The Pinnacle Warrior

Boon of the Hero: grants the holder a +1 to Power, Fortitude, and Magical Potency for every level, to be applied retroactively. In addition, whenever the holder uses an aura Skill, the cost of the Skill is reduced by 20% and strengthened by 20%. Grants the Skill: Heroic Aura.

Heroic Aura: For a Heavy mana and Moderate stamina cost, activate an aura that spreads for 15 meters from the holder for 30 minutes. Within that aura, all friendly creatures are immune to any terror, confusion, and mind-altering Skills of the same tier as the holder. 

As Astrid finished giving the description of her new boon, Benedict threw his hands both in the air, though his frustration had obviously started before receiving the description.

“You get called the hero and I get called some soft-handed, gentle, pretty boy. This isn’t fair, the Great One likes you more than me, and it’s not okay. Does this interface with Immortal Warrior’s Aura? If so, I’m just…”

Despite his very real frustration, Benedict‘s face was cracked in a wide grin as he shook his head. “Congratulations, Astrid. Honestly, this sounds like everything you would ever dream of, though it’s more of a protective Skill than a finisher one.”

“Yeah,” Astrid shrugged, “but I think I’ve got a couple devastating Skills, so I’m more than happy to support the party with this free one.”

“Becoming more of a leader by the day,” Felix smiled. Astrid ducked her head and changed the subject.

“It seems like all the boons give those bonus attributes, giving half a level of rarity in Class, which is already amazing, then an additional Skill on top of that,” Astrid replied, bouncing where she stood. “Skandr, yours just switched the bonus attributes for two Skill upgrades, which is unbelievable! These boons are all worth at least two Skill selections in and of themselves.”

“Honestly,” Skandr said with a shrug, “I’d rather have the Skills upgraded for my Class evolution prospects instead of some more attributes.”

“I believe you are correct in that respect,” Muti agreed. “The Class you gain at Steel will be significantly more important for strengthening your foundation than attributes would be.”

“I’m glad you pushed us this hard,” Felix said, looking at Astrid.

“Agreed, though I wish that I’d done more,” Benedict sighed.

“It’s only due to all of us being good at working together that we’re here,” Astrid answered with a shrug. “If you weren’t a Caustic Bard, then we wouldn’t have been able to achieve nearly as much as we did. The Doubletalk with Hasty Rebuke? That was key for so many fights. Me, Muti, and Felix all do what our roles promise: I hit things hard, Muti can scout and do some real damage, and Felix is an outstanding frontliner, but you and Skandr being as flexible as you have been is one of the the main reasons why we were even in the running.”

Benedict‘s face, dirty but still as pale as ever, flushed a deep scarlet. For the first time in quite a while, Astrid remembered that he got nervous in front of crowds and had nearly collapsed when he realized that his retelling of Sillypants was overheard by many other people. Maybe, despite the nearly two years they spent together and the 30-odd levels they gained while delving together, Benedict at his core hadn’t changed too much.

“Thank you, Astrid. I recognize I play the fool and act the fool and occasionally am the fool, but I really appreciate it.”

Astrid smiled and nodded, and Muti stood up and gathered the others into her arms for one large hug. Astrid stood on the outside with Muti, the two women standing much taller than their party members serving as the outside of the fierce hug. They stood like that for several seconds, small, mumbled congratulations and uttered exclamations of disbelief filling the air until finally Benedict said, “You guys, we stink. Give me some space.”

Nobody disagreed, and they all pulled back, though Muti did grab each one of the four party members and gave them quick kisses on their foreheads.

“My bound companions, I thank you for your patience and understanding with me as one who is quite different from you. I have not deserved this treatment at your hands, as I have been, at best, impolite with you all from day to day. You have been patient with me, and you have given me more than I believed was possible after being cast out from my people. I stand tall and strong largely due to your faith in me.”

Though the sentiment of what she said was sweet, Astrid’s heart dropped, feeling a sort of a farewell in what Muti said. Before she could say anything, a shadow was cast on the doorway of the tent and a hand rapped several times on the wooden post there.

“Wanderers, one Arcanite ranked delver named Vlarkta wishes to enter and speak with you. If she does so, she will be accompanied by the Arcanite ranked party, the Golden Fist. If you do not wish for her to gain entry, say so, and the entirety of the human encampment will do what is necessary to protect you.”

Astrid felt her eyes narrow as she looked at the others nearby and tried to understand what was happening. When she looked at Muti, the Ambusher said, “Vlarkta is a Barbarian name, it may be that she is the leader of the Barbarian party that achieved victory in the Adamantium tier Trials.”

Astrid’s mouth went dry, but she looked at the other members of her party to see if they had any reason to say yes or no.

“If she is alone against five people of her tier,” Felix said, “I think we should allow her in.”

“They’ll only be able to make her pay for it if she decides she wants to kill us, though,” Benedict disagreed.“Even a casual attack from her would turn us all into paste. We’re opening ourselves up to a serious risk if we let her in.”

“And we’re offending her if we tell her to get lost, right?” Astrid asked Muti.

“It may be offensive to her, but she may see it as a sign of strength instead, or maybe it’s a whim that she’ll forget if turned away. There is no way to know. Those who are that strong are not bound by the rules of the Hordes nor those of any country.”

“Well,” Astrid said, looking at the Ambusher, “I leave it up to you, then. If you want her to come in, then she will. If you want us to have her stay out, we’ll stand by that decision.”

Muti nodded twice and then said, “Then let her enter.“

Astrid didn’t need to say anything to the person who’d asked for the Barbarian to be permitted entrance. They seemed to give that information to the people outside of the tent’s enchantments. One moment, the tent had just five people inside of it, and the next, it had eleven. Astrid couldn’t tell at what point these visitors entered, but again, she was stunned by the fact that they were able to enter without making any sound. They moved so quickly but hadn’t made ripples in their entrance. The Golden Fist was arrayed protectively in front of the Wanderers, and standing before them stood a casually dressed Barbarian woman.

The Golden Fist showed no relaxation in how they stood, each fully equipped and standing at attention. Even in equipment she’d never seen before, Astrid recognized Aleksandr Soldier immediately. Instead of the golden plate armor that he supposedly wore in public settings, his armor was a matte grey that covered his entire body from foot to head. Despite it being unornamented and almost ordinary at first glance, Astrid could feel the presence of his equipment as he stood as the vanguard of his party. His spear sat in his hand, the butt planted on the ground as an obvious statement of his intent to use deadly force if necessary. Leah Bladedancer and Miriam Assassin flanked him, though Miriam only appeared for the briefest moment before fading into invisibility.

Leah, the woman that Astrid had booked up to as an idol ever since she’d heard her name, wore a belt with two swords hanging from it on each side. On her back hung a fifth blade, and a part of Astrid began to shake with excitement at the idea of seeing her idol wield the five blades in her Bladesong. She held herself back from losing herself in that adoration, and instead looked at the other two members of the Golden Fist. Isana Dungeoneer wore a robe that glowed with thousands of whirling enchantments, and mana emanated from her so powerfully that it made Astrid’s eyes water. A part of her remembered the helmet she kept in her spatial pouch right now that had been enchanted by that woman, and Isana turned and smiled at Astrid before waving her fingers in a dainty wave.

The last member of the party, Saul, was, to Astrid’s perception, entirely unremarkable. He stood in a plain brown cloak with the hood down, and he held a staff that seemed to be carved of ordinary wood. If Astrid were to see him on the street, she’d be more likely to think of the man as a vagrant than anything else. There was one realization that Astrid made that had her quickly reevaluate the man as the most terrifying of the five:

She could feel no mana coming from him, even knowing that he was over level 200.

Tearing her attention away from the Wizard, Astrid looked opposite of the five delvers standing ready for eminent battle. There, Vlarkta stood comfortably. As Astrid had seen before, she was massive, well over two and a half meters tall and her body radiated danger in a way that Astrid couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was only something that she could begin to understand with her Acumen above 100, but being near the Barbarian sent prickles down her back and felt like she had a blade bared against her neck. The Barbarian whose Class Astrid didn’t know’s face was patterned with curling scars, some on her forehead, her nose, under her eyes, her cheeks and even her lips. Her hair had been unleashed from the warbraid she’d been wearing upon exit from the Trials, and scarlet hair that mirrored Astrid’s spread all around her head like a lion’s mane.

“I will do nothing to these little ones,” she said while waving off the Golden Fist. “I come to speak with you, Muti.”

She had no eyes for anyone but the other Barbarian in the tent. When she saw that Muti met her gaze with eyes unclouded, the Arcanite delver grinned. Her sharp teeth glinted as she continued, “Join me. Hrackthan was a fool to cast you away. I have two sons and a daughter who do not quite measure up to your current strength, but will grow quickly to support you in the party you create. We will provide you with spatial artifacts, and training as well as access to the most challenging branches of the Dungeon to hone your strengths. It is not good for one of our people to be alone.”

Astrid‘s heart thundered in her chest, and she knew that most of the people in the tent could hear it with their insanely high Acumen, but she still couldn’t stop herself from speaking. “You treated her as garbage when you saw her before! Now you offer her everything you have because she was able to do something without your help? You’re acting like a thief!”

When the attention of the entire tent shifted to Astrid, she felt a very literal pressure from Vlarkta’s gaze. She held her head high as she was evaluated, and after a painful five seconds that stretched on, her interaction received an answer.

“I trusted the judgment of a Hordemaster. I have since learned that, though he leads a strong horde, Hrackthan made a foolish decision that I can now take advantage of. This is not a weakling’s base thievery. This is the raid of a conqueror.”

A part of Astrid wanted to quip back about everything that Muti had always said about quibbling and semantics, but she couldn’t bring herself to. The woman in front of her was overbearing, and it was obvious that, if she wanted to take something, she would do so. 

“I thank you for the offer,” Muti cut off any further argument, and stepped forward to be closer to the other Barbarian. Astrid’s heart felt like it would shatter as she saw the writing on the wall. “It has long been my dream to return to those who saw me as useless and proved to them that I am far more than my initial Class as well as my weakness.“

Vlarkta’s smile became positively predatory as she began to receive what she wanted, but Muti continued, “I have found those who never considered me to be weak or worthless. We have found victory in the Wandering Trials and stand ready to continue on our path towards greatness that will eclipse your own. We will remain together, as I do not need some of your children who will struggle to catch up to me. Instead, I will enjoy the journey with my companions who have accompanied me on my path so far.”

Astrid’s nervousness became excitement and exultation as she listened to her friend denying the woman who wanted to poach her. Several seconds passed as the Golden Fist adjusted themselves to protect Muti if need be. The Barbarian woman stared at Muti for several seconds before her grin shifted to a softer smile, something almost like a mother dealing with the caprices of their child.

“A fruit harvested too early lacks juice and sweetness. I will leave you on this tree as you have requested. When next I appear, I will see if the fruit has ripened sufficiently to merit taking action.”

Without another word, the Barbarian vanished, but the Golden Fist didn’t follow. Instead, they stayed within the tent and looked at the five Iron tiers behind them. At least, four of them looked at the Wanderers while Miriam remained invisible. Or, more likely, Astrid assumed, she was keeping an eye on the outside of the tent.

“I feel obligated to say,” Aleksandr said as he looked at Muti, “you aren’t required to stay with your party. The Guild would require payment for any equipment received or expenses taken for you, but she would be able to pay whatever they asked without issue. Beyond that, even if you wish to stay with this party, there are no laws preventing your party from emigrating.”

“I will follow the advice that my leader gives me, not be beholden to the commands of strangers,” Muti said with a smile. 

Astrid knew what was following that, and she caught Muti’s swinging elbow as she thrust it at Astrid”s seemingly unprotected ribs. The Barbarian laughed, saying, “She knows me.”

“As we can see,“ came the reply with a dry tone. “We’ll be leaving soon, but for as long as we are here, we will ensure that all five of you are safe.”

Astrid nodded her thanks and opened her mouth to say something, but Isana walked forward and bopped her on the nose with one finger.

“Now, I’m going to help take care of you, but I need to know everything that’s happened since we talked! How long has it been? A few months?”

“Try two years,“ Leah corrected with a sigh. “How are you so bad at keeping track of time like that?”

The Dungeoneer waved off the correction, and she took Astrid’s hands in her own. “It’s still impressive that you went from level 3 or 4 all the way to level 42 in just a couple years! I’d love to talk to you about it when you have time. But we’ll have plenty of time, we’re all going to be here together for a while, aren’t we?”

Astrid was reminded of how overwhelming Isana was as the woman spoke, but Miriam appeared and pulled her away.

“We are happy to train you for a little before you decide where you’re going to be going,” Aleksandr said, redirecting the conversation as he started speaking once again. “There’s a certain level of leeway provided to us with regards to timing now that we’ve reached the end of our previous path. There is much for us left to do, and teaching is always a good pastime.”

Astrid‘s eyes widened as she listened to what was being offered to them, but before she could say anything, there was a sound of someone clearing their throat. When she looked, she saw that, at some point, Greely had entered the tent.

“That is a very generous offer made by a party mostly composed of Arcanite tier delvers. I’m sure that the Wanderers will be able to tell you what their thoughts are regarding that offer in a short while. Would it be possible for the Golden Fist to stand guard outside once again while I speak to this promising party about their plans for the longer-term future?”

“I recognize a dismissal when I hear it,“ Aleksandr laughed, though Astrid swore she saw some stiffness in Leah’s shoulders. “We’ll be here for a a while yet, so don’t hesitate to find opportunities to learn from us, if you’re interested.”

Without another word, he led his party out at a much more sedate pace, all five walking out and leaving the Wanderers with the old Druid standing in front of them.

“Now, congratulations are in order,” the man said, his clouded eyes still making eye contact with each person. “Well done. I’m happy to speak with you in more detail and sing my genuine praises for you from the rooftops, but I think the most pressing concern for the Wanderers is now: what next? I have an idea, if you wish to humor an old man.”