First, he fired off a Blackflame Bolt, landing a hit on the Wyvern Lord to engage with the fight, and allow him to leave the chamber and keep the monster encounter active. He began sprinting. Out of the grass field, back toward the prior chamber.
I need to get back there.
The tunnel. A natural choke point. Too small for the creature to approach him and actually attack. Once there, he could just safely sit back and fire off Blackflame Bolts until it died. But he had to get there.
Shannon seemed to have picked up on his plan, because she was running alongside him a moment later. “Grab onto me!” she shouted. He gripped her arm, and he was then holding on for dear life as she accelerated. “I’ve got Sigils. Time to Getaway!” He felt one of her hands grab the back of his neck.
The world turned to a blur around them as Eric’s visual processing couldn’t keep up with her blistering speed, and his feet left the ground. He clung tightly to her arm.
They were at the cave entrance within seconds, and Eric felt his feet drag against the dirt when she slowed down to a stop. “Good thinking,” he said.
“I can’t fight it, but I don’t see any rule against helping you.” She shoved her three healing potions toward him, but he only took two. When she raised an eyebrow quizzically, Eric pointed past her. She seemed to get the message, turned, and sprinted off once more, leaving behind a shimmering afterimage when she used her Getaway Skill a second time.
Eric scanned the skies for the wyvern and saw it, far off but still silhouetted in the sky above. Raising both hands, he fired off Blackflame Bolts in rapid succession the second it got into range. Every one of them angled to ensure a hit. Each bolt felt a musical note from the instrument of destruction that was his Class’ identity. The ultimate Reaper that existed within The Paths. He was playing a symphony of pain that sought the demise and death of a foe that only existed for him.
The silhouette grew ever larger, covered in dozens of burns that each refreshed with every new Rote that slammed into it. Eric wished he had a Sigil remaining so he could use Inferno Trigger and annihilate it. Because he didn’t, he knew he’d have to take a more measured approach.
I need to time this correctly.
The silhouette finally gained full definition, entirely wreathed in Blackflame. Eric willed the notification of the miniature heads-up-display to flicker over the Wyvern Lord’s head. He had applied seventy Blackflame Blazes to his foe, and yet it kept coming.
Eric backed into the tunnel, and only fired off Blackflame Bolts to refresh the duration on the damage-over-time burns. The screeching, titanic wyvern slowed its flight and landed in a stumbling run, charging at the tunnel entrance only to skate to a stop in the dirt, sending clods of earth up at the entrance. The sinuous head shot forward, snaking out to try and bite at Eric.
Eric retreated further into the tunnel, continuing to fire off Blackflame Bolts as the serpentine maw tried to clamp down on him. When it let out a yelp of frustration, he turned, knowing it had just reached the end of how far it could stretch. He let out a laugh of relief. “How’s that?!” he shouted. “You’re not fucking killing me today!”
The mouth snapped and hissed, so Eric fired Blackflame Bolts right down its gullet. It let out a retching cough and it began to pull away. He followed it a few steps, laughing with joy at the ingenuity of his plan.
Then, he realized his mistake, drunk on his own confidence. The Wyvern Lord lashed out, and tried to clamp its jaws around his torso. Eric threw himself backward, to the safe zone out of its reach, and saw the ashen outline of his body follow him. That ashen outline was then torn into and vanished. Without the Ash Shroud and its additional miss chance from incoming attacks, his foe might have been able to clamp down on him.
You almost got me. Nearly fucked myself there.
Eric kept his distance and fired Blackflame Bolts at the perfect interval to refresh his burns, trying his best to balance his innate regeneration and lingering stores. He was there for a solid two minutes, just counting seconds between burn timers and firing bolts as the creature kept trying to reach him.
Monsters—apparently even special ones for primal force holders like this—followed routines and behaviors. They were similar to programmed enemies in video games in that sense. This foe had no ranged attack, no breath weapon, and no means to reach Eric. It kept pushing forward, sometimes making a little push into the dirt and earth of the cavern. But Eric had enough space behind him to keep taking steps back and maintain his distance.
Eric had to go through all of his mana, and half of his mana skin’s reserve store. He had stacked the DOT to well over two-hundred applications, and finally, the creature succumbed to the mass of searing, incinerating fury covering its form, at last charring away to ashes. A surge of warmth flooded through him as his Revitalizing Heat kicked in.
[Additional Challenge - Cleared!]
[Ember Acquired.]
[You have 3 level-ups to process.]
[Blackflame Mage 16, 17, 18.]
[Choose a Skill and Trait to increase. Then repeat this twice.]
Eric was concerned for his allies but knew that they were a distance away. Peter and Shannon had seemed in good health when he had left them, and they had plenty of Health Potions to assist Naomi. She had been stable when Eric had left her.
Still, he scooped up the ashes and then hurried back toward them, running down the dirt road as he mentally dealt with the messages from The Paths, glancing at his bracer between arm-pumps in his sprint, and mental commands to go through the prompts.
I want to use that Ember to combine Combustion and Inferno Trigger.
[Confirmed. Polymerization of Skills initiated.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Rank? Yes.]
[Parameter check: both Skills are of the same Enhancement? Yes.]
[Applying . . .]
-----
Skill:
Combustion Trigger 4 - Only usable if a target is suffering from Blackflame Blaze. The primary target suffers all remaining Blackflame Blaze damage, amplified by x3.5. Nearby targets are dealt damage equal to all remaining Blackflame Blaze damage, with no amplification. This does not trigger Blackflame Blaze. 20-foot radius centered on the primary target.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
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All the Trait increases into Blackflame Blaze. Then, I want to put two Ranks into Ashen Shell and one into Combustion Trigger.
[Confirmed.]
-----
Skills:
Ashen Shell 3 - The duration increases. Increase to 3 hours.
Combustion Trigger 5 - The amplification of (Blackflame Blaze) on the primary target is increased to x4. The area of effect increases in size. 25-foot radius centered on the primary target.
-----
Traits:
[Dire] Blackflame Blaze E7 - Increase burning damage-over-time to 80%.
-----
Name: Eric Mercer
Classes: Blackflame Mage 18
Maximum Sigils: 5
Rotes: [Scorching] Blackflame Bolt, Ash Shroud
Equipped Skills: Flashstep 3, Cinderburst 3, Combustion Trigger 5,
Traits: [Dire] Blackflame Blaze E7, Revitalizing Heat 2, Marking Spark 1
Body Enhancements: Neversick Slime (T5), [Reactive] Mana Skin (T7)
-----
Loadout Slots: 6 (-2 from Body Enhancements)
Gear: Manatech Bracer [Comms, Map, HUD, Alarm, Index Interface], T1 Monster Harvest Mitts, T1 Harvester's Bag, T1 Tracking Gloves, T1 Deflection Matrix, T1 Silence Node, T1 Healing Potion (x1)
Parts & Components: 15x Mud Elemental Ashes,
Embers: 1
-----
As he continued his run back to the field, he heard Indedroma in his head—unprompted, which was a bit of a surprise.
[You still have an open Loadout Slot, but you will have to wait until you have spent an hour of light activity to fill it. Out of curiosity, why put Ranks into Ashen Shell? What’s the plan there?]
How did you just start talking in my head without permission?
[Just walk me through your reasoning. The better I understand, the better I can try to figure out how this untrodden territory will work on the back end.]
The plan is to use another Ember to combine that and Flashstep. Merge my main avoidance and maneuverability Skills. I don’t know what it’ll do exactly. Based on what I’ve seen, blend the two. Maybe I get the armor and then I move, or vice-versa. Either way, a single Sigil for an evasion move that also gives me some protection? That seems smart.
[Interesting. Not what I would advise. Why not do it now?]
I may change my mind. I want to sit on the idea. And, I want to test out Ashen Shell before committing.
[I would’ve figured you would be dumping your Embers into improving Blackflame Bolt or Blackflame Blaze.]
I thought about that, Eric thought back. But I am already improving one of those with practically every level up. And as for the Rote? I could use the Ember on that, but I’m doing okay.
[You did almost die in that river earlier.]
Eric felt that chill of fear, but also excitement. The near-death experience had given him a rush of adrenaline and exhilaration he hadn’t felt much of in his past timeline, as all of those other near-death or actual-death experiences were from attempted executions or him being hunted down by bounty hunters.
This time around, he knew it was partly the mega dungeon itself, provoking further diving. That was one contributing factor to people who went dive-crazy: they were like adrenaline junkies back on Earth who did underwater caving or sky diving. The mega dungeon only amplified that. There was some aura, some pervasive influence that hung over the floors. It only existed with mega dungeons, and not the wild dungeons. Even a roaming dungeon that appeared every few decades like the White Keep didn’t have the same lure. It was just the mega dungeons.
He pulled himself back to the conversation at hand in his mind. That’s why I’m merging Skills with my Embers. Getting offense together first, and then eventually I’ll merge defensive and utility. Imagine blending Flashstep, Backblast, and Ashen Shell? I could get a knockback, movement, and armor Skill with a single Sigil.
[I suppose that is fair. I also have been doing some digging on your behalf. If you chose to mana dive for your second Class instead of finding a Tome or Scroll, then you could possibly claim another one of the primal forces. But, that would mean these special encounters would be doubled. Twice the enemies, not difficulty.]
That put a pause in Eric’s step, and he slowed a bit as the field his allies were in came into view. The idea that he would have to fight two creatures like the thing in the river that had attacked him chilled him to his core.
Then maybe I won't go for another primal force. I could push the others to do it though. Get the other Summoned to claim them. Would we all be able to work together on those fights, then?
[No. You would each be getting your own instance of these special encounters. But only the Combat Classes. The Profession Classes will face their own challenges appropriate to their path. Naomi, for instance, if she was able to muster the will to master the Artisan primal force, would not have fought the Wyvern Lord. She would face a different challenge, such as something back in that puzzle room with the villagers and their order of seating.]
That brought Eric some relief, and he thought back, I should push Peter to look at the Warden primal force. Tank-healer hybrids are always nice. Shannon . . . I should push her to go down the Strategist primal force. That would pair nicely with someone who is already at a range and could easily shout commands from a distant view of the battlefield.
[The question is, do you think they have the willpower to survive claiming those primal forces associated with those Class-types? Remember, it’s quite dangerous.]
“I don’t know,” Eric muttered.
He continued that thought mentally. I had an entire other timeline of experience to draw upon. Memories, recollections, resolve built through strife. They don’t . . .
[Something to consider before you counsel them in that direction.]
Understood. Okay, thanks, Indedroma. You can go now.
[I can speak whenever mana is flowing into the bracer.]
Eric ignored the fact that he would never truly be alone again, since mana would always be flowing through his skin and therefore into the bracer. He had reached the group in that chamber with the wyverns. “Is Naomi okay?!” he shouted.
“Oh yeah,” Shannon replied as she stood up with a smile and beckoning wave. “You survived!”
“Not without your help,” Eric said as he jogged the rest of the way over. “Good thinking.”
Naomi seemed to have recovered physically and was sitting back in a reclined position. Shannon crouched down next to her, while Peter stood over them both like a silent guardian, his face unreadable.
Even three minutes later, Naomi was on the verge of tears. In a small voice, she said, “I got really hurt.”
Eric sat down next to her with a sigh. “I know.” He looked up at the sky for a moment. “It sucks. Getting hurt, I mean.” He then looked at her out of the side of his right eye. “But at least you’re alive. We all survived.” Eric then raised his voice louder and said, “It’s okay. We’re still early on in our dungeon diving careers, and working on improving our builds. We’ll get stronger, and suffer less injury, the more we do this.”
“Pretty badass move,” Peter said as he looked down at Eric. “Teleporting on top of the thing to bring it down, and then getting the clutch catch when Naomi fell.”
“Not quite teleporting,” Eric replied, looking up at Peter. “Really fast movement.”
“Ah. Like Shinra from Fire Force,” Peter replied.
“You’re into anime too?!” Shannon said excitedly.
“The manga is better,” Naomi muttered. Then, louder, she said, “We really need to look at strategizing better. I . . .” Her voice faltered for a moment, those tears threatened to return, but she forced them back. “I almost died.”
That brought the mood down once more. Eric let out a deep sigh and put his hands together as he crossed his legs. “Naomi . . . we strategized just fine. These things happen in fights. People get hurt. Sometimes really badly. There’s not much we can do except for survive as best we can.” He looked over at Shannon. “You did a great job, and thanks for speeding me to that tunnel. I was able to deal with my special boss because of that. You’re amazing.”
“Damn right I am,” Shannon replied, practically beaming. She put a hand on Naomi’s back and rubbed it slightly. “You did great. You just got blindsided is all. Maybe we look into getting you something like that little shield thing Eric has? But like a full-body one?” She looked at Eric. “Do those exist?”
“Personal defense fields? They do, but they’re pricey and pretty mana intensive,” Eric replied. Eric reached into his Monster Part pouch, grabbed the Monster Harvest Mitts, and slipped them on over his gloves. “If we get enough Components, maybe Naomi could make herself a suit of Iron Man armor.”
That seemed to bring a little smile to Naomi’s lips. “That would be pretty awesome.”
Peter added, “Hell yeah. Imagine you flying all over, shooting out lasers made of those manacule things.”
Naomi’s little smile became a bit broader. “I guess I’ll just have to experiment and get a bit more tanky. I don’t want to be taken out that easily again.” Her smile faded and she stared at the ground once more.
Well, Eric thought. We need to keep moving. If we spend too long, then the dungeon difficulty will scale up.
Eric stood up and said, “Let me gather up the Monster Parts.” He quickly gathered up the wyvern parts, adding two bundles of slimy guts to his bag before placing the mitts in their little pouch.
Once that was done, Shannon led the way across the tamped-down grassy field, and down the dirt trail leading to the stone building in the distance.
I have revised Chapters 1 through 31!
Here's the highlights, in spoiler boxes for space saving.
Changed the king's disease to something more nebulous, and hinted that Eric tried to cure it in past timeline but couldn't [setting up plot arc of something sinister at play]
Did more explanation as to why clothes mattered / armor mattered. Effectively, lighter clothes/less armor = faster mana regeneration due to ambient mana permeating skin faster to convert to inner reservoir. Since Mages rely on mana for Rote spam (more than Vanguards like Peter, who use more Toggled Rotes), it explains the difference in armor types across the spectrum of Classes. Plus, strength requirements. Naomi can't wear heavy plate, but chainmail is in her wheelhouse strength-wise.
Explained why Seraphine would have a map of the world in her pocket. She's the Magistra, and it's a hefty political position, so:
“I am the handler of the Summoned,” Seraphine replied, “in addition to being the Magistra, which means that I handle all matters of the Ley Lines in the kingdom. That includes diplomacy. Having a map on hand for reference is handy.”
I altered 'manipulation' to 'slight partial truths / lies' and changed the amount of reaction from Shannon and Peter to be more in-line with what expectations would reasonably occur given the time frame and events for Eric's reveal to them.
Clarified the whole dungeon economy thing in DETAIL in Chapter 25:
Guidebooks were rare to find, as they were bought up almost immediately by dungeon organizations. Eric doubted they would come across one for purchase, since every one that went on the market was snatched up, and the near-mafia-like organizations would visit the people who wrote them, encourage them to not do it again, and kept any type of printer from making mass-produced copies with either bribes or threats of violence.
It was how dungeon organizations made some of their profit. The Delver’s Guild and The Twilight Depths Consortium would charge people a fee to hire an experienced dungeon guide, often someone with a damage-redirecting Vanguard Class, or a barrier or healing focused Warden Class, to accompany people seeking to go into the mega dungeon. They would take a hefty cut of the Monster Parts, or just a fee up front.
In fact, since there was no ability to re-clear a floor, and Monster Parts were vital to the economy, those dungeon organizations would often go out and find young adults, offer to guide them, equip them, and take them through the first floor of the Twilight Depths in large ‘raid’ groups. Those people would get overwhelming support from the dungeon organization, would keep no Monster Parts, but, they would come out with milestones and a Dungeon Core for their efforts.
To most citizens of Trok, and the residents of Tenebria, the promise of a Dungeon Core they could sell for coin to kick off their adult life, or turn into a useful piece of gear that they would hold for most of their life, and the early boost of milestones—all of that was well worth the relatively minor risk.
Eric didn’t really want to pay for a dungeon guide to join them, since the guide could be a spy and report back on the Summoned’s capabilities. That was one of their best assets right now: the kingdom could only suppose what their improved abilities would be as they kept dungeon-diving. As long as the Summoned went in alone, in their ‘instanced’ group, no one would know what they were able to accomplish. They would be a wild card, and that would mean people, those he wanted to keep on-edge, would hesitate in interacting with him.
Additionally, he chafed at the entire mafia-esque setup of the dungeon organizations. He understood the necessity of the Twilight Depths Consortium, at least to some extent: ensuring that ten-year-olds didn’t just rush into the mega dungeon and get themselves killed was important. But hopefully, if he played his cards right, got rid of the Steward and Admiral, and put all the pieces into position, he could make some massive changes to how things operated in Tenebria. Beyond the capital’s walls? Well, there wasn’t much he could do about diving organizations elsewhere in the world.
Cleaned up first floor of Twilight Depths when it comes to being overheard by Seraphine in some of the dialogue sections.
Clarified how big the Graveborn Strider (special floor boss) was compared to Eric to better explain his risky maneuver.
Made the interaction with Darius + Eric at the estate more like two old friends meeting.
Made Misty + Eric's scene more 'real' feeling. This involved extending the chapter by a good 700-ish words. So it's a chonker.
Fixed up Chapter 29 where Eric got dragged in the river to better reflect physics.
Chapter 30 added explanation as to why the characters can't go and just bribe someone for information about the Twilight Depths, versus trying to get a guide.
“Fuck. It’s wrong,” Shannon said as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “Must’ve been at least fifty degrees. If that’s the drop each time? We’re going to freeze to death in one more bad guess.” She moved close to Eric’s flame and huddled right next to it. “Why didn’t any of the nobles or anyone tell us what was coming in this place?”
“You think they know?” Eric replied, glancing at her. “The first-floor blind run is something that people in the lower- and middle-cities tackle. The upper-city nobles don’t do it. The number of people who have gone to the second floor is comparatively tiny. In a city of several hundred-thousand, maybe ten-thousand have done so. Most are in the dungeon organizations, and they’re sworn to silence to keep a monopoly on their industry.”
Naomi sighed. “We could’ve tried to bribe one of them or something. Get the information somehow without bringing them down here with us. Maybe get them drunk in a bar or something.”
Eric turned to her. “We shouldn’t, because then we would be revealing just how deep we are getting. If we ask questions about what is coming on each floor, then we are revealing how far down we’ve gone. Then, people can estimate how strong we have become. Our best advantage against the people who are killing Trok from within is keeping them guessing at just how strong we are.” He shook his head. “Seraphine knows about something being ‘wrong’ with the small council. She has her suspicions of rot. The better we can be in acting as her ‘wild card’, the more effective we can be overall in ruining the Steward and Admiral’s schemes.”
“That makes sense,” Peter replied. He gestured to the table. “Okay, back to the puzzle, then.”
not be making despite one lengthy review and a few smaller reviews critiquing this point, and I have elucitated upon it in the box below:
I will not be changing the whole "18-year-olds don't act like 18-year-olds" thing. Sorry, complainers in the reviews. That's not changing, because I completely disagree with you.
I literally work at a high school. I've taught Juniors, Freshman, and interact with Seniors frequently (so these are 14 - 18 year olds). I know teenagers who are this level of mature because they deal with real life shit that forces them to grow up fast. A lot of these students grow up in impoverished or disenfranchised areas. Some of them have rough home lives, and they grow up tough. They're mature for their age (for the most part), and thus I wrote the characters in my story to reflect that type of background, since it is what I am surrounded by.
Just because this isn't how 18-year-olds you know act doesn't mean this is how all of them act. I'm not changing Peter, Shannon, or Naomi. It's true to my experience and what I see every day. If you don't like it, too bad.