The ash storms started hitting on the third day, and for the following four, they never stopped.
Reidar pressed himself against the wall of his makeshift shelter, which was nothing more than a narrow crack in a cliff face he’d found after days of walking, and watched the world outside turn black.
The wind howled through the volcanic wasteland, carrying clouds of hot ash that would strip the flesh from his bones if he stepped outside.
Reidar had been unable to use his summons to fly around because of the flying monsters after he got far enough from the volcanic area, which was two days ago.
That made searching around harder, and because of that, only the Vorathid Sky-Hunters that he sent around in the earliest days since he ca here were still around, far from the scorching ashes.
Reidar spent seven days on this planet, seven days in hell. Seven days searching for Mara. Seven days of nothing.
Reidar pulled his knees to his chest and checked his status again. It was the sa as the day before, and the day before that.
—[]—
Na: Reidar Miller
Level: 464
Health: 13900
Mana: 61680.70
C.L.A.S.P.: 697394 / 2104800
Available Attribute points: 34.50
Skills: Storm-Wyrm’s Ire, Summon: Mana-Forged Dreadmaw, Dreadmaw’s Corrosive Mist, Tetra-Lion’s Cataclysm, Sovereign’s Absolute Carapace, Overmind Consciousness, Apocalyptic Catalyst, Summon Vorathid Sky-Hunters, Summon Undying Legion, Summon Apex nagerie, Summon Shadow Sovereigns, Summon Spectral Quadraginta, Summon Archon Rift-Lords, Touch of the Eternal Sovereign, Genesis Garden, Yggdrasil’s Grasp, Emperor’s Decree, Event Horizon Javelin, Chaos Storm, Presence of the Sovereign, Gaze of the Pariah, Sovereign’s Aegis, Wellspring of Vitality, Aura of Absolute Purity, Summon: Twin Obsidian Siege-Breakers, Summon: Verdant Sovereign, Summon: Avatar of Primal Convergence, Summon: Void-Claw Pack, Primal Resonance
Equipnt: Void-Caller’s Baton, Diadem of the Overseer, Vestnts of the Hive Mind, Breeches of Reality’s Edge, Grips of the Puppeteer, Sabatons of the Rift-Strider, Vambraces of Binding, Mantle of the Unseen Legion, Cincture of the Mana-Well, Torque of the Alpha, Signet of Expansion, Band of Eternal Servitude
Proficiencies: Velia’s Regional Map (64%), Velia’s Monster Compendium (72%), Interdiate Spellcraft Mastery (100%), Warrior’s Dominion (100%)
Attributes: (S.H.I.E.L.D.: 27.5 111.5), (A.C.U.M.E.N.: 142 200.5), (F.L.A.I.R. : 25 82), (F.L.I.P.: 17 95)
Minions: #N/A
Survival Points: 77,598,585
Trait: Skill Sharing
Perks: Efficient Scavenger (6/6), Arcane Potency (6/6), Mana Attunent (5/5), Mana Font (6/6), Focused Mind (5/5), Rapid Learning (5/5), Mana Regeneration (10/10), Arcane Resilience (4/4), Empowered Effects (5/5), Arcane Leech (5/5), Spell Control (5/5), Familiar Bond (10/10), Pack Tactics (5/5), Elental Infusion (5/5), Resilient Constructs (6/6), Grave Calling (20), Boundless Legion (10/10), Legion’s Fortitude (5/5), Ethereal Anchor (5/5), Mana Siphon (10/10), Shared Resilience (1/1), Crushing Presence (9/9), Legion Commander (5/5), Unsleeping Sentinels (1/1), Coordinated Assault (5/5), Territorial Dominance (4/4), Adaptive Evolution (10/10), Symbiotic Regeneration (8/8), Soulforged Armor (10/10), Legion’s Onslaught (8/8), Inspired Creation (8/8), Master Gatherer (8/8), Systemic Salvage (10/10), Deft Hands (9/9), Blueprint Genius (1/9)
Perk Points: 51
Titles: The First Killer, The First Apprentice, The Pioneer, Creature Slayer IV, Rift-Sprite Hunter IV, The Exterminator, Guardian of the innocents, Adept Learner, Abyssal Caller, The Apex, Titan Breaker, Mana-Forged Will, Demi-God Slayer, Giant Slayer
Profession: Tailoring (LVL 270), Woodworking (LVL 235), Enchanting (LVL 293)
—[]—
There had been no progress. No levels gained since he killed the Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth. Most importantly, there had been no sign of Mara anywhere in this ash-covered nightmare.
The reason was simple: he couldn’t hunt.
Most monsters Reidar found on this planet traveled in packs. The few tis Reidar had spotted a lone creature, it had been level 589 or higher.
The lone monsters here were too strong, which ant that one wrong move and he’d be dead before his summons could even react.
And the groups? Forget it. He’d watched a pack of monsters tear through a rocky valley the previous day, and all of them were above level 490. Fighting them would be suicide.
So he’d stuck to searching. Walking. Hiding when necessary. Which, frankly, was most of the ti.
Reidar closed his eyes and tried to think. The badlands seed to stretch for hundreds of miles in every direction. The sky was a permanent haze of ash and smoke because of the volcanoes in the previous region, and that turned the sun into a dull red disk that barely gave enough light to see. Visibility was maybe a hundred feet on a good day. During the storms? Even less.
So, with no Ravens, the only thing that Reidar could do was walk. Covering ground one mile at a ti while hoping that he’d stumble across so sign of the mutant woman.
Reidar opened his eyes and stared at the ash storm outside. The wind scread. The shelter shook. His summons watched him with gleaming eyes, waiting for orders he didn’t have.
Although his inventory held enough at and rations to last for years and he could summon water at will, sleep remained a problem as he found himself unable to truly rest. Every ti he closed his eyes for more than a few minutes, the roars of monsters jarred him awake, leaving his body aching while his reaction ti slowed and his mind grew sluggish.
Even if he found monsters he could kill, the experience gain at level 464 would be minimal against anything below level 490. At least for him. For normal people, it would still be a lot, but Reidar had to get stronger faster if he wanted to survive.
As things stood, he was stuck, trapped at level 464 with no way to progress. When Reidar ran his hands through his hair, he found it coated in the sa ash that covered everything—his clothes, skin, and equipnt. The fine gray powder had worked its way into every crack and crevice, irritating his eyes and lungs.
Mara could be anywhere.
Reidar didn’t understand why she had done that. In theory, she had already escaped Reidar. There was no reason for her to teleport again. Sure, she might have done it to make sure there were no spies on her, which was true, actually, but she had no idea there were.
No, he couldn’t think like that.
Reviews
All reviews (0)