Rune Seeker

Nearly a dozen hours after the run-in with Yanily’s father, Hiral sat around a familiar stew pot with the rest of his raid party. The setting around them, however, was significantly less familiar. The group had clear-cut a small section of the tropical forest teeming with life – mainly so they could see any of the bastard, Chimeric snakes that called this place home before they got close – then settled down after the whirlwind of activity.

Even for B-Rank bodies, twelve hours straight of travel and trials was tiring. Seeing people starting to flag a little, Hiral had called a break before they moved on to their next – and fourth – trial in a row. That would be the tower trial his father had talked about, though it was likely still another hour or two away with how the Cradle’s spatial shenanigans worked.

Stretching and rolling his neck while the soothing smell of Nivian’s stew spread through the quiet group, Hiral let his mind relax and review.

Before they’d left the camp, Hiral had arranged for a C-Rank spear to get delivered to a certain asshole in the bunkhouse. The request was easy enough, and a crystal C-Rank spear from the hidden, underground storage rooms from Fallen Reach had probably already long-since been delivered at this point. The weapon wasn’t anything special, but easily as good as any of the weapons that didn’t come from trials or dungeons. It’d do the Yanily’s father well enough until he got something better. Though, according to what the requisition clerk said – he knew of Vevus – that wasn’t likely to happen.

Much like what Yan had said, his father was something of a loner. His entire time in the Cradle so far had been spent scouting out C-Rank zones – by himself. No raid group. No party. Just him and his spear. And he’d done pretty well, discovering three trials all on his own that’d been missed by others. He either had a knack for sniffing out the hidden trials, or he was just more willing to slip into dangerous places the others had chosen to pass over.

Either way, he hadn’t been part of a single trial clear, but had been doing well earning contribution points.

Hiral simultaneously shrugged and shook his head at the thought. Vevus could’ve just as easily gone and asked for a spear as Hiral did, but that wasn’t what annoyed him. Just like Sera, Yanily’s father was good at his job. It would be so much easier to hate him – or maybe even get rid of him, as Nivian had suggested – if he was a drain on resources. Instead, well, the overall raid was benefitting from him being around.

Not as much as they got from somebody like Yanily, of course.

After he’d completed that task, the raid group had headed right out, Hiral’s pseudo-aspect and scarves carrying the entire group at breakneck speeds. Again, the way different parts of the Cradle were spatially expanded had made the journey significantly longer than anybody had expected – how Tomorrow had managed to expand within expansions was still a mystery – but the group had arrived at their first trial in under two hours.

This had been the one his father had told them about – an area-control-type trial. With five resource points – ranging from a farm to a mine, and several in between – the whole point of the trial seemed to be to teach the group skirmish tactics and area-denial. For each of the five areas they’d controlled, resources – or points, since it was a war game – were harvested in their name.

Easy enough – until the other B-Rank, Chimeric, raid-group showed up. A mix of eighteen Chimeric Troblins, Squalians, and Duggers had been their opponents for their trial, and it had made for a very interesting change of pace. And, if Hiral was being honest, a kind of fun one.

The trial had interesting mechanics that allowed group members to quickly teleport between controlled points, but only three at a time, with a several-minute cooldown between uses. This transport system could be used for escape or reinforcement of points, but only tactically.

All in all, it had been good training for the group to practice splitting up, fight with different members of the raid group than usual – though Hiral still avoided getting paired up with his mother – and deal with opponents that weren’t just monsters. Their opponents had been just as cunning as them, changings strategies and tactics mid-battle.

The trial had been good experience too, even though they hadn’t actually killed any of their opponents. Both sides had prioritized the safety of their members over defending a lost control-point to the death. Part of Hiral wished they could go back in and do it again – they’d definitely win by a larger margin if they did it a second time – but the trial had an interesting mechanic at completion.

When they’d won, they’d all gotten a message saying the trial was locked to them until the other faction fielded a party to compete.

Not only would there be contested territory within the Cradle, but the trials would be set up to put the factions head-to-head. The only question was, would the rewards be worth it? Thinking of rewards took Hiral’s thoughts to what they’d already gotten from the three trials they’d completed.

As good a time as any to double check my status window. On the cusp of A-Rank, Hiral couldn’t suppress the small smile that reached his lips when the window opened. He was… doing pretty well. Especially compared to where he’d started. When he’d leapt from the Grower island – the second time, remarkably – he’d had no class. Barely more than a hope he’d get one on the surface, thanks to the Terminal achievement he’d gotten.

His highest stat – Dex – had been twenty. And that had been impressive. Compared to now, though? Barely a drop in the bucket.

Name: Hiral Dorin

Race: Builder

Class: (Lost) Vanguard of the Runic Cycle

Rank: High-B-Rank (Level 20)

Attributes

Strength (Str)—18 (25+138) = 270

Endurance (End)—18 (25+138) = 270

Dexterity (Dex)—20 (25+613+88) = 1290

Intelligence (Int)—18 (25+138+91) = 411

Wisdom (Wis)—18 (25+138+69) = 377

Attunement (Atn)—20 (25+613) = 1136

Solar Energy Processing

Absorption Rate: S+-Rank

Capacity: SS+-Rank

Output Rate: SS+-Rank

Just looking at his attributes and solar energy status made him want to smile. He really had come so far. Even his lowest stats – strength and endurance – were a whopping two-seventy. The bonuses they’d gained from so many Rank Evolutionary Inspirations – plus-two to all stats – was tremendous. Not to mention the incredible hidden multipliers he had. And, in a lot of ways, the numbers he was looking at didn’t do his body justice.

Thanks to the ‘poison’ Politet had used on him – and the timely activation of Gran’s ability, An Unfinished Weave – his internal solar energy control had never been better, including a boost to his output rate. Inside, though, he could feel his energy moving like dozens of smaller threads, each of which became easier and easier to manipulate with practice. Abilities activated faster, came out stronger and smoother, and generally just did what he wanted. Even his runic manipulation was benefitting from his increased control.

Speaking of his runes, Hiral’s eyes went to the next section of his status window. Namely, the long list of his runes, and the Edicts he had access to.

Abilities—Runes

Rune of Separation—Primary

Rune of Gravity—Secondary

Rune of Energy—Tertiary

Rune of Piercing—Quaternary

Rune of Connection (Neck)

Rune of Attraction (Forearm, Left)

Rune of Rejection (Forearm, Right)

Rune of Absorption (Bicep, Left)

Rune of Impact (Bicep, Right)

Rune of Decrease (Shoulder, Left)

Rune of Increase (Shoulder, Right)

Rune of Time Contraction (Chest, Left)

Rune of Time Dilation (Chest, Right)

Rune of Compression (Abdomen, Left)

Rune of Expansion (Abdomen, Right)

Rune of Unsealing (Thigh, Left)

Rune of Sealing (Thigh, Right)

Rune of Breaking (Calf, Left)

Rune of Restoration (Calf, Right)

Rune of Dreaming (Head)

Rune of Exchange (Palms)

Abilities—Edicts

Edict of Separation

Edict of Gravity

Edict of Energy

Edict of Connection

Edict of Attraction

Edict of Impact

Edict of Decrease

Edict of Increase

Edict of Sealing

That was a lot of runes. Each with their own uses and strengths, but none he ignored. They were all handy. Versatile. Much like his role in the party. And, even though his Rune of Eclipse wasn’t listed on his status window, it would definitely have a big part to play in Hiral’s evolution. Its ability to influence possibility, to allow him to rewrite reality – to a limited extent – like it had in his battle against the Ex-General was something Hiral was pushing for. Just a taste of that power had left him wanting to master it.

Which he would. He just needed to connect with all his current Edicts first. Something he’d planned on doing anyway, since there were numerous benefits to it.

The two extra Edicts he’d gotten from forcing open his channels in that same battle against the Ex-General had certainly worked in his favor. Not just because of the control it gave him over his runes, or the extra tattoos Left got access to either. No, a bit of testing had shown each Edict connection gave him a roughly five percent bonus to his attributes when he used his pseudo-aspect, which was pretty much all the time now. He’d previously estimated it at three or four percent, but he was definitely feeling a bigger impact than that, even though the bonuses didn’t show up in his status window.

I guess it’s also possible each Edictconnection gives a different amount, with things like Separation being more powerful than the others. Hrm. I guess I’ll need more testing after I unlock the next one. Too bad…

Hiral chuckled to himself again – which only got him a small glance from Seena beside him – before he went back to his status window. This time, his eyes went to a section he hadn’t looked at in a long, long time, since it was a list of things he couldn’t use.

Abilities – Tattoos

Herald of Peace (Head, Left) – Unavailable

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Herald of War (Head, Right) – Unavailable

Perfect Sense (Ear, Left) – Unavailable

The Crowd as One (Ear, Right) – Unavailable

Equilibrium (Neck) – Unavailable

Wings of Anella (Shoulders, Both) – Unavailable

Spear of Clouds (Spine) – Unavailable

Way of Shadow (Chest, Left) – Unavailable

Way of Light (Chest, Right) – Unavailable

Banner of Courage (Bicep, Left) – Unavailable

Banner of Despair (Bicep, Right) – Unavailable

Touch of the Primal (Abdomen, Left) – Unavailable

Abode of Asinef (Abdomen, Right) – Unavailable

Dagger of Sath (Forearm, Left) – Unavailable

Dagger of En (Forearm, Right) – Unavailable

The Pack (Thigh, Left) – Unavailable

Waters of Frey (Thigh, Right) – Unavailable

Path of Butterflies (Calf, Left) – Unavailable

Disc of Passage (Calf, Right) – Unavailable

Bond of the Hidden Prince (Palm, Left) – Unavailable

Moonlit Murder (Palm, Right) – Unavailable

He'd pulled up the tattoos – even though they were greyed out and unavailable because they were on Left now – just to see the full list with the two new additions. All S-Rank, they’d make pretty much any other Maker more than a little jealous. Especially once Left could use them all, which he would, once Hiral connected with the rest of his Edicts.

Briefly, his eyes went from the tropical forest all around them, the distant calls of animals they hadn’t seen making sure it was never silent, back to his list of tattoos. The Abode of Asinef sure would be handy at times like these. Its location lined up with the Rune of Expansion – which he used quite frequently – so it was only a matter of time until Left got access to that tattoo. And if Hiral focused a little more…?

The streamers of solar energy running through Hiral’s channels practically danced at his whim, like a worm enthralled by one of Nat’s abilities, and wound their way down to his stomach. There, he ran them in circles, round and round, against the node keeping him from the Edict of Expansion. Sure, he could probably sneak a tiny thread past the node – like he’d done in his battle with the Ex-General – but there were also side-effects to doing it that way. Not to mention the fact he wouldn’t have actually unlocked the Edict. More just stolen a glimpse of it.

No, there was a right way to do this – wearing down the nodes as he used the runes or Cycled his solar energy. While he had the time, he’d keep up on it. If it came to be an emergency, though…

Hiral pushed the thought out of his head. Somehow, he didn’t doubt an emergency would come up. Not with a suspected Fallen – Vorinal, the monster they’d thrown off Fallen Reach – waiting as the leader of the other faction in the Cradle.

Which means I need to get better – faster – in the right way.

Leaving part of his attention on focusing the Cycling of energy against the node, he looked back at his status window.

After the runes and Edicts, that only left two more sections – well, three, if he counted Racial Growth, which he wasn’t going to look at since it was monstrously long at this point – his active and passive abilities. Also lists that would make most people jealous.

First, came the slightly shorter list of actives. These were the things the PIM directly gave him from achievements or his class… though Hiral had modified a few, like his Vanguard abilities.

Abilities—Active

Foundational Split, Terminal, Mold Crystal+, Eloquently Enraged+, Intimidating Aura+, Distracting Shot, (Lost) Chord of the Primal Echo – First, Second, and Third Movement, Shatter Armor, Double Trouble+, Domain of the Sun+, Power Attack+, Dual Power Attack+, Piercing Shot+, Resonance of Heroes, Vanguard’s Sword, Vanguard’s Shield, Emperor’s Decree, Delicate Balance, Empower+, Hundred Handed+, Dismantle, Pennant of Windy Reinforcement, Recuperate

It was a solid list of abilities, with a heavy focus on combat-related skills. Considering the PIMP’s primary goal of defeating the Enemy, that made sense. Everything it gave them was geared toward defeating the monsters that’d chased them from the surface thousands of years before.

And, as Hiral considered it, geared toward defeating the Enemy’s masters as well – the so-called Raze. They still didn’t have any idea what the Raze were. What they looked like. Or how they could possibly stop them.

All they did know was that these creatures – whatever they were – were powerful enough to battle the Progenitors and nearly win. That means they’re at least S-Rank. Maybe beyond. All the more reason we need to get to A-Rank as soon as possible – or stronger – so we can get those Black Gates closed.

The quest they’d gotten to close the three Black Gates – the portal from the Enemy’s world into theirs – had sat with Hiral and the other B-Rankers since they’d defeated Vorinal the first time. But, at this point, they only had an idea where one gate was, and zero clue on the location of the other two.

Don’t dwell on what you don’t know yet, he told himself. That’s why we need to capture Vorinal instead of killing him. He knows where that mountain with the crescent peak is. Where Tomorrow’s Vigil is. Maybe even where the other two Gates are hidden. We just have to make him tell us.

The thoughts of everything they still had to do made Hiral antsy, so his eyes scanned across the rest of his abilities – this time the passive list.

Abilities—Passive

Entropic Conjuration+, Racial Growth*, View (Enemy Health), Good Things Come in Threes, Walk on Water, (Lost) One-Man Army+ (+45%), Internal Injuries+ (B-Rank), I Bow to No One (moderate), Elemental Resistances (10%), Inspirational Growth, Party Interface (Communication, Member Status, Shared Attributes, Call of the Wild, Shared Storage, Aim High, Allied Killing Spree+, Healthy Living, Raid Party), (Lost) Heart of the Party+ (25%), (Lost) Vengeful Echo Aura+, (Lost) Solar Drain, (Lost) Cycling+ Technique, (Lost) Runic Regeneration+, (Lost) Evolutionary Inspiration+, In the Hands of the Duelist+, Ever Evolving, Cleaving Strikes, Unseen Strikes, Vengeance+, Solar Supply, Attuned Runic Mastery+ (50%), Bully, Babysitter, Momentum, Right Back at You+, It’s What’s Inside That Counts, Enduring Mind+, PIM Upgrade (A Glimpse of Tomorrow (B-Rank), Solar Heart, Is This How You Do It?), Vanguard’s Presence, Follow-Up Blow, Siege Breaker+, Three’s a Crowd, The Right Tool

After getting to the end – many of them abilities he’d had for quite a while at this point – he focused on a much smaller few.

Namely, the newest additions.

While not exactly as new as the three rewards he’d gotten from the recent trials, those challenges had been a better workout for him to explore his upgraded In the Hands of the Duelist+. He’d gotten the upgrade when Seena had evolved her advanced class, and played with it a bit in the earlier pair of trials they’d done, but it wasn’t until these three he’d gotten to really push it.

Class Ability (Passive): In the Hands of the Duelist+ – Any weapon proficiency or training the Duelist has is upgraded to a Weapon Skill, and is further refined through experience, training, and fighting with or against skilled opponents.

He hadn’t quite known what to make of that addition to the description – until he’d done what it said. Battling the B-Rank Chimeric challengers in the area-control trial had taught him how to fight better. It was like he was noticing the way the others were moving, where their efficiencies were, and even how their weaknesses could be used to improve his own form. It wasn’t like he was suddenly getting raw bonuses he could quantify, but he could feel his form and technique sharpening.

Even a little light sparring with Seeyela and Yanily had helped him, though they hadn’t had a lot of time to really explore it. It was clear that while the bonus from the upgrade was small in the short term, it would only grow with time and experience.

He cut off the small fantasy of how far he could take himself after only a few seconds, and turned his attention back to the rewards from the recent trials. The area-control trial – named Riches of the Land – had given him the Pennant of Windy Reinforcement. A long name, but a simple ability.

Class Ability (Active): Pennant of Windy Reinforcement – Plant a pennant forged of pure solar energy and your highest attribute to share some of your strength with your allies.

Note: Pennant of Windy Reinforcement boosts Dex of allies within 100 feet by 300.

Note (2): Duration of Pennant of Windy Reinforcement is 3 minutes, with a cooldown of 10 minutes.

Note (3): Pennant of Windy Reinforcement must be planted in the ground to have any effect.

Much like Left’s Banner of Courage, the ability summoned a kind of flag Hiral could place that would buff his friends. By a lot. Three-hundred Dex wasn’t a small bonus. Best of all, everybody in the three groups had gotten a pennant based on their highest attribute. While two pennants that boosted Dex– such as Hiral and Yanily – didn’t stack with each other, one of those did stack with a pennant of a different variety. For example, Seena’s Pennant of Shadowy Reinforcement boosted Int by three-hundred, and Romin’s Pennant of Earthen Reinforcement did End. All three of them out at the same time meant three hundred to each of those three attributes. Even crazier, Right and Left got access to their own pennants, meaning they also got Str from Right.

Since Left’s highest stat was still Int, it wouldn’t stack with Seena’s pennant, but he wasn’t too far off from being able to boost Atn up above it. A few A-Rank levels would do it. Seeyela or Gran also gave them Wis, which meant they almost had the complete set. Overall, a great ability, and one the entire raid party had gotten.

The next trial after Riches was an interesting one to be sure. The Sermon saw them reliving the events of some ancient and religious scripture. While the proceedings spoke of three warring gods – one of which who got imprisoned deep beneath the ocean by the end – it was more the trying to survive the three factions that took up most of their attention. There was probably more to the story, but the trial itself had been grueling with a number of annoying debuffs preventing the groups from breezing through it.

In fact, despite the solid experience they’d gotten from all the combat, the three parties had unanimously agreed to move on so they didn’t have to deal with that trial again. Still, the reward had been worth it.

Class Ability (Active): Recuperate – Convert solar energy into minor self-healing.

Note: Up to 5% solar energy can be used to heal an equal amount, modified by efficiency and efficacy bonuses.

Note (2): Cooldown: 3 minutes

While five-percent solar energy for health didn’t sound amazing on paper, a little testing had proven it was a bit better than that. Taking the second part of the first note into account, it turned out it was more like five-percent solar energy for ten-percent health. The bonuses it talked about were taken into account before reaching the cap of five percent. For folks who had some additional bonuses – like Hiral – they could squeeze a bit more out of the ability.

It wasn’t an ability that would outright replace one of their healers, but it would help in emergencies. It also seemed particularly good at dulling otherwise severe wounds – like losing a foot. Devison had been… kind enough… to prove the point in the third trial they’d done.

And that third trial had been another fun one – The Games. A simple name, but a bit more complicated. Much like Riches, the party was told they wouldn’t be able to repeat the trial until the other faction was there to challenge them, The Games consisted of a series of challenges. One-on-one battles, party-on-party battles, raid-group versus raid-group battles, tests of speed on land and water, competitions of skill and cunning, and even a battle where a summons, pet, or companion would battle alone.

That… last one had been pretty entertaining when everybody realized Left and Right – together – counted as one ability-slash-summons for the entry requirements. Very suddenly, Wallop, Rive, and Li’l Ur had seemed much less enthusiastic about joining. Though their opponents did have entries into the competition, it had turned out to be a final between Hiral’s doubles and the big Runeocerous. Wallop even put up a pretty good showing, but the winner was never in doubt.

The other challenges were designed to be strictly faction-versus-faction, and two of their raid party ended up losing their individual battles. Sera and Yully just weren’t cut out for one-versus-one fights, and even Drahn had barely squeaked by. Fortunately, these battles weren’t to the death, and some kind of magic in the grand coliseum where they fought protected them from permanent injury or death.

Unfortunately – for their opponents – Sera and Yully seemed to hold a grudge for losing their battles, and shone like newly formed suns in the group sorties.

By the end of The Games, Hiral’s raid group had come out convincingly on top, with only a few minor losses to mar their records. Again, if they had another shot at it, they were pretty sure they could sweep the competition. Their rewards for the trial were interesting as well.

Namely because they got two rewards for one trial – along with the raid interface that had allowed them to claim all these rewards – something none of them had seen or heard of before.

The first was actual loot. A weapon, to be precise.

One Hiral promptly threw into his Arsenal of Amin Thett because it was only B-Rank. He’d barely even looked at what the pair of short swords did before he’d dismissed them as something he wouldn’t use. Nivian’s item, on the other hand, was a kind of mace. Again, not something the tank would use, but it did have a type of Infuriate ability on it. Still not something Nivian needed.

So, he suggested Hiral take it and use Emperor’s Decree on Ilrolik with it.

Emperor’s Decree

Emperor’s Decree: Abilities of weapons stored within the Arsenal of Amin Thett can be imbued onto bearer, party members, or the Greatsword of Amin Thett.

Note: Emperor’s Decree has a 1-minute cooldown per recipient, and abilities cannot be swapped within that time.

That combined with his Raid Party ability meant he could use the ability on anybody sitting around the stew pot with him.

Party Interface: Raid Party

Party Interface: Raid Party – Allows multiple parties to join together to form a raid party (up to 18 members), and additionally allows any abilities or skills that would normally only apply to party members to apply to all members of the raid party.

Note: User of skills and abilities can designate (to a limited degree) who is affected by said abilities or skills within the raid party.

With the combination of abilities and Nivian’s generosity, Ilrolik suddenly had another option for getting an enemy’s attention besides her Shaleclaw Grudge axe. Hopefully they’d get a chance to see that in action in the next trial.

Along with their last new ability – The Right Tool.

Class Ability (Passive): The Right Tool – Different circumstances require different tactics.

When fighting alone, user gains +15% damage done and -15% damage taken.

When fighting as part of a group, user gains +15% to all attributes.

When fighting as part of a raid group, user sees all abilities that affect the group gain a +30% bonus to efficiency and efficacy.

Note: Only one aspect of The Right Tool may be active at any one time.

It was too bad the bonuses from the passive weren’t cumulative, but Hiral could definitely see advantages for each of them. Especially for the poor healers in some of the larger, more dangerous battles they’d been part of. With their eyes set on Mechanized soon, any group-wide benefits would be highly appreciated.

Thinking of their next major goal – completing the A-Rank trial – Hiral closed his status window and looked at the others gathered nearby. Conversations were few or quiet, but also comfortable. The three groups had been working hard together, and friendships were being built on all fronts. With the removal of Politet, the last real antagonist had been taken care of.

Now, they had a unified group.

Okay, maybe Dole still looked a touch uncomfortable, but Loan, Ilrolik, Sera, Nivian, and Wule were doing what they could to make him feel welcome in the raid group. Even Right was sitting with the three Shapers, chatting quietly about the last trial.

Dole and Right hadn’t gotten off to the best start – with Dole calling Hiral Everfail when they’d met in the waiting room of Elezad’s studio – but that seemed to be water under the bridge. Dole was genuinely sorry for that and, more importantly, committed to seeing the raid group succeed.

Just like everybody else in the clearing with them.

“Three hours,” Hiral finally said into the party chat, so everybody could hear him. “Then we’re heading to the tower trial. Eat. Rest. Be ready to go.”

Every head in the clearing turned to him as he spoke, but nobody complained about the short break. Thanks to their B-Rank bodies, the time should be more than enough for them to recover. And, like him, they could practically taste A-Rank waiting for them.

Or, maybe that was just Nivian announcing his stew was ready…