Riftside 3 - Chapter 7

The air in our common room was thick with a strange mix of anticipation and the lingering scent of bacon from Knut’s sandwich. Over the last few days I’d helped Pa in the forge, delivering on the items ordered by the guard and guild, plus taking a few rotations at Sentinel Station with my party as the dedicated adventurers. It was unpaid work, but we all did it happily knowing that someone else got to rest and recover. 

Enar sat across from me at the dining table, a single, glowing Mind Gem held between his thumb and forefinger. He stared at it as if it were the source to all life, and in a way, it was. To a life where he’d become an adventurer.

“I feel… stuffed,” he said, a slow, incredulous smile spreading across his face. “Like a wineskin filled to bursting. I’ve consumed more gems in the last three days than I ever thought I’d see in a year.”

“The feeling doesn’t get any less weird,” I admitted, leaning back into my chair as I remembered stuffing myself full to get to breakthrough, too. “Your body gets used to the process, but that sense of being overcharged… that sticks around. It’s important you take your time and let it settle.”

“How are your wounds?” Eryn asked.

“They’re fine, honestly,” Enar said. “I’ve done nothing but rest and prepare, just like you said. With the reinforcements from Central arriving, there are enough guards and adventurers now to handle the monster raids.”

“Good,” she said, satisfied. “Took them long enough. Just because this is a newer rift doesn’t mean it’s any less dangerous. Now less of our friends will be dying.”

He looked around at us, his eyes shining with a gratitude so profound it was almost painful to watch. 

“Thank you, all of you. For this. I know I’ve said it a dozen times, but…” He shook his head, his resolve hardening like cooling steel. “But I’m ready. I can feel it.”

“Then do it,” I said, rapping my knuckles against the table. 

Without further hesitation, he popped the gem into his mouth, letting it dissolve. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, a wide grin breaking through his weariness. 

“That should be ten of ten gems of level nine! I’m ready as can be.”

We all cheered and congratulated him on the life-changing moment. 

“I remember my ten out of ten,” I said, thinking back to Eryn, Ma, and Pa tricking me. “You’ll never forget it either, buddy, and we’ll be here to keep reminding you.”

“Got mine from beaver-like monster,” Knut said. “Day I learned small monster and big monster no difference in gem. Only crafting material.”

“My father presented me with my last one in a wooden cedar box,” Nabeeh said, a wistful look on her face. “I didn’t have the heart to say I’d already bought one the day before with money I’d saved up, so I used his gem to reach my breakthrough.”

“That’s cute,” Eryn said, reaching over and giving her a hug. “And someday you’ll go back to kick all their asses.”

“What about you, Eryn?” Enar asked. 

“Got mine thanks to these guys right here,” she said, looking around. “Felt like I’d finally caught up after chasing them for so long.”

“Same as me then,” Enar said. “I wouldn’t be here without you all. So as a small thank you…” He swiped out a large, round chocolate cake, placing it on the table. “My wife, Ilaret, baked this. To celebrate with my new party.” He produced a knife, ready to make the first celebratory cut.

“Hold,” Knut said, his massive hand clamping down on Enar’s wrist with immovable force. “Celebrate after. Breakthrough must be complete. Victory tastes sweeter. More intense.”

“Oh, let him have a piece, you big brute,” Nabeeh shot back, gesturing with her teacup. “The man’s about to… change. Let him have his cake.”

Knut did not release his grip. 

“Victory first. Then reward. This is the way.”

I just shrugged, letting them debate. It was a small thing, but it was their way of showing they cared.

“I am having second thoughts about this one,” Roq grumbled, his voice dripping with royal disdain. “Chocolate cake? Truly? A warrior celebrates with a haunch of roasted boar, not a peasant’s sugary confection. A fine pecan pie, or even a humble blueberry I could forgive, but cake? This is a severe lapse in judgment. What did you even think of inviting someone like that to our party? The disrespect is appaling!”

“A king should be above such petty concerns,” Arclight said. “You sound less like royalty and more like prey that thinks only with its stomach.”

“You will address me with the proper respect, stick-thrower, or I shall use you for kindling!”

Ignoring their squabbling, I took out the Soul Tablet I’d borrowed from Madeleine and pushed it towards our newest member. 

Enar nodded to Knut, and he released his hand. 

“Fine,” he said. “We’ll eat after. And drink, of course.”

“Smart man,” Knut said. “Chocolate tastes sweeter as an adventurer.”

“No it doesn’t,” Eryn said. 

“Does too!” he said.

“Alright, alright!” I said, bringing things back on track. “Before we go any further, Enar, I’ve got to verify you are at your breakthrough. Hand on the tablet.”

He did as I asked, and glowing runes appeared on the slate’s surface.

NAME: Enar Silker

LEVEL: 9 (10/10)

STRENGTH: 9

AGILITY: 9

VITALITY: 13

MIND: 10

TOTAL STATS: 41

“Ten of ten is confirmed,” I said, and thought back to that moment with Edwin at Steel & Scale when he’d confirmed my stats. It felt so long ago. “Congratulations again, Enar, and your stats are pretty decent for your chosen class. You are now at the first…” 

What did Edwin call it?

“…threshold. It is the line which separates scavengers from adventurers.”

“Thank you,” Enar said.

“We are not adventurers because of personal glory or wealth,” I continued. “We shield humanity from the darkness. Every month there are more rifts. More monsters. Without adventurers like us, we would have lost the war years ago. We are the ones who hold the line and push back the tide. And now it is your turn to join our ranks.”

Enar straightened and squared his shoulders, nodding. 

“That’s what Edwin told me before I got classed and now I’ve told you the same,” I said.

“Could I… could I see your stats, Ash?” Enar asked. “I’ve never actually seen an adventurer’s chart before.”

“Of course,” I said, placing my own hand on the tablet.

NAME: Ash Aldrich

CLASS: Hammerlord

LEVEL: 19 (20/20)

STRENGTH: 54

AGILITY: 29

VITALITY: 42

MIND: 26

TOTAL STATS: 151

MANA: 85/85

Enar’s jaw dropped. You have…54 strength? By the bells… are you all this strong?”

Nabeeh scoffed, throwing her hands up in theatrical exasperation. 

“Don’t look at us. That one is a freak of nature, ridiculously strong for his level. Eryn is barely better, but fortunately, she’s still at a low level.” She winked at Eryn. “Knut is our highest level, and he has… impressive stats. I’m the only ‘normal’ person among us. But that won’t last for long, and besides,” she added, tossing her hair and batting her long eyelashes, “I more than make up for it in skill, beauty, and the power of my personality.”

We all chuckled, and I turned back to Enar. 

“You sure do, princess,” I said and smiled. “Now, before we start, we have some things to share with you. Secrets. Which you will have to swear to keep a secret before you undergo your breakthrough.”

Enar looked surprised. 

“Why now? Why not before you gave me the gems?”

“I wanted to see how you’d handle consuming so many,” I said honestly. “To see if you were serious. You’ve been given a fortune over the last three days, but we’ve kept count, and you’ve consumed every one you’ve been given. You’ve worked hard and pushed through the pain of being stuffed full of Mind Gems. We know how it feels, Enar. To be so full of magical power you think it is about to explode and rip you apart, but that’s what sets us apart. We need to tolerate the pain, to be there for those who can’t. All that is what makes a scavenger into a good adventurer, my friend.” 

Knut chuckled. 

“Too much of good can feel bad. Like having too much—”

Nabeeh smacked his shoulder.

“Ouch!” he said.

“Don’t say it,” she said, pointing a finger at him and glaring.

“Don’t say beer?”

“Nevermind,” Nabeeh said, letting out a long sigh.

“Focus,” I said. “This is your last chance to change your mind about becoming an adventurer. Once you know what we know, there’s no going back.”

To my surprise, Enar just laughed. It was a genuine, hearty sound that cut away any final doubt I had about him fitting in with the group. 

“You could tell me you’re all aliens from beyond the rifts and I’d still work with you. You’ve proven who you are with your actions, you’ve risked your lives over and over again, and you’ve actually done something about the monsters. I’m with you to the end. So, just spill. What is it?”

“You’re closer than you think,” I said with a wry smile and picked Roq up from the floor where he’d been leaning against my chair. “My warhammer’s name is Roq. He’s my soul weapon.”

Enar blinked, processing my words. He took it surprisingly well, a thoughtful expression on his face rather than shock. 

“A soul weapon… I’ve heard the stories. I guess… if any party in Dawnwatch was going to have one, it would be you all.”

“That’s it?” Nabeeh asked.

“It actually makes me feel a bit better to be honest,” Enar said with a shrug. “Knowing your amazing stats aren’t the result of just pure potential, but because you have amazing gear, too.” He grinned. “Makes me wonder what Mr. Tharen will make for me when it’s my turn.”

“Good head on shoulders!” Knut said and leaned over with a laugh, clapping our newest member on the shoulder. “You do well!”

“Place me on the floor. It is time to let him meet the king,” my hammer said.

“Do you want to meet Roq properly?” I asked.

Enar shrugged, and for the first time, a hint of skepticism crossed his face. 

“Meet… the hammer? I mean, I can already see him unless he can grow a hand to shake?”

I placed Roq on the floor, no longer counting on him to do any cool mid-air transformations to make me look good.

After a burst of black smoke, Roq appeared in his primal form, hunching down to keep from scraping the ceiling.

Enar scrambled back from the table, toppling his chair over backwards, his eyes wide as saucers. But he quickly calmed, likely due to us all just chuckling, and he stood, staring at Roq with eyes full of awe. 

“Amazing,” he breathed. “He’s…just awesome. Look at him! Powerful and elegant.”

“Correct,” Roq said. “It is your honor to make me acquaintance, youngling,” Roq said, his voice booming. “Wait, what did he just say? Elegant? Powerful? Awesome? Hmm, yes, I have changed my mind. You can stay.”

“I’ve never seen anything like you before in my life,” Enar said, surprising us all when he stuck a hand out. Roq lifted a pincered leg and they shook. It just looked bizarre.

“And you never shall,” Roq said. “Now, onto the more important topics. Cake. I trust your mate is as skilled with pies? I have a preference for lemon, you see. Or anything that is…pie. Apple pie, blueberry--”

“Enough, Roq,” I said and leaned back into my chair.

Enar looked from Roq to me, then to Knut, and finally back to the giant lizard-monster in our living room, and then nodded seriously. 

“She is an outstanding pie baker, sir. And for the future we will keep your preference in mind, while of course keeping the source of pie requirements a secret.”

“I approve of this one yet again,” Roq declared, “And withdraw all previous complaints.” 

With another puff of smoke, he reverted to his warhammer form to conserve my mana.

“Does… does everyone know about him?” Enar asked, his gaze flicking between us.

“Only this party, Ma, Pa, and Knut’s brother, Torsten,” I said. “And Commander Edwin.”

“Why keep it a secret?” he asked.

“That,” I said, “Is political, and a long story which there is no point of getting into until after you’re classed. Once you are, we’ll sit down as a five-person party and discuss the future. The real path to victory. There is a lot we need to tell you about our enemy. Things that are not commonly known.”

“Understood,” Enar said, and I could see he did understand it. He wasn’t just spewing out words to please us.

“There is one last thing we need to decide,” Eryn said, her tone serious. “Or rather, tell you about. Ash and Roq discovered a new method for breakthroughs. It seems to provide an improved result in terms of stats, but we perceive there is an additional risk associated with it.”

“What risk?” Enar asked, leaning forward, all trace of awe gone. It was replaced by a guard’s focused attention.

Eryn took a deep breath. 

“The truth about a breakthrough, Enar, is that your body is broken down on a fundamental level and then rebuilt. The process is agonizing. We found that by healing the body as it’s being torn apart, we can speed up and guide the process, leading to better stats. But it also increases the agony tenfold.” She looked at me, then placed Arclight on the table. “We’ve done it twice for the scavenger-to-adventurer breakthrough, but in both our cases, we had a soul weapon to help guide us. And yes,” she added, anticipating his next question, “My bow is also a soul weapon.”

Enar took this in stride. 

“So you also used it on Knut for his adventurer breakthrough?”

“Yes,” Eryn confirmed. “With Doctor Ridley healing him. But he was already a powerful, high-level adventurer. We would suggest you undergo a normal breakthrough. To reduce the risk of anything going wrong.”

“Pain is a crucible!” Roq declared. “It is the forge upon which true strength is made! Why would you deny him this test? This chance at greatness? A king does not coddle his warriors. No, he tempers them in fire!”

“And a dead healer is no use to anyone, you bloodthirsty rock,” Nabeeh said. “He’s a healer, not a berserker. He doesn’t need a few extra points in Strength. He needs to survive the process. It’s a stupid, pointless gamble.”

“Pain is teacher,” Knut grunted, his gaze fixed on Enar. “Makes you strong. But must survive the lesson.”

“Who are you talking to?” Enar asked.

“Roq,” I said, holding up my hand, cutting off the escalating debate. “We all hear him in our heads. But before we get to that, this is your choice, Enar. Your body, your life. We’ll support you either way, but you need to be the one to decide what type of breakthrough you want. If you want to risk it, we’ll call Doctor Ridley.”

Enar was quiet for a long time, and we gave him the space to think, until finally, he looked up. 

“A healer’s greatest asset is their mind and their mana, not their body,” he said, echoing Nabeeh’s pragmatism. “My strength comes from keeping you all alive, not from how hard I can swing a mace or how many blows I can take. If it improves my mana and mind, it would be great, but not worth being a test case. I’ll take the lower-risk path. A dead healer is no use to anyone.”

“That is a wise choice,” Nabeeh said. “Focus on the purpose, not fear.”

“There’s one final piece, then,” I said, relieved we didn’t need to increase the risk. “Roq has made an offer to connect with you, mentally, as he has with us. That way you won’t be as alone during the breakthrough. He can help talk you through the pain, and even relay messages from us.”

Enar’s newfound confidence wavered. 

“Relay messages? How bad… how bad is the breakthrough, really?”

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever gone through,” I said.

Knut, Eryn, and Nabeeh all nodded in grim, silent agreement.

“It is why there aren’t more adventurers,” Eryn said. 

Enar suddenly looked nervous. 

“Should I delay? Give my body more time to handle the energy?”

“Honestly?” I said. “I don’t think anyone knows if it matters. I made my breakthrough right after taking several mind gems, and I was fine. But I had Roq.”

“It is your decision,” Eryn said. “But if you want to wait, nobody will hold it against you.”

“No,” Enar said, a half smile on his face. “I feel… wide awake. The energy is racing through me, but it’s not uncomfortable. I can’t imagine a better state than this. So let’s do it. And yes, please. I would be honored to connect with Roq.”

“You’re going to regret this,” Nabeeh muttered under her breath, just loud enough to be heard, and winked at Knut who chuckled.

“I heard that, Desert Flame!” Roq snapped, though his tone was one of good-natured fun, showing his growth. “Do not frighten the new recruit before his rise to our circle!”

I held Roq’s haft out to Enar. He took it, yelping as Roq pierced his skin, a single drop of blood welling up. He rubbed his palm. 

“Welcome to the party, future healer,” Roq said, and Enar’s eyes went wide.

“You’re one of us now,” I said with a smile. “Welcome to team…soul weapon?” I said with a grin, and everyone started laughing.

“Definitely need cool name,” Knut said and slapped his palm down on the table.

*

Enar lay on the bed in my room, his eyes fixed on the steel chains tied around the bed and him. They were a grim reminder of what was to come, and his nervousness was now tangible. 

“It’ll be fine,” I said, my voice softer than I intended as I took out the Healer Class Gem and placed it in his gloved hand. “You’ve got this.”

He held it up in front of his face.

“This is the most valuable thing I’ve ever held. If I sold this… I could feed my family and live well for the rest of my life.”

“You could,” I agreed. “Or you can use it, and gain the power to protect them and others.”

His fingers closed around the gem. 

“I will, Ash. Thank you, again. You have no idea how much this means to me,” he said.

“Good luck, my friend,” I said and squeezed his shoulder.

With a shuddering breath, Enar grinned at me and touched the glowing gem to the center of his forehead.

Then he started to scream.