“So, what’s first?” Mel asked as her transparent form appeared beside me in the forest.
“What do you think? Gear or Stats?”
“Gear first would be my vote. That way you will have a better idea of what the increases to things such as your armor will be.”
I smiled. “Of course, you want the stuff first.”
She shrugged unapologetically.
Placing an image of what I wanted in my mind I held out my hand and a small Upgrade stone appeared in it.
It was the size of a marble, a tan polished surface marred with small glyphs that burned a bright teal and deep aquamarine.
Deciding to start simple, I took off my Ring of Perilous Hunger and held it out in my other hand.
I had gotten little use out of it in the fights on the first floor as the Numliques were easily killed and would not have time to drain enough Mana back into me before they perished.
Ring of Perilous Hunger
(Legendary)
(Type>Growth)
Type> Item> Ring
+(1% Vitality) Armor
(Beginner)
Enchantment: Once per target, you can place (on touch) a Mana siphon. Ticks target's Health for (5% of target's Vitality)/sec for 15 seconds. Restores Mana at (3% of target's Vitality)/sec for 15 seconds. (Beginner)
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
Searching my brain for the associated text, a passage from an Enchanter’s Guide stuck out to me.
Surging Mana into the stone, I brought it up to the ring, touching the two together gently as I coerced my Mana to complete the activation.
There was a soft shimmer that glinted off the surface of the ring before exploding in a bright pulse of light.
“Was that supposed to happen,” I asked, blinking out the stars in my eyes.
‘It’s as described,” Mel said.
Clearing my vision, I turned the ring over in my palm.
>Upgrades To<
Ring of Perilous Hunger
(Epic)
(Type>Growth)
Type> Item> Ring
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Place up to three Mana Siphons on target (Stacking) (On touch). Ticks target's Health for (5% of target's Vitality)/sec for 15 seconds. Restores Mana at (3% of target's Vitality)/sec for 15 seconds. Each Siphon placed has a 1.2% chance of paralyzing the Target.
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
I examined the plain band, rolling its smooth surface between my fingers.
I had used it a few times against the Numliques in the Dungeon, but their Toughness had been so low, that most of the ones I had cast the effect on had perished before the enchantment had a chance to bear any fruit.
“Hurry up,” Mel said, exasperated.
She was in her corporeal form, floating beside me as we walked at a sedate pace through the forest.
“You have a date or something?” I asked, raising my eyebrows suggestively.
She scoffed, her translucent hair whipping to one side.
“I want to see if the old man is back, that’s all. I have a few questions for him now that I can ask them directly.”
I paused. “I don’t think he’s going to be back yet.”
“Because he didn’t give a straightforward answer? He’s just like that if you hadn’t noticed. He wants to keep you guessing so that you don’t slack off while he isn’t here to watch over you.”
Rolling my eyes, I decided not to respond. Though, Mel could certainly ascertain what I thought about her reading on Osiph.
She watched me carefully, staring into my eyes as she floated directly through a thick tree, unfazed.
“Alright, alright. I’m doing it, geez. Just stop that, it’s unsettling.”
Smiling, she looked away, triumphant.
I stopped and sat down next to a crop of moss covered boulders resting against a large fir, whose lower branches were resting at its foot, evidence of a previous storm that had battered its weaker limbs.
I decided to summon the few items that I had purchased in Arani to replace my Beginner Tier gear, placing each on my body while skimming their brief descriptions.
Broach of the Duplicant Alchemist
(Rare)
Type> Item> Pin
+(2% vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Each plant harvested has a 30 percent chance to double its yield.
Enchantment: Every potion, poison, or elixir created has a 12 percent chance to double its yield.
Ring of Nature's Embrace
(Uncommon)
Type> Item> Ring
+(20) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Conjure ethereal thorny vines that induce paralysis in the opponent if its seeds are introduced into their bloodstream.
Ring of Blinking Aberrations
(Rare)
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Type> Item> Ring
+(2% vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Teleport to a destination within 100 feet. Must have a clear path to destination. Cooldown: 3 uses per minute.
Enchantment: Leave an illusionary double in your place when you activate teleportation.
Ring of the Scholarly Brute
(Epic)
Type> Item> Ring
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Adds Intelligence to Strength for one minute. Cooldown: One hour.
Enchantment: Increase this addition by 50% at the cost of (100% of Toughness) Duration: One hour.
Spectacles of Greater Identification
(Common)
Type> Item> Eyewear
+(20) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Reveals a small amount of information on humanoids including Race and Level.
Enchantment: Reveals a small amount of information on creatures including Species and Level.
The last item was an identical Amulet of Augmentation, where the only key difference was that it now worked for Novice Tier and below. This could come in handy if I needed to disguise myself as a Beginner Tier, but for now, I set it to Level 68 as to not draw suspicion to my strength from those I did not know, though to my team, the cat was already out of that bag.
It was for the best. I thought, dryly. No point in digging myself deeper into a lie when it didn’t benefit me in the long run.
Pulling off the next Growth item I wanted to upgrade, I looked over the bloodred meander that encircled the edges of my headwear finding it quite appealing.
Helm of the Perceptive Nihilist
(Legendary)
(Type> Growth)
Type> Equipment> Helmet
+(1% Vitality) Armor
(Beginner)
Enchantment: Increase all Dexterity related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent. (Beginner)
Affinity: Swift
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
>Upgrades To<
Helm of the Perceptive Nihilist
(Epic)
(Type> Growth)
Type> Equipment> Helmet
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Increase all Dexterity related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent.
Enchantment: Battle foresight increased slightly based on Perception.
Affinity: Swift
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
“Battle foresight?” I said, reading the new addition out loud.
The moment the words left my lips, another text popped into my mind from a book on tactics and combat.
… foresight should not be a justification to lack discernible skill in proper technique when facing an opponent of equal or higher skill. While it may bolster your reaction to the initial strike, the following attacks and counters to your own will prove more difficult to accurately anticipate and read in the heat of battle…
“So, it’s some sort of precognition?” I asked, skeptically.
“By the sound of it, no. It sounds more like reading body language and predicting possible outcomes.”
‘Still useful, even if it has a small increase to my awareness. It could come in handy when fighting those who are actually trained in combat, versus mindless creatures.”
Moving on to my next piece of armor, I decided to try something.
Without removing it, I summoned a new stone and placed it against my chest piece, immediately regretting the action.
A foreign Mana collided against my torso, burning my skin. I felt it permeate the thin layer of flesh, before turning back and seeping into the armor.
In a rush, I pulled my chest piece off, hurling it towards the ground, stirring up a bed of needles that sat undisturbed from the last fall.
“That was unpleasant,” I wheezed out from my position on the forest floor, gasping for breath.
“If it hurts, don’t do it,” Mel chipped in happily.
“Such sage advice.” I retorted.
I rose to my feet slowly, checking my body for any lingering signs of the impact from the Mana, then moving over and cautiously picking up my cuirass.
Cuirass of Shrouded Nihilist
(Epic)
(Type> Growth)
Type> Equipment> Cuirass
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Increase all stealth related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent. Releases a cloud of Death affinity aura that makes it harder to see you on a battlefield.
Enchantment: Use the expelled cloud of Death Affinity Mana to mold into a second skin, blocking out perception of heat, Mana, and sound. You will appear as a shadow, and thus still visible to the naked eye.
Affinity: Death
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
A small upgrade overall but extremely useful given my handicap with stealth. Though, I would still be seen if someone looked directly at me.
Content with this small change, I moved on to my boots, taking them off before placing the Upgrade stone against the one on the right, curious on if and how it would affect its pair.
Featherfoot of the Nihilist
(Epic)
(Type> Growth)
Type> Equipment> Boots
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Increase all Agility related effects of any Abilities, Skills, Spells, and Items by 10 percent.
Enchantment: Add an additional burst of speed, based on the duration of time between instances your feet spend on any surface. (Stacking)
Affinity: Swift
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
This new addition sent my mind whirling with the possibilities.
The ability to run faster, the faster I ran. It sounded like a looping paradox.
“I would put forth an educated guess that it has an upper limit,” Mel said, quashing my dreams in an instant.
“I guess you’re probably right, though It’s the first thing I’m going to test as soon as I’m done with the rest of the items.”
Mel said nothing, just floating peacefully next to me, on one of the round stones.
Continuing, I felt the beat of my own heart increase slightly in anticipation for the chance to see how it worked.
Greaves of the Swift Nihilist
(Epic)
(Type> Growth)
Type> Equipment> Greaves
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
Enchantment: Increase dash acceleration by 10 percent. Channel momentum gathered to a single point on your body, releasing it as Kinetic Force damage.
Enchantment: When accelerating from an unmoving position, receive a slight increase to your momentum based on Agility.
Affinity: Swift
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
There wasn’t much to this one, other than making the first enchantment minutely more effective, not that it wasn’t already incredibly useful.
I hadn’t needed it against the Numlique’s, as they were incredibly weak for their levels, focused more on their mind attributed Stats. Though it had come in handy more than once in clearing away multiple at a time, as I essentially became an unstoppable battering ram moving through whatever was in front of me.
Sitting up, I examined the last piece of Growth items that I needed to Upgrade, sliding them both from my wrists.
The black leather felt cool to the touch, resisting my body heat. The crimson veins running down their lengths gave the impression of a fresh wound and I had still not gotten used to its decoration while checking my body for injuries.
This was the one item I had used constantly in the Dungeon, since I was still relying on my freeform Mana weapons.
With a sucked in breath, I poked at it with the final Upgrade stone I had pulled from my storage.
Gauntlet of Nihilist Delight
(Epic)
(Type> Growth)
Type> Equipment> Gauntlet
+(2% Vitality) Armor
(Novice)
(Paired set)
Enchantment: Increase Mana Efficiency through the Dexter and Sinister Brachium resulting in more qualitative Mana coalescing in these regions. (Beginner) Increased effect on Death affinity spellforms.
Enchantment: Store a moderate amount of Mana in the item, able to be released to empower higher cost Spells, Skills, or Abilities.
Affinity: Death
[This item is Upgradable by a sufficiently talented Crafter or Upgrade Stone.]
“That’s it?” I asked, unable to hide my disappointment after reading the updated description. “It’s just a Mana battery?”
“It’s extremely useful,” Mel said, trying to cheer me up. “You may have been using them mostly to fortify your Unguis and Nieve but for a Mage, this would allow them to use their more powerful Spells without wasting their personal pools. It only seems like an underwhelming upgrade due to the fact that it was not forged in anticipation for someone with your… handicap.”
“I know, I just-” I said, not knowing how to finish.
I didn't know what I was complaining about. It was a useful enchantment, even to me. I had just expected something more from the items that had quickly become the most useful in my direct combat.
Each of the other enchantments I had used, had specific uses or cooldowns, but the gauntlets had a passive effect that had been undeniably necessary for my fighting style while I was still lacking a proper weapon.
Mel continued to look at me, waiting for me to finish my complaints, her face placid and serious.
Looking into her deep violet eyes, I decided to suck it up and move on, seeing no point in whining like a child over getting the wrong present.
The moment I had that thought, I saw an impish grin tug at the corners of her mouth, causing the small black metal piece on her jaw to raise fractionally.
Reaching over to the small pile of armor, I grabbed the Cuirass, slipping it on over my undergarments, latching the straps and synching them tight.
Pulling my mantle over the ensemble, I stood.
It was the only piece I had not bought an upgrade for, deciding the enchantment would still be useful as it had more of a passive effect. While I could have found something that increased my senses by a specific modifier, this would do for the short term.
Once I had the rest of the set on, I had one last thing to check before I went through my new Stat increases.
I took off slowly in the direction of the estate, pulling up the last description window.
Set bonus:
[Armor of the Profound Nihilist]
Set bonus: Once per day release an area of effect domain for (10% of Agility) feet that does (10% of Dexterity) damage per second for 60 seconds to all targets within the domain. (Beginner)
Set Bonus: Once per day, Increase the effects of one armor enchantment at the cost of the use of another. Can not be from the same item. Duration of effect will reset at the end of a 24 hour period.
Set bonus: Self-repair 5. By infusing mana into any piece of the armor, you can repair it back to its original blueprint. Cost: Dependent on damage.
Set bonus: Self-cleaning 5. By infusing mana into any piece of the armor, you can expel all foreign compounds. Cost: Dependent on Compound.