31 Runic Warrior

With a quick snap, I tore off a piece of my armor from my left arm. My armor understood what I wanted, and let me break off a shard for testing. From my other arm, I broke another shard before I carved the passage into it. Thirty minutes of carving later, I channeled a bit of mana through the shard. The mana flowing into the rune with ease.

Unlike with the metal or wood, this material didn't degrade over time. It kept rigid and stable, easily handling the energy of the mana stream. Since the passage never degraded over time, it made channeling the mana far easier. That was what made the previous enchantments so difficult, the material falling apart. When I tried channeling the mana without an enchantment, it was like standing on a surfboard in the middle of an ocean. Now I was standing on the ground with firm footing. There was a world of difference between the two.

As it regenerated, I carved a portion of the runes into my right forearm using the sharpened scrap. The metals grinded against each other as I strained to slice through my armor. After thirty more minutes of this carving, the line of symbols laid out on my arm. I can't lie, it looked super badass.

With a very slight tug, I pulled some mana into the rune. The indentations filled with the mana, controlling the flow. When I channeled the mana through the wood, it was like I was trying to channel a flood through a Styrofoam pipe. The metal had been like wood. Both of them couldn't handle it. This though, it felt just right.

The mana swelled into the cracks of the armor, the vibrant orange lightning streaking through my arm. I gripped my hand with enough strength to crush steel. With the glyphs filtering the stream of mana, I could pull more and more of it without anywhere near the struggle of before. I reared my fist back before slamming my fist into a nearby tree.

My fist crushed a foot deep into the tree, lodging itself in. As I pulled it out, splinters of wood fell onto the ground. A notification appeared.

Skill gained! [Soulforging(lvl 1) - Temper your mind and your body will follow. +1% to precision of runic control. +1% to ease in carving. +1% to duration.]

Skill gained! [Soulsiphon(lvl 1) - You use your soul as the conduit for your power. -0.5% to conversion cost when converting health into augmentation energy.]

The skills explained why the whole process was so smooth. It felt off though, having my right arm so much stronger than my left. After a few minutes more of carving, I had two sets of runic glyphs glowing on each arm. As I clenched my fists, the air hummed with the energy flowing between my fists. My massive health pool and regeneration allowed me to use far more energy than a normal mage of my level.

When I tried using my normal fighting style, I found myself being thrown off balance by each arm. The weight behind each blow would ruin my technique, so despite the sudden surge of power, I would likely be weaker in an actual fight. After another hour of carving, I'd carved the runes onto the sides of my thighs as well. By pouring a bit of mana into my arms, it made cutting into the hard metal far easier.

With the runes finished, I stood up. When I stomped the ground, it caved in. When I kicked a tree, the wood splintered. The sheer rush of power was intoxicating, even though the burning sensation was ebbing from my limbs at this point. I cracked my neck before trying out a few more punches and kicks.

The extra strength in my legs helped balance my arms, but the sudden shift in strength still took a little while to get used to. After a few minutes of toying with various techniques and stances, I was comfortable. I used the extra strength for odd maneuvers, like whipping my body around trees n shit.

It was liberating being so mobile. Since putting so many points into constitution, I'd been slower than I'd like. Now I was quick as Althea, though I couldn't vomit a stream of acid onto people. I ran through the forest for a few minutes like that, enjoying the sudden change in speed. With boundless storm, I could flip and twist and move with a fluid control. I jumped up, ducked under, and used the trees like my own personal playground.

I ended up spending several hours adjusting the runes and their placement and using the following rush of speed. The weeks of effort had been worth it. Now my health regen wouldn't be wasted once I was full health. I would be able to use it for enhancing my style of fighting. With the soulsiphon skill, I'd eventually be able to nearly double my effective mana usage as well. By then, I'd be a complete monster in a fight.

Now all I needed was really just levels. With a few creative tweaks I'd be able to use these runes for all kinds of stuff. Brimming with excitement, I ran back towards the quarry, wanting to surprise the others with my own discovery. Childish, I know, but I couldn't help it. This was something I discovered on my own, and I was proud of it.

So I jumped into the quarry, my runes unused. I was waiting for a dramatic reveal. Althea was with Kessiah, the both of them going through a few moving exercises. They looked like they were focused on evasion and avoiding someone. In other words, keeping distance. That made sense for Althea, considering how strong she was at a range.

Torix was deep in the cave, finishing his cavern's inscriptions. As I approached, he said,

"Good to see you're still alive. What's been keeping you so busy?"

I shrugged as I said, "Testing some stuff out. I think I found a way of bypassing the whole almost-dying-a-million-times training method for augmentation that Kessiah suggested."

Torix finished his runes as he said, "Oh, this is bound to be good." He turned to me and said, "Let's see this display of mediocrity. On with it."

I frowned as I said, "What's wrong?"

Torix threw his hands up as he said, "What isn't wrong is the question? We've stayed here for several weeks longer than I intended. Yawm's troops are searching any nearby forests. It's only a matter of time before we are discovered."

Torix snapped his fingers, sat back on his black chair, and leaned cupped a hand in his palm as he said, "If Yawm finds us, there will be more than a few complications. It turns out that sending myself wasn't very complicated. Adding Kessiah isn't that complicated either."

Torix pointed at me and said, "It's you and Althea that are making this difficult. Your mana signatures are utterly arcane. It's an amalgam of different energies, and I can't make sense of it. Not without a far higher perception than I currently have."

I cringed as I said, "Sounds...hard."

Torix sighed before saying, "Excuse my outburst. I've been stressed as of late. I shouldn't shout at a child because of my own failings."

I shrugged as I said, "Trust me, I'm used to being shouted at. That was nothing."

Torix squinted his eyes and leaned forward as he said, "Oh really? Do tell."

I scratched the back of my head as I said, "Uh, let's talk about this later. I had something to show you."

"That can wait. A good story would be an excellent distraction from this project I've undertaken. I could use the break, if you wouldn't mind."

I sighed before saying, "Well, when I was a child, my mother died."

"Would you mind if I asked how she passed?"

"Cancer. It wasn't quick either. My dad was pretty good with words, when he was sober at least. One time my dad described mom dying like this, 'First, it stole her strength. That was hard. Second, it stole her health. That was even harder. Then it stole her smile. That was even harder than watching her breath out her last breath.'"

Torix frowned as he said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

I waved off his apology as I said, "It happened a long time ago. I'm over it now. Anyways, my father started drinking when I was about eight or so. At that point, he started falling apart. He stopped keeping the house clean. He stopped going out with friends. After a year or so, he stopped smiling too."

I shook of the melancholy as I continued, "He started getting violent. I think he just wanted someone to blame for how hurt he was. I wasn't much of a talker since mom had died, and I guess he didn't like how I just sat around all day. I don't know. I don't care. What I will say is this."

I bit my lip before I said, "He would shout all night and beat me senseless. He had a bad habit of snuffing out cigarettes on my back. I still got scars from it. That's why I'm used to getting shouted at. That's why it doesn't bother me."

Torix leaned back before staring at the wall for a moment. He tapped the edge of his chair for a few seconds, an awkward atmosphere sinking in between us. He said, "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dig up old wounds. I was just curious. I didn't think it was something that personal."

I shrugged as I said, "It's just how things are. Nothing I can do about it."

Torix stared down for a second before he met my eye as he said, "It's no wonder you are so strong for your years. You carry a suffering well beyond your age. That's something I realized long ago. Our pasts define us. It makes us who we are."

He laid a hand on my shoulder as he said, "Don't let it decide who you will be."

I swallowed some sadness as I said, "Yeah. I suppose."

Downtrodden, I glanced at the wall. Noticing my gloom, Torix stood and said, "Hey, you mentioned you had something to show me. Mind sharing it with this old bag of bones?"

Still staring at the wall, I pulled up my forearm. All the excitement from earlier was gone, but I still poured mana into the runes, creating the vibrant, glow of burning orange and crescents of electricity. I said, "I learned some of the runes you're using. I carved them into the armor so that I could control the flow of augmentation better. It worked pretty well."

Torix grabbed my arm before saying, "Did you make this over the past three weeks?"

"Uh, yeah."

Torix leaned close towards the arm as he said, "Remarkable...'Growing strength and vigor, might left unbounded. Without will and control, the power is unfounded.' That's a strange wording you used. Remarkable, very remarkable. You engraved this yourself?"

I nodded before he continued, "Incredible. So much progress...I can hardly believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

I scratched the back of my head, my face under my mask blushing a little as I said, "Ah, it's not that big a deal. I just thought it would help with my style."

Torix nodded as he said, "What skill specific skill did you use for this?"

"Soulforging?"

"Soulforging? I've never heard of it. I suppose your armor would be the crux of that mystery, however. Hmmm..."

"Maybe it's because the armor's an extension of my soul or something. Wouldn't that mean that carving into the armor with these runes would be like carving into my soul or some shit?"

Torix tapped the armor as he said, "It seems to me that you're giving your armor commands in a language it understands."

"So I'm telling it what to do?"

"In essence, yes. If we can create a more efficient conversion of the formula, we can come up with an even greater effect." Torix slapped my back as he said, "Hah hah! I knew I chose you to be my apostle for a reason."

A new sensation was here. It was a deep pride, swelling in my chest. I said, "No problem."

Torix grinned as he said, "Excellent. With this we should have plenty of ways to fight against Yawm once we meet him..."

A few more seconds of silence passed before I said, "What is it?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. At least not yet."

Torix pulled out a circular, clear sphere with a gray ring around it. He tapped it, pouring black mana into the sphere. A blue sphere expanded from the orb before surrounding us. Screens covered in different lists of components and names were scattered around us, along with pictographs and statistical charts.

In the background was the view from atop a mountain. Clouds floated along with a shining sun and a gentle, whistling wind in the background. All the sounds from outside were gone. Sound was fuzzy in here too, like we were underwater. The graphics were photorealistic, as convincing as real life. It was like how one of some friends talked about a VRMMO novel one time.

Relishing the sudden change in sensation, I glanced around at the surreal scene. Snapping me from my stupor, Torix sent me a pm. As I read it, his voice rang out in my head.

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:06pm 3/4/00) - Use personal messages here. The obelisk will automatically communicate with your voice as I read them, as you no doubt noticed. This is primarily for privacy when we may need it.

I frowned before thinking up a message and sending it to him,

Harbinger of Cataclysm(12:07pm 3/4/00) - So what the fuck is an obelisk?

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:07pm 3/4/00) - A device for enhancing the interface of Schema. As you've no doubt notice, Schema is rather stingy with his processing power. Obelisks are the primary method of allowing smooth interface with data you collect. I use it for organizing my experiments, skill trees, etcetera. You can buy one from the legion with a few dungeon cores. Anyways-

Torix moved a few floating screens from in front of him, organizing them before he messaged,

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:07pm 3/4/00) - I despise these devices, but at times they are necessary.

I glanced around as his messages rang out in the background. When I moved my hand through a screen, the display wobbled before stabilizing as my hand went through them. They moved like ripples in pond. I messaged,

Harbinger of Cataclysm(12:08pm 3/4/00) - Why don't you use this all the time?

Torix pulled up an updated map of earth as he messaged,

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:08pm 3/4/00) - You would be amazed at how many people do just that. The thing is, you learn exactly what everyone else knows if you use an obelisk. You learn what other people don't know when you read books.

Harbinger of Cataclysm(12:08 3/4/00) - What's the map for?

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:09pm 3/4/00) - Hmmm. Remember the little packets of mana I left on Micheal and Kelsey before they left, just in case? They were there to check their location and make sure that I could kill them if need be. It would be a mercy should they be captured by Yawm.

Torix fiddled with the screens, enlarging them and layering them with color coding as he messaged,

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:09pm 3/4/00) - To see if they were captured, or to give them mercy should Yawm find them. I shouldn't need to tell you that there are things worse than death.

I cringed as I imagined what might have happened to them. At the same time, a bit of guilt built in my chest. It was irrational, since I didn't know who or what captured them or why. I had the sinking feeling it was me though.

Torix glanced at the screens before tapping on the surface of a screen. It bended ever so slightly at his touch as he tapped two red circles near the center of Springfield. Torix sighed, which sounded like it was a distant, deep echo.

Torix Worm, of Darkhill(12:09pm 3/4/00) - Michael and Kelsey were captured by the steel legion. I've dealt with them on numerous occasions. Handling them should be relatively simple. On the other hand, if Yawm has found them and made them spill their guts, then it's best I detonate the mana signatures.

Harbinger of Cataclysm(12:10pm 3/4/00) - Let's think for a minute. Why would the steel legion even question them or interrogate them? They probably just want the dungeon core, which we sent earlier. Besides, detonating the mana cores may kill some of the steel legion. Althea could use some more technology for her experimentation. If we kill them, we burn bridges. If we can save them, then we end up tying up two loose ends without leaving a mess for later.

The sphere retracted before Torix turned and said, "That's a risk I'd rather not take."

I frowned as I said, "What if you didn't have to risk yourself? I can do it."

Torix narrowed his eyes as he said, "What's with the sudden change in attitude? You didn't seem so keen on saving them before."

I glanced down, asking the same question myself. Why? Why would I want to save them now? I already just let them go out on their own. If anything, I'd already done more than someone would expect from me. I was surprised how much I had regretted just letting them go like that. I thought I could just abandon them, just like I had my father.

Kelsey and Michael were friends. Sure, not the best friends I could've asked for, but they were still friends. On multiple occasions they'd helped me out of tight spots. Of course I paid them back in full, like the one time I beat the shit out of these two bullies that were fucking with Michael. I unloaded some steam and he wasn't bothered again. A two for one essentially.

The thing was, this wasn't a two for one. It was me sticking my neck out for two friends who would never have done the same for me. At one point, I wanted to stay over at one of their houses because my dad was getting rowdy. Kelsey couldn't let me stay over because she was a girl, and Michael hadn't let me stay because of his parents. Sure, they couldn't help it. That didn't matter to me. I still had to stay up all night being screamed at for it.

Torix whipped me from my long ass contemplation as he said, "It is your life, not mine. One thing I can tell you, however, is that regrets will never leave you. We will likely never see earth again after we leave. It would be best if you didn't leave any regrets here. Otherwise, they will haunt you. My son's death is proof enough of that."

I sighed before saying, "Fuck, man. Alright...I'll go if I can get Kessiah or Althea to join me. Does that sound reasonable?"

Torix turned back to his console as he said, "Not in the slightest. Then again, what is reasonable and what is right are two very different things."

"You're just full of sage like sayings today."

"The story you told me earlier has me sentimental and nostalgic. I will give you one day to capture them before I detonate the mana like grenades lodged in their skulls."

I winced before saying, "There's the Torix I know. I'm off then."

Torix turned back to the marble tablets and said, "Ah yes, I wouldn't use that runic armor of yours unless you have too. It will give your position away without the proper measures in place. Good luck, Apostle." Torix floated back towards his cubbyhole as he mumbled to himself, "Back to work...Oh how I wish this ritual was over and done with."

I jogged over and met up with Kessiah and Althea. As I reached them, Althea gave me a very slight grin as she said, "Still working on not dying?"

I raised my arm and forced mana through the runes. They glowed as I said, "Yeah, I'm doing pretty well I'd say. How about those answers? Find any yet?"

She shrugged before saying, "Nope."

Kessiah stared between the two of us and said, "Did I miss something big earlier?"

Althea glanced down and to her side as she said, "He beat me in a spar again. We talked after. That's it."

With a knowing grin, Kessiah said, "Alright, alright. Whatever you say."

I raised both my hands as I said, "Alright, I'd like to make a request if you two are up for some spec ops type shit."

They both raised an eyebrow before I said, "Uh, I meant sneaking around?"

Kessiah shook her head and said, "I'd rather beat in some skulls. Can we do that?"

"Naw, not this time. I'm trying to get some friends out from under the steel legion's noses. You guys in?"

Kessiah waved my request away as she said, "Sounds boring."

Althea shrugged and said, "We'll call this payback for getting me away from the doctor."

I clapped my hands as I said, "Perfect. Here's the plan. we run straight towards their facility, scope out their defenses, then execute a plan we make up as we scout. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, cool." I turned and yelled at Torix, "Can you send us their location so that we can see it on our minimaps?"

Torix snapped his fingers, and I opened the little map screen on my left side. It was a two dimensional, overhead view, like an old rpg. Everywhere I hadn't been was blacked out, meaning the map was several splotches of color with long, winding trails between the black. One led to BloodHollow, another to Springfield. You get the idea.

All along the map were red X's signifying dungeons, until you reached Springfield. There was far fewer red X's there, along with two blue dots, one with Kelsey's name and the other with Daniel's. I sent a thank you pm to Torix before turning to Kessiah and saying,

"Anything we should know about the steel legion before heading out?"

Kessiah said, "They use tech for the most part. Most of them aren't all that skilled, actually. They also like bringing in the technology from the current world they're in. You know, learning from the primitives and all that. Keeps them cutting edge."

I frowned as I said, "What kind of levels are we working with here?"

Kessiah tapped her chin as she glanced up and said, "Well, they're all at least level 100, besides for any new recruits. There may be a few of those running around like headless chickens. For a new world like this, you shouldn't really see anyone with a level over 300. They also wouldn't be sending their biggest and baddest gear yet. Gotta wait until the population can afford it and all that. You guys can handle it."

I pursed my lips before saying, "Well fuck...That was an excellent breakdown."

Kessiah grinned, her teeth sharp and white as she said, "No problem. Try not to die out there little guy."

"You and Torix try not to kill each other."

"No promises."

Althea and I jogged towards the edge of the quarry before leaping out of the expanse. Once we were in the trees, we raced full sprint towards the facility. Based on where Michael and Kelsey were, the steel legion had set up shop in an old, abandoned factory. It was near the old industrial part of town that had slowly been left behind as the years passed by. I'd been around the area since my dad had worked there for a long time. Until he got fired, for drinking of course. Seeing a theme there?

Anyways, we ran for a while taking a sharp turn through a tiny creek I knew about. The little stream wrapped around the upper end of the town. No one went there since a few miners were caught dumping chemicals in the water. No one wanted birth defects thirty years after swimming in a stream.

We bolted through the creek, trees arching over our heads as they struggled to get sunlight. Birds would fly across the ravine now and again, and collections of fish would swim deeper into the water as we passed. The rocky sand was soft on my feet, each of my steps sounding out like stomps.

Althea glanced around in wonder at everything. I could imagine why. This might have been her first time seeing all this. There were scraps of clothing along the river, like other people had been running here as well. That and the water smelled weird. I assumed it was the chemicals.

Seeing Althea's smile, I said as we kept running,

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Peaceful. It's better than the lab. Too much noise there."

After another fifteen minutes of running, we reached near a few of the outskirts of the industrial side of town. There was old towers that no longer belched clouds of dark smoke. Tall, empty warehouses the size of football fields. Railroad tracks traced the ground throughout the empty place. All along it were multicolored cargo crates made of painted metal.

We ran down the tracks, hidden by the cargo crates lining by our sides. Within a few minutes, we reached beside several moving cars. The first moving cars I'd seen since Schema took over. A circular emblem was on the side, a gear with a pyramid and eye in it. It was eerie, like someone was staring at you.

From then on, we quit running and crept by, calm and composed. A bunch of old war machines were scattered about, likely taken from the museum and repurposed. Most of them had parts scattered around with mechanics working on them. That's what intimidated me most. The workers were completely badass.

Covered in blue gray power armor, they had rifles strapped along sides that glowed. Most of them carries green ammunition that shivered in glass vials. A few even had some glowing, red liquid in vials on their guns. Everything they carried was sharp, angular, and precisely made. No one kept their helmets off, ever. There no eyes to be seen, anywhere. Just black glass plates with cameras along the side of their helmets.

Our sneaking grew slower and slower before we reached within a 1000 feet(300 meters ~) of the building. By now, groups of the soldiers carried goods on platforms that hovered inches off the ground. I was close enough to see hooks and bars along their armor, made so that they could carry the pieces around with ease. They were practical, deadly weapons on their backs. A few of them even carried sword handles at their sides.

Althea and I between a few of the cargo crates before I sent her a pm. Talking might give us away.

Harbinger of Cataclysm(3:23 pm 3/4/00) - Any ideas for getting in and out of there?

Althea Tolstoy(3:23 pm 3/4/00) - no.

Yeah, she was very helpful. I brainstormed for a minute before I sent her a message,

Harbinger of Cataclysm(3:23 pm 3/4/00) - I got the perfect plan. Wait here for a minute.

I shifted my armor before turning my gauntlets into shovel claws. I turned and said in a low whisper,

"We'll dig our way in."