Accidental Reaver

Accepting Dejen's point but unwilling to go naked in front of either Dejen or Kelthula, Luke said, "Got a changing room around? Since the pants and boots I've got on have no quality, I can't swap them out. Have to do it the manual way."

Tapping a foot against the rough wooden floor, Dejen pointed his chin off to the right side, "Next to the back storerooms, is two changing stalls. Nothing fancy, but the privacy will do."

Following directions, Luke came to the back of the store, in an alcove next to the back entryway were two wooden stalls with low clearance. He pulled one open, stepped inside, and shut the rickety latch. Leaving the three artifacts right outside, his senses expanded enough to make sure no curious passerby tried to take them away.

Stripping down, the Reaver sprayed himself with the liquid wash he'd bought during his first days in Sylen. Putting on a fresh, thin shirt and undergarments, he began to swap in the rest of his usual combat gear. He slipped on the new and improved boots and trousers set. Small brands dotted the bone structures all over the two items. A wisp of white came from the bones at odd intervals.

As most other armor did, it naturally resized itself to his physique, nearly skintight. Moving around, the armor felt right at home, barely registering on his body, sturdy as it was light. Luke inspected the items one at a time.

[Hunter's Bone Crowned Trousers]

Quality: Exceptional

Armor: 30

Stats: +35 Strength +35 Intellect +9 Frost Resistance +3 Blood Affinity

Passive - Arjanax's Core: Draws in Ether from the air, boosting Essence Regeneration, and reducing stamina expenditure greatly. Repairs wear and tear across all armor, periodically removes all stains, and fixes any damage unless the armor is destroyed. The greater the damage, the longer the required regeneration time.

Requirements: Level 50, Tier 1

Set Piece 1/2

[Hunter's Bone Crowned Boots]

Quality: Exceptional

Armor: 25

Stats: +30 Agility, +15 Strength, +9 Frost Resistance, +3 Blood Affinity

Passive - Bone Grip: Able to keep your posture and weapon grip with ease. You cannot slip or fall unintentionally. Allows wearer to step onto liquid surfaces, or against gravity, at the expense of class resource. Passively enhances bone durability.

Requirements: Level 50, Tier 1

Set Piece 2/2

Set Bonus: Dual Soul - The tenacity of two souls resides within the set. Staunches bleeding, toughens flesh, and makes negative aliments half as effective within wearer's tier. Will keep limbs functional at any injury level, unless cut off entirely. Adding a third suitable soul may evolve the set once.

The overall attribute upgrades were tremendous, with armor near doubling and frost resistance increasing by a considerable eight, while the primary attributes grew by over ten in most cases. Blood Affinity, the cherry on top, arrived without warning. Luke didn't have any blood based spells, but he felt a synergy with the affinity and other armor abilities, like Blood Haze from The Seal Lord's Crown Band. A clearer mind and healing of time effect getting stronger was nothing to sneeze at—Vampiric Regeneration from his pendant also likely benefited.

Outside the raw attribute increases came changes to both passives, and the set bonus. Losing the health point increase stung a little. Two hundred HP came close to being a drop in the bucket now for Luke's overall health pool. The property to keep his limbs functional, no matter how ruined, suited his taste better, and the assistance against negative effects increased to half. Opening up a future upgrade from taking the right soul offered a confusing, but possible future for the set.

Losing part of the stance correction came with mixed appreciation. Sometimes the bonus helped as much as it harmed. While Luke didn't think he needed grip assistance with Xera, it could come in handy for Ghost Blade, or in overwhelming circumstances. Having his gear repair itself, unless completely ruined, put a smile on Luke's face. A massive quality of life upgrade for someone like him who often pushed a little too far in fights. The pull of ether already seemed in greater quantities than before. Luke could practically smell the ambient power in the air settling within.

Lastly, well…

The Reaver stepped onto the wall, not using any ice or frost to keep himself upright. The stall was wide enough to prevent him from smashing his head against the opposite side. At a decent rate, essence pulled from his natural regeneration, enough to keep account of, but not so high he felt like it'd surpass the usual budget. Frankly, it'd been long since Luke ran into Essence being a limiter in whether or not he could act on something. Pacing upward, Luke sensed that the further he went against gravity, the greater the essence cost, with standing on the ceiling being the most expensive position in that sense.

He dropped down, flipping to stand upright when on the floor. Luke left the changing stall, placed Wayfinder over his neck, and equipped Xera. Whispering Tome lazily followed him from behind. Luke revealed himself to Dejen: "Better than I could've hoped for, a complete upgrade in almost every aspect. You've got talent, Dejen."

Dejen scratched a cheek, "The credit is due elsewhere, had I not been the original creator, my skills would've held the three owners back especially. It gives me great Pride that I could lend a final hand before my family and I leave the city tomorrow."

"You're going as well? Stay safe then, Dejen. I hope to see your return here after the Tide is dealt with."

The tora bowed deeply, "I'm ashamed I cannot fight alongside you, Defier. The guilt that so many leave the burden to so few scars me deeply."

"You've done more than most, Dejen. What's coming isn't something people without combat classes or highly developed combat professions can hope to deal with. It's part of the deal, right? In return for better resource access, other privileges, and what seems to be far more rapid leveling, we risk our lives often."

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"Noble words, master Defier, but ones that ignore the Duchy pushes a giant burden on too few. Your number should be many times its current."

Luke passed by Dejen, pausing to put a hand on the tora's shoulder, "I often have the same thoughts, Dejen. Changing the trend will take years or more. For now, do what you must for your family. Let's meet again someday."

A pack of dead Fool Marked Spiders surrounded Luke, their legs twitching necrotically.

The stench of spider guts ruined the otherwise pleasant wood forest scent. Xera ended up slicing right through each spider with any modicum of strength. A mid-morning sun harshly blazed down upon Luke, with reddish light streaking through. The ether twisted most of the woodland or modified the plant life.

The Reaver currently journeyed down the same path one took to reach the Ruined Realm. The road carried other hunter parties, although not many. Cut through spider web dashed the path, the result of multiple failed nesting attempts by Fool Marked Spiders.

"Those spiders whetted my appetite, master. Can we get some more? They sound crunchy. Spider goo feels horrible on my blade, though. Can you ice me off?"

Luke obliged, earning a thanks from Xera. The Reaver changed his mind sometime ago, already alerting Sooty he'd signal for her to come with him to Crystal Demon Point at the right time. Delving deeper down the road, Luke passed by where the rotting wooden door—the entry to the Ruined Realm—lay. Most of the other hunters he shared the road with seemed to have that as their destination. Now, one other party of four cleared out ahead of him.

Out of common courtesy, Luke tried not to eavesdrop on their conversation. An almost comically loud human woman in starlit robes made that too hard a task for Luke to keep bothering with. Two dancing cosmic swirls played around her floating orb and wand.

"We sure lucked out! Getting the last ticket before they activate the barrier." She shouted.

Another human woman, with brown hair in a neat bun, wearing chain mail, said, "Would you ever quiet down, Kelly? Crystal Demon Point is as much an opportunity as it is a risk. If not for the Tide, I'd never have applied for a slot."

"Worry wart, what's there to be afraid of? We can always bail out at the mid-point, or use a Return Scroll before the boss dome. This is the last chance, anyway, before the Silver-Black Tower sucks out all the negative ether to stockpile power for that big barrier around Sylen for a few days—starting with Crystal Demon Point. The other two will end up drained a day or two later." She smiled excitedly, "Think we should bully the newbies in the Vampiric Wing tomorrow? Last chance!"

A tired-looking monic Archer man spoke from up ahead, likely acting as a scout, "Twin moons watch over us with this one. I paid an information broker, one of the four parties has the Ninth in it. Being the party that ends up able to challenge Nemenoth is looking less likely by the minute."

"Bah, he's one of those loner-types anyway. The four of us can take him no problem. Maybe the dungeon will do him in before we even meet. Or, or, my stars can do the job."

The final party member, a robe wearing, pointed hat using, gallant elf woman, admonished Kelly, "Don't apply normal logic to Defiers, Kelly. Since we've already got a slot, we use it as best we can, but if death comes staring us in the face, we surrender. Clear?"

Kicking a rock on the side of the road, Kelly said, "Clear, Halen. I was just hoping we could make the most of this last run before we're all forced to stop the Tide."

Sighing, the tall elf woman slowed down, rubbing Kelly's back, "I know—but next time," she pointed behind her with a thumb, "try not to bad mouth someone within earshot. Or at all, if you can help it."

Luke could hear the woman's neck creak as she turned her head to look behind her. He impassively met her eyes from a great distance, but not far enough to trouble any ascended hunter. At least the human hunter stopped talking so loudly that he couldn't help but listen in.

A short silence span later—the shifting winds Luke's main company to change—a gigantic radiant white crystal pierced up through the tree line. The increasingly ill-maintained road split again, one path ever onward, the other curving into the woodland, in the crystal's direction. Carving his way through the path, he came upon a clearing. Twisted trees with crystals infesting them circled the one white colossal crystal.

Outside were three hunter parties, each with four members. One group composed only of elves, another a mix of tora and monics, and the last—Halen's party. Now, he would fill out the last slot all by his lonesome.

Four orange and purple crystal outcroppings took up a corner near the central white crystal. Since the other hunter parties preoccupied the three nearest outcroppings, Luke circled around to take the last back right one. The auras around each hunter felt saturated, much like Luke's own. He learned it to be a tell that a person reached their current level cap. Unsurprising, considering Crystal Demon Point represented the peak of what a hunter could clear before entering the Tower.

The cream of the tier 1 crop. Since the other three parties kept to themselves, Luke did the same. He reached out to the outcropping, feeling its smooth, solid surface.

[Crystal Demon Point is currently underway. Time remaining: 00:58:13]

He'd come a little early, certainly better than showing up too late to claim his spot. Luke sent a signal through Reaver's Link, although distorted due to the distance, and he felt Sooty acknowledge it, beginning to fly toward him on her merry way. Just as he wondered what to do with the silver ticket the Hunter's Branch issued him, a stocky black bearded man in high quality leather clapped his hands to get attention. The hunter's emblem—a mix of multiple weapons stabbed into a minotaur skull—emblazoned his cloak and upper right chest.

"All here? Let's get the procedure out of the way," The man unfurled a scroll, mana pulsing from it, "Vathen's party?"

"Here, representative." A brown skinned male elf with braided long silver hair raised his hand, gesturing to the other three elves with him, "All accounted for. Party full."

Glancing at each of the four quickly, the representative returned to the count, "Garic's party?"

A black furred, scarred tora with an eye patch roared, "We hunters await. My pack mates are present."

Crossing off something within the scroll, the representative said, "Halen's party? Are all your members present?"

The gallant elf in stereotypical mage wear pressed the butt of her staff into the withered, crystal scattered grass, "I've brought along my assigned three."

Reading down to the last line, the representative oriented in Luke's direction, "Defier Luke, no other party member's assigned. Are you in the vicinity?"

Clearing his throat, Luke said, "Her-"

Xera shouted, "What does he mean no party members? I'm a party member. I can think and do things just like any of these other fleshy people who smell worse than the chest after five successors ago."

Wrinkling his nose, Luke questioned Xera, "Xera, they smell fine, what do you mean?"

"I know they do, take it as my mood souring. Why do they get to be considered part of the group, and I'm not? I bet their blood tastes bad. This is discounting the artifact race Cedric's been talking to me about."

Frost circled Luke's iris, and he smiled at the representative. "I'm here with my party member, Xera. As you can see—and hear."

Whispering Tome drooped down, floating weakly in front of Luke's chest. Wayfinder tugged his chain in silent laughter. Luke rubbed the tome's surface, trying to reassure the artifact. He whispered lightly, "You're a member too, Whispering Tome."

Closing the scroll, the representative said, "I see. Formalities aside, please present your tickets."

Fetching the silver ticket out of the Inventory, it floated before him. The other three party leaders did similar. Once all four tickets were out in the open, the representative opened a bag, sucking them in.

"All assigned parties accounted for. I'll be watching over you all until each enters the dungeon when availability reopens. After that, no hold bars free for all within. That said, be considerate for every one of you that dies on the inside today, increases the share for all of you when the Tide washes up here in another three days."

That seemed to douse the blood lust coming from the tora's party. As a rolling gale passed through the clearing, leaves shattered along with spare crystal shards shifting in the grass. A mellow hum echoed from the central white crystal. Luke smelled a hint of white stone with something strong, but he couldn't place it.

The representative vaulted up into a nearby tall tree, pressing his back against a resting spot, paying no further attention to the hunters below.