by A F Kay
“No,” Sift said.
“Yes,” Ruwen said at the same time.
Hamma laughed as Ruwen and Sift stared at each other again.
“We need a system,” Ruwen said. “From now on, let me answer.”
“You? Half the time you’re zoned out,” Sift said.
“It’s called thinking. Maybe you should try it,” Ruwen said.
Hamma raised her hand. “Remember the emergency? Lylan? How about some details.”
Sift’s face fell as the current situation smothered him again. He tried to talk, but no sound came out.
Ruwen sighed and put a hand on Sift’s shoulder. “Lylan was a close friend of Sift’s. Remember when Ky told you the pyramid was outside Uru’s Blessing?”
Hamma nodded.
Ruwen continued. “She died in the pyramid before making it back here to synch with Uru.”
Hamma’s eyes widened. “So she forgot everything. Including Sift.” Hamma stood and hugged Sift. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks,” Sift said into Hamma’s shoulder.
Ruwen’s stomach turned. He hadn’t meant to keep the ring from Sift, but now, it would look like Ruwen was being forced to offer it up. He couldn’t wait, either. Now that this situation had exploded on them, Ruwen only had once choice. He prayed Sift would understand.
“Blapy,” Ruwen started and then stopped, not sure where to go.
Hamma let Sift go, and the pair faced him.
Ruwen tried again. “It is important you know I wasn’t keeping this from you. There just wasn’t a good time to give it to you.”
Sift looked confused. “Give what to me?”
Ruwen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Blapy gave me something. It’s related to Lylan.”
“Blapy? Lylan?” Sift asked.
“I meant to give it to you right away,” Ruwen said.
“What are you talking about?” Sift asked.
Ruwen opened his Void Band and removed the Moonstone Ring of Remembrance. He read the details one more time.
Name: Moonstone Ring of Remembrance
Quality: Epic
Durability: 8 of 8
Weight: 0.12 lbs.
Effect (Passive): +2 Charisma
Effect (Triggered): When worn by Shade Lylan of the Black Pyramid, memories of her time there will be restored.
Restriction: User must bear the mark of the Black Pyramid.
Description: Some memories are worth keeping.
Ruwen held out the ring, and Sift took it.
Sift’s eyes widened, and he slowly looked up and locked gazes with Ruwen.
“You kept this from me?” Sift asked in a whisper.
“It wasn’t like that. I meant to give it to you sooner, but –”
“But what? You could not find a single moment in all this time?” Sift asked.
Ruwen’s shoulders sank. The worst part was Sift had a point. Ruwen had been so focused on his own problems that he had ignored an item of incredible importance to Sift. The reality was Sift was right. Ruwen had been a terrible friend.
“I’m truly sorry, Sift. I made a mistake,” Ruwen said.
Sift’s hand trembled. He looked down at the ring and then at Ruwen. He opened his mouth to say something and then turned and left instead. Ruwen felt like he might be sick. He had no one to blame for this but himself. If he’d thought more about others and less about himself, this wouldn’t have happened.
Hamma stood and grabbed Ruwen’s shoulders. “What was that ring?”
Ruwen looked into Hamma’s eyes. “Lylan’s memories from the pyramid.”
Hamma dropped her hands, and her eyes widened. “Oh, Ruwen. You made a big mistake.”
“I know.”
They were silent for a few seconds as Ruwen’s guilt continued to build on itself like a thunderstorm of remorse.
“What do you think Sift will do?” Hamma asked.
“I’m not sure. Probably something dumb.”
“I’m going to go look for him,” Hamma said.
“I’ll go, too. I’ll explain again,” Ruwen said.
Hamma shook her head. “I think you should give him some space. He knows you didn’t do it on purpose. But the hurt will need to fade a bit before he wants to talk.”
Ruwen nodded.
“I’ll find him. Keep him from doing anything stupid.”
“Thanks. I’ll wait here then.”
Hamma gave him a quick hug. “This will work itself out. I’ll be back.”
“Thanks, Hamma. I owe you.”
“I know. I’m keeping count.”
Then Hamma left, and Ruwen sat down on his bed, misery consuming him.
The next time he looked at his clock, it was past nine. He’d been sitting there for hours, and neither Hamma nor Sift had returned. Ruwen had replayed every moment he could have brought up the ring and didn’t. He forced himself to stop thinking about it. He’d made a mistake, and eventually Sift would forgive him.
People were trying to kill him and he couldn’t afford to sit here and waste time when there were so many things he needed to improve.
Ruwen toggled on Glow, and his skin emitted a soft light. Wip or Qip had started a fire in the other room, but his room had remained almost entirely dark. The light from his skin filled the room, and Ruwen quickly turned it off. The last thing he wanted was one of the bodyguards investigating the strange light.
Opening his Void Band, Ruwen removed the Observer box. He stared at it, scared of making another mistake tonight. After a minute, he decided trying on the Observer’s Class necklace wasn’t doing anything wrong. He would return the necklace moments after wearing it.
With trembling hands, Ruwen opened the box. Like the Worker necklaces, a thin piece of twine held the amulet, but this amulet had the shape of two eyes. The box securely on his lap, he removed the first necklace. A notification appeared, and he opened it.
Tring!
You have discovered a blessing from Uru…
Name: Eyes of Uru
Quality: Divine
Durability: Indestructible
Weight: 0.85 lbs.
Effect (Passive): Temporarily learn all Energy spells through level five.
Effect (Passive): Temporarily learn all Mana spells through level five.
Effect (Passive): Temporarily learn all abilities through level five.
Effect (Passive): +100 Mana
Effect (Passive): +100 Energy
Restriction: Must be level ten or less.
Restriction: Must be Observer Class.
Restriction: Must be inside Uru’s Blessing.
Description: Knowledge is the light that reveals your path.
Ruwen slid it over his neck and tensed for the bolt of lightning that would destroy him. Nothing happened. Three more icons had appeared next to Detect Temperature, Owl Eyes, Glow, and Magnify. Ruwen focused on them: Impersonate, Weakness, and Pinpoint.
Removing the necklace, Ruwen put it back in the box. The icons remained, and he opened his Profile. Opening the Abilities tab, he found all the Observer abilities through level five available to him. When he opened the Spells tab, he confirmed they were all there through level five as well.
The box on Ruwen’s lap felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. He placed it back in his Void Band and removed the Mage one. The black box had a brain etched on the top. He carefully opened the box and removed a necklace, reading the notification that appeared.
Tring!
You have discovered a blessing from Uru…
Name: Mind of Uru
Quality: Divine
Durability: Indestructible
Weight: 0.85 lbs.
Effect (Passive): Temporarily learn all Energy spells through level five.
Effect (Passive): Temporarily learn all Mana spells through level five.
Effect (Passive): Temporarily learn all abilities through level five.
Effect (Passive): +100 Mana
Effect (Passive): +100 Energy
Restriction: Must be Mage Class.
Restriction: Must be inside Uru’s Blessing.
Description: Knowledge is the light that reveals your path.
Saying a silent prayer to Uru, Ruwen placed the necklace over his head. No new icons appeared, and he held his breath as opened his Profile. In the Abilities tab, his heart raced as all the Mage abilities appeared. They were all greyed out, though, just like the Fireball had been when he switched Classes from Mage to Observer. He slouched in disappointment. Opening his Spells tab, he confirmed his suspicion. All the spells were there but greyed out and unusable.
Sighing, Ruwen put away the Mage necklace and box and then put on the Fighter, Order, and Merchant necklaces. They all acted just like the Mage. His Abilities and Spells tabs were now full of greyed-out entries.
He forced down his disappointment. The fact that he retained his Worker and Observer spells and abilities was basically a miracle. It made him ridiculously overpowered for his level. He would have needed to reach level fifteen to have these powers in just one Class, let alone two. And the greyed-out entries probably meant if he died and switched Classes again, Uru help him, he would have access to them as well.
The noise from the campsite had dwindled, and Ruwen looked at the time: 9:47 PM. Sift and Hamma should have been back by now. Had something happened to them? He hated to waste the whole night waiting. Especially since all he had to keep him company was his guilt.
What he needed to do was take his mind off Sift and Lylan by doing something productive. He didn’t want to go into Blapy without his friends, though. It only took him a second to realize what he really wanted to do, and it couldn’t be done in Blapy anyway.
He wanted to try the Harvesting form someplace where it wouldn’t kill him. Ruwen looked down at the Suffocation Bracer on his right wrist and slowly turned it. Did he want to do this to escape Sift? Was it selfish to go instead of waiting for his friends to get back? His brain spun and spun until he felt like he would burst.
Regardless of what he decided to do, he couldn’t sit in his room. He needed to move. If he left through the front, though, one of the brothers would follow him. Ruwen knew that was what he should do. But he needed to get away from people, and it would be challenging to protect Ruwen in the forest and at night. They definitely wouldn’t let him leave.
Ruwen sat on his bed and listed all the facts:
It would be dumb to leave the safety of his room.
His friends would expect him to be here when they returned.
His friends might not return.
He wouldn’t go into Blapy without them.
He desperately needed to get stronger so he could protect himself.
He could not Harvest inside Blapy.
For safety, his friends couldn’t be near him when he Harvested.
This time alone might not come again for a while.
It would be dumb to waste this solitude by not advancing a critical ability.
It would be too dangerous for Qip or Wip to be near him while Harvesting.
His cloak protected him from location spells.
Ruwen stopped turning the bracer and stood. Even if it might be foolish to go outside alone, he felt the possible benefits warranted the risk. Getting outside alone was the problem now.
Dig, in this solid stone, would be too noisy. He opened his Spells tab and studied all the new entries. In his haste to try the other necklaces, he hadn’t looked carefully at all the new Observer spells. A level five spell immediately made him feel hopeful.
Spell: Blink
Cost: 75 Mana
Type: Self
Casting Time: Instant
Recovery: 60 seconds
Effect: Move 1 to 3 feet in the direction of the caster's intent. Each additional spell level increases distance by one order of magnitude.
The variability in the spell worried Ruwen greatly. He didn’t know the thickness of the wall. If he only moved a foot with Blink, and the wall had been made eighteen inches thick, he might die. If not killed outright, he couldn’t imagine it would be comfortable. He thought about increasing the level of the spell by one. He had four spell points for leveling to six. He could add one to Blink, and it would increase the distance he traveled to between ten and thirty feet.
But he had no idea what might be thirty feet away. Better to chance the short distance and save the spell point. There were probably ways to control the Blink spell, but he didn’t have anyone to ask.
Ruwen moved his bed away from the wall and pressed himself against the stone. He grabbed his cloak and pushed it to his side. Before he could talk himself out of it and waste more time, he brought the closed eye icon of Blink into focus and willed himself forward.
His Mana dropped by seventy-five, and his stomach turned as an invisible force jerked him forward.
Chapter 51
Ruwen took a breath of fresh air. He slowly looked behind him and sighed in relief that his entire body had made it out. Relaxing the grip on his cloak, he let it fall behind him, and then pulled the hood up over his head. He used the heel of his boot to mark the ground, so he knew exactly where to stand to Blink back.
The camp looked mostly deserted, with only a few large fires with people around them. Ruwen strode toward the bathrooms, as that direction wouldn’t be suspicious to anyone that noticed him. He briefly activated Magnify and scanned the campground looking for his friends, but he couldn’t find either of them. The bathrooms were empty, and Ruwen quickly moved thirty feet into the trees.
Toggling on Detect Temperature, he scanned a circle around himself. The only heat signatures were the guards posted around the camp, but none of them were very close to him. He knew the Observer Class had many capabilities to help stay hidden, and he took a moment to scan his Observer abilities. He ignored the four he had already taken – Keen Senses, Magnify, Fade, and Fabricate – and only looked at the new eight he’d learned.
Ability: Freedom
Effect: No penalty for leather armor.
Ability: Rapid Fire
Effect: Launch two projectiles instead of one.
Ability: Pinpoint
Effect: Target a specific location for 200% damage. 400% damage if this location was discovered via Weakness.
Ability: Weakness
Effect: Discover a target's weakness. 10% chance per minute of study.
Ability: Mimic
Effect: Alter your voice to sound like your target.
Ability: Evade
Effect: Increase Dodge by 20%.
Ability: Impersonate
Effect: Alter your appearance to look like your target.
Ability: Persuade
Effect: Increase Persuasion by 20%.
Ruwen looked for his friends one more time and then turned and walked toward the dungeon. The Observer abilities, while valuable, didn’t do much to help him remain hidden. The increase from Evade more than doubled his Dodge, though, and would help him survive. Persuade would come in handy if he needed to convince anyone to agree with him.
As he carefully moved through the trees, he opened the Spells tab and looked at the Energy spells. He had already taken Find Trap and Leap, which left eight new spells.
Spell: Sprint
Effect: Increase your top speed by 20%.
Spell: Climb
Effect: Increase the friction of your skin against any material by 20%.
Spell: Tight Rope
Effect: Walk safely on any surface 2 inches or greater in width. Falls cause 10% less damage.
Spell: Street Fight
Effect: Increase unarmed damage by 20% and Dexterity by 10%.
Spell: Obscure
Effect: Decrease signs of passage by 20%.
Spell: Feather Feet
Effect: Reduce force of steps by 20%.
Spell: Forgery
Effect: Create items and documents with a 20% increased chance of being accepted as original.
Spell: Silence
Effect: Create a bubble of silence. It can be used to hide your own sounds or placed on someone else to keep them from communicating.
Ruwen immediately channeled one Energy per second into Obscure and Feather Feet and two Energy per second into Silence, which he placed on himself. Silence especially would help since he sounded like a bear when he walked through the woods.
Ruwen paused and used Detect Temperature to scan his surroundings again. He found two birds in a nest and a squirrel but nothing bigger. He turned back toward the dungeon and continued.
While Tight Rope and Street Fight didn’t help him right now, they were both fantastic additions. He hated heights, and Tight Rope would help with that immensely. Street Fight added more damage to his fists, which would be even more useful as his Step training continued.
The only thing left to look at were the Mana-based Observer spells. He had already taken Bleed, Backstab, and Distract, but that left him seven new spells.
Spell: Camouflage
Effect: While still, blend into your surroundings with 20% effectiveness.
Spell: Track
Effect: Increase the chance of locating your target's trail by 10% per minute of searching.
Spell: Find Item
Effect: Sense the location of an item when holding an associated item. The more closely related the two items, the better the outcome.
Spell: Charge Weapon
Effect: Charge weapon with electricity, stunning the target for 1 to 3 seconds.
Spell: Pay Back
Effect: Spring to your feet and quickly strike, stunning the target for 1 to 3 seconds.