Riftside 3 - Chapter 21

“By the anvil’s black sooted backside,” Pa cursed as I ducked underneath the doorway and into the smithy. 

“Hey, Pa,” I said and grinned.

“You…bastard!” he said, staring up at me slack jawed. 

“Is that Ash?” Ma asked from inside. “What’s going on out—“ She trailed off at the doorway when our eyes met. “What…what have you done!?”

I scratched the back of my head. 

“I broke through, ma. I’m level twenty.”

“Without telling us!?” she said and stalked over to shake a finger up at my face. “How dare you? And Roq, stop growing my boy! Next time he won’t fit through the door!”

“Hmm…yes, Ma. I am sorry. Please make me some pie. I am hurt.”

“You aren’t hurt,” I said and let out a sigh. “But yeah, Roq was with me, ma. No danger at all when he’s doing the breaking. Through I mean.”

“Ha, ha, and ha!” he mock-laughed in my mind.

“Then why are you tall like a damn Ironroot Golem?” she asked. “It must have been…horrible.” Then she pulled me into a hug.

“It was fine, ma,” I lied, putting my arms around her. “Barely hurt this time.”

Pa narrowed his eyes, rolled his shoulders, and then opened his arms.

With a chuckle I gently pushed Ma aside and engaged Pa in our ritualistic battle of trying to squeeze the life out of each other. 

Pa was barely able to connect his hands behind my back, but damn if he didn’t make it. And then he started squeezing. 

It wasn’t bad. He was strong. But compared to him I was now a monster. 

As gently as I could, I squeezed back, slowly ramping up the pressure, until he grunted. 

“I yield,” I said, faking a similar grunt and letting him go.

“Yeah, you better,” Pa wheezed out, stumbling, and I grabbed his arm to stop him from falling. “Don’t think you’re no hot shot just because you’re tall enough to head-butt a sparrow mid-flight.”

“Of course, Pa,” I said, and winked at Ma. 

“Why are you here?” Ma asked. “Besides trying to murder your Pa.”

“It wasn’t close, woman!” Pa said, breathing heavily and leaning on a table. “I’ve still got him a few more breakthroughs.”

“Of course you do, Pa,” I said and picked up his largest anvil, moving it a few inches to the left, dusted it off, and sat down, just because I now could. “And we’re heading Riftside for a hunt.”

“A quest?” Ma asked, but I shook my head.

“Nope, we’re just heading out to look for trouble, and I, well…” I looked down at my changed body. “My gear doesn't fit so well any more. Think you could help me adjust it, Pa? Do some upgrades?”

“Getting too big for your own britches, eh?” Pa said and smiled, and I just rolled my eyes. “And of course. Come on, swipe it all out and let me have a look.”

*

A few hours later, I swung by the guild. Madeleine’s jaw dropped when she saw me, and Petra had to look twice, squinting her eyes at me before shaking her head and turning to her wares. Harold stood talking with a group of adventurers, one full of the fresh faces from the caravan and some I hadn’t noticed before. I waved at him and made my way to the quest board.

He rushed over before I had a chance to even glance at a single quest.

“By the Rift’s hairy backside!” Harold said. “You’ve broken through!”

“Oh,” I said, playing coy. “You could tell?”

“Tell?” Harold yelled. “You’re a blasted head taller than you were and your armor barely fits!”

I chuckled and said, “Would you believe this is after Pa spent several hours on patch adjustments?”

Harold just shook his head again. “There’s something in the water here in Dawnwatch. There’s got to be.”

“Just slaying monsters and eating gems,” I said, patting my flat belly as if after a content meal. “Now, speaking of slaying monsters, you got any good quests for us? Another red rated threat perhaps?”

“Another… Ash, I’ll make you a promise. Next red rated threat I get in, if Edwin isn’t taking it, I’ll give you second go.”

“Deal,” I said, holding out a hand.

“If!” he added, holding his hand away, “You take on a scouting mission for me today.”

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Yes, unfortunately. I sent out eight scouting parties of two adventurers each, with strict orders not to fight, and to retreat at first sign of monsters. Seven have returned.” He glanced around and lowered his voice. “The bad news is that we’re surrounded.”

“What’s new about that?” I asked.

“The good news is that now we have confirmation, and Vos has put in for further reinforcements,” Harold said. “But, the eight duo… I’d like to know what’s out there. If you take on the mission, with your full party, mind, then I’ll put you as second on the list, after Edwin for red rated threats. And with as busy as he is with the defence these days…”

“I’ll pretty much be first,” I finished, nodding. “Where were they headed?”

When he told me, it brought a smile to my face.

“Alright, Harold. You’ve got a deal, if…” I let it hang, and he raised an eyebrow, “You’ll buy half the next variant carcass on behalf of the guild, up front. Thirty mind gems.”

“Why would I do that?” Harold asked. “Official Rone will go apoplectic, which now that I say it would be a nice bonus, but still. Why?”

“Thrice now I’ve killed a beast bigger than what I could fit in my spatial,” I said. “And each time, Edwin has had to carry it for me. First the Titanfang, then the Juggernaut, and then the Steel Scrambler. I’d like to upgrade my spatial to maximum. I’ve got ten mind gems already, so I’m thirty short.”

“You want me to gamble? On you?” Harold asked.

“Yeah? I guess.”

“Two thirds of the carcass, but you’ll get to keep the gem,” Harold said, holding out his arm.

“Deal!” I grabbed his arm so fast he winced.

*

I while later I stepped through the Rift and out into Sentinel Station, touching the thirty-fifth Mind Gem to my spatial tattoo, a pressure building inside me.

Eryn waved from the wall where she stood with Knut, Lan, and Nabeeh. She grabbed a rope, slid to the ground, and jogged over.

I leaned down and gave her a kiss.

“Damn,” she said. “I’m still not used to your new size. We might need a new bed just to fit us both.”

I smiled and pulled her close. “How’s Lan? Warmed up yet?”

Eryn shrugged.

“Nah. But she’s curious enough about your stats to show us hers, so at least that’s something.”

As we joined the others at the gate, Knut frowned at my gear and the gems in my hand as I kept pushing gems into my spatial.

“Pa not fix your stuff?” he asked.

“This is as fixed as he could get it in such a short time,” I said, rolling my shoulders. “He’s lengthened and expanded and tweaked as much as possible without having to rework it all. We’ll do that when we’re back.”

“Look like barely holding together,” Knut said, shaking his head.

“Thanks to Roq, it barely is,” I said. 

“Bah! I’m all you need,” Roq said. “Nothing can touch you after the ingenious changes I made. And even if it does, you can take it. Stop whining.”

“Sure,” I said. “But I’ve asked Pa to make me a completely new armor. Full plate mail. Something to rival your Titanic Plate.”

Lan’s gaze swept over me, a flicker of something like disgust in her eyes. 

“Even after your Pa fixed it, your armor looks like it was cobbled together by a blind tinker in a windstorm.”

“It’s functional enough,” I said, rolling my shoulders. The plates groaned in protest. “Are you here to hunt or offer fashion advice?”

She shrugged, a gesture that managed to be both dismissive and begrudgingly accepting. 

“If you’re offering, I’ll go. Don’t expect me to cry if that walking pile of scrap gets you chewed up.”

“Good,” I said.

“What’s with the Mind Gems?” Nabeeh asked as I pushed the second to last one against it.

“Got us a quest,” I said.

“Not going for a hunt?” Knut asked.

“Oh, we’re hunting,” I said, holding up the last Mind Gem. “Harold’s lost two scouts. We’re going to head as far as we can in the direction they went, and slay anything we find on the way. Quest is completed once we’ve gone further than they could have in half a day, we find their corpses, or face monsters we can’t kill.”

“So, he gave you some Mind Gems and you just take them for yourself?” Lan asked.

“Hush, little storm,” Knut said. “Wait for finish before judge. Look less foolish..”

She scowled at him.

“I made a deal to sell him two thirds of our next variant carcass, not including any gems. In exchange, he paid thirty Mind Gems up front, and we’re now second on the list for any red rated threats, just behind Edwin.”

“That’s amazing!” Eryn said, squeezing my arm. “It’s just enough, isn’t it?”

“So, six Mind Gems each,” Lan said. “Not bad. It’ll take me to the next level.”

“No. It’ll take me to the breakthrough,” Nabeeh said.

“Actually,” I said. “This is the last one of them.” I tossed it into the air, caught it, and pressed it against my spatial tattoo.

“What?” Nabeeh and Lan said as a mix of pain and euphoria rushed through me and I groaned, every muscle in my body tightening.

“Ash?” Eryn said, “Are you…” she trailed off.

The spatial tattoo spread, like ants crawling underneath my skin. It covered nearly my entire left arm, like a sleeve, and disappeared up my neck.

“What have you done?” Lan asked.

“I just upgraded my storage to the maximum size!” I said, fighting for breath. “How does it look?” I asked Eryn.

“Perfect,” she said, and pulled me in for a quick kiss as my body finally relaxed.

“Congratulations!” Knut said, slapping me on the back. “Big moment for big man! Spatial as big as Edwins! Nabeeh jealous of Eryn now.” He laughed.

Nabeeh rolled her eyes, but smiled and said, “Congratulations, boss. And that is a smart move. We’ll make the gems back fast.”

Lan just frowned and said, “I thought you said I wouldn’t have to spend any of my gems for the group.”

“That I did,” I said, my body finally relaxing. “But…this time I don’t care whether you like it or not. This is good for you too, so no whining. We can’t afford to rely on Edwin going for a jog to pick up our loot every time we slay something huge.”

“I guess,” Lan said, and I figured that was a monumental victory.

“Go ahead and put your hand on the Soul Tablet,” I said. “Show us your stats. And tell us your spells and abilities. Then we’ll go slay some monsters.”

“I’ll show you my stats,” she said, her voice flat. “But my staff’s abilities are a secret.”

“Lan, for this to work, we need to trust each other,” Eryn said. “You won’t be a full member until you share. Roq and Arclight are a massive source of power for Ash and me. It’s like having two extra party members, and—”

“I know,” Lan interrupted, her voice sharp. “And it’s my secret to share. Not yours.”

“Alright,” I said, cutting in before it could escalate. “We’ll start with the stats and your mage abilities. But understand this, if holding back gets any of us hurt, you’ll pay for it.”

Her head snapped up, her amber eyes locking onto mine. 

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s an explanation,” Roq boomed in my mind. “We’ve killed plenty of people who’ve crossed us before. Frontier justice, they call it, and—”

I swiped him into storage, cutting the tirade short, and offered Lan a small chuckle. 

“Don’t mind him. He gets carried away when it comes to violence. Loves it more than pie.”

She didn’t look convinced. In fact, she looked a lot less sure of herself after his little outburst.

Knut just shrugged, his expression unreadable. 

“All people we killed deserved death. So, don’t deserve, and you be fine.”

“Probably,” Nabeeh said with a grin.

Lan’s jaw tightened, but after a moment, she stepped forward and pressed her hand onto the tablet. Glowing runes flickered to life.

NAME: Lan Xiang

CLASS: Water Mage

LEVEL: 21 (16/22)

STRENGTH: 24

AGILITY: 31

VITALITY: 37

MIND: 52

TOTAL STATS: 144

MANA: 240/240

“Not bad,” Nabeeh commented, leaning in for a look. “Not good enough to justify acting like a spoiled brat, but not bad. Especially the mind stat. I guess that’s one of your weapon’s specialties, huh? But that mana pool…”

“Thank you for sharing, Lan,” Eryn said, her voice gentle as if offering an olive branch. “And yes, your stats are quite impressive.”

“My turn,” I said, taking Roq out again and placing my hand on the slate.

“Shattered soul,” Lan cursed under her breath as my numbers appeared.

NAME: Ash Aldrich

CLASS: Hammerlord

LEVEL: 20 (0/21)

STRENGTH: 71

AGILITY: 38

VITALITY:66

MIND: 34

TOTAL STATS: 209

MANA: 150/150

“I need to get a soul weapon,” Knut grumbled, shaking his head. “Katherine healed good. Great breakthrough. Yours better. Like rolling stone down mountain to create landslide versus throwing rock. Not fair. I was supposed be big brother to protect, now you bigger.”

“And I will do a far better job guiding Katherine for Nabeeh’s breakthrough,” Roq said. “It will be nearly as powerful as Ash’s, I’m confident of it!”

The leap in my strength and mana was staggering. I was like a new warrior, one who could fight for ages, hopefully. My Mind stat was still weak, but with Roq’s and my own stats and abilities, I didn’t miss any potential oomph when it came to destruction. 

I wonder if I could beat Edwin in a race now. Longer legs and more agility…

A part of me, the one which Roq had so expertly exploited while he was a higher level, looked forward to testing my new strength against the monsters. 

“Is it… is it possible for you to help me get stats like that?” Lan asked.

“Yes,” I said, turning to her. “It’s possible to help you have better breakthroughs. I won’t lie, Dr. Ridley is likely to help you get there anyway, but it will be better with Roq guiding the process. But—”

“Yeah, fine, whatever,” she mumbled, looking away. “Part of the group and all that.”

Knut grunted. 

“Not as dumb as pretends to be.”

“Your spells, Lan?” Nabeeh prompted, changing the subject.

Lan sighed, as if the effort was immense. 

“Water Wall is… a wall of water that comes as a wave. You’ve seen it. Hits hard and knocks everything down. Including Ash.” She barely repressed her smile. “I’ve got Drown, which puts a floating globule of water around a monster’s head. Makes it hard to fight and even harder to breathe. Didn’t work so well on that crab, though.”

“Can you make the globule appear anywhere, or must it be on their heads or faces?” Eryn asked. 

Lan’s face scrunched up, and she said, “Guess I could put it somewhere else, but it doesn’t do any damage unless it drowns them.”

“True,” Eryn said, “But if you put it around for example one leg, it’d throw off their run and trip them up. Or around a shoulder joint, making them swing slower. My lightning arrows would do more damage, too.”

Lan stood still, her eyes moving as if deep in thought. Then she shook her head and moved on. 

“I’ve got Spray, which is a high-pressure, single-target damage spell. It’s my favorite, aside from Water Wall, because it kills stuff.”

“Not giant crabs though,” I said, attempting at a joke.

From the look she shot me, it fell flat. 

“It’ll rip flesh apart, okay? Just, not metallic shells,” she said.

“Anything else?” I asked, raising my hands in surrender.

“Water Spheres. Its just balls of water that float around me, intercepting attacks,” Lan continued. “Don’t do much more than that, but it stops most slashes or bludgeons. Not great against piercing attacks, though it’ll push them aside often."

“Good,” Knut said. “Keeps little sister safe.”

She raised an eyebrow at his term of endearment, but he just smiled back. 

“I also got Cone of Water, which is a wider spray and Geyser which puts down a trap of water and steam that flings monsters into the air.”

“Decent roster,” Nabeeh said. “If we combine some of our spells we might do more damage, too.”

“Nah,” Lan said. “I’m getting Conjure Steam at twenty-two. Then I can cook monsters and drive them crazy from the pain.” She shuckled. “It’s kind of like immolation, but from the outside. Much cooler, ‘cause you can watch it happen. I’m looking forward to that one.”

“Sounds lovely,” Eryn said, though she looked a bit uncomfortable.

“Oh, and I can breathe underwater,” Lan added. “Not terribly useful here in a damn forest.”

“Range?” I asked.

“On my breathing?” Lan asked.

“No. Your other spells,” I said.

“Medium to long, except for Spray and Cone of Water. They are shorter,” she said.

“Then why did you get so close to the Steel Scrambler during the raid?” Nabeeh asked, her eyes narrowing.

“None of your business,” Lan snapped.

“Is our business!” Knut’s voice was a low growl, his usual calm gone. He stepped toward her, his shadow falling over her, treating her like a little sister in need of a scolding. “This our party. Now you answer question, or stay home while we go have fun killing monsters!”

Lan glared up at him like a cornered animal, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes. Fear? Respect? Maybe both. Even I was taken aback at my brother, the friendly giant’s sudden transformation.

“My staff’s abilities are shorter range,” Lan said. “That’s all I’m going to say.” She looked from Knut back to me, her chin jutting out defiantly. “Now, if you’re done being nosy, can we just go? I want to kill stuff.”

“I agree with her!” Roq’s voice echoed in my head. “It is time to slay! And if she gets eaten, dibs on her staff!”

“Where we going?” Knut asked.

“Far past an old hunting ground,” I said. “And let’s just say that on the way we’ll get to say hello to a few rock puppies!”