War Aeternus 2: Sacrifices

by Charles Dean

  Great, Lee thought, rubbing his head to try to assuage the pain. Swapping tactics, he had his two golems gather up sand from the arena and bring it to him. It took a while, but he eventually had enough to feel confident about his chances. Next, he had them fetch nails from the seats around the colosseum. Using their teeth and claws, they were easily able to dig nails out of the chairs. Lee even made sure to have them target the chairs in the fancy-looking boxes first. He wanted to make sure that the butts hitting the ground when their seats collapsed were properly rich and pompous.

  Once the materials were in Lee’s hand, he started to form them. First, he started with the sand. This time, he was able to take his time and check with the system to find out exactly how things worked. According to the system, the sand weighed a little over three grams. Pushing his spirit into the small pile, he molded it into a glass object and then glanced down at his mana bar. Surprisingly, it hadn’t even moved.

  What in the heck? he thought, a little annoyed that he couldn’t do the calculations. System, did I even lose mana making this little glass bobble?

  Yes. A percentage of your spirit did go into making the item, but it was too small for your current mana bar format to display.

  Okay then, Lee thought, pulling out a nail instead. The system informed him that the nails were a little bigger than the two-inch finishing nails he was used to seeing back home and weighed just over a gram. Holding up three, he pushed his spirit into each and fused them together. Once again, he realized the amount used was so small that he couldn’t even see the difference.

  He wasn’t sure how much spirit he would need, but he figured it wouldn’t be a problem for something so small. The total fusion occurred seamlessly, and at first glance at his mana bar, he was shocked. Wait, that didn’t use any mana either? Lee wondered, staring at the bar, but then he realized that wasn’t the case. No, it used some, but just a small amount. It used about .3% of my total mana, Lee noted. Then he pulled out some more nails and continued his experiment of merging them, noticing that it seemed to use exactly .1% mana per 1 gram of metal he was melding. This meant that 10 grams would eat an entire percentage point, and it would take 3 percent of his total mana to shape a single ounce of metal.

  You have learned the divine skill Spirit Smithing. This skill is currently at Initiate Level 1. This skill allows the forming, shaping and tempering of metals using Spirit alone. The skill also increases basic understanding of metal weapons and armor. Spirit Smithing improves mana management by 5% per rank and improves the durability, armor value and weapon damage of metal items by 2.5% per rank.

  You have been awarded 2 Intelligence for discovering a new skill without the assistance of class trainers or a manual. Current Intelligence: 144.

  Lee had been hoping for this to happen, but he frowned as soon as he read the numbers. This means I’m a long way off from crafting my own weapon from iron, doesn’t it? It meant that the ability to craft a shortsword or a longsword was in the future, but with such a small, incremental improvement, it would be a very long time before he was able to craft armor. Given that even a smaller sword would weigh at least around 2.5 pounds, or about 1130 grams, he would need a 13% increase in his mana pool or a good decrease in the cost of Spirit Smithing just to make a small sword. It was going to be a daunting amount, and Lee was quite glad he had experimented with the nails first, measuring out the ratios before sinking his entire spirit bar into attempting to make a big weapon only to receive the feedback damage that would occur afterward.

  Lee wasn’t sure what he wanted to make with the nails, but after a lot of thinking, he started changing and fashioning them into coils. After some playing with the nails a bit, he also realized that the weight of the item also helped determine how long it would take to smith it with mana. Thanks to the system’s calculator, he was able to figure out that each ounce of metal would roughly translate to a tad over a minute of time.

  Finally, satisfied with his results and running out of materials to work with, he decided to just keep making and remaking the springs to raise his Spirit Smithing. He did this over and over again until he finally ran out of mana. At Spirit Smithing Initiate Level 2 and with zero mana, he finally gave up and went to sleep.

  Right as he was passing out, he noticed one final system notification:

  Your mastery of Golem Sculpting has progressed from the rank of Novice Level 10 to the rank of Journeyman Level 1. The Journeyman rank grants a 20% speed bonus to all golems. Golem Sculpting now allows for the sculpting of three golems instead of two. Current Combat Bonus: 178.60%. Golems created by Golem Sculpting may now take up an additional 5% more space. Current Max Space: 5.56 fluid ounces.

  Due to improving Golem Sculpting, you have received +1 Intelligence. Current Intelligence: 146.

  Chapter 7

  Name: Lee

  Race: Human

  Class: Herald - None

  Level: 20

  Health: 300/300

  EXP: 9002/17000

  Primary Stats:

  Power 30 (31)

  Toughness 30 (31)

  Spirit 30 (31)

  Secondary Stats:

  Charisma 20

  Courage 20

  Deceit 19

  Intelligence 146 (153)

  Honor 5

  Faith 740

  Personal Faith 234

  Skills:

  Unarmed Combat Initiate Level 7

  Swordplay Novice Level 6

  Sneak Journeyman Level 1

  Cooking Initiate Level 7

  Trap Detection Initiate Level 6

  Knife Combat Initiate Level 8

  Mental Fortitude Initiate Level 1

  Sleight of Hand Initiate Level 3

  Blood Shield Initiate Level 1

  Glass Smithing Initiate Level 2

  Divine Skills:

  Golem Sculpting Journeyman Level 1

  Appreciative Drunk Novice Level 8

  Nectar of the Gods Initiate Level 2

  Spirit Smithing Initiate Level 2

  Faith Healing

  Divinity Powers:

  Life in Death

  Titles:

  Cheat Code Fighter

  Lee awoke to find himself in his own incredibly-comfortable bed and covered with wonderful, thousand-plus thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, his head firmly planted on a perfectly-soft pillow. It felt so good compared to the miserable dust-covered ground that he couldn’t help but sigh that would have been inappropriate if overheard by a woman. “Oh, you sweet, beautiful pillow. How much I missed you.” Lee clung to the item in question, hugging it against him as he rocked back and forth. “You’re the best. Don’t ever leave me.”

  “You done? I’d tell you to get a room, but you’ve already taken it to bed,” a voice teased from the doorway. Even though it didn’t quite sound like Augustus, he figured it was him anyway and didn’t even bother turning over to check.

  “Shouldn’t you be drinking somewhere?” Lee asked as he let go of his pillow and rubbed his eyes.

  “Well, it’s a damn bit early, but I like where your head's at. Good suggestions, my man,” the voice replied.

  “Good. Then you can do that and let me get a little more sleep, you peeping bastard.” Lee tried to preemptively shrug off what he assumed would be an incoming lecture. He had heard enough from Augustus last night, and he didn’t need to hear anything else first thing in the morning. He already got the message: things weren’t going to be as cut and dry as ‘Go here,’ ‘Kill that’ and ‘Quest Complete.’ Killing the Herald simply wasn’t enough. Even if he did, the town would still be in turmoil, people would still be out of jobs, and Humans would still be in jail for things they didn’t do.

  “I would if I could, but for some reason, there are blind women in the world who need my help,” the voice responded, and Lee felt a thump on the side of his bed. “Poor, poor blind women. If only they could see, then life would be easier.”

  “What in the heck are you talking about?” Lee grumble
d, giving up on getting any extra sleep. I’ve got tonight, so I suppose it’s not a complete loss. Lee thought as he rubbed his eyes and stood up, walking over to the dresser to find some clothes.

  “Woah, man, no wonder that girl is blind. I didn’t realize you slept in the buff! You should really give a brother warning before you just hop up and almost put someone’s eye out with that thing!” The speaker laughed so hard that he fell into a coughing fit.

  “What in the world are you talking about? How have you not--” Lee stopped mid-sentence. He was about to ask Augustus why he would care when he could clearly see everything that Lee did in the other world when his eyes finally identified the person in his room. It wasn't Augustus. It was Wolfe. He had to change his sentence immediately: “. . . tried sleeping in the buff before? It’s great. Give it a try some time.”

  Wolfe laughed. “I would, but with ladies always knocking on my door looking for more than I’m willing to give, a brother has to stay dressed and ready to bolt at any moment. You know that with my handsome face, I can’t let myself be snared or caught in one place. Now, come on and put some damn pants on. We gotta move.”

  “Why are we in such a rush again?” Lee asked as he pulled on some slacks and threw on an oxford shirt.

  “How many times do I have to tell you?” Wolfe complained in an exaggerated fashion. “It’s because women are blind! I’m telling you: it must be all that reading those good girls do. If this chick had even one good eye, do you think I’d be sitting here dealing with you right now?” Every time Wolfe complained about doing something, it meant he felt like he was doing Lee a favor and making a huge sacrifice for Lee.

  “Whatever you say, but I’m still confused.” Lee threw on some pants and headed to the kitchen to fix a meal, and Wolfe darted ahead of him and used his foot to seal the door shut.

  “Yo, easy there, man. Can’t be walking out looking like that. Go wash your hair and take a shower first. You smell like something that popped out of a barrel on Night of the Living Dead, you white tar-man.” Wolfe pinched his nose.

  Well, I’ve been sleeping on the floor for two nights, fighting disgusting creatures in an arena and haven’t seen a shower since . . . So yeah, that checks out. Lee gave himself a sniff as he thought about the past few days. Yeah, that definitely checks out. “Can’t I grab some breakfast first? And why didn’t you tell me that when I first woke up? What was the point of ruining a good pair of pants and a shirt for a few seconds of use?”

  “Stop asking questions! Clean up and don’t come out of your bedroom until you're looking presentable," Wolfe insisted.

  Lee stopped himself from whining even though he really wanted nothing more than to head into the kitchen and prepare himself a cup of tea and then drink it while reading a nice book in peace and quiet. Between the guards, his prison mates, and then either Amber, Ling or Miller's continuous presence before he was arrested, he hadn't had any time alone in over a week. It wasn't something he thought he would miss, but when he woke up in the real world, it was something that he was craving in the same way a person suddenly wanted popcorn when they stepped into a movie theater.

  With the way that Wolfe was going on about women being blind, he was probably angling to take Lee out and set him up with some girl who had a friend that he was trying to hook up with. Lee didn't know where they could go out at this hour in the morning, but Wolfe had a strange way of showing up and demanding that the two of them try and pick up women at odd locations and at random times in the day. Thankfully, this behavior had been all but stopped once video games entered their friendship. Once that happened, Wolfe had spent most of his days playing games with random girls on the Internet instead of dragging Lee around like an awkward third wheel while he tried to hook up with anything that looked good in a dress. It had been the beginning of a peaceful era for Lee, even if it meant that the amount of time he spent socializing had dropped to hermit-like record lows. Without Wolfe, he was able to hole up and read books on weekends that otherwise would have been occupied almost solely by Wolfe’s attempts to get laid.

  After cleaning back up and throwing on a new set of clothes, kicking the barely-used ones into the laundry hamper near the bed, Lee walked back to the kitchen. There, he was greeted by the sight of Masha and Olga sitting at his table and chatting with Wolfe. Oh, God. This can’t be good. Wolfe and a church crowd? I’m going to get banned from community events, aren’t I? Lee stared at his friend, who was laughing and telling jokes, in abject horror. He liked Wolfe’s jokes. In fact, he would say Wolfe’s sense of humor was his favorite part about the guy. Whenever Wolfe was really having fun, however, those jokes could be dirtier than Augustus’s and more inappropriate than making wisecracks about bombs in an airport.

  “Oh! There’s the man himself!” Wolfe turned to face Lee with a big grin on his face, giving him a not-so-subtle wink. “There’s my brother from another mother. Man, Lee, what took you so long? The three of us were about to go out and get breakfast on our own.”

  “Huh? I . . .” Lee trailed off and looked around the room, his brain processing the situation as quickly as it could. Then, with less tact than an old man in a nursing home dealing with a new attendant, Lee blurted out the first question on his mind before his wit could think of a clever response. “Why exactly is everyone here? Did I forget about something we had planned? Were we supposed to do something?”

  He had to ask. Less than a second had passed between when he had left this world and when he came back thanks to the fact that the other dimension was on an entirely different timeline. Whether it was a day or a decade that passed in the other world with Miller and Amber, less than a second would pass in Lee’s home world. Still, it felt like an eternity to him, so it was only natural that he couldn’t remember every detail about what had been going on before he left.

  "Wait, you don't remember?" Wolfe looked at Lee as if he were a disappointed lover and Lee had forgotten an anniversary. "How could you? We've been talking about this for a month! How could you forget what we planned to do today? I can't believe you! I thought we were friends, but clearly, that love was one-sided."

  Lee knew instantly from the fact that Wolfe had yet to actually mention what event he had forgotten and how he was keeping the entire thing ambiguous that there had never been a plan. The only reason Wolfe was there was exactly the reason he had said before: to go pick up chicks.

  Lee looked over at the two girls. "Well, we didn't have anything planned, did we? Is there a charity event going on today? I'm sorry if I forgot. I've been a little stressed." Lee already started making excuses for his poor memory in anticipation of being deemed unreliable.

  "Oh, actually, that's . . . um . . . not why we're here. There’s no church event today. It's just . . ." Masha looked over at her friend and pursed her lips before looking back at Lee.

  Olga put an arm around Masha's shoulder and then looked over at him as well. "We . . . We were in the neighborhood, actually, and decided to drop by and invite you out to breakfast--or maybe brunch or lunch,” Olga said, quickly finishing Masha’s thought. “We weren't sure if you would have already eaten or not. That’s when we ran into Wolfe, when we were going to push the buzzer to get in. He . . .” Olga looked over at Wolfe with a furrowed brow and then looked back at Lee. “He insisted on talking with us, and we mentioned that we were here to visit you, so he let us in. Said he was on his way to cheer up a friend who hadn’t been getting out much.”

  "I see." Lee looked at his watch. It read 9:17 a.m. "Well, I haven't eaten yet, and some food sounds great. Just what brought you two out to this side of town? If I'm not mistaken, you don't live nearby. I think I remember you living near the church?”

  Wolfe laughed at Lee’s question and slapped his hand against his face. “Honestly, brother, if you ever die before me, I’m exhuming your corpse and cracking that head open. Gotta be the densest material on earth inside your head . . . or maybe a hamster on a wheel. Can’t tell sometimes.”

  Huh? Lee h
ad been feeling rather ambushed by the fact that there were three people in his apartment, but he finally realized what was going on. Oh! Lee, you moron, what the hell?! Lee wanted to facepalm too, but that type of obvious gesture would only further embarrass him. He was half-expecting to hear Augustus’s voice chime in with some obvious insult at how stupid he was, but then he remembered that the wayward god only showed up as an animal in this world. The drunken deity never spoke to him through telepathic communication. He’s watching though, right?

  “Sorry, it’s early for me, and I have to be honest: I really didn’t expect anyone to come by. I still haven’t had my morning tea. So, maybe before breakfast, we can--” Lee started to put together a plan, but Wolfe cut him off right away.

  “Nope! Mimosas. Bottomless. There’s a cafe down the street. We’re going!” Wolfe proclaimed, heading for the door. “Come on, you two ladies can tell me how you met my less-attractive-than-me brother while we eat some croissants, drink some fancy mid-morning lady drink and make the abominable hot sauce, bacon, eggs and fried-chicken and waffle sandwich.”

  Olga and Masha stood up, but they didn’t head to the door right away. Instead, they looked over at Lee to see if he was in on the idea.

  “Wolfe, who the hell would ever think you’re better looking than me?” Lee responded with a laugh as he walked over to the door to signal that he also consented to the plan. It’s like Augustus said: I have an eternity here if I need, so I have plenty of time to figure out what to do about the town, find a trainer and get back on course. One morning won’t kill me or put me behind schedule. Chuckling to himself, Lee opened the door and held it for the trio of mid-morning interlopers. Come on, Little Eth-- Lee started to think to the golem that wasn’t with him. Oh, that’s right . . . Lee frowned, feeling somewhat empty and naked without his tiny hive-minded rodent counterparts. It’s too bad the system won’t let me make a golem in this world too.