The Land: Forging (Chaos Seeds Book 2)

CHAPTER 23

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Portal Construction. Magical portals were reportedly once commonplace, but now only a few are reported to exist. You now have the knowledge and skill to create a magical portal. This will allow for instantaneous travel between this portal and a second one. Creating a second portal will allow for travel between those two points instantly. At the level of Novice, you can travel only between two points on the same ley line.

Congratulations! You have advanced from Novice to Initiate in: Portal Construction. You can create portals to allow travel between any two points on the same type of ley line.

You have received 2,500 (base 2,000) bonus experience for reaching Initiate level in: Portal Construction.

Congratulations! You have advanced from Initiate to Apprentice in: Portal Construction. You can create a portal that can exit onto multiple types of ley lines. This can only be built at a Place of Power.

You have received 6,250 (base 5,000) bonus experience for reaching Apprentice level in: Portal Construction.

Your increased knowledge has granted you +2 to Intelligence.

TRING!

You have reached level 17! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

You have either characteristic points or skill percentage points to allocate from the previous level. Now that you have progressed again, you must allocate your points within the next week or they will randomly be assigned for you.

Richter got back to his feet. He had lost track of his leveling, just trying to survive the dungeon. Now that he had two levels worth of points to invest though, it wasn’t something he could put off. He could just see himself losing track of time and then, whoops! He’d have twelve more point in luck.

His first impulse was to invest in one of his combat skills. He already seemed to have a penchant for daggers. The increase in speed could be amazing at high levels. Besides, EVERYBODY knew that Chun li was a better choice than Ryu! He couldn’t do it though. He was only two skill levels away from level 40 in Herb Lore, and all the sweet experience that came with it. So he invested the 50% there bringing his skill level to 39. Seeing as how he was here to unlock another of his powers, he decided to invest all twelve of his points into Intelligence. A quick check of his status page revealed how he had grown.

Name: Richter

Age: 24

Level: 16, 11%

Status Alterations: Cankerous Rot

Health: 330 Mana: 420 Stamina: 110

Strength: 29

Agility: 24

Dexterity: 34

Constitution: 15

Endurance: 11

Intelligence: 35

Wisdom: 21

Charisma: 24

Luck: 15

Abilities:

Limitless

Gift of Tongues

Fast Learner

Psi Bond

Skills:

Herb Lore Lvl 39; 17% to next level

Alchemy Lvl 1; 0% to next level

Analyze Lvl 6; 4% to next level

Pierce the Veil Lvl 23; 45% to next level

Stealth Lvl 4; 91% to next level

Traps Lvl 21; 87% to next level

Trap Disarm Lvl 21; 99% to next level

Archery Lvl 10; 24% to next level

Imbue Arrow Lvl 5; 18% to next level

Focus Lvl 3; 78% to next level

Double Shot Lvl 3; 31% to next level,

Drill Shot Lvl 2; 40% to next level

Swordsmanship Lvl 2; 15% to next level

Small Blades Lvl 4; 43% to next level

Unarmed Combat Lvl 1; 10% to next level

Pressure Points Lvl 1; 15% to next level

Dual Wield Lvl 1; 31% to next level

Light Armor Lvl 8; 18% to next level

Grace in Combat Lvl 5; 38% to next level

Air Magic Lvl 4; 19% to next level

Life Magic Lvl 5; 50% to next level

Earth Magic Lvl 3; 32% to next level

Water Magic Lvl 1; 23% to next level

Dark Magic Lvl 3; 78% to next level

Light Magic Lvl 1; 56% to next level

Fire Magic Lvl 1; 22% to next level

Map Making Lvl MAX

Trade Lvl 14; 86% to next level

War Leader Lvl 2, 43% to next level

Enchantment Lvl 1; 44% to next level

Portal Construction Apprentice

Marks:

Master of Mist Village

Blood Oath

Resistances:

Air 50%

Earth 20%

Mental 15%

Spiritual 15%

Race: Human (Chaos Seed)

Reputation: Lvl 3 “You seem like someone worthy of my attention.”

Alignment: Neutral

Language: All

There seemed to be a new dimension to his page, ‘Status Alterations.’ His disease, Cankerous Rot, was listed and he could see that his Endurance and Constitution had dropped by ten points each. He had to get cleansed! He had cast his spell Cure, but it did nothing. He hadn’t expected it to, but he had to try. Since he couldn’t do anything about his disease right now though, he pushed it out of his mind.

His new Portal Construction skill didn’t have a percentage next to it. He knew somehow that it didn’t level like his other skills. It required a mixture of knowledge, practical experience, and an innate ability for mana manipulation. From the information the queen had given him, he knew that the skill would only be increased by building portals and learning more about the concepts that now filled his head. Discovering more Lore was now a high priority as well. Why the hell did it seem like he had fifty high priorities, he bemoaned silently. He was not looking forward to how much it would probably cost him to buy the books that would give him the info he needed.

He continued scanning through the information when something clicked. All gates required two types of keys: activation and destination. The activation key was unique to each portal, and looked a jewel. It was set into the archway of a portal and without it neither incoming or outgoing gateways were possible. The destination key though, looked remarkably like the rune that was attached to the armor he had found. He pulled the leather chest plate out of his Bag of Holding. With his new knowledge it was clear that the rune was a destination key. So wherever this Chuthriom Gate was, the rune would grant him access. Provided the activation key was present in the receiving portal that is. It was a good bet that it would be somewhere near. The adventurer’s gear had seemed custom tailored for this dungeon. He would have to keep an eye out.

Richter got to his feet, and quickly scanned through the new knowledge in his head. There was way too much to completely go through now, so he was just about to shut it from his mind, when the list of building materials of a novice gate came to mind… Ten pounds of gold? A soul stone with a special quality soul? HOW many rubies enchanted with durability spells??? This thing was going to cost a mint… and he had to build at least two! Those Potions of Clarity better start selling, or he was going to end up turning tricks on the corner to pay for this thing! He threw his head back and raised one fist to shoulder height, and shook it slightly in frustration.

“Are you okay, my friend,” Sion asked.

Richter looked back, and saw that Sion had walked up behind him. Daniella was propped up comfortably on a pack, looking at him in concern as well.

He realized how strange he must look staring at a disappearing portal, shaking his fist in the air. He was basically screaming “KHAN” into a communicator… this was not a good look! A rueful smile found its way to his face, “I’m fine. The queen indicated we should take a closer look at the sarcophagus. Give me a hand.”

Richter and Sion went over the sarcophagus inch by inch. At first he didn’t see anything, but then he looked at the junction where the white stone coffin was bound to the grey slate wall. Stylized filigree adorned the side of the marble casket, and a one-inch section of the stonework started to glow blue. He never would have seen it if the queen hadn’t told him to specifically look. Richter ran his fingers over the area looking for a latch or switch. With some manipulation, it depressed at an angle. He pushed until he heard a click. As soon as the mechanism was triggered, dust shot out from every edge of the coffin that was touching the wall. There was a corresponding sound of compressed air being released. Richter and Sion looked at each other, then both grabbed a side of the coffin and pulled. The thing was massively heavy, but Richter braced one foot against the wall to increase the strength of his maneuver. The coffin slowly slid away from the wall. They kept pulling for several minutes, and they were able to move the heavy slab two feet away from the wall revealing a hidden alcove. Try as they might, the coffin didn’t move any further.

Being the smaller of the two, Sion sidled between the coffin and the wall. He called for light and Richter sent Futen inside. The sprite started laughing and told Richter to come in. Squeezing into the small space, he followed his Companion. With some manipulation he found himself in a small room. There was still a good deal of dust in the air, which triggered a coughing fit in Richter. It soon passed, though. When Richter raised his head and saw what was in the room, he started laughing as well. Sion raised his hand in a gesture he had learned from his friend, and Richter slapped palm to palm giving his bestie a high five.

“Yes,” Richter shouted. “It’s a festivus miracle!”

Bags of coins sat on the shelves to the left. Some were cinched tight while others lay haphazardly on their sides, spilling their contents onto shelves or the floor. The right shelves had jewelry of various types strewn across them. The wealth would go a good way to funding his new building project, Richter thought with a smile. Despite that it wasn’t the gold or jewelry that really captured his attention. It was what lay directly in front of the two Companions. An iron shelf was set into the wall. Above and below it were neatly stacked ingots of metal. The largest piles were stacked on the floor. He recognized the first as high steel. It had the same faint blue reflection as his long sword. The next bars of metal were white as cream. Moonstone his prompt told him. On the shelf, were two smaller piles. The first was smoky grey, and had faint swirls worked into the metal. The next pile looked like silver and though the bars were not moving, they had a shimmering appearance as if they might run off the shelf at any moment and pool at his feet. Cobalt and quicksilver he discovered. At the top of the wall was a final small alcove, and inside were ten bars of what looked like dark green glass. Each was crystal clear with no impurities. When he examined them, he learned that the metal was something he had never heard of before. Elementum.

He looked at the treasure of the Tefonim queen, and understood them better. While gold and jewels were valued by them as much as they were by any race, what took a place of honor was the metal. Considering the Tefonim people were a race of builders and warriors, the potential of good materials was cherished.

Not wasting any more time, he began shoving all of the loot into his Bag of Holding. He was never so thankful for the weight reduction properties of the Bag. Without it, he would have had to leave most of the treasure behind. He poured all of the coins into the bag, letting the Bag’s autosort do its job. Then he scanned all of the jewelry with his wand. None shown white, but they would sell all the same, he thought happily. He took it all. Everything except a gold bracelet beset with amber. That Sion said he would like to keep. Having a good idea who would be receiving it as a gift, Richter agreed with a faint smile. Sion just huffed when he saw his friend’s grin, and went back to shoving the jewelry into the Bag.

When they were done with the side shelves, they started loading the ingots. The large piles disappeared into the black bag which never seemed to get any bigger. To Richter though, it was clearly getting heavier. When he touched the moonstone pile, a screen filled his vision.

Quest Update: The Right Tool for the Job. You have found a higher quality metal. Bring this metal back to the dwarves of your village. Once you have picked which metal you will use to create your Magic Forge, your quest will be finished. Make your Forge, and collect your prize.

My thoughts exactly, Richter thought with a smile. They loaded the rest of the metal, and left the treasure room. The Bag was extremely heavy now, but it was still well below his max carrying capacity of 290 kilos. Daniella had fallen back asleep, and was snoring ever so softly. Yoshi’s chest continued to rise and fall regularly, but he still hadn’t woken up. The smile slipped from Richter’s face when he saw his injured comrades again. Despite having restored their health points as much as he could, some things apparently still took a while to recover from. Whatever toll the crypt mistress’s last spell had taken, Yoshi would still need more time. As for Daniella and her wan complexion, healing did not replace the blood she had lost. The smurfette would need to replenish her fluids.

Richter looked at Sion, whose own mood had sobered as well, “We need to get out of this dungeon. We can’t just sit, and wait for them to heal though. Who knows if this disease will ever heal on its own? It might even get worse. I say we open the next hatch and face what comes.”

Sion nodded, his face firm, “The two of us have always been enough in the past. We will be equal to whatever challenge comes our way.”

Richter nodded and set Sion to gather their things. He moved around the rooms and collected the weapons and armor from the fallen draugh. Nothing was left of the crypt mistress but ash. His dagger was laying in the remains. The queen’s spell had removed sixty durability, but the impossibly hard glass dagger still had 73/250 durability left. He sheathed the weapon at his waist and moved on. The draugh had a combination of high steel weapons and their armor was steel or hide. None of it was noteworthy, but ‘waste not want not’ was Richter’s policy. His Life dagger had not fared so well as its glass counterpart. Only 10% of its original twenty durability remained. He knew he couldn’t trust it in a fight again. Not that he would have even if he could. Both daggers’ attack stats had decreased with their drop in durability. He placed the Life dagger in his Bag nonetheless, in case it could be repaired by his smiths. By the time he was done, Sion had rolled up his bedroll and gathered up Daniella’s items, now ready to move.

She gave a slight whimper as he picked her up, but otherwise didn’t complain. Richter picked Yoshi up in a fireman’s carry and started walking back towards the central chamber. Sion followed quickly behind, and Futen hovered above them, illuminating their way. Alma was flying ahead crooning in delight. When he asked why, she sent him an image of a stunned rat. The dragonling had apparently found something to break her fast of dried tack, and her recent feast had put her in a grand mood. Soon all of them were back in the light of the golden column.

They left their wounded comrades right next to the column, but they arranged them so that the column was between them and the hatch. If any enemies emerged from the soon to be open round door, maybe Yoshi and Daniella wouldn’t be noticed at first. Every second they went unseen was another second that Richter and Sion could deal with the potential threat.

The two friends buffed up, and then stood in front of the hatch. Richter also allocated Alma’s new points. Staying with the same plan, he increased Brain Drain by two levels, using all five of her unused points.

You have chosen to increase your familiar’s ability: Brain Drain to level 3. Successful kills will now give 3% of total experience to both you and your familiar. Drain occurs faster. Stun can occur on enemies level 11 and below.

You have chosen to increase your familiar’s ability: Brain Drain to level 4. Successful kills will now give 4% of total experience to both you and your familiar. Drain occurs faster. Stun can occur on enemies level 16 and below.

Richter would have to wait four more levels before leveling Brain Drain again. Luckily there didn’t seem to be a time limit to allocating points for his familiar, like there was for himself. He checked her status page.

Name: Alma

Level: 7, 7%

Health: 170 Mana: 170 Stamina: 170

(Unused level points: 0)

Abilities:

Psi Bond – Lvl 1, points to next level: 1

Psi Blast – Lvl 1, points to next level: 1

Brain Drain – Lvl 4, points to next level: 4

Can use:

Air Magic

Resistances:

Mental: 100%

Air: 50%

Race: Psi Dragonling

He was happy to see her basic stats had increased with her level. Also she remained disease free. Either she had been immune to the demon’s disease spell, or she had avoided it all together. She hovered in the air above his head, ready to face whatever danger was about to come. The hatch wheel easily fastened to the indentation set into the round door. Sion stood several steps behind him and to the right. An arrow was nocked and partially drawn. With a last nod to his Companion, Richter took a deep breath and twisted the wheel. He yanked the hatch open, ready for battle!

There was no one to fight. Taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart, he looked at Sion and laughed shakily. The sprite was clearly relieved as well. All that the hatch revealed was a narrow tunnel slightly smaller around than the hatch itself. Brown vines hugged all surfaces of tunnel that Richter could see. Having a high suspicion of what to expect, he immediately shone his wand on any surface it could reach. Words were soon revealed, emblazoned on the stone around the lip of the tunnel. The area had been completely hidden by the edges of the hatch, but it now revealed their next riddle.

As we all enter, so do we all leave. Obey this truth or be crushed by your weakness.

Richter looked at Sion confused. He was really getting tired of riddles. His Companion looked back at him with a sure expression.

“Alone.”

“What,” Richter asked.

“Alone,” Sion repeated. “We all enter this world and leave it the same way. By ourselves. The riddle means only one of us can enter at a time.”

Richter grimaced. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up. This dungeon had almost killed them plenty of times, but the fact remained that they had to get out of this place. If there was one thing that had held true so far though, it was that obeying these riddles would keep them alive. He nodded and began to take off his arms and armor. The tunnel would be too small for him to crawl through wearing what he had on. Sion stopped him.

“I am the one that should go,” the sprite said. Richter shook his head and prepared to argue, but Sion cut him off. “You know that in that small space, I’m the better choice. You were already about to remove you weapons. I don’t like the idea of us splitting up either, but the idea of going into a new area of this dungeon without protection is insane. I will handle this. You focus on protecting our friends.” Sion gave him a cocky smile, “This is what we do, brother.”

Richter couldn’t keep the smile from his face even though he tried. He agreed on the condition that Sion tie a rope around his waist. If he got into trouble, Richter could pull him out quickly. Sion agreed, and handed him his pack. Richter gave him two health potions just in case. After slipping the potions into a belt pouch the sprite got into the tunnel and started walking forward at a crouch.

The tunnel couldn’t have been longer than fifty yards. Richter cast Far Light, anchoring the ball of light half way down the tunnel. Richter watched his Companion move forward, ready to pull him back in an instant. After Sion had crossed the halfway point though, suddenly Richter couldn’t see him. The sprite hadn’t disappeared. Instead, the tunnel now ended in a blank wall, illuminated by a hovering ball of white light. The rope led directly into the rock.

Alarmed, Richter shouted and tried to pull the rope. It was like he was trying to rip a piece of a mountain off. There was absolutely no give no matter how hard he pulled. Dropping the rope, he started to climb into the tunnel. As soon as his hand crossed the threshold though, a grinding noise ensued. The tunnel started constricting like an iris. It wasn’t just the opening though. Richter could see that the entire length shaft was getting smaller. He withdrew his hand quickly. He didn’t have more than a fingertip in for more than two seconds, but the tunnel had perceptibly shrunk. There was no way he could reach Sion before the tunnel was completely shut, let alone have enough time to bring him back to safety. Richter had no idea how solid stone could flex like a muscle, but he did know that his Companion was on his own.