by Sarah Lin
It delayed the golem long enough. Shaking off his weariness, Bloodwraith raised his sword and stabbed it deep into the golem's hand. When it hissed and tried to flex its claws, Bloodwraith grabbed the blade with his other hand and twisted, using leverage against the weaker bones. Combined with another burst of force, he managed to tear apart the golem's hand.
That finally made it rear back, clutching at its injury. Danniah tried to strike, but the golem was still disturbingly fast. It leapt to the ceiling, avoiding her blow entirely, and then came back down at her back. Danniah let out a scream of pain as it stabbed through her breastplate. The golem advanced to finish her off, but was pushed back by more spells from Gharavi.
Meanwhile, Izilthor popped up beside him. She gave a worried screech when she saw the bone claws still through his armor, but wasted no time in consuming his injury. With that energy flowing through her, she hurled herself into the golem's back before it could reach Gharavi's position.
"This needs to end." The words came from Meara, who stood beside him offering another potion. Not thinking clearly, Bloodwraith tried to examine it, seeing only a blurry box. "Bloodwraith!"
Her hand came down heavily on his head and she jarred him into wakefulness. Though his mind was still exhausted and his body ached, Bloodwraith felt a moment of clarity. He downed Meara's potion and sprinted out as the energy pumped through his body.
The golem turned and it should have easily countered his charge, but the others automatically acted as well. Izilthor cut deep into its leg, Gharavi slammed ice into its back, and Danniah threw herself into the path of its attack shield-first. All of them slowed down the golem just enough.
Powered by the last of his mana, his sword went deep into the golem's skull. It let out a final groan and flailed, knocking them aside, but when it tried to attack again it fell. The golem reached for the sword still embedded in its skull, then finally collapsed and lay still.
All of them just stared at it for a very long time, too tired to feel anything.
[Victory! You received 91,078 EXP.
Marathon Bonus x1.2
Total EXP: 109,293
Marathon Stat Bonus: +1 Unassigned Stat Point
Deferred Stat Updates:
Max Health +15
Max Mana +3
Max Stamina +5
Vitality +1
Quickness +1
Willpower +2]
"It's... it's over." Bloodwraith didn't even care that he hadn't gained a level, he just wanted to rest.
"Do..." Danniah paused for a long moment, gathering herself. "Do we need to walk all the way back up to the top floor?"
"Why? We've destroyed everything in the crypt."
"Yay..." She promptly slumped to the ground in her armor. It wasn't long before she began to snore.
Everyone else soon succumbed to their exhaustion as well. Gharavi and Meara found comfortable positions and went straight to sleep, while Izilthor started to eat the golem's bones before falling asleep draped over its skull.
Bloodwraith lasted a little longer, staring at the remains until he fell into shadow.
~ ~ ~
When Bloodwraith awoke, he knew that he must have been asleep for a long time, because he felt incredibly refreshed. Though he still had wounds from the battle - still had bone claws stabbing through his stomach - he felt good compared to his exhaustion from before.
Only Meara was awake, but she seemed entirely focused on something else. When he approached, she put a finger to her lips for silence, then handed him several healing potions.
Sitting down on the large sarcophagus, Bloodwraith began to painfully pull the bone claws out of his stomach. The wounds began to bleed again, but that was what the health potions were for. They tasted horrible and his gag reflex tried to throw them back up, but he forced himself to drink until all the claws were out and his body was healed.
The next person to wake was Gharavi. She seemed uncertain at first, then spent some time fixing her messy hair, a ritual that seemed to restore her mental calm. Once she was done, she walked over and sat down beside him.
"While we were under the effects of excessive fatigue, I... said some things."
He considered telling her that he didn't remember, but was too tired to lie. "I remember."
"They were true, but... let's not talk about them, okay? I need more time to think."
"That's fine." The exhausted part of him wanted to leave it at that, but before she could go, he grunted at her wrist. "Use the bracelet again. It should be recharged."
She gave him a slight smile and did so. The box changed to [46/46], then she slipped away. Bloodwraith stayed where he was, not thinking about it. Usually his thoughts were never silent, but it seemed that his mind needed more of a break than mere sleep.
Izilthor woke up next and resumed eating the bone golem's corpse as if she hadn't slept, though she beamed at any of them when they came near. Danniah stayed sleeping so long that they would have been worried if not for her snoring.
Eventually she sat up, stretched with a huge yawn, and smiled at everyone. "We did it, right? What did we get?"
"I was waiting for everyone to be awake." Bloodwraith stepped off the sarcophagus and they all gathered near. After they thoroughly checked for any further traps or wards and found none, he braced himself against the floor and pushed the top away.
Inside the sarcophagus lay some long-forgotten ruler, wearing fine robes that had long since become dust. What mattered was that his treasures were arranged around him. His weapon appeared to have been an ornate flail, which the boxes declared to be Very Rare... but none of them could use it. They could sell it eventually, of course, it was simply disappointing.
But the rest held some items of use, starting with his boots:
[Sandstrider Boots
Armor: 8
Vitality +1, Quickness +1
Durability: 50/50
Rarity: Rare]
"Ooh!" Danniah tugged them off and held them up. "These feel really good, but... I think they may be too big for me."
"Let me work with them." Meara went to examine them as well. "If we modify them a bit and pack the insides, maybe they can work for you."
"That would be great!"
Aside from that, the next item of real value was a ring set with a sapphire:
[Sandstrider Ring
Armor: 1
Quickness +2
Special Effect: Able to move easily over sand, ice, and other types of uneven terrain.
Rarity: Very Uncommon]
Quite a potent find. Bloodwraith removed one of his gauntlets to slip on the ring while he examined the remaining contents. Only one item had obvious value: a dark case that he knew would contain a variety of valuable potions. When he opened it, everyone stared at the glowing flasks, but to his disappointment there were only two potions within.
[Potion of Charisma
Permanently increases Charisma. Effect decreases with more powerful attributes and subsequent potions.
Rarity: Rare]
[Potion of Luck
Permanently increases Luck. Effect decreases with more powerful attributes and subsequent potions.
Rarity: Rare]
Not nearly as valuable as it could have been. Gharavi raised an eyebrow. "Why would he bury these with him? Wouldn't they have been more useful to him in life?"
"Well," Danniah said with a laugh, "he never found a Potion of Intellect, I suppose."
Tired as they were, both of them laughed at that. But Bloodwraith was staring at the potions with something else in mind. Plucking one from the case, he held it out to Meara.
"Could you create these?"
"That is a very good question." She accepted it from him and closed her eyes for a long time before eventually opening them with a pained expression. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I think... all my abilities are gained by stretching the capacities I was given beyond their normal range. Creating potions and being a non-combatant came easily enough, but even repa
iring was a stretch and I've struggling with stealing. Creating potions such as these... that's not something a simple herbalist girl could ever do."
"It was worth a try." Bloodwraith took the Potion of Luck back and downed it in one gulp, watching his Luck rise by 2 points. He wasn't sure what the statistic did, and even the box's description was vague, but it couldn't hurt to have more of it.
That left them with the Potion of Charisma. They all stared at it a while before Danniah spoke up. "Uh... maybe Meara should get it? She's the one who does all the trading, and Charisma would be useful for that, right?"
"Hmm. The boxes do say that Charisma is useful for merchants."
But Meara was already shaking her head. "That's true for normal people, not me. My stats have stayed exactly the same and I don't know how much impact they have. One of you should take it."
Normally Bloodwraith would have taken it for himself, yet he found himself hesitating. There was something else, something to do with the exact numbers... he glanced toward Danniah, looking at her box more carefully. When he focused on her stats, something jumped out at him.
[Name: Danniah
Race: Half-Human/Half-Dwarf
Class: Warrior
Health: 292/292
Mana: 6/6
Stamina: 189/189
Level: 11
EXP: ???
Affection: 100/100
Statistics:
Might: 31 (34)
Vitality: 48 (51)
Quickness: 26 (27)
Intellect: 14
Charisma: 15 (12)
Willpower: 23 (25)
Wisdom: 14
Luck: 12
Piety: 12]
Her physical stats added up to greater than 100 total points, before enchantments. When he had passed the same threshold, he had received a special bonus. Could the same have happened to her? He interrogated her box until he managed to derive a box of secondary statistics.
[Physical defense value of equipped armor increased by 20%.
Physical Resistance +5%
Health Regeneration +15%
Stamina Regeneration +15%]
"Fascinating... Danniah, over the past month, was there ever a point where you felt that you gained a significant new level of strength?"
"Uh, that's pretty hard to tell." Danniah sat back, pondering it. "I definitely feel like I got better overall, more than a normal month training, but there wasn't any one moment. It was more like all the things I learned just came together. Why do you ask?"
"Because it looks like you've received a similar bonus to the one I did. The boxes might have granted slightly more, but the principle appears to be the same."
"That's great! I guess... does it matter?"
"It might matter to Gharavi." His eyes slid over to her, examining her box. Now that she was not keeping secrets from him, it was easy to read.
[Name: Gharavi
Race: Half-Orc/Half-???
Class: Sorcerer
Health: 174/174
Mana: 94/94
Stamina: 167/167
Level: 17
EXP: ???
Affection: 46/46
Statistics:
Might: 21
Vitality: 26
Quickness: 40
Intellect: 49 (54)
Charisma: 20
Willpower: 30
Wisdom: 24
Luck: 15
Piety: 12]
Just as he'd suspected: her combined Intellect, Charisma, and Willpower equaled 99. Though he couldn't prove it, he strongly suspected that the statistics were divided into three categories: physical, mental, and whatever could group the final three. The system wasn't entirely perfect, especially since "Wisdom" should have been part of the mental cluster, but he had proof that the first three were a physical triad.
"What's this about?" Gharavi cocked her head to the side, but Bloodwraith could only shrug.
"It's difficult to explain, but the result is simple: I think you should drink the potion. It will make for an interesting experiment."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm lacking in Charisma?" But she took the potion without objecting and drank it. As it slid down her throat, Bloodwraith watched her closely.
[Gharavi's Charisma +2]
[Gharavi's Current Base Mental Stats:
Intellect: 49
Charisma: 22
Willpower: 30]
[Your ally's total natural mental stats have reached or passed 100!
Magical defense value of any equipped armor is increased by 20%!
Magical Resistance +5%
Mana Regeneration +15%
Stamina Regeneration +10%
NOTE: Allies may not gain the full increase immediately.]
"The boxes say that it worked. Do you feel any different?"
"No, I..." Gharavi trailed off, one hand going to her head. "That's strange... the potion tingled a bit when it went down, like you would expect for a normal magic potion. But I'm still tingling... I think the natural mana in my body is reacting in some way..."
"According to the boxes, you're gaining some sort of boost from your overall mental capacity." Bloodwraith could only shrug. "That's what it says, anyway."
"Well, it feels quite odd. I think I need to lie down." She shuffled back and sat against the wall, looking inward.
Though they had obtained some significant treasures and made real progress, Bloodwraith found himself frustrated by a single major failure: his EXP box. It still remained at a frustrating [188,057/194,400].
"I wonder if there are any more undead nearby we could fight... I'm close to gaining another Level, but it would take quite a few enemies unless we can find strong ones." But as he wondered aloud, he saw that Meara was smiling at him. A smirk, but not at his expense.
"You really must be tired, Bloodwraith. Have you forgotten?"
He realized in that moment, but Meara was already embracing him theatrically. "Thank you, noble hero, thank you! The crypt is finally free of undead!"
[Quest Complete!
Clear the crypt outside Manascas.
Local Reputation +10
Meara Affection +NaN
Alignment: Good +10
EXP +5000]
Bloodwraith sighed in satisfaction as the new power flooded into him. Yes, it had been some time since he'd been able to cooperate with Meara to manipulate the new quests. Though that put him frustratingly close to his goal, he was glad to hear that she felt comfortable twisting the quests again.
Yet Meara didn't seem to be done. She tapped a finger against her lips for a while, then turned and walked away. Once she was on the opposite side of the chamber, she turned back and called out.
"Oh, Valorous Raigar! Would you find for me the Sandstrider's Flail?"
He blinked. "Can you really do that? Can it be that eas-"
[Quest Accepted!
Retrieve the Sandstrider's Flail for Meara.
Rewards: EXP, Meara Affection]
Not believing that it could be that easy, Bloodwraith walked over to the sarcophagus, picked up the flail, then walked across the room and handed it to her.
"Yes, I'm really a true hero. Running tedious errands is the heart of heroism."
[Quest Complete!
Retrieve the Sandstrider's Flail for Meara.
Meara Affection +NaN
EXP +2000]
He stared at the box, simultaneously successful and annoyed, while Meara laughed. When he heard the phantom music in his mind, it felt like mockery, but in the end it didn't matter.
[Congratulations! You gained a level!
Current Level: 14
Current EXP: 657/291,600
Unassigned Stat Points: 5]
All that mattered was power. Bloodwraith tried to ignore the cheap manner in which he'd gained that power and distributed it between Might and Quickness. Once he was done, he looked over his personal box one more time.
[Name: Raigar
Race: Human
; Class: Barbarian
Alignment: Good
Health: 242/242
Mana: 34/34
Weapon Mana: 9/9
Stamina: 154/154
Level: 14
EXP: 657/291,600
Statistics:
Might: 54 (60)
Vitality: 39 (43)
Quickness: 46 (51)
Intellect: 21
Charisma: 12
Willpower: 21 (23)
Wisdom: 14
Luck: 19
Piety: 4
Combat Skills: Cleave (9), Fist of Rage (10), Sword of Rage (9), Shout of Rage (7), Skill Enraging (5)
Skills: Two-handed Weapons (14), Evasion (11), Survivalism (6), Herbalism (6), Manual Labor (2), Swimming (2)
Special Skill: Undead Companion (12)
Proficiencies: Greatsword, Heavy Armor]
[Inventory (Extra-dimensional Bag)
Equipment: Lodestone Greatsword (enhanced), Armor of the Tyrant (set), Leather Gloves of Strength
Rings: Ring of Herbalism, Ring of Quickness, Ring of Willpower, Ring of Might, Sandstrider Ring
Items: Peasant's Outfit, Health Potion x6, Mana Potion x8, Failed Potion x2
Key Items: Amulet of Reincarnation]
So that was what he had to work with. It might not be his old power, but it was more than he had before. Bloodwraith looked over the box in satisfaction for a while, then dismissed it and turned to the others. Now that they were all fully awake and had acquired their rewards, their mood had lifted significantly.
Gharavi was staring at Meara, though. "Such strange readings... you actually manipulated the system directly..."
"It's not so hard." Meara shrugged. "They implanted part of the system in me so that I could guide new Outsiders. I'm just repurposing it."