It had been a few uninterrupted weeks on the road as they pushed towards the Plains of Saulon and he was finally enjoying, what he considered, some well deserved relaxation. He leaned back against the hardened dirt wall, closing his eyes and draping his arms over its gentle curve to rest them on the cool grass as he soaked in the warm waters of the bath he’d created. He enjoyed the juxtaposition of it, to be both hot and cold. He’d use his various runes to create a rather large bath carved into the earth, going so far as to heat the water. He, however, was not the only one taking a moment to relax. Even if some of them continued to complain. Besides, as long as he kept his eyes closed he could try to ignore the fact that everyone was naked.
“This seems like a frivolous waste of time, given the timeline till the Tournament and our lack of luck so far,” said Aisling as she sat across from him, complaining as she also enjoyed a good soak. “Though I suppose at least the cost in mana was relatively low and it is hard to argue with how relaxing this is.”
“Agreed!” Kiri yelled at the night sky, arms shooting out of the water. “This is the best! Can we do this every night?”
“No,” responded Deverell, giving Kiri a flat look. “You and I will continue to focus on hunting as well as Skill development. Nate at least is on track to hit level thirty by the time we get to the Capital, assuming we can actually find another two Dungeons. You are still a few levels behind him and have a number of new Skills from unlocking your Secondary Class that you’ve barely levelled. Nate has no time to relax and you’ve got less than that!”
It was the most fervent Nate had ever heard Deverell speak and he could see why. He activated his Eyes of the Runic Artist again to look at Kiri’s new Class.
Kiri Beaufoy
Reborn Soul Slayer (M) (21) / Reborn Soul Dancer (L) (1)
The Class Core Enhancement had worked perfectly and though none of them were sure if it was other Achievements she’d accrued or the same Dungeon reward, she’d gotten a Legendary Secondary Class, just like Nate. She was still short a Mythic Skill, when compared with him however, as she hadn’t evolved a Legendary skill to Mythic like he had. Coupled with the training she was receiving from Deverell, she’d started down a path similar to his of a Dagger Dancer. Her variant seemed to add Soul Energy to the mix. None of them were sure how that altered the Skills but so far she’d proven adept at copying Deverell’s fighting style, even if she couldn’t keep up with him yet. He suspected that was why Deverell was so fervent. The man likely now saw Kiri as a true pupil.
“Your Familiar is sure that there is a mana anomaly in this area?” Aisling asked. “We’re already a few days off the road, Nate. If we don’t find one soon we may not have enough time to push you both to at least level thirty before the Tournament begins.”
Nate nodded, looking up at the beautiful clear night sky so as to avoid looking over at Aisling. Even if the slightly silty water was covering her there was no telling what the woman would do. For all her complaining she’d been the second one into the water, beating Kiri who’d at least stripped while Nate had his back turned. When it came to communal bathing, it was very obvious to Nate that the social expectations in Etrua were vastly different to those back on Earth.
“”He’s sure. How much longer can we give it before we have to move on?” he asked.
There was no response so he chanced looking down to see Aisling watching him, her serious thinking face on full display. “Two days. I think if we haven’t found the Dungeon in two days we should move on and try and find another one. We’re already losing a full week. We’d be better off continuing on and trying the next mana anomaly your Familiar spots.”
Nate nodded, going back to staring at the stars as he heard the sound of water sloshing nearby. The sound drew his attention even though he knew he shouldn’t look and he spotted a bare ass and very svelte Deverell climbing out and moving over to his equipment.
“Out,” the man called back with a glance at Kiri as he reached his equipment, before he began getting dressed. “We have training to do.”
Kiri grumbled as she climbed out of the bath and kicked water in his direction when he snickered, which only made him laugh harder but Deverell’s grunt of impatience got her moving. He had to admit she was becoming very quiet as he didn’t hear her footsteps as she slipped away to her own clothes. Unfortunately that left him alone with Aisling in the runecrafted earthen bath.
Finding the silence uncomfortable he asked the question most often on his mind these past few weeks, “What do you think our chances are of succeeding in the Tournament? Of making the top eight.”
“Higher than I originally expected but it’s not a certainty,” she began, her voice sounded odd and he glanced over to see she was also staring up at the stars. “You and Kiri are advancing at an admirable pace and being able to find Dungeons has made me shift my opinion slightly. Before I didn’t think you could hope to reach level twenty five by the time the Tournament started. Now, if we manage to find two to three more Dungeons, you and Kiri could both be level thirty. With your higher stats per level, you could come close to some of the contenders. And with your high Tier skills, I think you have a chance. However, there are two Silver Badge teams I suspect will be competing and both have some strong members. Some, very strong.”
Had this been on Earth, or even on Galle just a couple of months ago, those words would’ve made Nate feel disheartened. Maybe even made him not want to compete. But even he could recognise he was slowly becoming more competitive, more willing to push himself, more willing to accept danger as not just a part of life under The System, but perhaps the most important part. The part that made you strive for more. He wanted to prove himself. Not for others, not for Aisling or Kiri, but just for himself.
“Can you tell me about them?” he asked.
“The two teams?” Aisling replied, before continuing at his nod. “I mostly know about their team leaders, to be honest. They’re both children of Guild Prefects. There is Coralie Allais and Null Raoult. I don’t think that’s his real name but I have never heard him called anything else. You need to remember, these two are about as close as the Adventurers Guild gets to behaving like the Nobility. They each have a Guild Prefect for a parent. That means they will have received Skill Orbs, Stat Orbs and who knows what else to fuel their development. I’m actually looking forward to finding out their Class rarities, courtesy of your eyes. If you don’t mind sharing?”
“Just point them out to me,” he replied as he climbed out of the water. Hearing about the two children of the Guild Prefects he would have to face had helped further drive home how far he was behind. He needed to practise and develop his Skills. But before that he needed to clear his mind. Perhaps a painting of the stars?
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He got dressed quickly, pulling his robe back on before he removed the easel he’d purchased and a fresh canvas. He was getting ready to get started when he heard a light cough from behind him. Turning he saw that Aisling had leant forward in the water.
“I have a favour to ask,” she said. “Would you mind painting me again, against the backdrop of the plains and stars?”
He wasn’t opposed to the idea but the request had surprised him and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Why?”
“I was planning to give it to my husband. He’ll be in the Capital and we’ve been separated for a while on this job. I thought it would be something he’d like, for the next time we get separated,” she replied calmly.
“Yeah okay, let me know when you’re ready,” he said with a smile, which quickly vanished as Aisling stood and walked over to stand on one of the small mounds that dotted the plains, still starkly naked.
He couldn’t speak for a moment and Aisling glanced at him, “Does this spot work?”
He blushed for a moment before swallowing. She was just a model. He’d known this would happen eventually back on Earth if he continued to pursue art, something he’d never once second guessed. Calming himself and trying to ignore his childish misgivings, he motioned for her to turn slightly so he had a better view of her profile, eyes narrowing as he considered the curves and lighting and he could use that to convey… something. That was a good question, actually. This artwork was for Aisling to give to her husband. What did she want it to convey?
“What do you want the painting to say? What message are you trying to send? What do you want him to think when he looks at it? Is it longing? Respect?” he paused for a moment before forcing himself to continue. “Is it sexual?”
Aisling smirked at him and he could tell she knew that he was somewhat uncomfortable but she didn’t tease him for it, “Longing and desire. I want him to be able to look at this painting when we’re separated and remind him of our love, our bond and yes, the sex.”
Nate swallowed and verbally guided Aisling to assume a different pose and to change her facial expression into an amused smirk before getting started.
*************
Nate sat near his bedding and blanket, working on a new runic array. The painting was drying and should be ready for Aisling by morning. At first he’d been a bit awkward but after a little while he’d been too focused on the artwork to care about the fact that Aisling was naked. Instead it had all become about the lighting and shadow, the profile and the facial expression, the way the colours blended together or stood starkly apart, drawing one's eyes to the focus of the artwork. Aisling had loved it when she looked at it and offered to pay him but he’d waved her off, something she’d told him she was going to ignore and that she’d see what she could find for him. For him, it had just been the joy of creating. It still wasn’t one of his best works. But it was good. He could be happy with that. Especially as a first time doing a nude piece.
Glancing over he could see Frick using Conceptual Material on one of the third Mana Gathering array plates. The first array had been completed a couple of weeks ago now and the second just in the last few days. He could confidently say it was even better than the one he had given to Luc. It was hard to tell, because he’d never done accurate measurements on the one he gave to his now absent teacher, but he thought this Mana Gathering Array might be almost twice as good again. That was what, four times as potent as the standard Enchanted Mana Gathering Array? The thought made him smile. Kiss my ass enchanting, runecrafting for life!
Frick had even commented that it appeared to alter the mana flows around it in a wider area, encompassing almost a hundred metres. He’d kept it out constantly while in the saddle to recharge as many of his mana gems as he could, as Conceptual Material was the current skill he was focusing on pushing during his crafting time in the saddle. The Skill lowered the mana cost and time for altering materials and he suspected he might need that for the Tournament if he was going to craft custom runes and weapons or tools for his opponents. He had to lean into his strengths, and his strengths were adaptability and preparation.
With that in mind, he pulled out a black Razorlash scale. Just because they’d left Helmfirth didn’t mean the demon was done with him. If the creature was meant as a challenge for him, then it would find him again. The System would make sure of it, else it wouldn’t be much of a challenge. That meant he needed to prepare for their next conflict. Devouring Light had been an unusual and very dangerous Concept. He wasn’t certain but he wondered if that meant it could do more than just destroy things more quickly. He’d thought about it quite a bit and asked Aisling her thoughts, while posing his own hypothesis. In the end she’d agreed with him that his idea of using Shadow was probably the best counter to Light.
The two Concepts should oppose each other and nominally break each other down, all other things being equal. That left the Devouring Subconcept to deal with. At first he’d considered the idea of draining. He had the Sigil for it, which would’ve made any rune he built with it stronger, but ultimately he’d decided to go with the Subconcept of Preservation. He did not have a Sigil for it which meant he’d need to apply it with his Imbue Intent. Since it wouldn’t be as strong that way, he intended to go back to the method he’d used against Torian. Overwhelming power. Or in this case, Legendary Tier materials with an innate affinity for shadow. He glanced at his Status to see his recent progress and smiled. If that Demon continued its pursuit of him, it was in for a rude shock.
Eyes of the Runic Artist 23 > 24
Runic Artistry 18 > 20
From Me, To You 15 > 17
No Steps Necessary 14 > 16
Runic Creation 22 > 23
Conceptual Material 21 > 23
*************
Xalvoloth ran through the forest, rage boiling in its heart. It hadn’t expected the prey to run. Their first encounter had not been as simple as it expected. The target had possessed some unusually powerful Skills, considering his low level. Especially for one existing in the middle of nowhere. A backwater town in a backwater country. The fact that it had recognised its Devouring Light was a testament to those Skills. Still, having seen the target's capabilities it was confident it could kill him. Devour him. The rewards from The System were so close, but it had been stymied as the Familiar of the target had somehow been able to spot it when it got too close. The Spirit was young, so it must have been borrowing a Skill from the target.
That might not have been an issue if not for the higher level guardians. It had considered trying its luck anyway against the female but before it had come to a decision, they had fled the town. Now it was forced to chase them, forced to expend precious mana Devouring the distance between them just to try and keep up. It had not been succeeding. Each day it felt them pull a little further ahead.
Its scream of frustration echoed through the forest, sending birds into flight and any other predators scampering away. This task was becoming more and more frustrating. More and more embarrassing. How could it, a True Disciple, be lowered to this! When it finally caught its target it was going to rend him limb from limb before it devoured his soul!