by A F Kay
Ruwen had just used four Ability Points to max out Analyze, and he wondered if he should add a few spell points to the Worker spell Tumble. Every spell point would make another twenty feet of altitude safe. But even if he maxed it out at a hundred feet, it wouldn’t counteract his current fall.
A gigantic hole to Ruwen’s right was all that remained of the cavern, which continued to burn, and the ground under him looked like a sea of sharp rocks. Boulders surrounded him, and he figured at least a few of them would land on top of him doing extra damage. He spread his arms and legs wide, trying to catch as much air as he could and slow his decent.
Last Breath had given him a few extra seconds to think, but things didn’t look good. He needed to slow himself down to a speed that wouldn’t be fatal. Again, he found himself in a situation where a little Spirit would save his life, but the risks made that choice impossible.
If Ruwen died, though, he wouldn’t even remember this. The last time he synched to Uru was in the underground oil tunnel. Not only would he lose all the experience from whoever had died in that explosion, he would lose the knowledge of this hidden position and any chance of salvaging items from the Naktos temple. Surely those things warranted using his Spirit and the Scarecrow appearing for two seconds.
Ruwen gritted his teeth in frustration. His speed had rapidly increased, and he only had seconds left. The buff Grasp Crate caught his attention, giving him an idea. A bad one. But it beat starting the apocalypse.
For twenty-five Energy per second, Move On allowed Ruwen to create a bridge with five hundred square feet of adjustable surface area. He pictured a bridge with two fifteen by fifteen-foot triangle bases fifty feet part, with a four-inch tube, two hundred feet long, stretched between them. He pushed the image along with twenty-five Energy to Move On.
The bridge appeared, one of the supports directly under Ruwen. The small tube that connected the bases looked like a blur as he fell ten feet from it. He briefly opened his Void Band and used bursts of air to move closer to the tube. Grasp Crate increased the friction of his skin by ten percent and should slow him enough to survive.
Ruwen grabbed the tube with both hands. Last Breath protected him from the pain, but blood spattered his face and his Health dropped by twenty. He let go, blinking the blood from his eyes as Massage healed his damaged hands. Gripping the tube directly would rip his hands off his arms, and he only had two seconds left.
Ruwen didn’t have time to use his cloak or extract something from his Void Band to protect his hands. Instead, he channeled one Energy per second into Climb. His level one Climb provided one hundred feet of rope, but he only needed five.
Grabbing the rope in each hand, Ruwen pressed his now protected palms against the tube with all his might. The sudden friction jerked his arms above his head, causing forty damage, and intense pain radiated from his shoulders. Searing heat blistered his hands, and Massage struggled to heal it.
Ruwen slowed, but only fifty feet from the ground, he worried it wouldn’t be enough. With a thought, he removed the left support of the bridge-base below him. Immediately the entire bridge swayed to the left, shifting his momentum from straight down to an angle.
Fifteen feet from the ground, Ruwen stopped channeling Move On and Climb. The bridge and rope disappeared, but they had done their job. Instead of striking the ground head on at seventy miles an hour, he flew at a thirty-degree angle, moving forty miles an hour, which would maximize the damage reduction from his Tumbling skill.
Ruwen channeled five Energy per second into both Petrify and Turtle Stance. At level one, Petrify increased his Armor Class by five percent, which coupled with all his other modifiers, added fifty-one additional AC points. Turtle Stance would reduce his damage by ten percent, which might help him survive this fall.
Tucking into a ball, Ruwen attempted to roll as he struck the ground. His shoulder smashed against a rock, and his roll turned into a whirling pinwheel. Bone after bone broke and blood splattered everywhere as he catapulted across the rocky ground: right femur, left shin, ribs on both sides, jaw, and both shoulders all shattered.
Ruwen slammed into a large boulder, bringing him to a sudden stop. Last Breath kept him from passing out, and he took gasping breaths from a punctured lung. Last Breath had slowed time making the fall seem much longer, but less than ten seconds had passed since he’d cast Massage.
The heal continued to tick for thirty-two Health per second, and Ruwen’s Health bar turned from red to yellow. He’d survived.
Ruwen stopped channeling everything except Fresh Air and looked up into the sky. He laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of what he’d done, but immediately stopped as what felt like magma filled his chest.
Casting Massage again, Ruwen stood as soon as his bones mended. Another tunnel had led off that cavern, and Ruwen suspected it connected with more enemies. Enemies who had likely survived the blast in the cavern. Survey and Stone Echo displayed the large hole he’d created just three hundred feet away, and he ran toward it.
The fire had burned out, and everything still in the cavern looked shredded. Stone Echo had a five-hundred-foot reach and white dots appeared at the far edge of the tunnel. Naktos had additional troops here, and they headed toward Ruwen.
Ruwen wanted to search for valuables and inspect the destroyed revival baths that were thrown upward with the explosion, but with the approaching guards, he didn’t have time. His number one priority was getting back into Uru’s Blessing and ensuring the knowledge he’d gained wouldn’t be lost. Even though he finally had the Resources to cast Uru’s Touch and synch his current state outside of Uru’s Blessing, the two-minute cast time made it impossible to do now.
Zooming out on the map, Ruwen found Uru’s Blessing, almost five miles away. He channeled two Energy per second into Dash, increasing his top speed by twenty percent, and sprinted toward safety. Many Classes had quick ways to cross even great distances, and there wasn’t any place to hide out here. He needed to get to safety before the quickest soldiers caught up to him.
Ruwen looked for Whiskers on the map and found the cat a mile away. He summoned the cat, while shifting it to its travel form. A minute later the large cat appeared, a saddle on its back. He pulled himself up and sent Whiskers the map location of Sift and Shelly. Whiskers bounded forward, and Ruwen’s stomach fluttered at the sudden speed.
The map overlay no longer displayed any white dots, and Ruwen relaxed a little. At this pace they would reach Sift in five minutes and six seconds. Ruwen opened his notifications.
Shing!
You have advanced a skill!
Skill: Swimming
Level: 12
Effect: Increase speed in the water by 12%. Decrease Energy Cost by 6.0%
Shing!
You have advanced a skill!
Skill: Tumbling
Level: 72
Effect: Decrease fall damage by 36.0%.
Shing!
You have advanced a skill!
Skill: Unarmed Combat
Level: 96
Effect: Increase unarmed damage by 48.0%. Increase chance to deflect or dodge a blow by 48.0%.
Ding!
Uru’s Blessings, Worker! You have reached level 21.
You have gained +1 to Strength!
You have gained +1 to Stamina!
You have 2 unassigned points.
Uru’s Blessings, Root! You have reached level 21.
You have 2 unassigned points.
New Spells and Abilities are available to you. Choose wisely.
The skill boosts were welcome, but the level increase thrilled Ruwen. He desperately needed more ability and spell points. He opened the last notification.
Ding!
Uru’s Blessings, Worker! You have reached level 22.
You have gained +1 to Strength!
You have gained +1 to Stamina!
You have 2 unassigned points.
Uru’s Blessings, Root! You have reached level 22.
You have 2 unassi
gned points.
New Spells and Abilities are available to you. Choose wisely.
Level twenty-two. Ruwen stared at the notification.
Rami? How?
Congratulations. The short version is there were four enemies of level fifty or higher down there. They massively increased your experience. All together you gained four hundred twenty-eight thousand one hundred fifty experience, and your twenty percent Tutor Banner bonus made it five hundred thirteen thousand seven hundred eighty. You are already eighty-four percent to level twenty-three.
Ruwen opened his Profile in disbelief.
Experience: 212,705/253,000
Strength and Stamina had automatically gone up a point with each level, and Ruwen had gained eight unassigned Attribute Points to distribute. Following the process he had decided on already, he added two points to Stamina, Dexterity, and Intelligence, and one point each to Wisdom and Charisma.
Best of all, Ruwen’s spell points had climbed by six to nine, and his Ability Points by four to ten. He wanted to think a little more about those before assigning them.
That was beneficial but messy, Rami said.
I know.
I can’t believe you built a bridge in the sky.
Ruwen grinned. I can’t believe it worked.
I actually stopped and backed up all my queries. I thought we were dead.
Once again, hard work saved us. Last Breath gave me the time to think and your gentle Step training provided enough tumbling skill to survive the fall.
That was the worst tumble ever.
Yeah, I hope nobody saw that.
Oh, Whiskers did. I already copied his memories. Everyone back home will love it.
You wouldn’t.
With the Savage Seven and now this, before long you’ll have your own special: Ruwen’s greatest hits. You’re definitely the most interesting Librarian we’ve ever had.
They crossed into Uru’s Blessing, and Ruwen relaxed even more. Now if he died, at least he’d remember what had happened here.
Whiskers slowed and then stopped in front of a large boulder. Ruwen jumped down and looked around for Shelly. The map showed Sift just in front of him, so Shelly must have cloaked herself like the surroundings, like what she’d done in the sky. He crept forward until he touched the rock, and Shelly’s foot appeared.
Ruwen climbed up Shelly’s leg and Whiskers shot by him, the cat now in his small urban form. Out of curiosity, he triggered Analyze on Shelly.
Target: Ancient Mother (Elder Star Tortoise)
Type: Creature (Divine)
Strengths: Gravitational Warping, Indestructible, Transformation, Cloaking
Weaknesses: Ground State (Absolute Zero), Gravitational Singularities
Disposition: Neutral
So far, Analyze had displayed four different types: resource, creature, humanoid, and structure. But this time the type had included a Divine designation, which shocked Ruwen. Did that mean Shelly was a Divine creature like Blapy? From the alchemy he’d studied, he recognized absolute zero as a freezing state. Elemental Mages could almost reach it and some Craftsman required a temperature that low for their creations. His dimensional math had discussed singularities, but he didn’t know gravity could create one, which fascinated him. Shelly certainly contained a lot of mystery.
Careful not to look down, Ruwen slowly made his way up to the door. Stepping into the turtle’s large shell, he found Sift, laying in a pool of blood.
Chapter 21
Ruwen ran to his friend, confused that Sift’s group portrait showed no damage. As Ruwen kneeled, Sift opened his eyes.
“I hate you,” Sift whispered.
“What happened?”
“Your stupid form happened.”
“Sorry, I kind of lied about the pain, but I swear I didn’t bleed.”
“Kind of lied? That is the worst pain I’ve ever felt, and I’ve had to run naked through a Lasher herd.”
Ruwen had never seen a Lasher, but the way Sift named things, Ruwen figured it probably hurt.
“Why do you always end up naked?” Ruwen asked.
Sift looked over Ruwen. “Like wearing a cape makes you better?”
“I have underwear on, and there was an explosion, and acid, and–”
Sift interrupted. “Well before the Lashers, an Oozing Leaper puked on me.”
Sift’s eyes widened and he nodded slowly, as if Ruwen knew what any of that meant.
Ruwen shook his head. “Never mind. Are you okay? We need to get Shelly up in the air before the company arrives.”
“What company?”
Ruwen shrugged. “Some new friends I made.”
Sift pushed himself up with a groan. “Well, if they like you as much as the rest of your friends, we’re probably in some danger.”
“That is a safe bet,” Ruwen said, standing as well.
“Shelly, take us into the clouds please.”
Ruwen didn’t feel a shift or any movement, but the rock field disappeared and in seconds clouds surrounded them.
“I’m going to need more Spirit,” Sift said.
The blood on Sift’s Cultivator garb, the special clothes a gift from Blapy, dripped off without leaving any stains and the blood on the floor disappeared.
Ruwen grabbed Sift’s hand and fed him Spirit. “Seriously, I don’t remember bleeding.”
“That form struck my Lead body like a thunderstorm of knives. I couldn’t use the Suffocation Vambrace as I’d already reached my limit.” Sift grabbed his chest and quickly let go of Ruwen’s hand. “That’s enough Spirit. Thanks.”
Ruwen noticed Sift’s grip had firmed. “You leveled your Water Meridian.”
Sift grinned and waved a hand over his body. “This fine body is now one hundred percent Copper.”
“Seriously? That’s fantastic.”
“Thanks, I pushed myself.”
Ruwen grew serious. “I can see that, and your suffering brings me joy.”
Sift punched Ruwen’s shoulder and then shook his hand in pain, but this time none of his fingers broke.
Ruwen laughed. “I mean your progress will help keep you alive, and that’s what matters.”
Ruwen strode to the edge of the platform, laid on his stomach, and inched his head forward until the ground came into view. Shelly had stopped about five hundred feet in the air, and Ruwen’s stomach turned.
Sift walked up next to Ruwen, looked down, and shook his head. “You need to get over your fear of heights.”
The terror of falling hundreds of feet remained fresh in Ruwen’s memory. “I think it’s getting worse, actually.”
“You just need more exposure.”
“No, I don’t think it works like that.”
“Those your friends?” Sift asked.
At least thirty people fanned out below them, and they moved slowly as they searched for Ruwen.
“Naktos had a base by the oil,” Ruwen said.
“Had?”
“I got caught, but then I had a great idea.”
Sift waved his hands. “No need to explain, then. I can piece the rest together myself. In fact, I can see the smoke plume from here.” His face grew serious. “You should have called for help.”
Ruwen pushed himself away from the edge, stood, and backed another ten feet away. “I didn’t have time. Things got—”
Messy, Rami said.
“Hi, Rami,” Sift said. “Was his plan any good?”
I honestly thought I was going to die, Rami replied.
“That’s how I always feel,” Sift said.
“Will you two stop,” Ruwen said. “We still have work to do.”
“You didn’t get the oil?” Sift asked.
“I got the oil. But we have over twelve hours before anyone expects us back, and I have—” Ruwen stopped and searched for a word other than idea. “A suggestion on how we can spend it. A couple, actually.”
“You’re just full of ideas today,” Sift said.
“The good news is you
get to stay with Shelly and use that Spirit I just gave you. Hopefully, Copper to Silver will involve less bleeding.”
Sift narrowed his eyes. “What will you be doing?”
Ruwen smiled. “I’m hoping to meet some old friend from the Spirit Realm.”
It took an hour to find the Cultivator camp Tremine and Bliz had talked about, and Sift landed Shelly fifty miles away. Ruwen used Scrub to clean himself as best he could, and dressed in the brown Worker clothes Bliz had given him on his Ascendancy Day. He left the Baton of a Thousand Uses and the Fastidious Blade in his Void Band, not wanting the Cultivators to think he came to fight. Riding Whiskers, he traveled quickly toward the camp.
As soon as Survey and Stone Echo displayed a white dot on his map, Ruwen stopped and slid off Whisker’s saddle. He instructed Whiskers to stay put and strode forward alone. When he passed the initial sentry, he made no effort to find them.
By the time the Cultivator camp came into view, over ten people surrounded Ruwen, all out of sight. At least fifty people had gathered to meet him. Three people stood apart from the crowd, waiting at the camp’s boundary, and he stopped fifteen feet from them.
All three wore loose fitting Cultivator garments similar to Sift’s. The clothes would allow energy to pass through them and offered no physical protection. The tallest of the three, a grey-haired man with wrinkles from a lifetime of smiles, stood a little ahead. The man on the right looked like every meal was his favorite, which contrasted with the woman to the left who looked lean and a little severe.
Ruwen held out a fist, placed his palm over it, and bowed. The greeting, assuming they didn’t already know from his movements, marked him as a student of the Steps. “My name is Ruwen Starfield, and I am honored to meet you.”
The heavy man gasped and stepped forward, but the grey-haired man held out his arm and stopped him. The woman frowned as multiple shouts emerged from the crowd as Ruwen’s name traveled through the gathering. Why was his name having such an affect here?