Rain sat in Big Gulp’s bridge, scratching his beard as he stared out the front window. The ship was hovering perhaps two hundred ters above the Tear. His paling curved below him, the patch appearing to him as a section of ringworld painted upon the inner surface. In this analogy, the Bastion, far, far above him, would be the central star, making the ringworld more Niven than Halo, as far as space habitats were concerned. That comparison broke down when it ca to the distances involved. With the Tear covering about a third of his paling’s circumference, pure geotry would place the Bastion much closer than it actually was, as reported by his avatar-sense. The chaos that filled the intervening space made such calculations fraught.
Here, though, order prevailed. As at the Bastion, large concentrations of essence imposed physical laws on their surroundings. An archway of air followed the patch, growing hazier with distance until about his current altitude, where there was sothing of a hard line. He couldn’t see the whole patch from here—or anywhere, really—but it was progress.
The other notable physical rule was gravity. In keeping with the ringworld image, it pulled outward, making it possible for Rain to walk along the rubbery patch with the support cables stretching overhead like high-tension power lines. It wasn’t exactly real physics. A ringworld was supposed to spin to simulate gravity, and there was no spinning here. It was just an image. Similarly, Big Gulp was ignoring the external gravity, the cabin interior having its own simulated 1g simply because Rain said so.
For what felt like the hundredth ti, Rain glanced at the newly-built clock that protruded from one wall, then sighed. The clock’s pendulum—tick, tick, ticking away—was about a quarter-ter in length. The math said that ant one oscillation per second under 1g. It was accurate enough that the speed of the second hand didn’t seem off to his eye, but clearly, there was significant error. He’d been waiting here for well over twenty minutes, intending to observe his scheduled 8 AM essence exchange. Going strictly by the clock, that should have been ten minutes ago. He’d accounted for the increase to the ti acceleration, but he didn’t have an exact asurent of the factor yet, introducing another source of error.
Annnnd…. Rain raised a hand, then held it for a mont before whipping it down to point at the clock. Now!
…
Okay…now. Damn it, NOW!
…
With a frustrated groan, Rain sat back to rake his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes. The instant he did this, naturally, a tremor ran through the craft. He snapped his eyes back open, sitting up to stare through the window. As the essence exchange began, he felt his core rushing toward him, along with every avatar that wasn’t already at the Tear. The view through the window didn’t reflect the contraction of the paling, but that was normal. Invested essence shrunk at the sa rate. His avatar was made of invested essence, so his perspective would be shrinking along with it. The sa was true of liquid essence. Gaseous essence, though—and chaos by extension—were another story.
As the essence exchange ramped up, the turbulence increased, chaos mixing with air and making the orange haze more pronounced. A trio of gauges on the console told Rain that the pressure was rising. Each had a different scale corresponding to area rank, the first ranging from zero to ninety-nine, the second from twenty to thirty, and the third and most sensitive from twenty-four to twenty-six. The third needle had already risen to read twenty-five point three.
In Rain’s experience, the pressure would go no higher for a normal, non-leveling exchange. The paling beca perable during the process. The turbulence he was experiencing was coming from the chaos rushing to freedom during the ‘exhale’. That was normal. What wasn’t normal was the way his patch had started to balloon outward. Unlike the paling, his patch wasn’t perable. That was the point.
Not even a second later, a great sound rattled the ship, so loud that Rain would have clapped his hands over his ears had he not decided on a frantic lunge for the controls instead.
*Ppptppttpptppttppptpttptttppptpt…*
He just caught a glimpse of the patch sputtering like the world’s largest whoopee cushion before a wall of chaos rolled past him, blocking it from view completely. Abandoning his physical senses, he used his distant avatars to orient himself as he brought the ship’s turbines to full reverse. He struggled with the suddenly heavy flight controls, the craft starting to spin. Fortunately, he’d left enough distance, and the exhale ended long before he was in any danger of slamming into the web of support cables. The respite was brief. The sound soon returned, the wind now blowing in the opposite direction with the inhale.
*Upptptttptptpttptppptptptptptpptp…*
This ti, Rain didn’t even bother trying to keep the ship stable. He brought the engines back down, then clamped his palms over his ears as he squinted at the baroter gauges. The third gauge had bottod out, and the second read twenty-one, though it was swiftly rising. As the third gauge climbed back onto the scale, the sound ended, the patch sealing itself. The turbulence continued for a few seconds more, then faded along with the wind, the pressure stabilizing at twenty-four point five.
Rain removed his hands from his ears, then chuckled, thinking about the sound. “Classy,” he said to the empty cabin.
After watching the gauges for another second or two, he left Big Gulp to spin, then switched to a Kludge in one of the anchor stations. Picking himself up from where the avatar had been tossed, he repaired the avatar as he limped to the cable gauges to check the maximum recorded strain. It was high, he saw, but not terrifyingly so. He reset the gauge quickly, then hopped to a Kludge in the next station. As he made his way down the line in this manner, his concern lessened, becoming elation.
No damage! Everything within tolerance! Not great, but within tolerance!
By the ti he returned to Big Gulp, he was grinning like a madman. He checked the pressure again, then laughed. It had barely changed, reading at twenty-four point six. It would get back to nominal eventually, he was sure. His paling at large would be working even now to restore the essence that had been lost to...flatulence.
Rain snickered, reaching for the controls to arrest his spin.
There was a crash of breaking pottery, and Lana recoiled as crushing dread washed over her. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a small bird’s, her every instinct screaming at her to run. To hide. She staggered away from the fallen tray, fighting not to cry out.
The dread was overpowering...but also familiar. She knew what this was.
And then it was gone.
The terror lingered, but the oppressive, overpowering weight had vanished.
Lana reached to the hilt of her sword to steady herself, drawing strength from its presence. Samson’s training took hold, and she found her breath, inhaling evenly.
Calm. I’m calm.
“Who—?” a voice asked.
Lana looked up, seeing Aliah’s head poking out of the tent. Their eyes t, and Lana froze. There was no alarm in the other woman’s expression, only confusion.
“Lana?” she asked, exiting the tent. “What are you doing here? Where’s Samson?”
Quickly removing her hand from her sword, Lana straightened up her spine, then t Aliah’s gaze. “I—Good morning. I was just bringing you and Rain so breakfast. You both missed the party, so I thought you’d appreciate it. Samson wasn’t going to let through, but then Tallheart walked by and told him it would be okay as long as I didn’t ask about what happened last night.” She closed her mouth before she was tempted to ask just that. Tallheart had looked exhausted. She didn’t believe Kettel’s theory, of course, but it was...suspicious.
“Ah,” Aliah said, smiling and looking down at the fallen tray.
Following her gaze, Lana muttered an oath, then dropped to her knees. She flipped over the tray, scrambling to refill it with food and shards of broken pottery. The porridge and the beer were goners, but the rolls and sausages would be fine. They were dry. The freshly sliced beef was another story, but Rain had Purify for that.
“Sorry,” Lana said, shaking the dirt from each slice of at as she placed it back on the tray. She glanced up at Aliah, then at the tent, lowering her voice to an urgent whisper. “Please don’t tell Rain I reacted like that. The pressure surprised , and I tripped. It was just so…strong. Stronger than it ever was before.”
“Well, there’s one question answered,” Aliah said, laughter in her voice. Her armored boots ca into view, then she knelt down, moving to help. “Thank you, and don’t worry about it.”
“Why’s it back?” Lana asked. “The terror thing? I thought that was fixed?”
Aliah smiled wryly. “Because Rain is a trouble magnet. He tore his...wound...open when he picked his class.”
Lana’s mouth made an ‘o’ of surprise, and she worked her jaw as if to ask sothing. Before she could figure out what, Aliah chuckled, gesturing to the tray. “I’m glad to see you brought enough for yourself this ti.”
Lana closed her mouth with a click. Aliah clearly didn’t want to give her any more detail just now and was trying to change the subject. She looked down at the tray. She’d brought a lot of food, yes, but that was only because she’d seen the way awakened tended to eat.
“But I didn’t—” she finally began, looking up, but Aliah laughed, interrupting her.
“Nonsense,” she said, rising with the tray and shifting it to one hand to offer Lana the other. “This is what? The fifth ti? If you’re going to keep doing this, you’re going to start joining us.” She beckoned with her gauntleted fingers for Lana to take her hand.
Lana, still working through her shock, took the offered hand.
Aliah’s grip was firm as she hauled Lana back onto her feet with the gentle yet irresistible strength of a mountain. She released her the mont she was up, though, turning and carrying the tray back toward the tent. After a few steps, she paused to look over her shoulder with a smile. “I think there’s a Ranks board in Rain’s pack. Do you play?”
Progress Report
marker_1: s1 [3061 Sowing 26 02:49]
marker_2: s2 [3061 Sowing 26 08:00]
Span: 5.2 hours
Character
Total Exp: 2,036,178 -> 2,036,416 ( 238)
↳Stamina Use: 4
↳Mana Use: 234
Skills
Aura Compression: 9 exp
Aura Synergy: 22 exp
Channel Mastery: 150 exp
Intrinsic Clarity: 234 exp
Intrinsic Focus: 234 exp
Magical Synergy: 234 exp
Purify: 75 exp
1/27 Slots
Accolade
Bonus
1
Everdeep Fortress
10Perception
Slot
Item
Charge
Saturation
Durability
Head
Chest
Legs
Hands
Feet
Offhand
Myriad Plate
Bound
Durability
Hardness [12,047]
500 Heat Resistance
500 Cold Resistance
375 Chem Resistance
350 Force Resistance
5,000 Arcane Resistance
Lightness
Compression
Thermal Regulation [ON]
Tactile Transference [OFF]
Facade [ON]
Obfuscation [ON]
Arcane Regeneration [OFF]
Kinetic Conversion
185,496 / 185,500
0 / 154,209
602,044 / 602,044
Ring[0]
Ring[1]
Ring[2]
Ring[3]
Ring[4]
Malleable Ring
Bound, Unity
287/287 Attributes [˃]
225 / 226
0 / 1,907
102 / 102
Ring[5]
Aura Collector’s Ring
Bound, Unity
1.12 Aura Synergy [AUTO]
500 / 500
0 / 4,272
813 / 813
Ring[6]
Aura Collector’s Ring
Bound, Unity
1.12 Aura Synergy [AUTO]
500 / 500
0 / 4,278
814 / 814
Ring[7]
Aura Collector’s Ring
Bound, Unity
1.12 Aura Synergy [AUTO]
500 / 500
0 / 4,273
816 / 816
Ring[8]
Aura Collector’s Ring
Bound, Unity
1.12 Aura Synergy [AUTO]
500 / 500
0 / 4,274
813 / 813
Ring[9]
Aura Collector’s Ring
Bound, Unity
1.12 Aura Synergy [AUTO]
500 / 500
0 / 4,271
814 / 814
Amulet
Magewell Amulet
Bound, Unity
Mana Well
100% Import Efficiency
100% Export Efficiency
50,000 / 50,000
0 / 39,211
313 / 313
Mainhand
None
NA
NA
NA
Underwear
Forceweave
NA
NA
NA
Overwear
None
NA
NA
NA
Richmond Rain Stroudwater
CLASS
LVL
CAP
STAT
Engine of Change
26
30
10
EXP
NEXT
TOTAL
SKILL
586
73,713
2,036,416
1
Vitals
CUR
MAX
RGN
Health
1,700
1,700
300/d
Stamina
1,699
1,700
520/d
Mana
39,525
39,525
1.6/s
Attributes
287/2690
EFF
TOTAL
BASE
ACCLD
MISC
SYN
STR
85
85
10
75/500
20.6
RCV
16.8
30
10
20/770
5.6
END
59.5
85
10
75/310
7
VGR
46.3
52
10
42/1,140
8.9
FCS
85
85
10
75/2,000
50
CLR
270
270
270
0/2,500
270
PER
10
20
10
10
0/0
10
SPD
9.4
10
10
0/10.0
9.4
Resistances
TOTAL
END
ACCLD
MISC
HEAT
508.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
500 0%
COLD
508.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
500 0%
LIGHT
8.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
0 0%
DARK
8.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
0 0%
FORCE
358.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
350 0%
ARCANE
5,008.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
5,000 0%
CHEMICAL
383.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
375 0%
NTAL
8.5 0%
8.5
0 0%
0 0%
Rain occasionally glanced at the wall of windows, contemplating his full status as he worked to take down the tent. He’d erged from his soul, surprised to find Aliah teaching Lana how to play Ranks by the light of the open tent flap. After learning what had happened and dusting off the food with Purify, he’d joined them for a nice, quiet breakfast. The two of them had just left, Lana to go on patrol, and Aliah to get so sleep. Apparently, Vanna had arranged proper accommodations for Rain, Tallheart, and Aliah within the safety of the main camp. Tallheart was already there, having left hours ago.
Rain felt a bit guilty about how incredibly well-rested he felt, given that his friends had basically stayed up all night to watch over him. The soul-ti factor was just a whisker below five now, thanks to his class upgrade. He’d been expecting that, hoping for it, even, but the reality hadn’t really hit him until he’d experienced it. Since third bell, five hours had passed in the real world, but for him, it had been closer to twenty-five. He’d slept twice, for nigh on eight hours each ti, getting an impressive amount done in between. It was ridiculous, and it would only get more so. The long-term implications were mildly concerning, in fact.
It was lonely in his soul, Dozer’s presence notwithstanding. Already, the math said he’d be leaving his friends for days of perceived ti each night, and it would only grow worse if the factor continued to improve. It wasn’t like the obelisk. That had been a much higher acceleration, obviously, but it was also a one-off. This wasn’t. Over ti, that difference in perceived ti would add up, taking a ntal toll if he wasn’t careful. Fortunately, he could exploit the effect as much or as little as he wanted. For now, there was no reason to hold back. He’d need to spend as much ti inside as he could, just to keep up with his mana addiction.
I can stop any ti I want.
Setting a marker, Rain triggered his second essence exchange of the day, focusing on his body. He felt nothing, not that he expected a reaction. His repairs had been quite extensive, and he was in considerably better condition than he’d been just a few real-ti hours ago. The lack of screams further told him that if he’d had another blow-out, it hadn’t reached the camp. He didn’t get any flashes of Linksight either, but then, nobody would be in his party at the mont.
Nodding to himself, he put his spirit-world status out of his mind, then summoned a progress report to display his real-world gains over breakfast.
Progress Report
marker_1: s2 [3061 Sowing 26 08:00]
marker_2: s3 [3061 Sowing 26 08:43]
Span: 43 minutes
Character
Total Exp: 2,036,416 -> 2,042,596 ( 6,180)
↳Stamina Use: 1
↳Mana Use: 6,179
Skills
Aura Compression: 9 exp
Aura IFF: 1,180 exp
Aura Synergy: 288 exp
Channel Mastery: 3,869 exp
Detection: 105 exp
Essence Well: 780 exp
Extend Aura: 140 exp
Intrinsic Clarity: 6,179 exp, 10 -> 11 ( 1)
Intrinsic Focus: 6,179 exp, 10 -> 11 ( 1)
Magical Synergy: 6,179 exp
Mana Manipulation: 21 exp
Purify: 75 exp
Rain’s mouth quirked. Two skill levels. Just like that. Without even trying.
With a thought, he summoned a pair of skill cards. He didn’t expect anything exciting to have happened with the two skills that had passed rank ten, but it was worth taking a second to look.
Intrinsic Clarity (11/15) Exp: 2,155/5,600
Multiply base mana regeneration by 320%
Intrinsic Focus (11/15) Exp: 2,155/5,600
Multiply base mana by 320%
Nope. Just an extra twenty percent per level, sa as it’s always been. Oh well.
His eyes flicked back to the progress report, considering.
Purify to clean up, Mana Manipulation for equipnt upkeep, Detection to assuage his paranoia, and Essence Well to refill Aliah’s mana.
That was literally all I did. And I got two skill levels for it. Damn.
Rain shook his head, reconsidering his usage of Essence Well. He’d asked Aliah to top up his stamina, reversing his previous stance, but he hadn’t really needed to refill her mana in return. The threat of the Knives was distant now, an attack unlikely. Leaving her to regen on her own would have been fine. He’d just gotten in the habit of refilling her whenever she refilled him. Tit for tat and all that.
Ah, well. It’s just a drop in the bucket.
Banishing the windows, Rain slung his pack over his shoulders, bundled up the collapsed tent under one arm, then began walking toward the camp. As he picked his way through the trees, he opened up a relatively new display he’d developed.
Experience Monitor
Target
Since Dawn
Since EsEx
50,000
6,180
While it appeared simple, this panel was anything but. The system obstinately refused to tell Rain his pending experience, no matter how politely he asked. That hadn’t changed since he’d first tried months back, while trapped below Fel Sadanis. Fortunately, his more recent captivity in darkness—thrice-accursed palanquin—had left him with ti to work the problem. It had taken a while to write tracking scripts for his skill usage and to puzzle out the formulas, but he had the mory of all of his past training dialogs to help him. The difficulty was that the rules for experience could be a bit...obtuse...particularly when it ca to tamagic and passives.
Rain chuckled, feeling sympathy for the supposed ancient Majistraal programrs. He was sure enough at this point that essence wasn’t a ‘system thing,’ not unless you counted it as a building block. Essence had existed before, whatever that ant. Experience was just the Majistraal’s attempt to quantify the unquantifiable.
Stopping himself before he could get further lost in speculation, Rain looked at what the dialog was actually telling him.
Okay.Fifty thousand experience. If I can stick to that, I won’t level until tomorrow. Also, I should probably deal with the distraction problem.
Rain typed a few more commands to his interface, opening up an alarm function that he’d written to replace the native one he’d co-opted for other uses. He configured this new alarm to chi every half-hour, accompanied by a reminder panel, which he opened to customize.
Self-Check Checklist
Headache?
Heartburn?
Any other pain?
Any problems focusing?
Have you overdone it?
Are you SURE you haven’t overdone it?
You don’t want people to start saying “pulled a Rain” instead of “pulled a Val,” do you?
Satisfied with the text, Rain dismissed the panel. He was trying not to let his friends see just how worried he was about potential side-effects from Engine of Change. He’d ntioned it, yes, but he’d undersold his fears. If the Clarity-fueled loopiness crept up on him, he might not even realize it, hence the auto-nag.
Not being able to trust my own mind is...terrifying.
Leaving the experience monitor hanging in the corner of his view, Rain looked down to see Tarny coming from the camp to et him. Corrin was working nearby, directing a gaggle of shovel-wielding townsfolk. He was using Earthmolding to sculpt and solidify a wall inside the trench the workers were digging, using the excavated material. It was only a half-ter high, which seed a bit pointless, really.
Might be nice as a ntal demarcation between camp and the wilderness, if nothing else. Or maybe Corrin just wants to work on his sync.
“Good morning, Captain,” Tarny said as he ca into comfortable speaking distance.
“Hey, Tarny,” Rain replied, smiling and stopping with a wave.
Tarny extended a hand. “I heard the details from Vanna. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Tarny,” Rain said, shaking the offered hand. He let go to gesture toward the camp, which was bustling with activity amid the stumps of trees. “How’re things here?”
“Good enough,” Tarny replied, jerking his head vaguely in the direction of the piled logs. Sawing could be heard from the other side. “Shena’s already gotten started on the first cart, and we’re sending more axe teams out soon.”
Rain smiled. “Any luck with the table saw design I gave you?”
“Ellis made the blade last night, and Staavo is fiddling with it, trying to get it linked up to the steam engine.”
“He need any help?”
Tarny shook his head, smiling. “Yes, but he doesn’t want it.”
Rain chuckled. “Sounds about right. Anything else going on?”
Tarny raised a hand. “Before all that, do you want to make an announcent?”
Rain arched an eyebrow behind his helt. “About getting to silver?”
Tarny nodded.
Rain considered, then shrugged. “It’s not a secret now that it’s done, but I don’t want to make a big deal about it. I’d rather just let word spread organically. Maybe put a notice on the board if you must. On that note, let fill in anything Vanna didn’t tell you.”
Rain gave Tarny the rundown. Dynamo was already in the class book, and he’d elected not to hide the fact that he’d gotten the legendary version. Anyone with sufficient motivation and a pair of brain cells to rub together would be able to work it out anyway. The na, though, he kept close to his chest, having told only Aliah and Tallheart, with a request that they not repeat it. ‘Engine of Change’ could be perceived as inflammatory if you were, say, an established institution with a vested interest in the status quo. Rain liked the na—liked it a lot, in fact—but it had him wondering how the unthinking system had managed to pick sothing so appropriate. And not just in his case, either.
Runic Powersmith? Uncertain Savior? Wielder of Deep Vengeance? On point, each ti. Is it a decision tree, or what? Achievent based? Gah! Always more questions!
After finishing his conversation with Tarny, Rain set about his normal morning routine. After finding a place to dump the collapsed tent, he did a count with Detection, verifying that everyone was accounted for, except those on patrol and out of range. That done, he began touring the camp, using Purify with a lower power setting such that the magic was barely visible. It nevertheless did wonders for fuzzy mouths, stained tunics, and noiso odors. As it turned out, there’d been more beer left than anyone had thought. Rain could do little about the hangovers, but reck and Tahir were on the job.
During his leisurely stroll through camp, Rain took the ti to chat. As news of his class evolution spread, he found himself occasionally mobbed, receiving congratulations from friends and strangers alike. Even one of the nobles ca to pay his respect, Egen Urs, which was a bit of a surprise.
Rain still hadn’t decided if the porcupine-shifter was truly the overconfident idiot that he seed or rely a troll with an insufficiently-developed sense of self-preservation. Regardless, while he still liked to talk—‘I could have had him’ and other such nonsense—he wasn’t overly belligerent. In fact, he was now staying with Bens and his family in the Vestvallan segnt of the camp, not with his father. The elder Urs was most unpleased by the situation, but Rain couldn’t be asked to give a shit about that asshole’s feelings as long as he wasn’t mistreating Jamus’s other questionably-biological children. The fact that two of the three had chosen to stay with Lord Urs was a touchy subject.
Speaking of Jamus, when he ca to congratulate Rain, the two of them got to talking, and Jamus ntioned wanting to talk about sothing in private. Infuriatingly, he wouldn’t say what, only that it wasn’t serious, just personal. He then shocked Rain by proposing that they et up for a jog after lunch. Physical activity wasn’t entirely out of left field as an excuse for a private chat, especially since Jamus had a stat ring to get used to, but still. Jamus was in his forties and a mage, sporting the characteristic spindly legs, matchstick-arms, and aversion to physical labor that ca with the territory. In any event, Rain had agreed to the jog happily, setting aside his curiosity and bidding Jamus farewell before seeking out Vanna.
As expected, she had quite a list of things that needed his attention. First up on the docket was...debugging.
Chuckling to himself, Rain left Vanna to her own duties and headed down into the dell where the stream was situated. Before long, his boots were sinking into the boggy muck, and it beca abundantly clear why Vanna had rated this as top priority. Flies, mosquitoes, and tiny gnat-like insects descended upon him in droves, pinging off his armor like hail.
Spring has co to the forest. Hooray.
Rain ca to a stop near the water, eyeing a lone barrel sitting on a sledge. It was half-full, clearly abandoned in total rout by the team Vanna had tasked with filling it. Swiping at the bugs trying to invade his visor, Rain decided he couldn’t bla them, then glanced at his experience monitor.
Experience Monitor
Target
Since Dawn
Since EsEx
50,000
8,297
1,847
Plenty left.
He reached for Detection and ran a thorough scan for entities. Unsurprisingly, the area was completely deserted, with not even any animals nearby.
What do these bugs eat when they can’t get Dynamo?
Setting the question aside as yet another of life’s great mysteries, Rain triggered an essence exchange. As before, there was no pain. Smiling, he set a marker and called up a progress report.
Progress Report
marker_1: s3 [3061 Sowing 26 08:43]
marker_2: s4 [3061 Sowing 26 09:59]
Span: 1.3 hours
Character
Total Exp: 2,042,596 -> 2,044,713 ( 2,117)
↳Stamina Use: 2
↳Mana Use: 2,115
Skills
Aura Focus: 240 exp
Aura IFF: 180 exp
Aura Synergy: 148 exp
Channel Mastery: 510 exp
Detection: 270 exp
Extend Aura: 690 exp
Intrinsic Clarity: 2,115 exp
Intrinsic Focus: 2,115 exp
Magical Synergy: 2,115 exp
Purify: 225 exp
After confirming his calculations, Rain noticed the ti on the report and started running through his self-check, dismissing the alarm as it fired midway through. He passed the test with flying colors, his only discomfort coming from the bugs. Several had invaded his helt and were crawling on his skin, trying to bite. With his Force Resistance, they would find him entirely proboscis-proof, but it was still distinctly unpleasant.
Fortunately, as Detection had verified, there was no one around to be caught in the blast. He ran one more scan, just to be extra-super-double sure, then switched his macros into combat mode.
No rcy for mosquitoes. Immolate!
multi.sh: combat3
synergy_rings.sh: Synergy rings activated
focusboost.sh: 62 points shifted to Focus from secondary stats
focusboost.sh: Focus: 147
modmon.sh: Mods detected: ['extend aura', 'aura focus', 'aura compression']
modmon.sh: Compression: 95 m
Immolate (10/15) Exp: 0/4,600
3434.00-3924.57 heat (fcs) damage per second to entities and environnt
Sufficient damage causes ignition
Range: 100 ters
Cost: 450 mp/s
Rain counted, holding his breath. Immolate didn’t spread instantly, and it would take ti for the air to heat sufficiently to exterminate everything within the full radius. Bugs were too small to count as entities and thus wouldn’t be targeted directly by the magic.
...twenty-eight...twenty-nine...thirty.Refrigerate!
multi.sh: combat3
synergy_rings.sh: Synergy rings are already active
focusboost.sh: Focus shift is already active
focusboost.sh: Focus: 147
modmon.sh: Mods detected: ['extend aura', 'aura focus', 'aura compression']
modmon.sh: Compression: 85 m
Refrigerate (10/15) Exp: 0/4,600
3197.17-3653.91 cold (fcs) damage per second to entities and environnt
Sufficient damage causes slow
Range: 110 ters
Cost: 450 mp/s
Rain gave it another thirty-count. He wasn’t overly worried about fire spreading beyond the soggy dell, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Refrigerate with an extra ten ters would take care of it. And for the ash...
Purify!
multi.sh: combat3
synergy_rings.sh: Synergy rings are already active
focusboost.sh: Skill: Purify is on the ignore list
focusboost.sh: Focus: 147
modmon.sh: Mods detected: ['extend aura', 'aura focus', 'aura compression']
modmon.sh: Compression: 75 m
Purify (10/15) Exp: 375/4,600
Purify poison, corruption, and contamination
Range: 120 ters
Cost: 900 mp/min
After just a five-count this ti, it was over. Another macro window flashed open only to vanish a split second later.
multi.sh: combat3
restore.sh: Secondary stats restored
restore.sh: Synergy rings disabled
Rain’s senses faded back in, and he looked around at the devastation, releasing his held breath to inhale clean, crisp air. There hadn’t been many large trees in the dell, but there’d been plenty of woody, swamp-dwelling plants, green with spring growth. They had not fared well. The ground had been stripped bare, now bone dry and cracked beneath a thin layer of frost. The stream had survived, though it had likely been boiling before Refrigerate had cooled it back down. The dirt near its banks was already darkening as water seeped back into the thirsty earth.
As for the few large trees that had been within the radius, only a few shattered chunks remained. They’d clearly exploded, doubtless from their sap flashing to steam. This wasn’t the Ashen Jungle, where the plants had been made of sterner stuff.
And on the subject of ash, there was none to be found. Purify had seen to that. Nor was there fire. The layer of frost coating the ground had likely been steam, evaporated by Immolate only to freeze and fall when Refrigerate took over. A white ring surrounded the desolation, ice covering the foliage where the second aura had acted unopposed.
Of the bugs, there was no sign.
Rain glanced at his experience tracker.
Experience Monitor
Target
Since Dawn
Since EsEx
50,000
38,804
30,507
Do I get experience for the forest?
Steeling himself, he pushed aside the irreverent thought, then triggered an essence exchange.
Progress Report
marker_1: s4 [3061 Sowing 26 09:59]
marker_2: s5 [3061 Sowing 26 10:01]
Span: 2 minutes
Character
Total Exp: 2,044,713 -> 2,075,220 ( 30,507)
↳Mana Use: 30,507
Skills
Aura Compression: 4,871 exp
Aura Focus: 6,036 exp
Aura Synergy: 4,068 exp
Channel Mastery: 5 exp
Detection: 22 exp
Extend Aura: 6,036 exp, 10 -> 11 ( 1)
Immolate: 6,750 exp, 10 -> 11 ( 1)
Intrinsic Clarity: 25,130 exp, 11 -> 15 ( 4)
Intrinsic Focus: 25,130 exp, 11 -> 15 ( 4)
Magical Synergy: 30,507 exp, 10 -> 11 ( 1)
Purify: 37 exp
Refrigerate: 6,750 exp, 10 -> 11 ( 1)
Guess not. Rain allowed himself a small smile, looking over the numbers. The pure skill usage adds up, so no bugs in my code. Or otherwise.
He chuckled.
Two minutes, two maxed skills. Let’s see here. Rings on, and...skills.
Skills
Aura tamagic
Tier 0
Extend Aura (11/15) Exp: 2,287/5,600
Extend aura range by 11 ters
Multiply aura mana cost by 320%
Amplify Aura (10/15) Exp: 61/4,600
Multiply aura intensity by 200%
Multiply aura mana cost by 300%
Tier 1
Aura Focus (10/15) Exp: 6,276/9,200
Focus on an aura to boost its output
Multiply aura intensity by 300%
Multiply aura range by 300%
Multiply aura mana cost by 300%
User loses all external senses while focusing
Aura Synergy (15/15) Exp: 4,558/9,200
Increase all aura output by 1.5% for each rank in any aura
Effective boost: 228.0%
Tier 2
Aura IFF (10/15) Exp: 1,480/18,400
User may exempt entities from direct aura effects at will
Selected entities receive 0.0% aura output
Tier 3
Aura Compression (10/15) Exp: 4,890/36,800
Compress aura output, reducing range to boost intensity
Increase intensity by 2% per ter of compression
Defensive Auras
Tier 1
Arcane Ward (10/15) Exp: 0/9,200
Increase arcane resistance by 98.4% for all entities
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Chemical Ward (10/15) Exp: 0/9,200
Increase chemical resistance by 98.4% for all entities
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
ntal Ward (10/15) Exp: 0/9,200
Increase ntal resistance by 98.4% for all entities
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Tier 2
Force Ward (10/15) Exp: 0/18,400
Increase physical resistance by 98.4% for all entities
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 1 mp/dmg mitigated
Tier 3
Suppression (10/15) Exp: 0/36,800
Increase mana costs for all entities by 467.4 mp (fcs)
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 10 mp/s
Magical Utility
Tier 0
Intrinsic Clarity (15/15)
Multiply base mana regeneration by 400%
Intrinsic Focus (15/15)
Multiply base mana by 400%
Tier 1
Channel Mastery (10/15) Exp: 4,564/9,200
Allows intuitive control of channeled skill intensity
Minimum skill intensity: 0%
Maximum skill intensity: 200%
Skill mana cost modified by intensity adjustnt
Mana Manipulation (10/15) Exp: 21/9,200
Allows internal control of mana
Allows expulsion of mana to environnt
Allows transfer of mana to and from capacitive items with direct contact
Maximum transfer rate 2700.0 mp/s (fcs)
Tier 2
Magical Synergy (11/15) Exp: 20,977/22,400
Enables limited synergistic cross-coupling of magical attributes
27.5% of Focus contributes to mana regen
27.5% of Clarity contributes to mana
Offensive Auras
Tier 0
Immolate (11/15) Exp: 2,150/5,600
359.90-411.31 heat (fcs) damage per second to entities and environnt
Sufficient damage causes ignition
Range: 36.1 ters
Cost: 55 mp/s
Refrigerate (11/15) Exp: 2,150/5,600
359.90-411.31 cold (fcs) damage per second to entities and environnt
Sufficient damage causes slow
Range: 36.1 ters
Cost: 55 mp/s
Tier 1
Radiance (10/15) Exp: 0/9,200
327.18-373.92 light (fcs) damage per second to entities
Brightens environnt (fcs)
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 50 mp/s
Shroud (10/15) Exp: 0/9,200
327.18-373.92 dark (fcs) damage per second to entities
Darkens environnt (fcs)
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 50 mp/s
Tier 2
Fulmination (10/15) Exp: 0/18,400
327.18-373.92 arcane (fcs) damage per second to entities and environnt
Sufficient damage causes paralysis
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 50 mp/s
Utility Auras
Tier 0
Purify (10/15) Exp: 412/4,600
Purify poison, corruption, and contamination
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 100 mp/min
Winter (10/15) Exp: 4/4,600
Boost M.Regen by 328% for all entities
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 10 mp/hr
Tier 1
Essence Well (10/15) Exp: 780/9,200
Transfer mana to all entities within range, including user
Transfer Rate: 32.8 mp/s
Efficiency: 20%
Range: 32.8 ters
Detection (10/15) Exp: 502/9,200
Sense selected items of interest
Not occluded by mundane materials
Resolution: 0.92 mm
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 10 mp/s
Velocity (10/15) Exp: 0/9,200
328.00% boost to speed for all entities
Range: 32.8 ters
Cost: 10 mp/s
Free Skill Points: 1
A distant shout made Rain look up to see Kettel crashing out of the frozen underbrush at the edge of the ring. Rain could see the fla-haired youth’s slack-jawed expression even from this distance. To his credit, he recovered quickly, releasing an excited whoop and waving both hands over his head. Lowering his arms to his mouth, he called out, his excited tone carrying clearly across the barren landscape. “Fuck yeah! Go Death Zone!”
Ah, shit.
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