31 Runic Warrior (1/2)
With a quick snap, I tore off a piece of my armor from my left arm. My armor understood what I wanted, and let me break off a shard for testing. From my other arm, I broke another shard before I carved the passage into it. Thirty minutes of carving later, I channeled a bit of mana through the shard. The mana flowing into the rune with ease.
Unlike with the metal or wood, this material didn't degrade over time. It kept rigid and stable, easily handling the energy of the mana stream. Since the passage never degraded over time, it made channeling the mana far easier. That was what made the previous enchantments so difficult, the material falling apart. When I tried channeling the mana without an enchantment, it was like standing on a surfboard in the middle of an ocean. Now I was standing on the ground with firm footing. There was a world of difference between the two.
As it regenerated, I carved a portion of the runes into my right forearm using the sharpened scrap. The metals grinded against each other as I strained to slice through my armor. After thirty more minutes of this carving, the line of symbols laid out on my arm. I can't lie, it looked super badass.
With a very slight tug, I pulled some mana into the rune. The indentations filled with the mana, controlling the flow. When I channeled the mana through the wood, it was like I was trying to channel a flood through a Styrofoam pipe. The metal had been like wood. Both of them couldn't handle it. This though, it felt just right.
The mana swelled into the cracks of the armor, the vibrant orange lightning streaking through my arm. I gripped my hand with enough strength to crush steel. With the glyphs filtering the stream of mana, I could pull more and more of it without anywhere near the struggle of before. I reared my fist back before slamming my fist into a nearby tree.
My fist crushed a foot deep into the tree, lodging itself in. As I pulled it out, splinters of wood fell onto the ground. A notification appeared.
Skill gained! [Soulforging(lvl 1) - Temper your mind and your body will follow. +1% to precision of runic control. +1% to ease in carving. +1% to duration.]
Skill gained! [Soulsiphon(lvl 1) - You use your soul as the conduit for your power. -0.5% to conversion cost when converting health into augmentation energy.]
The skills explained why the whole process was so smooth. It felt off though, having my right arm so much stronger than my left. After a few minutes more of carving, I had two sets of runic glyphs glowing on each arm. As I clenched my fists, the air hummed with the energy flowing between my fists. My massive health pool and regeneration allowed me to use far more energy than a normal mage of my level.
When I tried using my normal fighting style, I found myself being thrown off balance by each arm. The weight behind each blow would ruin my technique, so despite the sudden surge of power, I would likely be weaker in an actual fight. After another hour of carving, I'd carved the runes onto the sides of my thighs as well. By pouring a bit of mana into my arms, it made cutting into the hard metal far easier.
With the runes finished, I stood up. When I stomped the ground, it caved in. When I kicked a tree, the wood splintered. The sheer rush of power was intoxicating, even though the burning sensation was ebbing from my limbs at this point. I cracked my neck before trying out a few more punches and kicks.
The extra strength in my legs helped balance my arms, but the sudden shift in strength still took a little while to get used to. After a few minutes of toying with various techniques and stances, I was comfortable. I used the extra strength for odd maneuvers, like whipping my body around trees n shit.
It was liberating being so mobile. Since putting so many points into constitution, I'd been slower than I'd like. Now I was quick as Althea, though I couldn't vomit a stream of acid onto people. I ran through the forest for a few minutes like that, enjoying the sudden change in speed. With boundless storm, I could flip and twist and move with a fluid control. I jumped up, ducked under, and used the trees like my own personal playground.
I ended up spending several hours adjusting the runes and their placement and using the following rush of speed. The weeks of effort had been worth it. Now my health regen wouldn't be wasted once I was full health. I would be able to use it for enhancing my style of fighting. With the soulsiphon skill, I'd eventually be able to nearly double my effective mana usage as well. By then, I'd be a complete monster in a fight.
Now all I needed was really just levels. With a few creative tweaks I'd be able to use these runes for all kinds of stuff. Brimming with excitement, I ran back towards the quarry, wanting to surprise the others with my own discovery. Childish, I know, but I couldn't help it. This was something I discovered on my own, and I was proud of it.
So I jumped into the quarry, my runes unused. I was waiting for a dramatic reveal. Althea was with Kessiah, the both of them going through a few moving exercises. They looked like they were focused on evasion and avoiding someone. In other words, keeping distance. That made sense for Althea, considering how strong she was at a range.
Torix was deep in the cave, finishing his cavern's inscriptions. As I approached, he said,
”Good to see you're still alive. What's been keeping you so busy?”
I shrugged as I said, ”Testing some stuff out. I think I found a way of bypassing the whole almost-dying-a-million-times training method for augmentation that Kessiah suggested.”
Torix finished his runes as he said, ”Oh, this is bound to be good.” He turned to me and said, ”Let's see this display of mediocrity. On with it.”
I frowned as I said, ”What's wrong?”
Torix threw his hands up as he said, ”What isn't wrong is the question? We've stayed here for several weeks longer than I intended. Yawm's troops are searching any nearby forests. It's only a matter of time before we are discovered.”
Torix snapped his fingers, sat back on his black chair, and leaned cupped a hand in his palm as he said, ”If Yawm finds us, there will be more than a few complications. It turns out that sending myself wasn't very complicated. Adding Kessiah isn't that complicated either.”
Torix pointed at me and said, ”It's you and Althea that are making this difficult. Your mana signatures are utterly arcane. It's an amalgam of different energies, and I can't make sense of it. Not without a far higher perception than I currently have.”
I cringed as I said, ”Sounds...hard.”
Torix sighed before saying, ”Excuse my outburst. I've been stressed as of late. I shouldn't shout at a child because of my own failings.”
I shrugged as I said, ”Trust me, I'm used to being shouted at. That was nothing.”
Torix squinted his eyes and leaned forward as he said, ”Oh really? Do tell.”
I scratched the back of my head as I said, ”Uh, let's talk about this later. I had something to show you.”
”That can wait. A good story would be an excellent distraction from this project I've undertaken. I could use the break, if you wouldn't mind.”
I sighed before saying, ”Well, when I was a child, my mother died.”
”Would you mind if I asked how she passed?”
”Cancer. It wasn't quick either. My dad was pretty good with words, when he was sober at least. One time my dad described mom dying like this, 'First, it stole her strength. That was hard. Second, it stole her health. That was even harder. Then it stole her smile. That was even harder than watching her breath out her last breath.'”
Torix frowned as he said, ”I'm sorry for your loss.”
I waved off his apology as I said, ”It happened a long time ago. I'm over it now. Anyways, my father started drinking when I was about eight or so. At that point, he started falling apart. He stopped keeping the house clean. He stopped going out with friends. After a year or so, he stopped smiling too.”
I shook of the melancholy as I continued, ”He started getting violent. I think he just wanted someone to blame for how hurt he was. I wasn't much of a talker since mom had died, and I guess he didn't like how I just sat around all day. I don't know. I don't care. What I will say is this.”
I bit my lip before I said, ”He would shout all night and beat me senseless. He had a bad habit of snuffing out cigarettes on my back. I still got scars from it. That's why I'm used to getting shouted at. That's why it doesn't bother me.”
Torix leaned back before staring at the wall for a moment. He tapped the edge of his chair for a few seconds, an awkward atmosphere sinking in between us. He said, ”I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dig up old wounds. I was just curious. I didn't think it was something that personal.”
I shrugged as I said, ”It's just how things are. Nothing I can do about it.”
Torix stared down for a second before he met my eye as he said, ”It's no wonder you are so strong for your years. You carry a suffering well beyond your age. That's something I realized long ago. Our pasts define us. It makes us who we are.”
He laid a hand on my shoulder as he said, ”Don't let it decide who you will be.”
I swallowed some sadness as I said, ”Yeah. I suppose.”
Downtrodden, I glanced at the wall. Noticing my gloom, Torix stood and said, ”Hey, you mentioned you had something to show me. Mind sharing it with this old bag of bones?”
Still staring at the wall, I pulled up my forearm. All the excitement from earlier was gone, but I still poured mana into the runes, creating the vibrant, glow of burning orange and crescents of electricity. I said, ”I learned some of the runes you're using. I carved them into the armor so that I could control the flow of augmentation better. It worked pretty well.”
Torix grabbed my arm before saying, ”Did you make this over the past three weeks?”
”Uh, yeah.”
Torix leaned close towards the arm as he said, ”Remarkable...'Growing strength and vigor, might left unbounded. Without will and control, the power is unfounded.' That's a strange wording you used. Remarkable, very remarkable. You engraved this yourself?”
I nodded before he continued, ”Incredible. So much progress...I can hardly believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.”
I scratched the back of my head, my face under my mask blushing a little as I said, ”Ah, it's not that big a deal. I just thought it would help with my style.”
Torix nodded as he said, ”What skill specific skill did you use for this?”
”Soulforging?”
”Soulforging? I've never heard of it. I suppose your armor would be the crux of that mystery, however. Hmmm...”
”Maybe it's because the armor's an extension of my soul or something. Wouldn't that mean that carving into the armor with these runes would be like carving into my soul or some shit?”
Torix tapped the armor as he said, ”It seems to me that you're giving your armor commands in a language it understands.”
”So I'm telling it what to do?”
”In essence, yes. If we can create a more efficient conversion of the formula, we can come up with an even greater effect.” Torix slapped my back as he said, ”Hah hah! I knew I chose you to be my apostle for a reason.”
A new sensation was here. It was a deep pride, swelling in my chest. I said, ”No problem.”
Torix grinned as he said, ”Excellent. With this we should have plenty of ways to fight against Yawm once we meet him...”
A few more seconds of silence passed before I said, ”What is it?”
”Hmmm, I don't know. At least not yet.”
Torix pulled out a circular, clear sphere with a gray ring around it. He tapped it, pouring black mana into the sphere. A blue sphere expanded from the orb before surrounding us. Screens covered in different lists of components and names were scattered around us, along with pictographs and statistical charts.
In the background was the view from atop a mountain. Clouds floated along with a shining sun and a gentle, whistling wind in the background. All the sounds from outside were gone. Sound was fuzzy in here too, like we were underwater. The graphics were photorealistic, as convincing as real life. It was like how one of some friends talked about a VRMMO novel one time.
Relishing the sudden change in sensation, I glanced around at the surreal scene. Snapping me from my stupor, Torix sent me a pm. As I read it, his voice rang out in my head.
Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:06pm 3/4/00) - Use personal messages here. The obelisk will automatically communicate with your voice as I read them, as you no doubt noticed. This is primarily for privacy when we may need it.
I frowned before thinking up a message and sending it to him,
Harbinger of Cataclysm(12:07pm 3/4/00) - So what the fuck is an obelisk?
Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:07pm 3/4/00) - A device for enhancing the interface of Schema. As you've no doubt notice, Schema is rather stingy with his processing power. Obelisks are the primary method of allowing smooth interface with data you collect. I use it for organizing my experiments, skill trees, etcetera. You can buy one from the legion with a few dungeon cores. Anyways-
Torix moved a few floating screens from in front of him, organizing them before he messaged,
Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:07pm 3/4/00) - I despise these devices, but at times they are necessary.