by Tao Wong
Daniel frowned. “I understand the glyphed spells, but what umm, do they do?”
“The most common kind are those that directly affect one’s aura,” Kaylee said. She waved Daniel over to a case, even as his face started clearing up. After all, he had direct experience with an enchantment like that.
“See here? These rings on the top are all glyphed rings. They’re mostly aura-enhancers—with the gems giving an indication of the kind of enhancement to your aura. So, blue for cold, red for fire, white for holy, black for energy drain,” Kaylee explained. “We do recommend that you don’t wear them outside of the Dungeon of course.”
“I had a bracer that enhanced auras,” Daniel interjected. “Couldn’t wear it underneath my current armor.”
“Well, that’s why we prefer accessories,” Kaylee said with a smile. “Now, the second line down are the spell-woven ones. These hold and contain spells, with the knotwork around the stones indicating they are spell-woven.”
“That’s smart,” Daniel said, understanding how the simple design difference would make the type quite clear.
Kaylee preened at Daniel’s words a little, brown eyes dancing as she added, “Now, the stones are the same, but most of our spell-woven rings are projectile-based. Popular among our mages since they don’t require gloves. It allows them to deal additional damage that’s not reliant on their own Mana. But I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that for you.”
Daniel nodded, not really desiring a lower-powered spell version of a Mage’s firebolt. “And the third type, the material-woven rings are below.” Statement, not a question, since those rings were not bands of steel or gold, but were instead fewer in number and stranger in variety. There was a stone-chiselled ring, at least three that looked to be made of different kinds of bone, another that seemed to be a hollowed-out finger ring, and another that seemed to be made of dried skin.
“Yes. Those are our Master’s specialty items,” Kaylee said proudly. “The ring of greater life drain,” a finger pointed to the hollowed finger-ring, “is probably the most effective enchantment for dealing damage. So long as your opponent is living and is hit, you’ll be guaranteed to steal five percent of their life. And gain about ten percent of what was drained to your own health.”
Daniel eyes widened, then narrowed as his healer’s knowledge went to work on trying to picture how that would work. It was likely a mass regeneration effect like most health potions—increasing the speed of healing in a body indiscriminately, with maybe a slice of energy gifting as well. It was nice, but dangerous to overuse in certain circumstances. Misaligned bones, punctured organs and the like could cause significant issues in the healing process.
“Even then. That’s amazing,” Daniel said. A five percent guaranteed damage of life was significant. But, not surprisingly, the enchanted ring was also priced for its effectiveness. Daniel shook his head, discarding any idea of buying the ring. Even if he gathered all the funds he had ever earned, he would still not even be close to achieving the necessary amount. “I don’t have the funds for that. Or most of the material ones actually.”
“What is your budget?”
Daniel hesitated, considering what he should answer. Eventually, Daniel decided to trust the smiling Enchantress. “Fifty gold is my limit.”
“That’s sufficient,” Kaylee said, smiling. “I’d even recommend you pick up two enchantments —if you have the slots—rather than one strong one. It’ll give you more flexibility and be a better deal.”
Daniel nodded, and Kaylee smiled, leading the man around the shop as she showed him the wares. Together, the pair narrowed down Daniel’s choices until he had four items that he considered acceptable. The first was the most expensive—an amulet that would cost nearly forty-five gold alone.
Amulet of Lesser Perception
Effect: Enhances user aura to improve user’s perception by +12%
Durability: 35/35
Item Class: Enchanted
Quality: Average
The amulet itself seemed to be less than useful on first glance. But Kaylee had explained that the increase in Perception would increase numerous skills like trap finding, tactics, combat sense and even his skill proficiency Find Weakness. When Kaylee let Daniel try the amulet on briefly, he felt his awareness expand. Even without activating the active portion of his Find Weakness proficiency, Daniel felt his attraction to the weakness in Kaylee’s structure—the way she jutted out one hip while standing, and the hollow in her throat, the moment when she exhaled. Daniel found himself unable to look away for some time, fascinated by the fall of her chest, and of the way a low breeze made her hair dance.
“Ahem.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Increased Perception does that. It’ll take you a few days to get used to the increase. But unlike many of your other choices, it’s an enchantment that you can wear all the time.”
“Right,” Daniel said, taking the amulet off. It was too distracting to wear right now, especially while he was trying to make a smart decision. His next two choices were variations of the same type.
Lesser Ring of Flame
Effect: The Lesser Ring of Flame imbues the wearer’s aura with a flame element. Deals 8 – 10 points of Fire Damage per successful attack.
Durability: 20/20
Item Class: Enchanted
Quality: Average
Lesser Ring of Cold
Effect: The Lesser Ring of Cold imbues the wearer’s aura with the cold element. Deals 5-8 points of Cold Damage per successful attack. 10% chance of imbuing a slow effect on target. Slow effect is only partially cumulative.
Durability: 20/20
Item Class: Enchanted
Quality: Average
Both were direct damage attacks. In fact, the base damage increase from the ring of fire was as great as his hammer, though that did not take into account his strength and skill, of course. Still, the boost in damage was significant. On the other hand, the ring of cold provided less of a direct damage boost but did provide a secondary effect. And from Daniel’s experience, the secondary effect could be quite useful.
“Of course, you understand that these attacks might have lower effects against certain monsters. For example, the ring of fire is not as effective in the first three levels of both—sorry, three—Dungeons. The demons have fire-imbued auras and so additional fire makes little difference to them,” Kaylee warned.
“Of course.” Daniel put the rings down and turned to the last item. This one was an earring. While Daniel knew that earrings were a common accessory among men and women, he had never seen himself as a person who wore an earring. But, the advantages were too great to pass up over a concern about fashion.
Lesser Earring of Revenge
Effect: The Lesser Earring of Revenge imbues the wearer’s aura with a destructive effect against those with ill intent. Aura does 5-10 points of damage to attacker. Amount of damage varies depending on the amount of time attacker is in contact with aura and amount of damage dealt.
Durability: 17/17
Item Class: Enchanted
Quality: Average
The earring was an interesting enchanted piece. In particular, its effect directly attacked his opponent’s aura, bypassing many common defenses like armor or a tough hide. That more than made up for the low amount of damage it did, especially since the attack would occur from his aura. So blocking an attack would as effectively damage a monster as getting hit—which was a big plus. It also meant that the earring was more effective against multiple attackers than the rings.
But, its low durability was a concern. While it was not likely to get damaged while it was under his helmet, Daniel still found himself slightly concerned. In addition, the earring itself was thirty-five gold, while each of the rings were only twenty-five. He could purchase both rings if he wished, but it would render them both ineffective—after all, cold and fire were directly in opposition.
Buying a
ring and the earring on the other hand would wipe out his funds. And Daniel knew that he needed to upgrade his shield soon. Or at least replace it. Even if a simple shield was not that expensive, it was still an expense.
“Do you want to test them for compatibilities?” Kaylee asked, seeing Daniel hesitate. At Daniel’s nod, the pair took the new twenty minutes putting on and testing the various accessories for any hidden incompatibilities. The issue with enchantments that affected the aura was that they could have unknown side-effects. Obviously, some—like fire and cold—were well known, but many more were just specific to an individual.
“Huh,” Daniel said finally. As much as he liked the cold ring, it seemed that it had significant issues with his aura. Using it and any other enchanted item – other than his existing ring of experience – caused conflicts. Even the ring of experience was pushing it with the ring of cold. “I guess I’m not a cold person.”
“It seems so,” Kaylee said. She pushed the fire ring and earring forward. “This seemed to be a good combination for you. It is higher than your budget, but I doubt you’d find a more appropriate pair at your price range.”
“Yeah…” Daniel scratched his head, lips pressed tight before he looked up at Kaylee. “Maybe there could be a discount?”
“Maybe…” Kaylee said, tapping the earring. “I could discount the entire pair by two gold. And that’s because I made this.”
“Two gold?” Daniel scratched his nose but then nodded firmly. “Okay. Done.”
Kaylee smiled, and soon enough, Daniel had emptied his pouch of the pair. He quickly stored the ring away in his inventory, not wanting to accidentally set anyone on fire. As for the earring, Kaylee helped Daniel pierce his ear immediately. Unlike the other enchanted items, the earring was keyed towards intent—both Daniel’s and his attackers. It was a more complicated piece of equipment, which was why it was also more expensive.
“It looks good,” Kaylee said while Daniel pulled his hand down, forcing himself not to touch his ear. It was… well, strange. “Do come back if you ever need more work.”
Daniel could only offer Kaylee a strained smile before he left. As he looked up and eyed the sun, Daniel realised it was later than he had expected. Speeding up his footsteps, the adventurer made his way to the Guild Hall to continue his training. No matter what, he could not slack off on his training, even with the new enchanted pieces.
Chapter 4
Two days later, the group reconvened before the entrance of Portos. The group was more somber this time as they fully understood the danger involved. The monsters within were tough, and more importantly, they were prone to delivering significant damage. A careless moment was all that was needed for one of their own to die. As such, this time, the group went through the pre-entrance procedures with uncharacteristic seriousness.
In a short time, the party soon found themselves facing a pair of Zarask once more. This time, the party was kitted out slightly differently and tested out some new tactics. Tula began the engagement by loosing a new arrow, one that flew straight at the Zarask’s chest mouth. The creature clamped its lips shut automatically, but this only aided the workings of her arrow. On impact, the small crystal tip exploded and spread the liquid glue and spider silk extract, sealing the creature’s mouth temporarily.
Behind Tula, Omrak heaved a throwing axe at the other monster even as he charged forwards. Rather than grabbing his sheathed sword, Omrak barrelled into the Zarask with his shoulder as the creature finished dodging his axe. Together, the pair fell to the dirt, the giant Northerner rolling away immediately even as the Zarask struggled to its feet. By this point, the rest of the team had caught up and peppered the prone monster with throwing knives and enchanted metal spikes while Tula held off the first monster with the edge of her bow.
Daniel moved forwards quickly, taking his place in the line and waiting until Tula fell back far enough. He timed his movement to gently bump against her back, warning her that he was there before the pair swiftly changed places, Daniel taking the Zarask’s next blow with his shield. Together, the pair worked on containing the enraged monster whose initial enthusiasm waned as Daniel’s new earring took its toll on the monster after each successful block.
Behind his helmet, Daniel found himself grinning. Even though the effect was significantly more muted through his shield, the creature’s clawed hands were sizzling from contact with his aura. Already, he could tell the Zarask growing afraid of his shield, backing off as Daniel pushed ahead. A well-timed arrow took the Zarask in the shoulder, creating an opening that Daniel pursued aggressively. He stepped forward, shoulder braced behind his shield and thrust it forward, watching as the Zarask flinched away. As it turned its body to him, Daniel unleashed his Double Strike, crushing chest and arm in short order.
Once Daniel and Tula finished their opponent, they looked up to see Omrak’s newly enchanted sword take the other Zarask’s head right off.
“What was that?” Daniel asked. No one moved, their hearing blocked, and he groaned to himself, padding over and waving at Omrak to get his attention. He pointed to the sword and the blond Northerner grinned, holding it up for Daniel to look at.
The oversized sword had been cleaned and buffed; edges cleared in the time they had been gone. But, more interestingly, a series of runes had been etched down both sides of the sword. Daniel extended his hand towards the edge, feeling the way wind moved over the sword’s edge, rippling. He tilted his head towards his friend, mouthing the word ‘Wind’.
Omrak’s happy nod was sufficient to confirm Daniel’s assumption. It seemed that Omrak had his sword enchanted with a wind or air rune, giving the blade a new, sharper cutting edge. From the evidence, it seemed that the new enchantment was highly effective.
Tula tapped the others on the shoulder, gesturing for their attention, before pointing down the corridor. Daniel flushed slightly, nodding his acceptance as he pushed his curiosity aside. Later. He would check the new weapon later.
Four hours later, the group found themselves staring at a potentially fortuitous encounter. Facing them, in a large hall with multiple entrances and flanked by imposing statues of twelve-foot-tall Zarask, was a single large chest. The floor chest which contained the larger than normal Mana Stone. Of course, along with the floor chest was the Floor Champion and its four compatriots that prowled the halls, snacking on the discarded remnants of an Adventurer’s pack. The former owner was not to be seen.
Zarask Champion (Level 18)
HP: 270/270
As the group stared at their latest encounter, Daniel gestured the team to retreat. Quietly, they pulled away from the monsters until they were a safe distance back and out of hearing range. Crouched down together, Daniel risked pulling out the earplug from one ear, gesturing for the team to follow suit.
“Do we want to do this?” Daniel asked, looking at the group. Their last four hours had gone well. Between the new equipment and tactics, the team had managed to achieve a decent record this time around with few injuries. Daniel had barely had to use his Mana thus far, leaving him nearly filled and ready to heal. Still, a Champion was always much tougher. Just by the ten-foot-tall size, it was clear this was not going to be a simple fight.
“You want to leave a Champion and floor stone behind?” Rob said incredulously.
“That’s a yes from Rob then,” Daniel said.
“No,” Tula said.
“I would not shame my family by turning down such honorable battle,” Omrak rumbled.
Asin hesitated for a second, then looked between the group. She looked particularly hard at Tula, who declined to explain her vote. In one of her hands, a throwing knife flipped round and round from finger to finger, spinning around her hand in nervous habit.
“Daniel?” Asin yowled.
“One Champion. Four Zarask,” Daniel thought aloud. “I can handle the Champion alone I think. At least, for a bit. That leaves the other four. Asin and Omrak can probably handle one of th
e Zarask each and take them down. But that leaves the other two.”
“I can delay another,” Rob said. “I have created and recharged a number of my ice and water traps. They will slow down my target, especially if I focus only on them.”
“Tula?” Daniel turned towards the range.
“No,” Tula said, shaking her head. “Not good odds.”
“Bah,” Rob said and crossed his arms. As Daniel opened his mouth to cast his vote, Rob added. “If I split my enchantments, I can slow both. But for a much shorter time. Asin or Omrak must finish their target faster.”
“Mine,” Asin said. She then pointed at Tula. “Help.”
“Together?” Daniel muttered, considering. Omrak was fast with his new weapon too, which was the reason for the split. While Omrak could handle the Champion, it was better for him to be fighting the other four and potentially picking up those that escaped Rob’s traps. Adding his weapon to the fight would mean that the minions would be dealt with faster too.
“Three.”
“Huh?” Daniel said, looking at Asin confused.
“The Catkin means that there are three votes now to go in. Your vote is unimportant,” Rob said.
Daniel found himself frowning at the Enchanter’s words and turned to Tula, searching her face for her feelings on this. The Ranger just shrugged her shoulders, readjusting the lie of her cloak.
“I guess we’re going in,” Daniel said. Once he confirmed everyone knew their roles, the Healer gestured for everyone to replace their earplugs. Tightening his grip on his hammer, Daniel waved everyone forwards.