Lone: The Wanderer

Book 3: Chapter 2: Processing Trauma and Skill Sheet

"Lone!" Soph exclaimed upon seeing him return to the store portion of the building with Rella behind him. "Y-You used freeform lightning magic... why?"

Lone thought for a moment and replied, "His wishes superseded my own, and I didn't want to leave a wound."

Breena looked back and forth between Lone and Soph in confusion. "Lightning magic? Wishes?"

"Gramps didn't want to die in his sleep," was all Lone said before he took one last look around the store he used to work in and then left the building.

He reached into his Dimensional Storage and pulled out an automated steamforged carriage that was broken.

He'd found it in one of the kriegs he had liberated along with five others just like it, all broken. Luckily, they still supported horses even if they were automated, so Lone put himself where the beasts of burden would usually go and began pushing the bar that the horses' reins would have been attached to.

Rushing out of Wilbur's workshop with Soph and Breena, Rella said, "Whoa, whoa, what're you doing?! You'll get arrested pushing that thing around!"

"No, I won't. If anyone tries to stop me, they are welcome to try, but I'm not in the mood to chat. It was nice meeting you, Rella. Soph, Breena, hop on," Lone said as he ignored any further protests from Rella and began pulling the mechanical cart.

The rabbitkin bit her lip and sighed. "Be careful on your journey. He cared a lot about you, so don't disappoint him by dying or something."

That got a hollow laugh out of Lone. "Even had I plans to, I doubt it'd be easy to facilitate my death. Look after yourself too, Rella. Thank you for looking after him."

The rabbitkin was surprised when she heard a ping and she fumbled to catch what had been flicked her way. To her surprise, it was an honest to all of the Primals ruby-gold coin.

"What the..." By the time she had looked up from her hands, Lone, the cart, and both of his companions had completely vanished as if by magic. "... I need to get more sleep."

She looked back at Wilbur's shop. "And I need to prepare for his funeral and his epitome inauguration... Fuck."

Suddenly, over a dozen dwarves appeared, all wearing symbols of the greater council. "The men Lone mentioned?"

One approached her and said, "What was yer relationship tae Lone Immortus?"

Rella furrowed her brow. "There wasn't one. Acquaintances at best. Why didn't you apprehend him? He killed Wilbur and then left with a steamforged artefact."

The man wore a wry smile. "Ye 'eard 'im. Ah dinnae ken aboot ye, but ah dinnae wan' oor entire unit bein' wiped oot just 'cause the cunt's in ah foul mood. 'Sides, the fox 'as friends in 'igh places. There's also no arrestin' the man who solo killed an eldritch 'orror unless 'e wants tae be arrested."

"I... see," Rella responded tersely.

Lone took a moment to cover his eyes as the sun blinded him. Breena did the same while Soph didn't seem affected and was clearly more concerned over Lone's emotional state.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Lone closed his right eye and squinted with his left as he nodded. "I'll be fine. Surprised I didn't get a Blinding Resistance or something from that. Sudden teleportation from a dim street to this was something else."

"Not what I was asking," Soph said, creasing her eyebrows.

Lone retrieved the sack he'd received from Wilbur and began pulling things out of it to see what, exactly, he'd been gifted.

"I have Meditation running 24-7 and Basic Regeneration will cure any trauma. I already feel much better. Am I in perfect condition right now? No. Give me a few hours to think and distract myself at the same time and I'll be fine," he said as one wondrous gadget after the other was placed on the grass at his feet. "Fuckin' thing's a spatial pocket like an adventurer's pouch. Wonder if Steamforging did that or if a mage was needed?"

"Master Lone..." Breena fidgeted with her fingers a bit before saying, "W-We're here for you... You, uh, you know. If you n-need us."

Lone smiled at her. "I know and that gives me strength, it really does. Now, both of you help me with this stuff. There's still a bunch left in here and some of it is pretty big from the feel of it."

After about fifteen minutes, they had finished retrieving all of the steamforged goodies. The most interesting item to Lone was, without a doubt, Wilbur's personal customised mini forge. With it, Lone could easily pick up where he had left off half a year ago with his Steamforging endeavours.

There was also a set of six fully mechanical steamforged horses, of which, Lone hooked up two to the steamforged carriage and made them pull it so he didn't have to.

Most of the other items he didn't know how to activate or he had no idea what they were. Master Wilbur had thought it wise to not leave a note, probably assuming Lone had the talent to figure everything out for himself.

There was a set of highly advanced weapons that matched his, Soph, and Breena's, preferred fighting styles. A few pieces of armour too.

"The stupid old man didn't hear about my bone armour? This stuff is useless to me," Lone thought aloud.

Currently, he was sitting in the coachman's seat while Soph and Breena studied inside the carriage. Soph was reading historical records while Breena was brushing up on her human common since they were going to a human settlement.

Lone sighed and put everything back into the brass sack and shoved that back into his Dimensional Storage. "Crazy that skill can store things that can also store things. Anything that isn't alive, huh?"

With his mind on skills, checking his entire skill list seemed like a good way to lose some hours and move his lingering thoughts away from Wilbur.

He had killed hundreds, perhaps thousands of beings at this point. Killing Wilbur though... even if the old man had asked for it himself, it was one of the hardest things Lone had ever done, only being beaten out by his decision to spare those demihuman children from an even crueller fate in Ranton's castle dungeon.

He directed the list to show him every meaningful change and addition since his most recent and hopefully last meeting with Arch Devil Zel.

Weapon Mastery Skills [22 skills] [New!] Fortress Shield MasteryMaster Level 1 Colossal Shield Mastery Expert Level 7 [+4 Levels] Buckler MasteryExpert Level 6 [+11 Levels] [Rank up!] Swordspear MasteryExpert Level 3 [+2 Levels] Unarmed Combat MasteryAdvanced Level 10 Shield MasteryAdvanced Level 3 [+3 Levels] [Rank up!] Polearm MasteryAdvanced Level 2 [+1 Level] Hand Axe MasteryIntermediate Level 8 Hatchet MasteryIntermediate Level 8 Dual-wielding MasteryIntermediate Level 3 [+6 Levels] [Rank up!] Tower Shield MasteryIntermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] Great Axe MasteryBeginner Level 8 [+7 Levels] Greatsword MasteryBeginner Level 8 [+7 Levels] Axe MasteryBeginner Level 6 Spear MasteryBeginner Level 6 [+2 Levels] Bearded Axe MasteryBeginner Level 1 Hammer MasteryBeginner Level 1 Shortbow MasteryBeginner Level 1 Shortspear MasteryBeginner Level 1 Shortsword MasteryBeginner Level 1 Sword MasteryBeginner Level 1 Warhammer MasteryBeginner Level 1 Movement Skills [2 skills] Evasion MasteryExpert Level 5 Light-footedAdvanced Level 3 [+2 Levels] Social Skills [2 skills] ActingAdvanced Level 5 PersuasionAdvanced Level 3 Crafting/Building Skills [10 skills] BlacksmithingAdvanced Level 10 Tool MasteryAdvanced Level 10 WoodworkingAdvanced Level 6 [+1 Level] MasonryAdvanced Level 1 Drawing MasteryIntermediate Level 9 [+9 Levels] [Rank up!] SteamforgingIntermediate Level 8

Blood CloneExpert Level 8 [+14 Levels] [Rank up!] [New!] Oaken FleshExpert Level 4 Weapon BlockAdvanced Level 9 [+2 Levels] MeditationAdvanced Level 6 [+4 Levels] Wide TauntIntermediate Level 9 [+3 Levels] Survivor's Speed Intermediate Level 4 [+9 Levels] [Rank up!] Stone SlapBeginner Level 6 Stumbling SweepBeginner Level 4 Drunken FistBeginner Level 1 Ramming StrikeBeginner Level 1 Magic Skills [11 skills]

Root of LifeIntermediate Level 8 Lightning BoltIntermediate Level 6 Illusionary DomeIntermediate Level 3 FireballIntermediate Level 1 WaterballBeginner Level 8 Wind BladeBeginner Level 2 Amplified CurrentBeginner Level 1 BoulderBeginner Level 1 Blood ExplosionBeginner Level 1 Crimson EruptionBeginner Level 1 Enforcement ScriptureBeginner Level 1 Racial Skills [1 skill] Tail Spears

Expert Level 6 [+3 Levels] World Skills [1 skill]

Full Body DiagnosticsIntermediate Level 2 [+1 Level] Primal Skills [3 skills] UngroundedAdvanced Level 10 [+1 Level] Nothing VortexBeginner Level 1 YouBeginner Level 1 Unique Skills [8 skills]

Basic RegenerationMaster Level 4 [+1 Level] Bone ArmourMaster Level 4 [+2 Levels] Dimensional StorageN/A Creation MagicN/A Growth AcceleratorN/A Mental DestructionN/A The Summoning RoomN/A True Contract MagicN/A Fuck That Cuntbag Sir Ardus Skills [5 skills] Poison ResistanceExpert Level 9 Torture ResistanceAdvanced Level 4 Thirst ResistanceIntermediate Level 7 Hunger ResistanceIntermediate Level 1 Insanity ResistanceBeginner Level 9

"What a focused five months..." Lone muttered. "16 rank ups and dozens upon dozens of levels ups. Needless to mention the, what, half dozen new personally earned additional effects I got? The new skills took up so much time and now I'm going to be focusing on magic... Soon I'll get all those beginner-ranked skills to a respectable level as well."

It was a shame he hadn't earned more new skills but it was the same people at the guild that he always sparred with and after the blood mage, he had only taken a mission for a sentient target once and the fight was over before the group of cannibal dwarves could touch him with their dark magic skills.

A shame, but it wasn't a risk Lone would take earning their skills and respective resistances when they had two SS-rankers among their ranks. He had no idea when Zel would strike so being at his best at all times was necessary.

It was also a shame that the list Sheelda McStuderson had provided him was mostly made up of non-combat skills which he didn't have the time to focus on while doing mission after mission to reduce his sentence time. He'd be able to go through that list soon though, which was a nice thought.

Lone used his perfect memory to figure out where he and his mechanical carriage were on the road to Golden Pass City.

"I have time, yeah. Sure. Let's check the new rank-ups and my status. Don't want to get too distracted though..." With a wave of his hand, two bucket's worth of blood gushed out into the air from seemingly nowhere.

He dismissed the clone swimming about in his veins and invoked the skill twice. "Blood Clone. Blood Clone."

A small drake coalesced from his lifeblood and then gurgled out a screech before perching itself atop the carriage, keeping a close watch over the surroundings.

The second Blood Clone became a perfectly spherical and ever-moving shield around Lone, completely encapsulating him in the coachman's seat.

"I love that I was able to get an effect that allowed a second clone. I knew getting this skill was a great choice," Lone praised himself before he started pulling up skill information.