Naomi sighed, but Shannon was the one who spoke. “Peter mentioned your morning workouts, and it sounded like a fun group activity.”
Peter, who was already stretching, nodded. “Yeah. I asked Benson about getting us something like workout equipment, and he said that it can be delivered later today. We have plenty of money in the estate fund to cover it.”
“Where is all the equipment going to go?” Naomi asked. “Not in my workshop.”
Peter gestured around them. “I talked to him about that too. He’s going to get some folks to make a building around the hot and cold pool. We’ll have our own gym.”
Eric smiled. “Good. We should all focus on staying in shape together. The healthier we all are, the better we can do in dungeons.” He chuckled. “This is actually what some professional dungeon-diving teams do.”
Peter cleared his throat. “As the resident muscular hunk, I’ll lead us off.”
The morning was strenuous, but fun. After a quick meal, Naomi ushered everyone to her workshop and began pointing to various diagrams she had drawn out the night before, the conversation shielded by the glow of Eric’s Silence Node.
“Wait a second,” Shannon said as she pointed at the window. “Won’t someone outside notice the glow?”
Eric shook his head. “The glow is only visible to those inside, to let us know that the gear is active.”
Naomi gestured to the table, which was laden with all shapes of Components. “Anyone have more they want to donate?”
Eric pulled his thirty common Components out of his sack and placed them onto the wooden surface. Shannon and Peter shook their heads, with Shannon adding, “I spent all of mine.”
“Same,” Peter commented.
Naomi sighed. “Fine. Well, we still have a decent number, and I can make some Tier one pieces of Gear, if anyone wants anything in particular.”
Eric put his hand to his chin and tucked that against his chest, thinking about what the most useful piece of gear could be. They were going to be dungeon diving a lot. “Maybe a way to deliver a Healing Potion at a distance? Like a syringe gun? We’re missing healing, defenses, and aggro generation.”
“I’ve got that last one,” Peter replied. “Recently got it.”
Naomi grimaced. “I mean . . . sure on the healing gun. But shooting needles at someone sounds messed up.”
Shannon shrugged. “You wanted to be our healer, right? This is like being a healer without having to take a Warden Class.” She raised her hands and mimicked shooting a rifle. “Pew pew. You got healed.”
Peter frowned. “Why not something like a mister? You know, turn the Healing Potion into a fog? Not as much range, probably—unless you did something like a paint ball.”
Naomi’s eyes glittered, and those mechanical-looking irises seemed to focus on something only she could see in the Components on the table before her. “If everyone is okay with it . . . I think a Healing-Potion paintball gun might be just what the doctor ordered.”
“We need a lot more potions, then,” Eric said. “Shannon, want to go buy some with me?”
“Oh yeah. We need to get some of our money from Benson—”
Eric waved her concern away. “I have coin from my gambling. Let’s go get some.”
The two of them headed to the upper-city’s mercantile district with their king’s guard. A hundred gold later, Eric walked away with ten T1 Healing Potions. Shannon’s hands were full of treats she’d bought from various street-cart vendors along the boulevard in the upper city district they had chosen to stay in, using some of the smaller coins Eric had insisted they bring along.
There were higher prices there, sure, but also far fewer pickpockets. And, most of these upper-class folk and richer merchants knew who the Summoned were. It gave Eric a chance to chat them up, and he was able to become ‘more informed’ with intelligence that he could then justify as having learned later on. It served as a perfect cover for tidbits of foresight from the other timeline.
Shannon was shadowed by one of the king’s guards from the estate front gate, and Eric spotted a telltale sign of one of the Spymaster’s minions following them as well: a very hard to see, thin metal ring around a nearby person’s ear, mostly hidden by their hair. Eric knew that was a piece of gear that enabled communication, much like Naomi’s bracer. He only knew to look for it because in his past timeline he had taken one from a spy he had failed to save and kept it on his person to monitor communications.
It would be nice to steal one and be able to listen in on what Persim’s up to this time around as well.
Shannon was munching on a triskartolin and held one out for Eric to take a chomp out of, since both of his hands were full. “You know,” she said in between chews, “this whole Elyndor place hasn’t been that bad.”
Eric hummed in agreement as he savored the bite. “Oh yeah,” he said after swallowing. “It’s amazing. Trok is one of the better realms. Thank God we weren’t Summoned into the Empire of Pwish or Flescion. Although you’d be treated even better in Flescion.” Quickly, he added, “At least from what I read.”
I have to play up the part of freshly Summoned because of the people around us. Gah, adding all these little tidbits to sound new is infuriating.
“Why?” Shannon held out another bit of the snack for him, and Eric took another bite before answering.
“According to that book I read, Flescion is called the Theocracy of the Womb. They believe that the creator god responsible for making Elyndor was a woman, and women hold a higher position in society.” Eric took another offered bite, swallowed, and continued. “It’s matriarchal and very spiritual. The Summoned there might be viewed with suspicion at first . . . but if they join the church? They are treated like royalty. Even more reverently for someone of your gender.”
Shannon nodded thoughtfully. “But sometimes being treated like royalty is like being put in a gilded cage.” She sighed. “Sort of like us now, I guess.”
“Just for now,” Eric replied. “We may want to leave the capital eventually. Not out of necessity, but there are other parts of the world to explore. Dungeons that manifest in the wilderness. If we build up enough trust, swear oaths and the like, we might be allowed to leave.”
“Yeah, I was talking with one of those vendors outside about that while you were getting the potions,” Shannon looked out toward the north. “Although it seems like beyond the capital and heavily patrolled areas . . . it's dangerous out there.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“That’s right,” Eric said. “I heard this from a merchant at the soirée” —a lie to keep the ruse going— “that animals out in Elyndor become mana beasts once they hit a certain level. It’s very dangerous, and those merchants often do massive caravans between walled cities and patrolled regions. Heck, the farmland outside of the capital here not being walled in? That’s rare. It takes most of the military’s time to patrol and keep the mana beasts at bay.”
It also meant that, in a pinch, Eric could go out into the wilderness and begin killing and burning threatening beasts. He would need to get permission from Seraphine, as she was the Summoneds’ handler, but he was sure they would let him out with heavy supervision. The same would go for helping to raze the fields to let them lay fallow during the winter.
Shannon let out a grunt of frustration. “So many terms to deal with. Monster, mana beast. How do you keep it all straight?”
Eric shrugged. “The main difference between mana beasts out in the wilderness and monsters from dungeons is that monsters only have Monster Parts, whereas the ones out in the wilderness have other things like meat and hides, and Monster Parts.” He stepped around a Street Sweeper who gave him a little nod of appreciation.
The king’s guard following them said, “That’s right. One thing to note is that if a wild dungeon is unconquered and the Dungeon Core not claimed, then monsters will eventually spill out of it and threaten the local area. They are still monsters, and will only have Monster Parts, despite being on Elyndor’s soil. Sometimes, they fight mana beasts.” He chuckled. “I remember seeing a gryphon fight a wild dungeon monster before. That was terrifying and magnificent.”
“Good to know,” Eric said with a backward glance. He already knew that, of course, and he knew that if a wild dungeon was found near a town, Dungeon Organizations would intentionally not conquer them, build fortifications around them, and effectively ‘farm’ the monsters for some time. Eventually the wild dungeon would close, so that could not be done forever. It was still a lucrative setup, and there was established protocol for when a wild dungeon appeared.
Shannon nodded and then let out a little, sad noise. “Oh, I spent too long talking. My food is cold!”
Eric frowned. “Damn, yeah those are way better warm. Well, we can heat them up when we get home.”
Once they returned home, Eric went and sat in the study, where he doctored a few books to make them appear well-read by turning pages over and over again.
We might know when people enter the estate’s grounds without permission, but I want to have my cover in place for some of the lies I told.
He made sure to grab some random books as well and ripped a few pages out in haphazard fashion, incinerating them with a Blackflame Bolt held in his hand. He’d been practicing the technique—feeding items to the flame while he held the Rote. They had been minor things around the estate; food scraps that would normally be put into mulch buckets, primarily.
After thirty minutes of going around the estate, then back to the lounge, and feeding more pages to the Rote, his bracer vibrated. He glanced down and checked; sure enough, words flashed across the surface in a raised hologram, and Indedroma’s voice echoed through his mind as she read the words:
[You have leveled up!]
[You have 1 level-up to process.]
[Blackflame Mage 19.]
[Choose a Skill and Trait to increase.]
Nice, looks like I can burn things outside of dungeons to reach milestones. Okay, let’s get another Rank into Blackflame Blaze, and then put one into Backblast. Also, I want to use that Ember and Polymerize Backblast and Ashen Shell, since they’re both high enough.
[Confirmed.]
-----
Skill:
Backblast 3 - The area of effect increases in size. 30-foot expanse cone.
-----
Traits:
[Dire] Blackflame Blaze E8 - Increase burning damage-over-time to 85%.
-----
[Confirmed. Polymerization of Skills initiated.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Rank? Yes.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Enhancement? Yes.]
[Applying . . .]
-----
Skill:
Blasting Shell 3 - The user coats their body in ash, which functions like a light suit of armor. Upon being impacted by a strike, Rote, or Skill, a burst of concussive Blackflame knocks that foe backward and deals minor damage. Lasts for 3 hours. 5-foot knockback. 100-foot range.
-----
Huh . . . that actually changed how the Backblast part works.
Indedroma’s voice was enthusiastic and filled with curiosity.
[This is intriguing. Perhaps because the two Skills were so different? One is defensive, and the other could be considered more offensive? On my end here, it looks like your intent of having a stronger defensive Skill prioritized the Polymerization and forced a change onto Backblast to incorporate it more effectively in the desired “form” of increased protection.]
Eric was very excited by that idea. The implication that he could nudge the Polymerization by his desires and shape the outcome of the fusion’s results was awesome, just like how he had done with the evolution to his Mana Skin. That gave him so many different routes that he might be able to build off of. He wanted more Embers, right then and there, but knew he would have to wait until they re-entered the mega dungeon to get them.
Okay, I want to set up my Loadout for tomorrow.
[Please select your Skills for your Loadout.]
[Current maximum slots: 6 (-2 from Body Enhancements).]
Blasting Shell, Combustion Trigger, Flashstep, and Blackflame Beam.
[Confirmed.]
[Loadout updated.]
-----
Name: Eric Mercer
Classes: Blackflame Mage 19
Maximum Sigils: 5
Rotes: [Scorching] Blackflame Bolt, Ash Shroud
Equipped Skills: Blasting Shell 3, Combustion Trigger 5, Flashstep 3, Blackflame Beam 3
Traits: [Dire] Blackflame Blaze E8, Revitalizing Heat 2, Marking Spark 1
Body Enhancements: Neversick Slime (T5), [Reactive] Mana Skin (T7)
-----
Loadout Slots: 6 (-2 from Body Enhancements)
Gear: Manatech Bracer [Comms, Map, HUD, Alarm, Index Interface], T1 Monster Harvest Mitts, T1 Harvester's Bag, T1 Tracking Gloves, T1 Deflection Matrix, T1 Silence Node, T8 Focus Grimoire
Parts & Components:
Embers:
-----
One level from another Sigil, and two levels from another Loadout Slot. Eric thought as he grinned with delight. I should burn stuff more often.
Just as he made to start burning more pages, Eric heard Mari’s voice echo merrily throughout the manor. “There is a visitor at the gate! Magistra d’Orveil!”
He stood up and walked to the front door, though Mari beat him to it and opened the door. Seraphine approached the entrance, but stopped at the vestibule. “Ah, Blackflame Mage Mercer. Good to see you well. May I come in?”
“Of course,” Eric replied. He turned to Mari. “Please fetch the other Summoned, then prepare some worldspine root tea.”
“Of course.” The Maid curtsied, then headed upstairs, passing by Naomi on the way down.
Eric gestured to the lounge, so Seraphine walked past, into the room, and sat on the couch.
The tall woman cleared her throat once more. “Apologies for interrupting.”
He sat down on one of the couches facing her. “What can we do for you?”
Seraphine took the offered seat “I have been told that you have been visiting D’s Diableries. I wish to know why?”
“I was told he was the most prominent, Mage-focused Artisan in The Consortium. I acquired some gear from him.”
“He made a house call here. He never leaves the Consortium grounds.” She tapped her thigh a few times with her long, delicate finger. “I keep tabs on all of the high-level individuals in Tenebria. Why would he depart his little retirement hole? What did you tell him?”
“I think I interested him.” Eric leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and holding his head up on his interlaced fingers. “I have a feeling you’re not just here to talk to me about someone I visited. Are we going to be discussing things that are to be kept in confidence?”
Seraphine’s polite smile twitched. “That may occur.”
Eric slowly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Silence Node. “Do you mind if I turn this on?”
“Ah . . . of course you’d get one of those.” Seraphine re-smoothed her dress. “I should have anticipated that.” A trace of annoyance flickered through her words.
There was a thudding on wood and then Peter walked through the door, holding a sandwich. He glanced at Eric, yet before Eric could say anything to him, Seraphine said, “We’ll wait until everyone is here and the tea is served before we speak further.” Her voice was deathly calm, but there was no doubt that she was giving an order. “And we will use your item, if you will please pocket it for the moment so Maid Mari does not see you with it.”
Eric did as she instructed. Peter sat down next to Eric, beginning to eat his sandwich. Eric kept his gaze locked on Seraphine, even when Naomi and Shannon came in. Once Mari had delivered the platter with the steeping tea and cups and had shut the door, Eric produced the Silence Node, placed it on the table, and pushed his mana into it.
The room was washed in black and white as the Gear activated. The monochromatic film fell over the room. Seraphine sat on the edge of her seat. When she spoke, her voice was calm and calculating but carried a trace of menace. “Now tell me. What are you all up to?”