Chapter 332: Saw this Coming (1/2)
- Terakath -
You have achieved a true connection with the Elemental Source of Earth. Whether accomplished at a moment of breakthrough or by channeling a pure elemental force, you are now forever marked by this connection. You are favored both by earth itself, and earth elementals of all kinds. Moderate increase to the effectiveness of Earth Elemental Magic and charisma when interacting with earth elementals. Allows the title holder to move through earth and stone as easily as water, without leaving any trace of his or her passage.
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[...Huh.]
Mike took a moment to consider the implications. This was the third elementally oriented title he'd received since reincarnating in this world. In both other instances, he'd only managed to get said titles when he was in the middle of a life or death struggle. He'd kind of assumed that was necessary to form this kind of connection. Evidently he was wrong.
[So, I simply have to establish a strong enough connection to the elemental source. Or does it have something to do with what I was trying to accomplish while using Earth Magic? This calls for further experimentation.]
He was in the midst of considering possible methods of unlocking the fire related title in order to get a complete set, when Morris interrupted him by waving a hand in front of his face.
”Hey, you in there?”
Focusing his gaze on the man, Mike gave him a slight nod. ”Ah, yeah. Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
”Don't tell me you didn't see the climactic finish?”
”...Would you hate me if I said no?”
His friend sighed in disappointment, but nevertheless started explaining in an energetic voice. ”There I was, holding the line and keeping the boss preoccupied while Sera communed with her Oracle ancestors, petitioning them to assist her in guiding her aim.”
”Wait, you can do that?” He asked the girl, who was staring off into the distance.
She glanced over at him. ”I don't know. I connected to...something this time. When I did, the voices of long dead Oracles flowed into me, helping me to understand what I had to do.”
”I see, that seems pretty useful, but I take it from your mood that there is more to it. Maybe you can tell me what's bothering you?”
Morris blinked and looked back at Sera, as if suddenly realizing that something was strange about her.
”It's…” She started before swallowing. ”It's just, I recognized one of the voices…”
Trailing off, she looked down on her hands which were tightly clasping her bow. Mike saw her shoulders shiver briefly, and he guessed what the problem should be.
”Sera, I'm sorry. It must have been hard to find out this way.”
She swallowed again before answering. ”It's alright. It's not like I didn't already know that she was...gone. It just caught me by surprise.”
”Are you going to be alright?”
”Yeah, just give me a few minutes.”
He nodded, even though she couldn't see him, and looked back at Morris. ”Sorry, you were saying?”
The bard grimaced. ”Ah, well. Long story short, Sera shot the boss through the eye, killing it instantly. I couldn't have asked for a better follow up.”
”Sounds pretty exciting. I'm sorry I missed it. Anyway, have you checked out the loot yet?”
Morris shook his head. ”Not yet. I wanted you to look over the chest just in case it's trapped.”
The indicated treasure box was sitting next to the boss's corpse, by all appearances having materialized at some point while they were talking. Like other dungeon drops, it was a nondescript, simple chest without any sign of lock, but previous experiences had taught Mike that things weren't always what they seemed.
Walking over to it, he used a combination of Appraise and Aerosense to check for anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully, it appeared that there weren't any traps, or at least none that were visible from the outside. Unlike chests in the real world, where he could at least get a vague idea of the contents depending on how air-tight they were, this one was a perfect enigma. He could only guess that dungeon generated chests were somehow perfectly sealed prior to being opened.
”Looks safe enough. Do you want to do the honors?”
Morris glanced back at Sera again, and hesitated for a second. Then, perhaps thinking better of it, he stepped forward and pulled open the chest.
Inside were two items, a scarf made of a pale blue material and a small statue of a bird, seemingly carved from a block of ice. Mike quickly used Appraise on the first one.
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Glacial Scarf
Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 3)
Woven from silken fibers harvested from Tundra Worms, this scarf provides its wearer with a measure of protection against the cold. Moderate resistance to the harmful effects of low temperatures.
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[That's pretty straightforward, but enhancing defense is never a bad thing.] He thought before moving onto the statue.
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Frozen Raven
Magic Item (Tier 2, Rank 2)
Carved from enchanted ice in the shape of one of the arctic ravens of lore, this statue can be brought to life by the command word ”blonold.” Once animated, it follows the commands of its owner for up to three days, at the end of which it returns to its inanimate shape and cannot be animated again for seven days. During this time period, it can be used to carry one spoken message of up to thirty words to the person of your choice. The recipient has the option of giving it a reply, but whether or not they do, the statue will return to you upon completion of its task.