Sealed in Steel [ Tank Litrpg ]

"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, grinning at her. Did she tell Thorren about their crazy misunderstanding? She was probably too shy to share the story with anyone. "What pleasure do I owe this visit? I do hope you're not bringing bad news. It's a mess out there."

"None of the sort," said Thorren. "A visit from friends is all. I wondered where you've been the last few days and was worried something untoward might've happened to you. Asking around, Jadewell volunteered to accompany me."

"I wanted to check up on you too," Jadewell muttered, barely audible.

"She also told me that you intend to leave the hills soon," Thorren said. "Are you no longer returning to Immaterial school?"

"Ah, yeah… I mean, yes, as in I'm not coming back. I think I've learned what I needed. I'll continue on my own and explore the world." Part of Elian felt guilty not telling Thorren anything on his last day in school. He had an aversion to saying goodbye that he picked up in his past life. Back then, goodbyes usually meant it was the last time they'd see each other. He hoped that wasn't the case in this timeline.

"I, myself, am not planning to stay for long in Immaterial school," Thorren replied. "Our attendance dwindles. It might be that the abundant troubles compel students to stay away, or they have their separate paths to take. The lessons aren't moving fast anyway."

Elian nodded. That was a reason he no longer found the school helpful. Varmisal had to give lessons piecemeal because everyone was at different rates of progress and students came and went. It wasn't a regular school like on Earth where an entire class followed the curriculum for the semester.

"But I'm not leaving the hills," Thorren said. "Not for half a year, at the least. I earn quite a decent coin at the Stage of Devotions and can hunt game to feed me and my cousins. I have much to learn here before setting out and start gathering a following."

"You're really serious about becoming a Champion Penitent. You went to Vigor school before Immaterial school, right? Are you going to return there?"

"Most likely. I'll hop between schools as their respective lessons progress." Thorren raised his mug of fruit tea. "Care to share your plans?"

"Nothing set yet other than I'll go to Ohmenstrat. I don't even know when." Elian explained that he was staying with Borlen's group until this stolen armor issue was resolved.

"I have passed through Ohmenstrat twice, accompanying my uncle as he performed his Tribulation from place to place. They are quite familiar with the Magistrate there; you might be able to find supporters, especially with your impressive resistance to the Tribulation."

"I'm not looking for supporters," Elian said, awkwardly chuckling. Funny how that was his original plan. He realized now he didn't have the charisma to pull it off. "What about you, Jadewell? I thought your family had come to fetch you?"

"Er, yes. My cousin wanted us to leave three days ago when a row of houses across the inn he was staying at was burned. He ended up transferring to the more peaceful Immaterial Hill. He entertained himself mingling with Aether Mages there."

"Why haven't you left already?" Elian asked. "I'm not shooing you away or anything. Just asking."

Jadewell sighed deeply. "I was conflicted if I truly wanted to go back to Stoneholde. But I've decided that we'll leave at noon today. I… I came to tell you that."

"Are you saying goodbye?"

"Maybe," Jadewell squeaked in the tiniest of voices. She shook her head and loudly asked, "What are you doing now?" She pointed at the broken pieces of Barkskin. "Aren't those made by your plant symbiote?"

"I pray you don't show your pet parasite to us," Thorren said, leaning away.

Elian laughed as he explained to them his goal. As expected, they questioned the wisdom of using Viney and Aether constructs together. He really should charge people who asked that. And he patiently explained to them what he already told the pilgrims.

Thorren was impressed. As a hunter, he had wondered about the anatomy of various beasts and how they could be so tough. On the other hand, Jadewell only pretended to be interested.

"Tha-that's certainly going to make you endure Tribulations," she hesitantly said. "You'll reach, uh, maybe a hundred Tribulations with no trouble." She looked up, a hint of panic passing through her eyes. She must've recalled that Elian's Curse forced him to do Tribulations because she added, "Past that too! Like, all the way to Greater Tribulations."

"I'm already thinking about Greater Tribulations," Elian said. "The plant symbiote's Barkskin is strong against physical attacks. Very good for Lesser Tribulations. But the Greater Tribulation has magic damage mixed in. And so, I'll—"

"Add Magic Resilience to your pet parasite using Aether structures inside it," Thorren excitedly finished his point.

"That is so," Elian said, invoking Borlen's favorite phrase. "That way, they'll both be fully utilized. They're really not efficient if they stay as separate layers—" he pointed at one of the broken cylinders "—one getting destroyed before the other. It's not like I can make it so magical attacks pass through Viney—I mean, the Barkskin, and damage only the Aether construct."

Jadewell raised her hand as if they were in class. "What about the reverse?"

"The reverse?"

"Aether constructs first," she said. "Barkskin beneath it."

"She's right," Thorren said. "It is unworkable, might be even impossible, for your plant parasite to become a sieve that blocks physical attacks but allows magic through. How would that work? Is it a ghost plant? But what if you made an Aether construct that blocks only magical attacks?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"And lets physical attacks through?" Elian frowned as the gears of his brain rotated. His heart beat faster in excitement. He raised a brow at Jadewell. "Is that possible?"

"I haven't heard or read about anyone doing anything remotely like that," Jadewell said.

"Me neither," Elian said. "A magical sieve of sorts?"

Why would any Aether mage try making such a construct? If someone hid behind a wall, they'd want that wall to protect them against everything. Aether constructs, be they Manifested Armor or just a plain shield, should defend against both physical and magical attacks. Entire books were written on how Armor and Magic Resilience should be balanced during combat. Crazy to make a specific shield for a specific type of damage because that'd leave the mage vulnerable to a different one.

Maybe it wasn't so crazy…

If he expected an attack to be completely magical in nature, he could pool the attributes of his Aether construct into Magic Resilience. He did that to block the psyowog's energy balls. If there were physical attacks as well, the construct would be easily destroyed because it had zero Armor. But following Jadewell's idea, a magical sieve with zero Armor and all Magic Resilience would survive physical attacks by letting them through to strike Elian's naked body boasting two hundred and fifty thousand Armor. That was without the cleaver and Attack Power potion. He'd have the best of both types of defenses.

"You have that look again," Jadewell said. "You should hire me as an idea-maker. Theoretically, it's possible to make such a magical sieve. Aether is the building block of creations. It can create almost anything."

"It's just that people don't have a reason to do it." Elian looked at the ground while scratching his chin.

This was huge progress!

He didn't need to figure out how to combine Barkskin and Aether constructs—it could be a waste of time going down this path. Not all mixtures work. Most didn't—he told Thalman that. Even the costrahastan shell had separate layers.

Likewise, Barkskin and Aether would be their own separate layers, as he currently made it. He'd just work on making each layer stronger by figuring out their best structures. He was doing pretty well in just two days of studying the costrahastan spear arm.

"Or you can wear armor with high Magic Resilience," Thorren said. "It seems the easy solution in my eyes. Stay for a few more months and let us learn the Path of the Forge."

"Not saying that pieces of equipment are useless," said Elian. "But I'd rather not rely on them. Greater Tribulations have multiple strikes. If the first one destroys the armor you wear, you'd be vulnerable to the next strikes." That logic applied to him now, with Cursed Tribulation. Thorren wasn't aware of his condition, and he saw no need to change that.

Elian also hadn't told Thorren about the Elder Giant's Curse, rendering Magic Resilience from equipment zero. By using summons and a plant symbiote, considered separate entities by the Covenant because they had their life force, hence, their own Health attributes, Elian avoided the penalty of the Elder Giant's Curse.

"I thought you were going to wear Aether constructs during Tribulations?" Elian asked Thorren. "Isn't your goal to differentiate yourself from other Penitents? You'd just be like them if you covered yourself in armor. Just do your Tribulations naked, with only Aether as your covering."

That got a laugh out of Thorren. Jadewell feebly joined in after a few seconds.

"Thank you for visiting," Elian said. These two had their part in saving humanity by giving him a new idea. "How are the hills? I've been staying here for the last couple of days."

"A proper mess," Jadewell said. "I can't walk down the street without passing people shouting at each other. Hatred is suffocating. Even my favorite baker, who makes these absolutely soft dinner rolls that I adore, got into a scuffle with the vegetable vendor across the street."

"The guards, many though they are, cannot fully impose security," Thorren said. "I'm wondering where I should leave my cousins while I'm—"

The day became dark. They looked up to see a giant flying creature casting a wide shadow over them. It didn't have any feathers; its skin was craggy and dark. The glowing fist symbol on its chest meant it was a golem made by Priestess Khalamundi.

And it wasn't alone in the sky. Several flying mages swirled around the golem as it descended.

"What's going on?" Elian got to his feet.

"Calm down, everyone!" Borlen strode to the middle of the camp. "They're here for me."

The bird golem stopped about twenty feet above the camp, its wings causing gusts that swayed the wagons and trees. It opened its mouth and drooled three sparkling blobs. As each of the giant drops hit the ground, they pulled up soil and rocks to form their bodies. Three golems ambled toward Borlen as they solidified their humanoid forms.

"Here for you?" Elian rushed to Borlen's side. The old man raised a hand, signaling him to stay. "What are you talking about?"

"Borlen Bluebeard, surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed!" boomed one of the flying mages. "The priests have ordered your arrest as a suspected thief!"

"What the fuck?" Elian exclaimed in English.

"You're not taking my uncle! He's innocent of your accusations." Casimir and the other men brandished their weapons. They stood in front of Borlen, blocking the golems.

"For your safety, move aside," Borlen said. He shouted up at the mages. "I'll willingly come with you! Don't hurt the others. They have no part in this."

"Part in what?" Elian demanded, moving past the other pilgrims to confront Borlen. "You're not a thief. Why are you pretending that you are?"

"I am the thief they are looking for," Borlen somberly said as he patted Elian's shoulders.

The golems looming over the pilgrims. They were prepared to fight but Borlen jostled past them to join the golems.

Elian was rooted on the spot. This was a farce. Borlen was framed for a crime he couldn't have committed; no way he could break into the golden hall with all its enchantments. So why was Borlen going along with it? Was Thalman connected to this? Elian wanted to stop Borlen but what could he do?

He'd get arrested for obstructing the golems. He couldn't help if he was imprisoned too.

The golems surrounded Borlen. They expanded their bodies to form a cage around him. Then the giant bird above unfurled its extremely long tongue, wrapped the cage, and yanked it into its mouth. And they were gone as fast as they had come.

The pilgrims cried out in anguish and confusion. Several of them ran toward the Cauldron, likely to find other followers of Tharguras and ask for help. Casimir hurried to his uncle's wagon, yelling that he'd pull it to the temple to show the priests it was empty.

Thalman… The suspicious priest wanted to meet Borlen before the other priests restricted his movements. Did Thalman set up Borlen to be the fall guy? Or was he about to warn him about something else?

"Elian…" Jadewell stood beside him. "The man they took. He wasn't a criminal, right? You're sure that he—"

"If Elian says his comrade is innocent," Thorren firmly said, "then he is. A mistake must be corrected."

"But how?" Jadewell asked.

"I need to talk to Borlen first and find out what's going on," Elian said. "Can you help me? I don't think they'll allow anyone to visit him in prison, just like how Tharguras is isolated."

"Uh, ye-yes," stammered Jadewell. "But what can we do to help?"

"For starters, can I borrow your invisibility spell shard ring?"