (Waist).
Looking over her side of the loot, I was about to pause our group's steady march to the surface and pass Ripley the gear, but I elected not to. It would take time to equip each individual piece and I wanted to know as soon as possible if the city was under attack. Thinking on the possibility had my guts twisting inside my stomach. I felt nauseous, though I maintained my outward façade stoic.
Realization struck, I could swap the gear to her instantly without having to go through the cumbersome process of unbuckling and re-buckling her gear. Instead, I could instantly swap out each item using her character sheet, the same as I could do for myself.
Nah, I’m not going to tell anyone about this, I thought to myself, but then the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I turned to find the source of my unease. Panning to the left, Stella was floating next to Ripley. She was staring straight at me, her head cocked to the side and an eyebrow raised incredulously. God damn it, Stella, I roughly said to myself as I quickly turned away.
She knew exactly the inner interplay which had played out in my mind. She knew, of course, whenever I was using my System menus so must have guessed my intention when I had hesitated in moving Ripley’s new gear over. Looking straight ahead, I held my breath, expecting at any moment for her to poke fun at my expense. It never came, thankfully, so I returned my attention to Ripley’s new armor set.
Battlelord’s Dreadnought - Armor Set Bonus.
(3): Health and Stamina increased by 1,200.
(4): Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution increased by 40.
(6): Plus 25% armor value for each piece. Plus 15% additional damage with all melee-related attacks, skills, and abilities.
Swapping out the final piece of gear, I looked to Ripley to see how she looked in her new armament. As I had suspected, each magically enchanted piece of plate armor grew in size automatically to match her much larger frame when compared to the short and stocky dwarven. Each section was pristinely polished like sterling silver, accented by gold filigree adding to the impressive display. Had we been in light, I knew the metal would bear a slight sparkle to it, the same I recalled from when we first looked upon the battlelord boss. Ripley’s dark tendons and muscles grew noticeably as the gear’s magical properties took hold, giving her something akin to a bodybuilder body.
She grew a pair of inches taller as her main attributes skyrocketed. Already towering over everyone in the party, she was much more imposing to look upon. Before, her mismatched gear gave trivial bonuses to strength, dexterity, and constitution, usually ranging between one or two points. Every single piece from the boss had added ten points to all three, as well as seventy-five health. Looking at her character screen, her role as our party’s defender got a whole lot better. Sure, she had to bend and twist her long, muscular body whenever we moved through a particularly cramped or short section of the mine, but it was so worth it.
Ripley (Enhanced Skeletal Minion)
Level:
23
Experience
N/A
Race:
Undead
Stance:
Defensive
Armor Class:
551
Statistics
Health
10,491
HP Regen:
221/min
Mana
N/A
Stamina
2,380
Stamina Regen:
218/min
Attributes
Strength:
216
Dexterity:
187
Constitution:
221
Intelligence:
9
Charisma:
2
Wisdom
9
Luck
46
Resistances
Poison 100%
Piercing 50%
Slashing 50%
Crushing -25%
Spells 50%
The next set was made up of mostly leather armor, with a single chainmail shirt taken from the body of the Silvern Priest of Gias, Marharen Hillstone. As anticipated, it was decked out to enhance healing, total mana, intelligence, and a particular emphasis on boosting wisdom. It was no wonder why the priest was able to cast as many healing spells as he had in our prolonged battle. For now, I kept each piece in my inventory window. I wouldn’t equip anything just yet since I would pick and choose between the healing set or the wizards. Perhaps it would be a combination of the two. Thinking of the priest from our chaotic engagement, my mind’s eye pictured his studded leather armor ensemble and his green-tinted chainmail tunic. It wasn’t a fond memory. Wearing his set would, regrettably, be a step down from my samurai-like attire, but upgrades were too much to ignore.
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Vambraces} (Arms).
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Chainmail Tunic} (Chest).
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Carbatinae} (Feet).
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Fingerless Gloves} (Hands).
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Trousers} (Legs).
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Spaulder} (Shoulders).
You received {Vicar’s Convalescence Balteus} (Waist).
Similar to the battlelord’s armor, each leather piece on the priest’s gear had impressive stats focusing on intelligence, wisdom, and mana. On average, every piece provided ten intelligence, fifteen wisdom, and a hundred points of mana. It was such an improvement to the majority of my current gear, outshining the now meager benefits from my blazeweave set. Still, I wanted to wait until I saw the wizard’s set before making any decisions. Before moving on, I reviewed the bonus provided by the vicar’s set.
Vicar’s Convalescence - Armor Set Bonus.
(3 pieces): Mana increased by 2,400.
(4 pieces): Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom increased by 40.
(6 pieces): Direct healing spells now create an additional short-lived regenerative effect, healing an additional 25% over 18 seconds. Plus 15% mana regeneration, increasing to 30% when not in combat.
While the six-piece effect would be nice, it wasn’t too beneficial for me considering nearly all of my spells were damage over time in nature. Stella flew over to and was reviewing the same information. “Alright,” I crooned quietly. “Time to see what the wizard had.”
“Probably extra firepower,” Stella stated flippantly. “You know, since he was a fire mage?”
“Uh-huh,” I replied idly with a slight shake of my head. “He was that obvious to you, wasn’t he?” Before she could reply, I pulled up the System screen, cutting Stella’s response off before she could utter it.
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Sleeves} (Arms).
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Chiton} (Chest).
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Calceus} (Feet).
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Manicae} (Hands).
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Breeches} (Legs).
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Shawl} (Shoulders).
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
You received {Catalyst’s Conflagration Cingulum} (Waist).
Every piece from the wizard set was made of cloth, no surprise there. Unlike the battlelord’s dreadnought and the vicar’s convalescence sets, which bolstered the user's attribute and resource pools, each piece of the catalyst’s set contained a small increase in fire damage instead. Five percent wasn’t much on a single item, but all seven had this bonus which would add up. A thirty-five percent jump in fire damage would be incredible if I solely relied on this type for my damage. I lamented what I would be able to do with a set uniquely focused on my go-to damage over time spells.
The extra fire damage did come at a small cost to the attributes provided by each piece. On average, each item boosted intelligence by fifteen points, wisdom by ten, and only provided fifty mana. It was a noticeable difference compared to the priest gear which gave twice as much. Still, everything was an upgrade to what I was currently wearing. My eyes widened as I moved to the set bonus from wearing at least six of the seven piece set.
Catalyst’s Conflagration - Armor Set Bonus.
(3 pieces): Mana increased by 2,400.
(4 pieces): Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck increased by 40.
(6 pieces): Direct damage fire spells deal an additional 35% damage. Plus 5% spell haste.
If I mostly used fire spells, I would have equipped the entire set right then and there. As it was, the final bonus would only impact my fireball and flamethrower spells. Worse, flamethrower was only ‘minor’ tier and would likely become unreliable to use compare to my other harder-hitting spells. Looking down at my clothes, I ran a finger down one of the many folds of my blazeweave kimono. The material was silky smooth and had a pleasant dark red hue contrasted with silver trim. I thoroughly enjoyed how I looked wearing my blazeweave set, but it was time for a change. Before taking one last glance at the reliable stuff, I pulled up my current set armor bonus to see what I would be losing.
Aratar’s Blazeweave {Set Armor Bonus}
(3 pieces): MP increased by 300.
(4 pieces): Intelligence increased by 30.
(6 pieces): {Doom, Doom, Doom!} All of your damaging abilities and spells now have a slight chance of summoning a fire imp who will fight on your behalf for 30 seconds. The fire imp’s level will be set at your current level plus 5 (maximum 30). Note - only a single imp can be summoned by this effect at a time. However, if the effect is triggered while an imp is already present, the currently summoned imp’s timer will be reset.
I had to chuckle after reading the final set bonus. The fire imp had only been summoned a single time in all the battles I had fought since acquiring it. While the little creature packed quite a wallop, I wouldn’t shed a tear when losing the unique effect. Perhaps only fire-type spells could trigger the effect, I mused to myself, but it didn’t matter anymore when looking at the substantial gains I would receive by replacing it. The question facing me now, was how many pieces of each set did I want to wear?
After some inward deliberation, I turned to Stella. “I’m thinking of wearing four pieces from the conflagration set, getting the third and four set bonus, and then three pieces from the priest’s gear to get its additional twenty-four hundred mana,” I shared in a tone suggestion room for an open debate with my floating companion.
“Seems a good decision. What three pieces from the wizard’s set are you thinking of not using?” Stella asked.
“Well, for starters, the fingerless gloves, for sure,” I said easily. “I don’t fancy wearing cloth gloves that look to go up my entire arm. Then, probably the carbatin… caba…” I grunted. “The leather shoes!
“With some of the rough terrain we’ve walk over,” I stated, panning my eyes around the rocky landscape around us. “I think I’d be more comfortable in those than some soft-soled cloth shoes. After that…” I paused, tapping a finger to the side of my head, considering my final choice. “Either, the leather shoulders, or the leather belt. What do you think?”
“You’ll look good in the gloves for sure so that one’s easy,” Stella responded as she pressed her hands together. She was enjoying this as much as I was. “The shoes too are a good choice. So, hmm… I might have an easier time resting on leather armored shoulder pads, but I’m worried how it will look on you. I’m feeling it will look out of place with the mage garb.”
“Yeah,” I said, eyeing the spaulder’s icon and to the toga-like robe back and forth. The short-sleeved chiton reminded me of something a Roman senator would wear. I doubt it would look appealing with a single leather shoulder hanging off on one side. “Let’s go with the leather belt then and make it easy. That good with you?”
“It is,” Stella replied with a grin. “I can’t wait, go ahead and put it all on.”
Without another word, I used my character sheet and inventory screen, quickly picking up each of the seven pieces of new armor we selected. One by one, a garment would fade from my body for a brief moment, only to quickly shimmer into existence to replace it. Changing clothes was a cakewalk with how my Hunter menu’s worked. One second I was a garnet samurai, looking to be one step away from putting on his battle armor, to the next where I was a scrupulous Roman senator ready to sling spells while clad in dark robes with the barest hint of gold trim at the bottom.
“How do I look?” I asked, turning back and forth. A moment after asking, I had to close my eyes against the rush of new attributes flooding into my body. My mind sharpened and it felt easier to focus on anything happening around me.
“You look good,” Stella said with a low whistle. “Oh, nice! Check out your character sheet, those are some hefty enhancements!”
Waving a hand through the air, I centered my character sheet before us. Stella wasn’t kidding.
Xaz the Hunter Killer II
Accelerator:
S.T.E.L.L.A.
Level:
23
Experience:
262,949
Race:
Half-Elf
Tier I:
Necromancer
Armor Class:
261
Tier II:
Warlock
Tier III:
Wraith
Reputation
Views:
4,522,126
Followers
904,328
Statistics
Health
3,650
Health Regen:
128/min
Mana
18,050
Mana Regen:
906/min
Stamina
1,190
Stam. Regen:
90/min
Attributes
Strength:
78
Dexterity:
84
Constitution:
120
Intelligence:
339
Charisma:
105
Wisdom
229*
Luck
144
Resistances
Stun 100%
Magic +37%
Mind Altering +100%
Disease +5%
Traits
Abilities
"Mind & Matter"
Darkvision
"Exalted Acceleration"
Clear Headed II
Adaptability
Spell Strike (Necromancer)
Keen Senses
Empowered Aegis
Wraith Form
“Whoa,” was all I could muster for a few seconds as my eyes scanned the significant changes. “I’m pretty sure my total mana just doubled. Nice! My wisdom crossed over the one-hundred-point mark. Actually, well over that threshold.” Noticing an asterisk next to the attribute, I mentally clicked on the mark fully expecting the message to come.
Wisdom Threshold Reached (100). Benefits: Plus 13% (up from 11%) increased mana regeneration and magical resistances.
“Soon, you’ll be getting close to the two-fifty threshold,” Stella said as she nodded her head in satisfaction. “It’s probably alright you just put five points from your level there. It may not be a bad idea to reach for the next threshold with how high your mana is now.”
“We may not need to wait,” I said as my eyes returned to my inventory screen. “We still have quite a bit of loot to go through. We’ve got their weapons, sadly the warrior’s war maul carries the silvern toxicity so is basically worthless unless we want to sell it. There’s a shield, some jewelry including the extraordinary silver tiara the wizard had, a cadre of wands, several potions, and, from the look of it, a few spell tomes. With the right choices, I’m betting we’ll cross this threshold in short order.”
As I spoke, Tallos turned to appraise my new look. “Quite striking there, Xaz,” he said appreciatively. “You look like a wizened individual which people would be foolish to overlook.”
“Thanks, bud,” I beamed in reply to his compliment. “I’m going to miss looking like a samurai, but am not disappointed.”
We hadn’t paused in our steady hike through the narrow tunnels, but Tallos came nearer to me and Stella as we made the final approach to the surface. The rail under our feet caught me here and there, with my attention focused on the screens in front of me. Tallos couldn’t see any of those screens, yet his interest in our discussions was nonetheless written across his face. In a way, it felt like having a friend who never played a video game a day in his life yet was jumping at the first opportunity to learn more about them.
“So, what do we want to look at first?” I asked, my question primarily focused on Tallos while also leaving the window open for Stella if she wanted to add anything. A glance at my mini-map confirmed we had at least another fifteen minutes before we reached the mine’s entry chamber.
“I’m curious the bonus you’ll receive when your wisdom reaches the threshold you mentioned, so I would advocate to peruse their jewelry next,” Tallos offered. Glancing at Stella, she bobbed her head in agreement.
“Jewelry it is,” I affirmed, sorting my screen to show only those pieces. “Between the three dwarves, there are ten rings, a silver tiara, two necklaces, and… one earring.”
“I remember the gaudy tiara the wizard had on his brow,” Tallos sneered. “It looked awkward over his mean-spirited face.”
At his words, I opened the same tiara’s item description. It was something to behold.
{Magian Tiara of Twin Cast}. Fashioned through a complicated mingling of ordinary silver and subterranean silvern ore, this metallic coronet has been enhanced to allow a single spell to be instantly duplicated. Enemies beware as the replicated spell loses none of its original potency. Quality: Superb. Rarity: Epic. Type: Cloth. Slot: Head. Armor: 3. Durability 4,159/5,000. Effect(s): Plus 20 Intelligence, and 10 Wisdom.
Secondary Effect(s): Once per hour, the caster is able to duplicate a recently cast direct damage spell for 0 mana. The cast time is instantaneous and new target(s) can be selected for the new duplicated spell. Note – This effect must be triggered within 5 seconds of the original spell’s casting.
“Well, this is certainly replacing my old necromancer’s hood, for sure,” I trilled, swapping the two items out without hesitation. “I’m really only losing a ten percent damage increase for Ripley and Lowki, but this more than makes up for it. I also won’t be able to hide my face in shadows anymore, but I rarely use its secondary effect anyway. If the need ever comes up, I’ll simply use my new mask instead to hide my identity.”
“Looks better on you than the damnable wizard,” Tallos huffed.
“The rings and necklaces are pretty basic,” I said a moment later after perusing each one by one. “They have a mixture of strength and constitution, strength and dexterity, and wisdom and intelligence on others. Sadly, none have any unique effect. It’s all about stats.”
In the end, I swapped out my earring of pure mana, my necromancer’s ring of taunt since Ripley could do it on her own, my forgettable primordial ring which granted a slight increase of my spells inflicting maximum damage, and my necklace of holding since I could access the stored item without needing it to be equipped. In the end, my intelligence and wisdom bumped an additional thirty points, strength by twenty, and constitution and dexterity by another ten. The notification for my wisdom threshold popped up, though my eyes shone as a message for my strength did as well. Smiling inwardly, I assured myself my dexterity would soon follow suit.
Wisdom Threshold Reached (250). Benefits: Plus 17% (up from 13%) increased mana regeneration and magical resistances.
Strength Threshold Reached (100): Benefits: Plus 25% increased damage from all melee-based attacks, skills, and abilities (up from 20%). Maximum carrying capacity increased by 125 pounds before suffering movement penalties (up from 100).
We had six rings left to be dispersed. Most had a mix of strength, constitution, and dexterity so each went to Ripley. The remaining four boosting intelligence and wisdom were left in my bag of holding. I could use those down the road, if needed, or find a merchant willing to pay a nice premium.
“Awesome! Ripley’s close to reaching the two-fifty mark with her strength and constitution,” I observed after taking another look at her character sheet. “You’re quite the striking warrior, Ripley. Now, let’s see if the shield and mace are upgrades for you too.”
Unfortunately, the mace wasn’t something crafted for warriors so wouldn’t be wielded by our skeletal minion any time soon. It was primarily enchanted to aid a party’s healer with increased healing and mana regeneration. It would remain in my inventory for now. The shield was similar, though it had better defensive bonuses with it being epic-tiered. Ripley’s current shield double its armor value if she remained stationary but was still not as powerful as the static armor class held in the durable metal comprising the priest’s shield.
The design of the shield was somewhat lacking compared to Ripley’s proud kite shield. The silvery shield was inscribed by a dwarven face gulping down a mug of ale. A part of me suspected I would look to replace it as soon as a similar or better shield appeared in the future.
“Looks like we have a nice mix of stronger health, stamina, and mana potions,” I said moving forward. In short order, I handed several of the bottled gems to Tallos, who slipped them into belt pouches before nodding at me in gratitude.
“That leaves those wizard wands, and three spell tomes,” Stella voiced eagerly. She hovered close to my hands, so I called each wand to hand as we inspected them.
You received {Wand of Fireball}.
You received {Wand of Grasping Roots}.
You received {Wand of Fire Stream}.
You received {Wand of Mana Barrier}.
You received {Wand of Undulating Fire Serpent}.
Each was pretty self-explanatory as to their functions, all except the undulating one. After reviewing the item’s description, a part of me couldn’t wait to try using it, though I doubted I would be doing so over casting my own detrimental spells. Still, every bit helped and one day these wands could turn the tide in a battle in the right situation.
{Wand of Undulating Fire Serpent}. Crafted from a unique mushroom only found in the sightless caves miles below the surface realm, this wand has been touched by elemental forces of fire and brimstone. Quality: Superb. Rarity: Rare. Type: Wand. Slot: Primary or Secondary. Durability 750/750. Effect(s): Upon activation, an elemental fire serpent is expelled from the wand's tip and will seek out any target designated by the user. The serpent will attempt to bind and restrain those targets while inflicting a significant amount of fire damage as it constricts. Charges: 3/3. Note – 1 charge will be regenerated per twenty-four hours.
“Could be useful,” Stella stated as she moved closer to gaze upon the intricate carvings of the wand. It was fashioned as a triple helix of skinny snakes, with mouths spread wide at the tip. The wand was also heavier than expected, akin to holding a long metal pipe. “Just don’t point it at yourself, yeah?”
“As if,” I snickered in response before recalling the wand to my inventory. Stella had glided closer where it rested in my palm, so when it disappeared she flinched back a little. She glared a pair of piercing eyes at me, but I ignored her as I moved to the final two items waiting to be examined.
One was a tome clearly looted from the dwarven priest, the other two from his wizardly comrade. Sadly, I couldn’t use any until I reached five hundred wisdom for the healing spell, and the same with intelligence for the fire spells. The high requirement was likely why the two dwarves had been carrying them. Those attribute numbers were lofty and seemed hard to contemplate reaching any time soon. To reach those numbers, I’d probably need an entirely new set of gear a step above what we just acquired. One day in the distant future, perhaps, but an eventuality, I hoped.
You have received: {Tome of Enhanced Vitality Bloom}.
You have received: {Tome of Enhanced Hand of the Pyromaster}.
You have received: {Tome of Enhanced Shadowblaze}.
Rounding a final bend in the tunnel, we found ourselves the wide entry chamber laid out before us. It was strewn with upright and toppled mining carts, loose sheets of parchment and leaflets, a tool board nearly filled with unlit mining lamps, and a forest of twisting steel tracks bolted to the cold stone floor. Only darkness alighted from outside, the bare hint of pitch in the air. No sound or hint of life echoed into the chamber for long seconds as we all held still. Each of us hoping against hope the dwarven leader had been spewing bluster in his mention of having other methods of attack against the human city.
We held our breath, prepared for the worst to show itself. Anxiety spiraled in my stomach, feeling like a great weight twisting around in there.
“Did you hear that?” Stella whispered, eliciting a collective gasp from everyone before a worrisome noise reverberated against the earthen walls around us.