The Pinnacle Warrior

Astrid rolled her shoulders, trying to tamp down her jealousy. She was experiencing some success in that, but it turned out that the Great One was less forgiving with her own Class evolution quest than it was for the rest of her party.

As they’d expected, Benedict’d been able to easily succeed on the quest requirements before they left the seventh floor. He hadn’t wanted anybody to help him dress himself, which was understandable, but he had excitedly showed off the new equipment, as well as passing out his note from the Guild describing his armor’s effect.

He didn’t have heavily padded underwear or underlayment like Muti, but he was armored. His light leather chestpiece was replaced by a breastplate and small pauldrons with flares of enchantment gilding it, and under those he wore a studded leather shirt. On his elbows and wrists, Benedict had small points of padding of the same leather that made his shirt, but his hands were totally uncovered. Over the shirt and breast plate, he had a long, dark coat that reached his knees, covering his thick woolen pants. The pants were tucked into boots that came up to his mid calf, and he had a replacement flute, one that shone silver and left a faint trail of light in its wake.

The capstone to it all was something that the party initially chuckled at, Benedict included. Even so, Benedict didn’t mind the teasing as he investigated the hat—a large tricorn affair with a white plumed feather hanging from the right side. Initially, the Bard hadn’t cared to wear it and snubbed the hat, but as soon as he read the note from the Guild, he plopped it over his curly hair and grinned widely.

“I’m sick of being sunburnt anyways. Too fair skinned, you know?”

One thing that the man lamented, once all his equipment was on, was his own lack of an equipment Skill. After all, it would facilitate his mornings, but it was obvious that much of his personal capacity to wield equipment at his current level and tier was consumed by the flute and, in a pinch, he could put the hat and coat on while using the flute. The ”weapon” provided the most benefits and the most attributes, as apparent when the note was read.

Studded iron boar leather shirt: a stronger, firmer material that serves as a general protective layer. Studded with slightly enchanted manasteel. Provides: +2 to Power, +5 to Alacrity, +7 to Fortitude, +5 to Self-Mastery, +1 to Acumen.

Manasteel breastplate: a breastplate enchanted to protect the wearer’s internals and strengthen their magic. Provides: +2 to Power, +3 to Alacrity, +15 to Fortitude, +10 to Magical Potency.

Fleet footed boots: enchanted to resist bindings and difficult terrain. Provides: +3 to Power, +12 to Alacrity, +3 to Fortitude, +2 to Magical Potency, +3 to Self-Mastery, +3 to Acumen.

Warded duster: enchanted for general protective measures as well as to strengthen the user’s magical capability. If supplied with mana, will provide a minor protective barrier. Provides: +5 to Power, +5 to Alacrity, + 10 to Fortitude, +10 to Magical Potency, +5 to Self-Mastery, +5 to Acumen.

Cap of protection: heavily enchanted to protect the wearer’s head and to strengthen the reach of their voice. Provides: +5 to Fortitude, +5 to Magical Potency, +5 to Self-Mastery, +5 to Acumen. Provides a 10% boost to all Skills originating from the wearer’s voice.

Bard’s flute: heavily enchanted to suit the needs of a combat-oriented bard. Also strengthens any skills cast through the flute. Provides: +35 to Magical Potency, +10 to Acumen. Provides a 30% boost to all Skills cast through the flute.

Total bonuses provided: +12 to Power, +25 to Alacrity, +35 to Fortitude, +52 to Magical Potency, +18 to Self-Mastery, +24 to Acumen. Minor protective barrier. 10% boost to all Skills originating from voice, 30% boost to all Skills cast through flute.

Altogether, his equipment gave slightly less than Muti’s did in attributes, but the enchantments he had? Definitely more impressive to hear. Muti didn’t care, as she’d quickly realized how much more easily her new blades could cut through things, and it wasn’t long before Felix ended up finishing his own quest and following them in evolution. To the Great One’s perception, he only really needed to stand in front of Benedict and Skandr while cutting down the enemies, which came easily to him. Even before Felix had qualified to evolve, Skandr finished his initial experimentation with his storm creation spell and qualified for his evolution. Qualified or not, he hadn’t chosen to evolve his Class quite yet, electing instead to neglect to gain experience for a short time to hopefully improve his Skill offerings. Once everyone else had finally evolved, he’d follow suit.

Which meant he was waiting for Astrid.

Moving back to Benedict, he hadn’t been like Muti, willing to immediately make the decision on what Skill he would select, but eventually, he decided to go with Silvertongue at Bronze, which was a two faceted Skill. Its passive aspect served to strengthen all of his oral skills by 10%, as well as making his words more difficult to ignore in regular conversation. For the active part of the Skill, he could activate it for a moderate cost per minute, about 1/5 of his total mana, to strengthen any verbal Skill by 50%. The few times that Astrid had taken a wound in her pursuit of completing her quest, she’d felt the difference in the potency of his new healing. Instead of tripling her recovery rate, it was at least three times as effective as it used to be, effectively multiplying her regular recovery rate by 10. If he was to use Silvertongue as well as Doubletalk, then, in an area around him, everybody would be healing at 30 times their regular rate. Yes, that would exhaust his mana very quickly, but at the same time, that would severely harm and weaken any enemies nearby, given that this wasn’t Song of Healing, but Song of Vindication.

Since he evolved, Benedict began using Hasty Rebuke and Song of Vindication with impunity, weakening the entirety of every enemy party with very little effort. In fact, several times, he deliberately found a comfortable spot where he could relax while buffing the party and harming their enemies while pretending he wasn’t in the Wandering Trials. With Benedict’s assistance, Felix also quickly finished dispatching the monsters necessary to succeed in his Class quest. Like Muti, he hadn’t hesitated to evolve, and once he had, he’d taken the time to consider his Skills while he allowed Muti to bring the party to outfit him. He, like Benedict, had hesitated at that, but the Barbarian was nothing if not insistent.

His leather undergarments were long, reaching both wrists and ankles in two pieces, much like Muti’s, and made of the same material. It was a more supple and soft leather than Benedict’s, enchanted to keep him sturdy and unflappable against any attacks that pierced through his armor. When it was almost done being laced up behind him, he made sure to move in every direction to check that there would be no discomfort. Once he gave his approval, over that came a segmented full suit of plate armor, not made of a metal that Astrid was familiar with. The dark metal wasn’t like Muti’s helm or swords or Benedict’s breastplate. Instead, it was thicker, and the enchantments on it were focused on protection, Power, and Fortitude. He obviously liked the armor, from top to bottom. All told, to an uneducated person’s glance, Felix’s armor looked like a regular suit of plate armor made of a darker metal than what was usually seen, as if it was unrefined iron. With even a little bit of investigation, though, one could see that each section of armor had a separate piece of enchantment that tied to the most proximate segments, creating a complete whole. Beyond that, the armor wasn’t strapped together as usual, but instead was riveted and strapped onto an underlayment of troll hide. Astrid knew what that meant, and she hoped for something similar in her own armor.

Beside the full set of armor, there was the Bodyguard’s, or Hewing Guardian’s as he should be called more correctly, new weapon. His old axe from the gnoll chieftain, long since chipped and worn down from heavy use, was lovingly retired into his spatial pouch in exchange for a new, better weapon. This new axe’s head was heavy but not overwhelmingly so like Astrid’s hammer, instead weighing maybe 10 kilos. Astrid shook her head at herself as she handed the axe over to the man, scoffing at her own change in perspective over the past years. Her own hammer that she’d used until now had a 5 kilo head, and that was more than heavy enough in Bronze tier. Now, she thought that an axe meant to be wielded accurately and quickly that weighed 10 kilos wasn’t heavy? How things had changed.

Felix’s axe had an obvious enchantment on both sides of the 20 centimeter blade. It trailed light as he swung it, and he handled it comfortably from one hand to the next. Once fully outfitted, he read his note with a smile that grew broader while everyone else had to wait, but once his armor was on him and he’d dismissed it once before summoning it back on his body, he smiled and handed it over. There hadn’t been a fight over who got to read the note first, but that was mostly because Astrid ended up giving it over to Muti. When finally she got her turn, Astrid had smiled and nodded approvingly at the entire sheet.

Greater cave mongoose leather underwear: naturally absorbs bludgeoning strikes. Has been further enchanted to strengthen that. Paired equipment. As a pair, provides: +3 to Power, +5 to Alacrity, +5 to Fortitude, +2 to Self-Mastery, +2 to Acumen.

Mana–blessed dusksteel armor. The entirety of the armor, from boots to the tips of the gloves and the top of the helmet is considered a set piece. As such, it provides a greater bonus than it would have been capable of otherwise, but if it isn’t worn altogether, then none of the effects are applied. Mana can be provided to the armor to create a moderate barrier of protection, and if mana is channeled to the helm specifically, it will be converted to Self-Mastery protective mana. Note: this is mana-blessed dusksteel, it will naturally dissipate the force of blows that hit it. Any superficial damage taken to the armor should be healed by the troll hide underlayment. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR EXCEPT BY A STEEL TIER ARMORSMITH.  Provides: Provides: +32 to Power, +28 to Alacrity, +65 to Fortitude, +20 to Magical Potency, +23 to Self Mastery, +10 to Acumen.

Manasteel axe: enchanted to hold its edge and to cut through harder material with greater ease. Provides: +12 to Power, +8 to Alacrity, +5 to Magical Potency.

Total bonuses provided: +47 to Power, +41 to Alacrity, +70 to Fortitude, +25 to Magical Potency, +25 to Self-Mastery, +12 to Acumen.

Felix took the opportunity to show off his new armor, the ”dusky” metal barely glinting in the light coming from the walls of the pathway from the eighth to the ninth floor. The party had given themselves the slight extra time to allow Felix to evolve, but still, the second day had yet to pass, and with each party member’s evolution, their pace continued accelerating. Before they finished descending the stairs down to the ninth floor, Felix had made his decision for his level 21 Skill. Astrid expected him to select another active Skill, either for drawing enemy attention or as a damaging Skill. After all, the Hewing Guardian Class was a more dangerous frontliner Class than its predecessor. Instead of what Astrid expected, Felix selected Immovable Stance at Bronze. She’d heard of the Skill, but hadn’t done much research regarding what it actually did. When Felix shared the Skill’s description, the party, especially Astrid and Muti, understood why he’d made the choice.

Immovable Stance (Bronze): Increases the Skill holder’s Power and Fortitude by 10% while both feet are on solid ground. For a minor mana or stamina cost per minute, makes the Skill holder’s mass quadruple for the purpose of being moved against their will.

A minor cost? Felix would be able to keep himself where he wanted to be throughout any regular fight without worry. Most fights were, at most, a couple minutes long, and a minor cost meant that the person with the Skill could use it at least ten times without even potentially exhausting their reserves. Of course, Felix would only be able to keep himself grounded assuming that whatever they were fighting wasn’t so strong that it could hurl 400 kilos without any effort. Once they found enemies at the level of about twice Astrid’s current strength, Immovable Stance would ideally be Iron, granting an even greater benefit to Felix and keeping up with their enemies.

“How does it feel? It is a different Skill than one I myself would use, but it seems to be quite useful for someone like you,” Muti asked.

“Walking is going to take some getting used to,” Felix answered with a grimace. ”There’s maybe a quarter of a second of leeway where the bonuses remain after I lift a foot from taking a solid stance, but walking doesn’t necessarily trigger the bonus attributes when both feet are on the ground. Just... a little weird. It’ll be fine once I’m used to it, and it’s already more comfortable than it would have been without the Great One’s assistance, so the Skill’s taking care of itself.”

”That is usually the case.” Muti nodded knowingly.

”Has anyone else realized how Skills have changed so much now that we’re in Iron?” Astrid asked as she shifted the topic and tore her focus away from her pitiful quest completion record of 7/20. ”Before, cooldowns were much more prevalent, but now, the Skills are more focused on mana, health, or stamina costs. Does anyone know why?”

Skandr perked up, but then he paused. ”Are you telling me that you don’t know?”

”That’s... why I asked,” Astrid replied.

”Wow. For the first time, I know something about Skills and Classes that Astrid doesn’t. The Astrid Warrior is stumped, and I know what the answer is!”

”You’re about to be knowledgeable and bruised, unless you stop lording it over me!” Astrid raised a fist in a joking threat. Skandr laughed and danced back, though, as the only other unevolved member of the party, had nowhere near the ability to escape her. The faint scar on his cheek from the irregular gnoll chieftain glinted in the light, and Astrid let him continue his gloating for another few seconds. Finally, he left off his excitement and instead settled down.

“The answer is relatively simple. In Iron, a lot of Skills start to become somewhat replicable by people’s ability to manipulate mana. For example, Overhand Blow is much the same as what you’re able to do with mana and a Power attribute that’s crossed 100, though the Skill would be notably stronger than the effect you could produce with the same amount of mana or stamina used in your homemade version of the Skill while also being on a cooldown and more limited. As such, an active Skill with a ten minute timer isn’t worth a whole lot when you can get 70% of the same effect for the same cost whenever you want and without limitations. When someone crosses the 100 attribute threshold or Skills become Iron tier, there aren’t cooldowns on Skills any more, instead, just costs. For the more ‘basic’ Skills, at least, that’s how it works. For things that you couldn’t feasibly achieve with regular means, like Quick Recovery or Primal Ascension, then cooldowns typically remain.”

Astrid slowly nodded in understanding, and then thought about one of her long-awaited Skills: an active finisher. She was so close, right? Finally? So, what would it be... Meteor Strike? Spectre Burst? Explosive Lunge? Probably not that last one, since she used a hammer, not a sword or spear. Regardless, she wasn’t going to be able to see what options were available until she completed the quest. To do that, she needed to take the blows the quest demanded. She’d thought that she was doing that, but her training was working against her quest progression. The quest demanded, ”Open yourself up to an attack from an enemy, using that opening to deal a crippling or killing blow to the enemy.” Astrid gave feints and false openings that, once monsters attempted to follow, she exploited. That wasn’t what she needed to do, and she had to fight against over a decade of training to truly open herself up to her enemies’ attacks. 

Muti was growing closer and closer to level 22, and Astrid was stuck just sitting here, hoping to kill another 13 monsters while fighting against her training and instincts. She grumbled to herself as she continued on her path forward, following where Muti had directed. Here on the ninth floor, the second to last one before they could potentially run into other delvers, there were small bands of hobgoblins as the main enemy to be found. They were hunting bands, pursuing deer through meadows and paths in a purple forest lit up by a pair of red suns. Astrid read that the hobgoblins on the floor ranged from level 12 to 20, so most would be good options for her quest. When Muti pointed in the direction of the nearest band, Astrid ran forward, trying to get in front of the party. Muti allowed her, stepping back as Astrid, with only her hammer in hand, rushed with a shout of challenge. A half-dozen hobgoblins whirled on her, their purplish warty faces excited at the prospect of more exciting prey. Astrid’s party followed her, but she ran alone.

Bolas flew towards her leg, trying to trip her, and Astrid, for a brief moment, lamented her eagerness. Even so, that was what the quest required, and she dodged the attacks, closing in on the enemies and slowing herself to allow the blows to be prepared and land on her. The monsters stood quite a bit taller than the goblins they’d seen on the first and second floors, maybe 160 centimeters, and two lunged in with their spears at her belly. Fighting against her instinct to avoid the hits, Astrid instead stepped into one of them, letting it scrape alongside her ribs just under her left breast as she swung her hammer down. The hobgoblin’s head exploded, and two notifications flashed in Astrid’s vision. 

Hobgoblin hunter slain. 216 experience gained, split among party. 

Evolutionary quest progress: 8/20.

Astrid turned, making the second monster’s weapon glancingly strike her shoulder as she smashed her hammer into its ribs. The monster fell with a squeal, crippled, and Astrid grinned, seeing the number tick up to 9/20. She activated Quick Recovery, the worst of the wounds disappearing as she screamed a renewed challenge. She wouldn’t be left behind.