[Beastborne: Tower of Blight] Chapter 25

Hal brushed aside the prompts with a mental nudge. He would deal with the attribute assignment and selecting the next obvious Perk, Alloyed Essence, after he finished examining his latest creation.

Your Osseochemy Skill has risen to Level 49.

+2% Crafting speed.

+2% Spirit efficiency.

+3% Essence dissolution.

Osseochemist has reached Level 12.

You have 20 attribute points awaiting distribution.

You have 1 Osseochemist Perk point awaiting assignment.

Held on a fine chain of eldritch bone shot through with red streaks was a pendant made up of several types of essences. He knew with Alloyed Essence he might have been able to create this item with significantly fewer explosions, but the end result was satisfying all the same.

By blending various essences together into a stable mixture–no easy feat even with his high Osseochemy skill–Hal was able to empower and encapsulate a piece of magicite, lifting its powers dramatically.

It would never be able to hold aether, but that wasn’t the point.

He got the idea after making the lantern and realizing what he could really use was an essence lens. Something that he could cast the mana and Spirit through in order to twist it and filter it into a different shape.

Hal hadn’t been able to make something on the scale he would need, so the lantern stood as it was. However, with the magicite at his disposal and knowing he only needed a thumbnail sized piece to do the work, Hal was able to create a very different type of magicite.

Combining his Spirit, mana, and essence, Hal was able to change the low quality magicite into a proper spellcasting focus. A type of lens that he could cast his spells through, amplifying them in a similar way that a glass lens amplifies and bends light.

By not needing to hold Spirit anymore, the magicite could be made incredibly thin, reducing the transmission loss and keeping the integrity of the spell.

Several of his prototypes had been too thick, and the spell unraveled in catastrophic ways as it was channeled through the lens.

The diamond-shaped pendant of mottled bone with its green thumbnail-sized jewel glittered brilliantly even in the dim light. Hal put the chain over his head, joining the other necklace of the Tower he kept tucked beneath his breastplate.

Fell Sorcery Chain

[Spellcasting Focus] (Heroic)

Item Level: 70

Magic Damage: 171

+40 Magic Accuracy

+3 Improvised Weaponry Skill

+5% Magical Critical Hit Rate

-4% MP cost per Spell.

Enhanced magic range, damage, and piercing while using this spellcasting focus.

Durability: 3,000/3,000

Slots: 1

Sockets: 2

Lv.50 All Classes

A little testing was in order, but first, Hal selected his attributes and the Osseochemist Perk, Alloyed Essence.

As much as he wanted to hit 100 Intelligence, Hal knew that with a smaller group going into the Tower, he would need all the survivability he could get.

Sooner rather than later, his Osseochemist Levels would get harder and harder to come by. For now, he needed to up his defenses, and that meant increasing his Vitality.

Not only would it allow him to use Convergence and Dragonfire far more often, but it would also make him sturdier. Of the people Hal planned on coming with him, not a single person was defensive in nature.

That meant Hal would need to take on that role, and while 50 Vitality was impressive, 70 was better. Add the 22 Vitality from [Founder’s Folly] and the 16 Vitality from [Elder Glass Armor Set], and Hal was pushing numbers that a true tank would be envious of.

Too bad having over 100 Vitality through equipment didn’t give a trait.

“You’re increasing your Vitality quite a bit, mate.” Hermes watched him curiously, then tapped on his own belly. “I can sense from your Spirit that it’s making a big improvement. I hope I get a crafting Class soon too. All I gots now is some crafting skills.”

[STATUS]

Hal Williams

Level: 75

Discordant Stone: 8,000/55,000

Strain: 0/100

Wyrd: 0/100

BP: 31/35

Classes

Novice: 10

Beastborne: 39

Oathforger: 14

Osseochemist: 12

Resources

HP: 1,295 (+75)

SP: 935

MP: 2,730 (+75)

Attributes

STR: 20

VIT: 70 (+38)

DEX: 20

AGI: 20 (+16)

INT: 82 (+11)

MND: 100 (+22)

CHR: 70 (+36)

Hermes sniffed Hal’s face intently.

Hal gently pulled the oppa away and set him on the table. “What’re you doing?”

For some reason, Hermes looked a little bashful. He pressed his paws together. “Dunno, just oppa things. Not used to being around anybody long enough for their scent to take on extra layers.”

“Extra… layers?” Hal asked slowly.

“Just an oppa thing. Part of how we see the world. Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Hermes shook his head. “Pretty cool that your Vitality is pushing past 100 with your equipment. Too bad it doesn’t seem to give a trait from that, though.”

Hal wondered if the oppa could read his thoughts. That sounded eerily like what he had just thought to himself. He stared at the oppa intently and repeated the number in his head, 42, 42, 42, 42.

Hermes tilted his head. “Your Spirit is doin’ something weird. Like little loops near your shoulder. Eh, maybe it’s just gas. Some reason, 42 feels like a lucky number today.”

“You’re an odd duck,” Hal told Hermes as he petted his head. His fur was astonishingly soft. “I’m going to go test this thing out. You coming? You too, Vorax.”

The mimic yawned, unfurling a carpet-length purple tongue. Fragmented pieces of magicite and broken prototypes clung to the mimic’s tongue. When he pulled it back, the floor was clean, and the mimic had a tasty little snack.

“Shassh!” Vorax told him, transforming into a cloak and settling on his shoulders. He even made a small little pouch for Hermes, who eagerly jumped into it without the slightest reservation.

Brave oppa, Hal thought. Or dumb, not sure yet.

Once outside in the biting cold, Hal spun up his Monster Core and used Dragonfire to keep himself and his companions warm. In the middle of the night, the blizzard raged all around them, lowering visibility to nearly zero, but Hal knew where Hamrin was hoping to make his coffee farm.

With Dragonfire to keep warm, it was still a bitterly cold journey, but at least nobody froze. Hal found the trail marked with red streamers wrapped around poles driven into the frozen ground.

Up the hillside, Hal could see where the dwarves had already started excavation. It would be slow going, he knew.

Bardan had talked about something that the dwarves had been able to use back at the Anvil, the dwarven homeland, that was very much like dynamite back on Earth.

They used to drill holes into the stone, lower the dynamite-like items in, then blow them up to excavate huge chunks of stone at once.

If they could do that here, they would be able to create the terraces that Hamrin wanted in a few days. Even without the blizzard, the progress would take weeks.

Hal could help it along with Carve, but the magicite he had on loan would only be able to do a handful of casts before it was tapped dry.

Tristal’s magicite bracelet was a last resort only. Thankfully, he hadn’t needed to use it in the Tower yet. It took quite a long time to refill, which would mean he’d be going back into the Tower with only a few emergency uses of Sigils.

It was one of the reasons Hal kept a slight buffer to his Discordant Stone. He could have Leveled Osseochemist a couple of times with that Experience, but it would be a short-term gain.

If things went bad, at least he’d always have a little left in the tank to use a Sigil without hurting himself.

“Where are we going?” Hermes asked.

Belatedly, Hal realized he had never formally invited the oppa to the Bravers Guild, or to Brightsong in general. Without any further delay, he extended an invitation to the soul aeder who made a strangled noise of immense surprise.

“I’m getting invited into a Guild!?” he cried, drumming his paws in Vorax’s pouch. “Into Dragonfire wielding, monster sorcerer, bonecrafting man’s Guild?”

“...Yes.”

“Nice!” Hermes accepted the invite.

“Welcome aboard, Hermes,” Hal said, surveying the frozen hillside he had just climbed.

“Guess I’ll be a prisoner oppa for a little longer then.”

“You’re not a prisoner,” Hal said patiently.

“If ya say so, mate.”

Hal rolled his eyes at the oppa, though he doubted the oppa could see it in this storm.

Bomb Toss was one of the earliest Beast Magic spells Hal learned. It wasn’t particularly potent, nor cool looking, but it was effective and most of all, it took to different essences incredibly well.

While most spells took on properties of a different essence, Bomb Toss became that essence. Perhaps that was a property of the goblin essence. Hal’s other goblin spell, Goblin Rush, was also like that, suggesting that it was a trait of the Beastmen Family or at the very least, unique to goblinkind.

Hal was hoping for the former, because that would mean other Beastmen Family spells would be easy to influence with different essences.

With the howling winds and the occasional crashing sound of avalanches from the mountains, Hal doubted anybody would be able to hear him.

It would have been prudent to let others know what he was going to be doing. However, since that would involve visiting several cottages and the inn all the way across the other side of the Gloamgate, Hal didn’t bother.

Moving around in the blizzard was hard enough. He didn’t think he could make the climb up the hills again without slipping and falling. Besides, he was far enough away from the rest of the settlement that if anything did happen, nobody would get hurt.

After double-checking that nobody was nearby, Hal cast Bomb Toss, making sure to focus the spell through the pendant on his chest. The green-tinged magicite pulsed with emerald light, and the bomb in Hal’s hand was… no different than he was used to.

It was heavy, but he hadn’t used Bomb Toss in so long that he wasn’t sure if that was odd or not. It certainly didn’t appear to look any bigger or more dangerous. So, with a casual toss, Hal lobbed the bomb at the nearest pile of rubble that the dwarves were trying to clear away.

The resulting blast of white light knocked Hal over and sent him tumbling down the side of the mountain atop an avalanche of stone and ice.

Tapping Convergence for all he was worth, Hal got his feet beneath him and danced atop the flowing stone and ice as if his life depended on it.

Hermes’ excited screaming in Hal’s ear didn’t help matters much.

The deluge of debris came crashing down next to a tiny heap of spoil that the dwarves must have tossed down the hill from up above.

Once the rumbling stopped and the dust settled, Hal looked up at the spot he had just lobbed the Bomb Toss at. Even through the driving snow, Hal could see the massive crater he had just made.

It felt several orders of magnitude greater than any spell he’d ever cast before, even under the effects of Strain.

“Shoulda added bomber to the list,” Hermes said excitedly. “So let’s see. That’s… Dragonfire wielding, monster sorcerer, bonecrafting bomber man now.”

Bruised and battered, Hal looked down at the oppa. “You certainly seem to be in fine spirits. Are you hurt at all?”

“Nah, I’m good, mate,” Hermes said. “Though I’m low Level–which is just temporary!–you and Vorax protected me. Besides, I’m good at dodging damage.”

Vorax reported a few bruises, but nothing that was a bother for the hardy creature. He had no doubt saved Hal from breaking several of his bones.

I should have been more careful, Hal scolded himself as he went back up to the marked off location for a closer look at the damage.