Chapter 329: The Last One

Note: It occurred to me while editing this chapter that I have not shown Aegis' character sheet at all for book 3, and I had to work with adequately editing it up from Book two using my notes on the progression of his skills. It took a while but was much needed. I'll push to get another chapter out asap (it's already written just needs editing)
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         Aegis took up Lina in his arms, leaped from the tower, and began flapping his wings elegantly, soaring through the skies above the city. He caught a few players and NPCs in the streets below gawking up at them and pointing. Within a few seconds, they’d cleared the airspace above the city and made their way towards the mountain overlooking it, with the Monastery of the Stars constructed on its side.

From high up, they could see players lining up outside the golem dungeon on the upper portion of the mountain. One group, in particular, had lured one of the golem monsters out of the dungeon to battle it on the rocky hillside. As they did, they narrowly passed by the tall altar of Eirene at the top of the Monastery, catching a glimpse of the Great Prophet Clara kneeling in prayer to Eirene in front of the statue there.

           Lina was comfortably snuggled into Aegis’ chest, feeling safe despite how high above the ground they were. He’d had a lot of time to practice using the wings in the last eight in-game months and had gotten extremely good with them, allowing him to quickly travel to any location that was within a 15-minute flying distance of Rene.

           It was a good thing, too, as Aegis’ destination had him testing the limits of his Avatar of Eirene’s skill cooldown. They continued northwest, far away from any established settlements of Kordas on the island of Kalmoore. The number of players they could see adventuring on the lands below them lessened the longer they flew. Eventually, they came upon a long mountain range extending across the landscape in front of them, which Aegis flew straight toward.

           “All of the other advanced crafting quests hint at it being somewhere amongst these mountain tops. I won’t have enough time with wings to check them all, though.” Aegis shouted to Lina, his voice competing with the winds he was soaring through as it whipped their cloaks and hair around.

           “Okay, no problem. Put me down, and I’ll shadow dance through the mountains until I find something.” Lina replied. With a nod, Aegis eyed the nearest mountain and eyed a good spot for landing.

           The tops of the mountain had light snow coating them, with fir and pine trees scattered about the rocky landscape. He touched down gently on a small flat clearing near the top of one of these mountains, eying a few iron ore deposits and moderately valuable herbs in the vicinity. He put Lina down on the ground beside him just as the wings from his skill vanished.

           “What exactly am I looking for?”  Lina stretched.

           “Anything that looks like it might be crafting-related.” Aegis shrugged.

           “Got it. Be back as soon as I can!” She cheered before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Alone, Aegis eyed the herbs and ore and wasted no time harvesting them. He pulled out his mithral pickaxe, and with a few hits, he’d retrieved all the ore from the deposit, ranging from 80 to 95% in quality.

           Level Up! Mining has reached Level 152!

           The notification flew by, reminding him to check up on his character sheet.

Name: Aegis
Title: Lord of Rene [Land Rank: 5 (City)]
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Marriage Partner: Lina [+25% Experience While Grouped]
Level: 155
Class: Harbinger of Light(Unique)
Health: 85,319/85,319
Mana: 24,147/24,147
Stamina: 3020/3020
Hunger: 100/100
Armor Rating: 25,950 [59.22% DMG Reduction]

Strength: 115
Agility: 95
Constitution: 201
Intelligence: 212
Spirit: 352
Charisma: 17

Spell Damage Bonus: 497
Casting Speed Bonus: 13%

Favor:

Eirene: 51,350
Aphrodite: 4,260
Odin: 3,500
Shiva: 2,500

Equipment

Chest: Royal Salamander Leather Armor of the Voidreaver [3410 AC][O1: +250FVR(Eirene)][O2: 2.5% M.SP][O3: +74 S.DMG]
Legs: Royal Salamander Leather Leggings of the Voidreaver [1766 AC][O1: +250FVR(Eirene)][O2: 2.5% M.SP][O3: +52 S.DMG]
Feet: Royal Salamander Leather Boots of the Voidreaver [1393 AC][O1: +250FVR(Eirene)][O2: 2.5% M.SP][O3: +45 S.DMG]
Hands: Royal Salamander Leather Gloves of the Voidreaver [1012 AC][O1: +250FVR(Eirene)][O2: 2.5% M.SP][O3: +36 S.DMG]
Back: Vestments of Eirene [1 AC] [O1: +623MP/m]
Accessory[1/3]: Simple Ring, Aegis' Bane[ENCH: MindShell]
Mainhand: Claws of the Envious(Modified) [3,531-4,164DMG][O2: +1,153-1,267SHDMG]
Offhand: Star of Light [12,305 AC][O1: +1000FVR(Eirene)][O2: 3% M.SP][O3: +290 S.DMG][ENCH1: Spell Ward][ENCH2: Healing Wind]

Class Skills [Harbinger of Light(Unique)]

Greater Heal(Advanced): Level 157 [+30,029HP, 815mp]
Smite(Advanced): Level 151 [4,931-5,104HLYDMG]
Cleanse(Advanced): Level 31
Bless(Advanced): Level 155 [15m, +315-324HLYDMG, 370mp]
Aura of Healing(Advanced): Level 158 [+3,523hp/3s, 91mp/3s, 41m]
Aura of Light(Advanced): Level 154 [74mp/3s, 50m]
Avatar of Eirene(Advanced): Level 155 [16m, +41.0%AC, 41.0%HE, +20.5%Aura]
Resurrect(Advanced): Level 2 [4995mp, 0.99lb Souldust, 48h CD, 9:59cst]
Path of the Stars: Passive [Eirene]: Passive [3/3]
->[1/3]Aura of Beauty(Advanced): Level 155 [18st/5s, 110mp/5s, 13m]
->[2/3]Challenging Roar(Advanced): Level 150 [31,830threat, 225mp, 25m]
->[3/3]Varibhadra(Advanced): Level 155 [81%dmg, 3100mp]
Holy Mastery(Advanced): Level 155 [4 Targets, -37% Effectiveness]
Resurrect(Advanced): Level 2 [4995mp, 0.99lb Souldust, 48h CD, 9:59cst]
Gentle Touch: Passive [Eirene]
Harbinger of Light: Passive [Eirene]
Light's Reach: Passive [1000% Aura Range][Eirene]
True Form(Unique): Passive [Eirene]
Divine Aid(Unique): [30d CD] [Eirene]
Purifying Light: [3s Cast, 100% MP, 100% Healing, 20% Allied MP Recovery, Cleanse(Bleed, Disease, Poison, Curse, Petrify, Slow, Morph, Burn, Mental, Fear), 1h CD] [Eirene]

Basic Skills

Shield Mastery(Advanced): Level 160 [+52%]
   Abilities: Brace, Reflect, Greater Shieldwall, Greater Guard, Shield Slam[7,235-7,442dmg]
Sword Mastery(Beginner): Level 3
   Abilities: Parry
Unarmed Combat(Intermediate): Level 150
Leather Armor Proficiency(Advanced): Level 155 [+62.5%AC, +10.2MS]
Shadow Resistance: Level 15 [15% DMG Reduction]
Fire Resistance: Level 55 [55% DMG Reduction]
Nature Resistance: Level 11 [11% DMG Reduction]
Acid Resistance: Level 25 [25% DMG Reduction]
Poison Resistance: Level 25 [25% DMG Reduction]
Void Resistance: Level 10 [10% DMG Reduction]
Cold Resistance: Level 25 [25% DMG Reduction]
Riding(Intermediate): Level 139
Land Vehicle Mastery(Intermediate): Level 41
Leadership(Intermediate): Level 149
Taming(Intermediate): Level 148
Dancing(Beginner): Level 10

Crafting Skills

Mining (Advanced): Level 152
   Proficiencies: [Copper][Iron][Mithral]
Woodcutting(Advanced): Level 151
   Proficiencies: [Pine][Birch][Ironwood]
Herbalism(Advanced): Level 151
Creature Harvesting(Advanced): Level 152
  Proficiencies: [Scale][Bone]
Weaving(Advanced): Level 151
Sewing(Advanced): Level 151
Refining(Advanced): Level 151
  Proficiencies: [Mithral]
Blacksmithing(Advanced): Level 151
  Proficiencies: [Mithral]
Woodworking(Advanced): Level 151
Alchemy(Advanced): Level 151
  Proficiencies: [Delayed Release]
Tanning(Advanced): Level 151
Leatherworking(Advanced): Level 151
Artistry(Advanced): Level 151
Architecture(Advanced): Level 151
Scribing(Advanced): Level 151
Cooking(Advanced): Level 151
Enchanting(Advanced): Level 151
  Abilities: [Enchant Object]
Stone Cutting(Advanced): Level 151
  Proficiencies: [Obsidian]
Farming(Advanced): Level 151
Crafting Mastery(Intermediate): Level 150

           “Just Crafting Mastery left.” He mumbled while eying a nearby herb. He got to work on stripping the nearby vegetation of everything valuable, and when Lina still hadn’t returned, he pulled out his mithral wood-cutting axe and started chopping the trees down too.

           It took an entire two hours for Lina to return, and by the time she had, Aegis had stripped the area of all plant life and ore. She stepped out of the shadow of a large boulder using her shadow dance skill and eyed the damage he’d done.

           “What’d you do to this place?” She giggled.

           “You took so long, so,” Aegis shrugged innocently.

           “I had to scout an entire mountain range.” She gave him a look with her lips pulled to the side.

           “Find anything?” Aegis asked.

           “A bunch of dungeons, a tribal orc village, a raid boss that looks like a rocky snake… level range of everything seems to be between 70 and 130. There was a guild raiding party progressing through one of the dungeons, and they told me they found some old ruins with a strange NPC that wouldn’t talk to them. I found the ruins, tried talking to him, and he said I couldn’t help him and I should bug off.” Lina shrugged.

           “That sounds like what we might be looking for.” Aegis dusted the dirt off his armor from all of his harvesting. “Which way?”

           “Follow me!” Lina replied excitedly. Together, they headed off into the mountains. A few strange-looking mountain lions tried to ambush them using ice magic, but their levels were too low to pose any real threat to Aegis or Lina and were all killed in single hits.

           When the sun began to set in the Shattered World, the mountain air got cold, reminding Aegis of the cold winter air outside of his Sim-box. Even in-game he could see his breath leaving his mouth as white mist. They didn’t arrive at the ruins until midnight, with clear skies allowing the moon and bright stars to shine down on them.

           The ruins were built on a plateau at the top of one of the tallest mountains in the range. There were dozens of structures scattered about, but none were in-tact. Most of them only had a few walls still standing, nature having done away with any of the finer details of the craftsmanship used to create the buildings.

           At the center of the ruins, where multiple decayed paths through the structures converged, a campfire was set up with a tent. A small, occupied stool was next to the campfire, with an NPC looking down at an open textbook in his hands, studying it intently.

           So intently, in fact, that he didn’t notice Aegis or Lina approaching until they were standing right over the campfire staring at him. [Dantor(ELITE) – Level 150] sat above his head in white font, the white font indicating that he was an NPC, and the Elite tag indicating that this NPC had a fully activated AI behind it and would behave just as a real person would.

           “He’s a higher level than everything else in this area. This might be it,” Aegis whispered to Lina excitedly.

           “Might be what?” The NPC lowered his book to stare at them. “I already told you,” he eyed Lina specifically. I’ve no use for a sneaky assassin, so please leave these ruins before you damage them further.”  The glowing red light on his face from the campfire enhanced his tone, but he otherwise looked very non-threatening.

           “Not me, my friend here,” Lina motioned to Aegis beside her.

           “Hi.” Aegis waved.

           “Hm.” Dantor rose from his stool and sized Aegis up. “You’ve made a name for yourself, even I’ve heard the name Aegis, the crafter.”

           “That’s not really my usual nickname, but I’ll take it.” Aegis nodded.

           “What I need is far from usual. Not a simple day at the forge or a few chopped trees. You’ve no doubt noticed these ruins we’re standing in. Not much left of them, right?” Dantor motioned to the ruined structures all around them.

           “Nope, it would be completely unreasonable to expect someone to rebuild them,” Aegis replied with a hint of anxiety.

           “Yes, precisely. These ruins pre-date even the Shattering. Very little is known about the ancient beings that once resided here. Luckily, I found a well-preserved tablet hidden within the rubble of these ruins.” Dantor put his book away and pulled a thin but large stone tablet from his inventory that looked rough around the edges. “Take a look,” Dantor turned it for Aegis’ eyes to see, but Lina peeked as well.

           The tablet had a worn image on its front. The paint color had faded, but the outlines of the objects in the ancient painting were depicted clearly. It showed one of the structures in the village standing as it would have been thousands of years ago. The front door to the building was open, allowing view of a table inside with a warm meal and dishes being served atop it, among other furniture. Beyond it were stairs leading up to the building's second floor. The exterior of the structure was detailed with fine decorative carvings in the stonework depicting symbols and creatures Aegis didn’t recognize.

           The top of the building, however, was the worst part. In an instant, Aegis could recognize it as a large, ancient telescope pointing up at the night sky.

           “Looks like an observatory of some kind,” Lina whispered.

           “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Aegis threw the NPC a death-stare.

           “If someone were skilled enough to recreate the scene on this tablet as accurately as possible, I would finally be able to do my job as an archeologist and learn more about who lived in these ruins all those years ago. A task like that would only be possible for a crafter skilled in every trade, though. Perhaps you’d be up for it?” Dantor grinned at Aegis.

Quest: Reconstruct the ancient structure depicted on the stone tablet for Dantor, making use of all of your crafting skills to the best of your ability.
Objective: 0/1 Dantor Satisfied
Quest Giver: Archaeologist Dantor
Reward: Crafting Mastery(Advanced)
Difficulty: Extreme

           Aegis let out an enormously exaggerated sigh as he reluctantly hit the accept button on the quest. Lina watched his finger movement while pressing his interface. She knew what it meant even though she couldn’t see the quest prompt in his UI.

           “Is it the right quest? Crafting Mastery advanced?” Lina asked excitedly.

           “Yeah. It’s the right quest.” Aegis grumbled back.

           “That’s great!” Lina cheered.

           “Great? Did you hear what he’s asking me to do?” Aegis raised his eyebrows at her.

           “I meant the finding it part. We could always skip it. You have everything else advanced.” Lina shrugged.

           “No way, I’m tired of these newscasters telling everyone I’ve retired, and I’ve just been lazing about Kalmoore the last 8 in-game months. I’ve been working my ass off to do all these advance crafting quests. I wanna see the dumb looks on their faces when the world notification pops up.” Aegis explained.

           “So you’re going to do this quest out of spite?” Lina giggled.

           “As is tradition.” Aegis retorted, yanking the tablet out of Dantor’s hand and adding it to his inventory. He turned and stomped off towards the remains of the structure that was depicted in the image, but his grumbling continued.

           “Here’s a 50% quality iron ore chunk, please process it into a 80% quality bar or higher.” Aegis spoke to himself using a voice that mocked one of the many advanced crafting NPC quest givers that he’d encountered over the past few months. “Please prepare a meal fit for our noble guests using this uncookable, disgusting meat,” he continued with a new voice. “I want a statue made that depicts an image of peeeeerfect beauty. Meow,” He mocked a cat demi-human NPC as his voice trailed off.

           “He’s going to take this task seriously, right?” Dantor asked Lina worriedly.

          “He loves a challenge,” Lina reassured the NPC.