Sealed in Steel

56. The True Goal of the Giants

“That’s impossible,” Elian repeated firmly.

“Why is it impossible?”

“Continuing the quiz? Deities chose to leave the mortal plane so their powers wouldn’t affect our reality. If one stayed behind, we’d know. I mean, they’ll change the world in insane ways if they’ve been around for thousands of years. We’d really know. And it’d be a pretext for other deities to return here—their forms on Fellenyr expressly say they want to. It’ll be War of the ...

55. A Repeat of the First Meeting

When Elian left the fort, the fire nearby was put out. But other areas had started to blaze, the colors of the flames matching the sky as the sunset.

He stood on the tier of Vigor Hill, looking over the waist-high wall at the orange accenting the levels below. From here, part of Energy Hill was visible. There were also fires over there of different colors, probably caused by magic. He wagered other hills had their problems too.

The flying mages had a hard time putting out the flam...

54. An Invitation to Meet

But Elian didn’t immediately put the ring on his finger. Up ahead, he noticed the pavement push up into a mound, the bricks disintegrating into fine sand that smoothly formed into a golem. After observing the many golems roaming around for the past days, Elian deduced that Priestess Khalamundi had buried her magic underground throughout the hills, to be activated when needed. She’d then return them to their spot when their job was done, fixing the road as if it was never disturbed.

...

53. Sneaking Tank

It wasn’t difficult to find out where Borlen was taken to. It turned out, dozens of Tharguras supporters were arrested as well.

Word was someone came forward with a piece of the missing armor and ratted out others who helped steal it. Supposedly, the arrested blue robes were worried about Tharguras surviving his next Tribulation given the short preparation time and a chunk of their defensive supplies having been previously used up. And so, they stole the legendary armor. The entire ne...

52. Too Many Visitors

“How did you find me?” Elian asked Thorren and Jadewell. The three sat next to one of the wagons used for the camp wall. The pilgrims offered their visitors hot drinks made from boiling dried fruits from Tellerin before moving away to give them privacy.

“What kind of question is that?” Jadewell sniffed her cup; her look made it obvious she expected the worst. The pleasant nutty aroma surprised her and she gingerly took a sip.

“Right, you followed me before,” Elian said...

51. Layers of Tankiness

Elian slightly wobbled while walking back to camp. It had been a long time since he had drunk this much. If not counting his past life, then this really was the first time he had drunk this much.

He was only a social drinker back on Earth and didn’t have a high tolerance for alcohol. But even though he had several mugs at the Rusty Anvil, it wasn’t that bad because beer made the old-fashioned way had a lower alcohol content compared to most modern beers on Earth. Some places on Fell...

50. Cursed Penitent of the Past

Elian shot a look at Frederick. They did know about the Magistrate’s Curse. Worse, they told someone else. He didn’t bother denying it because this old-timer Bufford wouldn’t let it get past him.

Frederick shook his head and raised his arms. “It’s not what you think, Elian, our friend.” He lowered his voice as he leaned forward, arms still raised. “Let me just say that I have nothing against you or anyone on the Cursed Penitent Path. I’m not even a follower of the Hundre...

49. The Diary's Clues

The morrow didn’t bring any answers to the mystery of the thieves. Temple Hill was still off-limits, which meant the scheduled mass was canceled.

Did this confirm that the priests had gripes with each other? Or they might be just concerned with security. The largest gathering on the hills would be a prime target for anyone wanting to spread violence.

Borlen and several of his pilgrim group joined the other blue robes in hunting for the thieves. Half of their number searched the ...

48. Testing the Penalty

Elian left Gideon’s carriage and headed back to the Cauldron with a stack of folded paper tucked under his arm. Unable to wait longer to check what Gideon had given him, he paused his journey, sat at the edge of a statue’s pedestal, and opened the first one.

“Gideon should be an imperial artist with his skill,” he muttered, admiring the intricate illustration of the internal structure of a plant. It was drawn by hand but was detailed enough to look like a picture in a textbook f...

47. A Different Kind of Construction

Elian sheepishly presented his amateurish creation. He would’ve made something better if he knew an expert like Priest Thalman would examine it. Then again, Elian was supposed to be a beginner in Aether Magic, so this blended well with his story. He reminded himself to hold back on his skills; if it came out that he was more knowledgeable than he had presented himself, Thalman might presume trickery and get offended or think him suspicious. Not a good look with thieves at large.

Also,...

46. Picking Burdensome Burdens

With waiting for more news as their only option, Borlen led the pilgrims in a vigil that went on as the moon flitted from behind the clouds above. The pilgrims alternated between prayers and songs of a subdued tone while their children slept.

Even though they were accepting of him, Elian thought himself an intruder if he sat in their circle. He wasn’t a follower of Tharguras and couldn’t share their emotions. Faking it would be mocking them. He decided to meditate in the forest, wal...

45. A Twist of Golden Proportions

“Uh, yes,” Elian said. “So, do you believe me now?” He lowered his voice and continued, “About the Giant invasion and other things?”

Jadewell sighed as she looked at her feet, hiding her face again behind her curtain of hair. “I… I can’t say. I don’t want to say, for the words that’ll leave my lips will change how I look at the world. Waiting for the Giants to come is my choice. It’s probably not the right one but certainly the easiest. I’ll push the burdens to...

44. Last Day at School

“Do you know of this Boon, brother?” Naamon asked Elian, noticing his expression.

“I’ve come across the Peace-mongering Crucible in a book I’ve read some years back. I don’t know much about it and its Boon.” Turning to the Elder Giver, Elian bowed and said, “Please educate me.”

“Polite and hungry for knowledge,” said Shelomo, half-laughing and half-coughing. Elian was worried the Elder would suddenly croak. “That is how the younger generation should be, rat...

43. The Boon That Wasn't So Stupid After All

“Two Quillhusks to start the day right,” Elian sang as he crawled out of the mess made by his twentieth Tribulation. “Are there any beasts around here that don’t have soft insides?”

When he found two male Quillhusks headbutting each other for territory or mating rights, he didn’t get to ask them about their conflict, he immediately shed his clothes. Thank the Storm God no one was around or it would’ve been awkward to explain. He dove in between the fighting Quillhusks and ...

42. A Priest's Secret Past

Elian operated on instinct. Form constructs in the path of the energy ball. Make several simultaneously and layer them. Divert all attributes to Magic Resilience. All that in less than a second. The energy ball smashed through six shields and emerged weakened before hitting the ground beside Marlowe—Elian had made the shields lopsided, with their left half much thicker. That affected the ball’s spin as it hit them, changing its trajectory just a smidgen but enough to avoid a direct hit to...

Monthly Updates and Plans (March)

Hello everyone! As of now, we have five advanced chapters for the $5 tier and ten chapters for the $10 tier. Our regular schedule will be four chapters per week. With the $10 tier getting five or six as I fill in the fifteen advanced chapters promised. I'm pacing myself to not get burned out.

Then, every month after, the $5 tier will get an additional advanced chapter, while the 10$ tier will get two. (i.e., by April it will be 6/17 advanced chapters). The end goal is to have ten advanc...

41. The First Party Member

“Let me see its attributes,” Gideon said, fixing a pair of rumin glasses on the bridge of his crooked nose. “Yes… yes…” He poked Viney here and there with a crystalline wand and also did some measurements with a sketchy-looking compass. “I was worried when it had issues taking root in your flesh, but it is growing very nicely now. Very nicely, indeed.”

“It’s hard to explain, but I can also feel it getting healthier,” Elian said. “Might be some sort of mind-body c...

40. An Unexpected Aliiance

Since they came late, their group could no longer press closer to the Tribulation site. They couldn’t even reach the clearing itself. Throngs of red robes had camped there for days already. Even those who weren’t supporters of Faridar but only attended for the spectacle had arrived early in the morning, hours before their group. The farthest they reached were the trees bordering the clearing. Naamon commented it was better to be away from other Tellerins since he couldn’t be sure they h...

39. The Reconciliation of Tribesmen

Elian’s concerns fell on deaf ears. Borlen was resolved to go through with his Tribulation, and all Elian could do was help rather than try to stop it. A small procession around a groff-pulled cart, their group entered the gates of the Cauldron, followed the curve of the uppermost tier, and exited through another gate. Catfolk ruins were somewhere ahead.

Piled high on the cart were the Lha’ar absorbing stones that survived the Tribulation of Tharguras. The stones were usually embedd...

38. Look for the Bright Side

Twilight had just started, the sun’s gentle light preceding its rise painting the sky purplish pink, when Elian returned to camp from his daily Tribulation. He planned to practice Varmisal’s teachings from yesterday and so did his Tribulation early. It shouldn’t have bothered the pilgrims because he was far from the camp when he called for it, standing inside a ravine that he found just today. A really good spot. Not only did the sides of the narrow gorge lessen the force of the descend...

37. Slicing Fruits

Though the other shields were also all level four and had the same stats as the first one, each of them had their designs—a dragon, a markhut lord, and a human. The Elian’s face was supposed to be on the last shield, but he couldn’t pull off that level of control just yet.

“Splendid workmanship,” said Varmisal, touching the designs with his Aether arm.  

Needless to say, Elian’s classmates were also impressed, including Jadewell. Only she could match his level of ...

36. The Tale of Three Rings

Elian held his breath as he downed another big gulp of Borlen’s concoction—a mixture of crushed roots and dried krell newt tails. Bad but not the worst taste in the world. According to Borlen, he should drink it whenever his stomach threatened to revolt. Elian had asked him to make it extra strong. So far, it was working well, and Elian didn’t have the urge to vomit. For all the other negative effects of the growth solution, Elian just had to endure it.

He wobbled as he walked, fe...

35. Healthy Viney

“A lot of Penitents sure love Konshari’s Boon,” Elian said, flipping the pages.

Meaning there’d be plenty of material in the library for it, including skill and item synergies. Maybe even details about its Melding. In his past life, Elian had met several people with Konshari’s Boon—they were great aura lynchpins for armies. He had heard from them that Protector Konshari was quite agreeable. Perhaps one mentioned that the Boon could be Melded. He didn’t pay attention to the...

34. Silence in the Library

The witch merchant stopped thinking Elian was handsome after he asked for a discount. But she did have a potion that gave a thousand Attack Power, stowed in an enchanted safe at the back of her store. He left her shop with his bag of coins much lighter.

Not too concerned about the cost since he expected more money after Thorren sold their loot. A show of trust that Elian would wait for his share. If Thorren had greedy motives, he could’ve left Elian to die and take all their loot for ...

33. Idea in a Bottle

“What happened to you?” Gideon the Floramage exclaimed after opening the door of his carriage.

Elian wore Thorren’s cloak and had tied what remained of his clothes into a loincloth to cover his lower parts. He also had many scars on his skin after his pet parasite restored him to full health. Healing spells or health potions, the high-quality ones, wouldn’t have left any trace. His appearance was strange, Elian admitted, but he wasn’t the most bizarre sight around, especially ...

32. Priestly Savior

Elian snatched the floating object and ran to the exit.

He opened his hand. It was a thick ring cut from a single blue stone, likely made by the ancient catfolk. Obtaining it had something to do with blood and pain if the carvings back there didn’t make it obvious enough. But he didn’t know the specifics. Probably needed to endure lots of pain and bleed for hours. The obelisk in the middle could be some sort of measuring device—the higher the red lines climbed, the more… things�...

31. Unwitting Participant

Run, run, run! The tunnel narrowed the farther they went. Soon, its width could only fit one person. Elian was in front; their pace depended on him, and he was slower than Thorren.

Elian wanted to bring up the rear. He was the tank, after all. But Thorren insisted it should be him. The Rakhonite shot magic arrows and left traps to slow down the spear lobsters, muttering about the costs of materials he used.

Thorren did delay the spear lobsters.

One magical arrow exp...

30. An Unsafe Return Trip

Solbasks were formidable monsters. The magical solar panels they carried may be valuable but not worth the risk and effort of hunting them.

Their exoskeleton looked like rocks but was harder than steel armor and some inches thick. These creatures were practically tanks. And for offense, their magical solar panels could fire concentrated sunlight, barbecuing those who’d disturb them. They’d often cause forest fires—another reason, in addition to their excavation activ...

29. Weirdness of the Catfolk

When the sun rose the next day, Elian and Thorren were already a third of the way to their destination. They timed it so there’d be daylight when they traversed the outskirts of the Dark Forest. So far, they hadn’t encountered any creature that wanted them for breakfast.

“Are those perhaps spires of the Forbidden Temple?” Thorren pointed east at pearly towers poking through the verdant peaks of trees.

“Don’t think so.” Elian inspected the map. “Too nearby. Must be ...

28. A Wriggly Friend

They started with the jarlion as it was the easier work of the two and less smelly. Thorren also reasoned they should let the Grumpbeing air out before entering it again to harvest its valuable organs. Wouldn’t really work—the insides of the Grumpbeing would still be smelly later, if not worse—but Elian knew Thorren was just psyching himself up and steeling his stomach.

The Rakhonite may have a tough appearance but has a selectively squeamish side. Kudos to him for digging out Eli...