by A F Kay
You should check.
Ruwen opened his Profile and found his librarian rank: Ink Warden. He used a mental finger to touch it, and his librarian view appeared.
Inventory
Checked Out
Overdue
Wait List
Resources
Library Loans
Satisfaction
Ruwen chose Inventory, and a popup appeared.
Search by Title, Author, Topic, or Book Id
Ruwen focused on Book Id and added “000003” to the popup with a thought.
A single entry appeared.
Book Title: A Worker’s Guide to Harvesting
Topic: Divine Harvesting Techniques
Author: Eiru the Fair
Book Id: 000003
Quality: Legendary
Durability: 10 of 10
Weight: 3.7 lbs.
Loan Count: 1
Restriction: Black Pyramid mark required.
Restriction: Class, Deity’s most common
Restriction: Harvesting Stage 10 (Minimum)
Description: Medium brown book with clasped hands. Warm to the touch.
Status: On Loan
Borrower: Ruwen Starfield
Due Date: Arowen 35th, 36913
Ruwen’s heart hammered his ribs. Before whatever catastrophe had happened at the third temple, Uru had been called Eiru, and this was her book.
She is updating the book as I progress, Ruwen told Rami.
There are few things kept as secret as Harvesting related forms. This mechanism is genius. If this book fell into the wrong hands, she could wipe it clear with a command. It also allows her to control your knowledge, making sure you avoid foolish mistakes like jumping ahead.
Ruwen didn’t respond to that, as the truth of it stung. The new Refinement form detailed in the newly revealed pages differed significantly from what he did now. Currently, he managed twenty-four Streams, twelve leaving his Core and traveling via a path to a Meridian, and twelve Streams returning from those Meridians back to his Core. So, each Meridian had its own loop connected to his Core.
But the form detailed in the book had a single Stream that traveled into a Meridian and back, but instead of reattaching to the Core, the returning Stream entered the path of another Meridian. On and on it went like that, the initial Stream weaving in and out of Meridians until all twelve were threaded and the Stream finally reattached to the Core.
Ruwen memorized the sequence of the Divine Refinement form, closed the book, and stood. He stopped his current Refinement Streams in preparation to try this new one. Not knowing any other way to manipulate Spirit Streams easily, he used Sift’s parent’s form to affect his Core.
It took Ruwen nine tries to complete the Divine Refinement form, as some angles between the Meridians proved challenging. The new form began with the Order Meridian and ended with the Chaos Meridian. When the Stream, threaded through all twelve of his Meridians finally reattached to his Core, his entire body vibrated like a struck bell.
Ruwen’s Core reabsorbed the Stream with barely any resistance. When he’d used the old method, every returning Stream had slowed his Core Velocity, but now only one Stream existed, and his Core Velocity seemed unaffected.
The weave of the Stream through Ruwen’s Meridians felt like silk, and he realized why. The route the Spirit Stream took through his paths began with his widest paths. By the time the Stream reached his Dark and Chaos Meridians, it had decreased considerably in size because much of the Essence had already been removed. Since his Dark and Chaos Meridians were his smallest paths, this worked out perfectly.
Ruwen increased his Core Velocity and then increased it again. His chest itched from the massive amount of Spirit he could now Refine. The previous method of Refining had required him to increase his Core Velocity every eight hours or so as the drag of twelve returning Streams slowed it. But this new method didn’t seem like it required any maintenance. He continued to increase his Core Velocity until he felt pressure building and then looked at the value in his Profile.
Core Velocity: 10,628/12,000
The math said Ruwen was almost ninety percent efficient, and that seemed pretty good. He sat back down and opened the book again. While this new Divine Refining form was great, he already had a ton of Essence from absorbing the Spirit storm over Stone Harbor in the Spirit Realm. A new Fortifying method is what he really needed.
Ruwen turned the page, thankful the book allowed him to continue. To his great relief, he read the title of the next section.
Divine Fortifying Form
Not poses, but a form. Ruwen quickly flipped the page.
The next eighteen pages detailed the form along with how the movements combined with the Fortifying breathing technique. The book portion after the Fortifying form remained hidden as the pages wouldn’t budge. Ruwen memorized the Divine Fortifying form, put the book in his Void Band, and stood. He briefly considered adding his three pieces of Suffocation gear, but decided this first time, he would try without them.
Ruwen began the form, making sure his body movements and breathing technique matched the explanation exactly. These first steps would Fortify the area around his Fire Meridian, the left leg and foot. As he completed the movement, Spirit from his Core flared outward and drenched his left leg and foot. But unlike the poses, which surrounded the muscle and bone like a gentle fog, the form drove the Spirit deep into the structures of his body.
Excruciating pain exploded from Ruwen’s leg, and his Last Breath skill triggered to shield his mind. His leg buckled and he fell to the ground. The Spirit surge had already withdrawn back to his Core, but not before injecting Spirit deep into his muscles and bones. It felt like a hundred thousand snakes had bitten him and injected lava into his leg and foot.
Last Breath kept the pain distant and Ruwen’s mind safe. Divine forms were probably meant for gods, not mortals whose bodies still languished in the Metal tier. But Uru wouldn’t have given him this knowledge if he wasn’t ready. He knew the importance of increasing his Fortification level and that growth was usually painful.
Ruwen pushed himself up, restarted his Fortification breathing, and positioned his body at the end of the first movement. Safe inside the island Last Breath had created in his mind, he executed the second element of the form to Fortify his intestines which surrounded his Death Meridian.
The entire area between Ruwen’s stomach and crotch felt like it had melted. His body trembled from the pain, but he remained standing this time. He cycled through his breathing a few times, letting his body recover from the trauma of the Fortification. His leg still ached as well, and he wondered if he could manage doing all twelve Meridians.
As Ruwen continued, the island Last Breath had created for him grew smaller and smaller. Hundred-foot tall waves of pain crashed against his sanctuary. The last movement of the form Fortified his brain, which surrounded his Mind Meridian. His Core surged upward, striking his mind, and everything turned white.
Ruwen’s Last Breath island disappeared, and the full force of what he’d done to his body struck him. He gasped in pain and tears made his vision blurry. Every single portion of his body burned and throbbed. He thought about healing himself but worried it would interfere with the Fortification process.
When his body stopped shaking, Ruwen pushed himself to his feet and started the form again. Last Breath triggered after the first movement, providing some relief from the pain.
The third time through the form, Ruwen’s Air and Water Meridians resisted the Spirit. He wondered if he’d done something wrong, but felt confident he had done exactly what he’d done the two previous times. The Air and Water Meridians were in his left and right biceps and Fortified the shoulders, arms, and hands.
Those Meridians had been Fortified to Gold, while the rest of his body remained Silver. Maybe there was a limit to how much Fortifying you could do. But since the other ten Meridians were still causing horrible pain, he continued.
Over and ove
r Ruwen repeated the form, the movements taking longer each time as his exhausted body struggled to obey him. The Last Breath mental island had shrunk to the size of a child’s sandbox, but it shielded him from enough pain that he could continue.
Ruwen stopped when his body quit absorbing Spirit. He figured his movements had become so shaky that the form no longer worked. Laying on his back, he stopped his Fortifying breathing. For the first time in hours he took a deep breath, and with the added oxygen, his thoughts cleared.
A minimized notification blinked in the bottom of his vision, and he opened it.
Chime!
You have advanced your Dark Meridian from Silver to Gold!
You have gained +15 to your Armor Class.
Another nine notifications followed. One for each of Ruwen’s previous Silver Meridians. He stared at the last notification.
Chime!
You have completed the Quest – Gold Body
You have gained +4 to all Attributes.
You have received +1 to your Cultivation Stage.
You have received 3,000 experience.
The Divine Fortification form, even without his Suffocation gear, had catapulted him forward. He opened his Profile and looked at the major changes.
Cultivation Stage: 41
Experience: 122,165/210,000
Spirit: 31,296,528,470
Armor Class: 1,137
The extra point in Cultivation Stage helped all of Ruwen’s Resistances. Between the Commander, Warlord, and Gold Body quests he was over halfway to level twenty-two. All the Fortification and whatever his Refining had consumed had dropped his Spirit by just over nine hundred thousand, which didn’t even scratch his total.
Ruwen’s Attributes increasing by four helped many stats. But his Armor Class, with all the Fighter ability modifiers amplifying it, had reached an incredible level. Now, even naked, he had the Armor Class of full plate armor.
Closing his Profile, he opened his Inventory in the bottom right of his vision. Using a mental finger, he pushed on the cutout and it turned, revealing his Harvesting information.
It immediately became apparent why his Fortification had stopped working. All his Meridians displayed their Gold status with the value 99.99%. It appeared moving from Gold to the first Gem level of Jade required more than just Fortification.
In fact, the Cultivation quest called the transition from Metal to Gem “Purification” and rewarded thirteen Cultivation points. Whatever Purification was, it must be difficult. He would ask Sift about it when he had the chance.
Ruwen felt good enough to sit up. Since he seemed to have hit a wall with Fortifying, he didn’t think it mattered anymore if he healed himself. He cast a level ten Blooming Trunk on himself and immediately felt better.
Standing, Ruwen felt the difference in his Gold body. His movements were smoother and faster. He tested his new body with a difficult Viper Step, jumping into the air, spinning, and executing kicks with each foot.
That is impressive, Rami said.
I can’t believe how much difference it makes. Do you think I’m as fast as Sift now?
It’s close.
Ruwen glanced at his map. They were nearing the mine, and he strode down the hallway toward the main room to see if Sift had made any progress. As he stepped into the large room, it took him a few seconds to find Sift.
Sift floated fifty feet in the air, his Falcon Aspect helm unable to hide his enormous grin.
Chapter 15
Ruwen smiled at Sift’s obvious joy.
“Hey! Watch this,” Sift yelled.
Sift dropped a few feet as he moved toward Ruwen. Sift’s arms were out like he was balancing on a wire, and Ruwen’s smile faded as he realized Sift now flew directly at him while completely out of control. Ruwen jumped to the side and Sift crashed into the floor.
Ruwen winced as Sift groaned and rolled onto his back.
“I have to work on my landings,” Sift said.
“I think you need to work on everything.”
“No, I’m getting better. You should have seen my first few landings.”
Ruwen shook his head and wondered how many concussions Sift had endured to think that landing was an improvement on anything. The clouds surrounding Shelly disappeared, and they both walked to the edge of the platform. Ruwen made the mistake of looking down and felt his stomach turn. Even though they couldn’t feel it, Shelly approached the ground at an alarming speed.
A few moments later, jagged rocks surrounded them as Shelly landed. They’d made it to the mine. Ruwen went to toggle on Magnify before realizing it had disappeared with all his other Observer capabilities, and it made him a little sad. He toggled on Detect Temperature instead and then slowly turned in a circle as he scanned the area. As he’d suspected, there didn’t appear to be anyone here, and he toggled the ability off. It gave him an idea.
“I have a question?” Ruwen asked.
Sift narrowed his eyes. “Is that your new way of saying you have an idea?”
“No.”
Sift stared at Ruwen.
“Fine, maybe.”
Sift groaned.
“See, that’s why I didn’t say I had an idea. You always groan even though we have literally survived everything because my ideas are outstanding.”
“Actually, I think it’s the women who usually save us.”
“They couldn’t save us if it wasn’t for my ideas,” Ruwen said, tapping his temple.
“That almost makes sense.”
“Stop distracting me. I want to know how you got your heart to Jade.”
Sift looked down. “Did Blapy tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
Sift glared at Ruwen.
Ruwen raised his hands. “What? I want to know. Nobody told me anything.”
“Why?”
“I asked first.”
“That’s stupid.”
“You’re stupid.”
They stared at each other for a few more seconds, and then Sift let out a long sigh. “Fine. I drank something I shouldn’t have. Some priceless elixir or something. My dad even yelled he was so upset.”
“Your dad got angry?”
Sift nodded. “Scared me to death.”
“So this elixir pushed your heart from Gold to Jade?”
“You make it sound easy. I thought I was going to die, and the only Meridian making the Purification was my Body Meridian. I can’t imagine what the pain would be like for more than one.”
That gave Ruwen pause. He would need to transform all twelve. “So that elixir caused the Purification?”
“Yes, it started the Purification process, which is evidently really difficult to begin on your own, and then helped speed the painful process. It was the worst month of my life.”
“What? Did you say a month?”
“Like I said, I only had one Meridian, so it went faster.”
How long would it take Ruwen to Purify twelve Meridians so he could transform from Metal to Gem? A year? And that was with Sift’s elixir. “Do you have the recipe for that elixir?”
Sift shook his head. “My parents might. I mean, why leave a bottle out where a thirsty kid can find it. Really, it was their fault. Why all the questions?”
“Hit me,” Ruwen said.
Without hesitation, Sift punched Ruwen’s solar plexus. Ruwen didn’t dodge, and he heard a bone snap as Sift struck Ruwen’s chest.
Sift jerked his hand back and stared at it, and then at Ruwen, in disbelief.
Ruwen grabbed Sift’s hand and cast level ten Blooming Branch, healing the snapped finger.
“Thanks,” Sift said. “Did you level your body again?”
Ruwen looked down at himself. “Gold.”
“How?” Sift said in a whisper. “Is that why you wanted to know about getting to the Gem levels?”
Ruwen nodded. “I’m stuck at the peak of Gold. I’ll need to figure out how to break through to Gem soon. But I don’t have a year to do it, so I’ll need something f
aster than your elixir.”
“How did you get to Gold so fast?” Sift asked.
Ruwen grew serious. “I need your oath that what I show you will die with you. No other person, unless we both agree, can see it. That includes your parents.”
“See what?”
“A Divine Fortification form,” Ruwen said.
“A form? You mean poses, right?”
Ruwen shook his head.
“Divine?” Sift asked.
“Yes. I don’t know how effective it will be in the Gem levels, but it smashes through the Metal ones, and I didn’t even use my Suffocation gear. Getting back to my idea, your punch proved why it’s so good.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“You stay here and Fortify your body while I run and grab the oil.”
“You go by yourself? Are you joking?”
Ruwen shook his head. “I’m not. This second Class I took has turned me into a monster, and I’m confident I can handle or escape from anything I meet out there. But my future is full of danger, and your Lead body isn’t prepared for it. I might not be either, but you have a lot of ground to make up.”
Sift didn’t show any anger. “I do not fear death.”
Ruwen smiled. “Well, I fear it enough for both of us. I don’t want my best friend to follow me into danger and die. That is not something I want to live with, which wouldn’t be long because Lylan would kill me. Really, I’m doing this for myself.”
“Will you get in trouble for showing me this Divine form?”
Ruwen shrugged. “I don’t care. You’re important to me, and I want your body strong enough to protect itself from your terrible choices.”
“Does it hurt?” Sift asked.
“I barely felt it,” Ruwen said with a smile.
“I’m not sure how I feel about using your secret form.”
“That’s fine. At the rate I’m going, I’ll kick your butt during our Step Master testing. I can already picture the disappointment on your parent’s faces.”