Chapter 176: Patience

Chapter 176: Patience

After spending about ten frantic minutes pinballing around his soul like a squirrel that had mistaken caffeine pills for acorns, Rain returned to his body and opened his eyes. He found only Ameliah and Dozer waiting for him in the dim tent. Tallheart was nowhere to be seen, and he could hear distant voices outside. Thinking about that was secondary to making Ameliah’s worried expression go away.

“You’re back,” she said, stiffening. “How is it?”

Rain opened his mouth to respond, pausing to catch Dozer as the slime cannonballed into his stomach. “I learned my lesson after the last time this happened,” he said, struggling with the excited gooball. Before he forgot, he set a marker for his progress report macro, though he didn’t open his interface now to check it. “I promised I wouldn’t make you worry like that again, and I meant it. On that note, I’ll cut right to it. I’m not in imminent danger. Pretty sure.”

Ameliah closed her eyes, sagging in relief.

Rain managed to wrangle Dozer into his lap, petting the slime to keep him there as he continued. “That’s not to say everything’s great. The Bastion is a crumpled mess, and it’s flooded with so much chaos that I can barely feel anything outside the core room. My core itself seems to be just fine, though. Better than fine. The system did something to it, Ameliah. It’s making liquid essence directly.”

“That sounds important. Is that important?”

Rain shrugged. “I didn’t stick around to think about it. I’m going to need to reseal my core room, but I can’t do that until I’ve got a place for the essence. I don’t even know if my storage tanks are still there. All the avatars I could have used to check aren’t responding. There’s just one Snek that somehow ended up in my core room, and even as small as Sneks are, the way is blocked. My avatars at the Tear survived, though. Once I transferred over there to check things out, I had other things on my mind.”

Ameliah nodded, listening intently.

“Bad news: my paling’s torn again,” Rain said, not trying to sugar coat it. He continued quickly. “Good news: it’s not as bad as it sounds. The patch held. A bunch of cables snapped, and some anchor stations popped off completely, but it held. The rip is buried underneath all the FlexSeal, right where the single-layer section meets the rest. The flap is stuck to the bottom of the sealant plug, so the actual gap in the paling material is pretty small. I don’t even think it’s leaking.”

“That’s good to hear,” a woman’s voice said from outside, the tent flap opening.

“Ah!” Rain lurched halfway to his feet, raising Dozer as if to throw him at the attacker before he recognized the voice as Vanna’s.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, entering.

Rain tossed Dozer to Ameliah, then looked hurriedly around for his cloak, self-conscious in his Forceweave. Past Vanna, he caught a glimpse of a distant crowd watching through the trees from the main camp, but then she closed the flap behind her. Rather than move further inside, she stayed at the entrance, hunched from the sloped ceiling and watching him with a smile.

“The pulse reached the whole camp,” she said when he was settled with his cloak over his knees like a blanket. “I’m glad to hear you’ve got a lid on it. I’m also glad you’re okay. Running this company on my own doesn’t sound like much fun.”

“Yeah,” Rain said, awkwardly rubbing at his neck and thanking the dim lighting from the lone candle. “Thanks.”

Vanna nodded. “You gave everyone quite a scare. It’s always something with you, isn’t it?”

“Sorry,” Rain said.

“Don’t apologize,” Ameliah said, reaching out to take his hand. She settled it on the ground between them, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Rain squeezed back. Dozer had oozed out of her lap and into his, so he began idly petting the slime again with his other hand.

After a moment, he returned his attention to Vanna. Soul stuff was need-to-know, but she met that bar. Besides, she already knew most of it anyway. “I’m going back in,” he said, deciding. “You’re welcome to stay, Vanna. It might take a while, so have a seat if you’d like.”

Vanna shook her head, reaching for the flap again. “I’ve got to tell everyone you’re not dead so they can get back to their party. Good idea on that, by the way.”

“Don’t tell anyone he advanced,” Ameliah said. “Not yet.”

“Don’t worry, Ameliah,” Vanna replied. “Rain told me to keep it quiet before you got back from the plains when he told me what he was planning. Tarny knows, as do Samson and Jamus. Everyone else seems to think Rain set up this tent so far away for...” she paused, smiling slightly as she looked at the two of them, “...other reasons.”

“Of course they do,” Rain said with a long-suffering sigh.

Ameliah laughed, squeezing his hand again.

Rain looked up sharply, realizing something. “Wait, but I asked for Tallheart too! He was here with us the whole time! People don’t think—?”

“Kettel certainly does,” Vanna said, rolling her eyes. “He’s been quite insistent in sharing his,” she cleared her throat, “opinion.”

Rain groaned. Damn it, Kettel. He shook his head. He had more important things to worry about. “Where did Tallheart go, anyway? He should be here for this.”

“I am here,” Tallheart said.

Rain made a sound like a stepped-on parrot, spinning to face the tent wall and catapulting Dozer from his lap in the process. A quick Detection pulse revealed that the cervidian was just on the other side of the thin fabric.

“Nice reaction,” Ameliah said, laughing.

“Damn it, Tallheart,” Rain hissed, issuing a few more Detection pulses. In retrospect, that was the first thing he should have done before he started blathering about souls. The scans came back clear to twenty meters, so he sighed, sending calming feelings to Dozer. The slime had apparently decided that it was playtime and started bouncing up and down, eager to be launched again. Rain ignored the excitable creature, sitting again next to Ameliah. He shifted himself so he could keep glaring at the rear wall while he dragged his cloak back over his knees.

Tallheart chuckled, apparently sensing Rain’s attempt to burn a hole through the fabric. “Apologies,” he rumbled. “I grew tired of sitting, and the ceiling is too low for me to stand. Go on. I can hear you. The night air is pleasant.”

Rain sighed, snagging Dozer and pulling him back into his lap before he could knock over his piled armor. “That’s it. I’m going to have to put bells on his antlers or something.”

Vanna laughed. “That would be hilarious if you could manage it. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it,” she reached for the flap, then paused, her expression becoming serious. “Really, I’m glad you’re okay. And congratulations on silver.”

“Thank you,” Rain said seriously.

She nodded, then left the tent.

After a moment, Ameliah looked at him and made a shooing motion. “Go on. I think you should fix those cables. I don’t want to know what would happen if they fail, and the sooner you get things put back together, the sooner we can get you back in your shell. As much fun as it might be to use this tent for what people think we’re using it for, I’m not comfortable with you exposed like this. You’re vulnerable.”

Rain nodded. “Yeah.” He licked his lips, reminded of the fact that he only had two hundred health right now. “Yeah, okay...”

No resistances and two hundred health. Maybe it’s good that Tallheart’s standing guard out there.... Shit! That’s probably why he’s doing it in the first place! If the Knives are still out there and choose now to attack, I’ll be paste! I didn’t tell anyone outside this tent I’d be taking my armor off, and Vanna won’t talk, so it should be... Wait! Shit! Someone might have seen me when she opened the flap! Forget the Knives! What about the nobles!? They aren’t the brightest bulbs, butit wouldn’t take a genius to... Holy shit! Holy SHIT!! How can I be sitting here like this!? What the HELLS is wrong with—

“Hey,” Ameliah said, booping him on the nose.

Rain twitched, startled out of his panic. Dozer was oozing frantically around them in a circle, searching the tent for the invisible filth that had dared to threaten his King so he could scour it from existence.

Ameliah smiled at Rain, raising a hand to guide a few strands of his hair back into place. “A seventeen-times Clarity modifier is no excuse for spacing out.” She stared into his eyes, then pulled him into a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone touch you.” She returned him to arm’s length. “Now go on, pigeon-head. You’ve got work to do.”

“...Right,” Rain said, letting out a ragged breath as she released him. “Thanks.”

Two hundred health... How did I ever live like this?

He didn’t bother sending calming feelings to Dozer this time. One more guard wouldn’t hurt, even if that guard was only a slime—an Essence Slime, rather. Yet one more thing he needed to unpack.

He nodded to Ameliah, then closed his eyes.

Progress Report

marker_1: presilver [3061 Sowing 25 19:20]

marker_2: silver [3061 Sowing 25 19:34]

Span: 14 minutes

Character

Level: 25 -> 26 (+1)

Total Exp: 2,035,829 -> 2,035,830 (+1)

Tolerance

Strength: 50 -> 500 (+450)

Recovery: 77 -> 770 (+693)

Endurance: 31 -> 310 (+279)

Vigor: 114 -> 1140 (+1026)

Focus: 200 -> 2000 (+1800)

Clarity: 250 -> 2500 (+2250)

Attribute Buff: 269 -> 2690 (+2421)

Richmond Rain Stroudwater

CLASS

LVL

CAP

+STAT

Engine of Change

26

30

10

EXP

NEXT

TOTAL

+SKILL

0

73,713

2,035,830

1

Vitals

CUR

MAX

RGN

Health

200

200

100/d

Stamina

198

200

100/d

Mana

7,917

35,025

1.6/s

Attributes

0/2690

EFF

TOTAL

BASE

ACCLD

MISC

SYN

STR

10

10

10

0

0/500

100.0%

RCV

5.6

10

10

0

0/770

56.0%

END

7

10

10

0

0/310

70.0%

VGR

8.9

10

10

0

0/1140

89.0%

FCS

10

10

10

0

0/2000

100.0%

Stamina

202

1,700

520/d

Mana

35,604

39,525

49.7/s

Attributes

287/2690

EFF

TOTAL

BASE

ACCLD

MISC

SYN

STR

85

85

10

0

75/500

100.0%

RCV

16.8

30

10

0

20/770

56.0%

END

59.5

85

10

0

75/310

70.0%

VGR

46.3

52

10

0

42/1140

89.0%

FCS

85

85

10

0

75/2000

100.0%

CLR

270

270

270

0

0/2500

100.0%

PER

10

10

10

0

0/0

100.0%

SPD

9.4

10

10

0

0/10.0

94.0%

Smiling, he spoke, working through the math. “I have two hundred seventy Clarity, times the base rate of ten, times three for Intrinsic, times seventeen from Engine of Change is one hundred thirty-seven thousand seven hundred mana per day. I also have eighty-five total Focus at the moment, so times the base rate of twenty, divide by four from Synergy, times three for Intrinsic, is one thousand two hundred seventy-five. My macro is telling me that Winter is giving a multi—”

“Rain.”

“—hirty point nine, so add the first two and multiply the sum by that for four million two hundred ninety-four thousand three hundred twenty-seven point five mana per day. Subtract the daily cost of Winter, which is four thousand—“

“Rain!”

“—dred twenty, and you get four million two hundred ninety thousand and seven point five mana per day. Converting to mana per second, that’s...forty-nine point...six...five...two...eight—mmphHH!”

“Rain,” Ameliah said sweetly, her hand pressed firmly against his mouth. “There is such a thing as too much math.”

Rain grinned at her as she took her hand away. “You take that back.”

Ameliah rolled her eyes. “I know you’re just messing with us, but come on. Nobody cares about that level of detail.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Rain said with a knowing smile.

“Mmm,” Tallheart rumbled.

Rain chuckled. “Anyway, sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t be messing around. It’s late.”

Tallheart gave him a flat look. “Early. Late was three hours ago.”

“Right you are,” Rain agreed, looking back at his status. His mana was already full, so he deactivated Winter as he continued. “I should sleep, but before that, there are two more things I want to do. First, an essence exchange. Hang on a second.” He held up a finger, then reached along his link to Dozer. [Hey, buddy. It’s big squeezy time. Make sure you’re re—]

There was an abrupt pop, then a splatter.

Dozer landed on the dirt between them, barely missing the candle.

“That works too,” Rain said without missing a beat, not even surprised at this point. [How are you doing that!?]

Dozer happily popped a few bubbles in a non-answer before oozing into Ameliah’s lap. She shook her head slowly, stroking the slime while wearing a bemused expression.

Tallheart blinked. “At least you did not have to sneeze him into existence this time.”

“The less we talk about that, the better,” Rain said. “Anyway, I’m doing the essence exchange now. Here goes nothing.”

Before he could psych himself out, he triggered the process, then gasped.

“What?” Ameliah asked, her eyes widening slightly. “Did something go wrong? Are you hurt?”

Rain shook his head, the sudden sense of Ameliah and Tallheart’s presence vanishing almost as swiftly as it had come.

Okay. Okay, so...that was definitely linksight. My paling must have flapped open for a second there. He listened, hearing nothing from beyond the tent save a few distant snores. There had been no screams. Either the oversoul wasn’t as intense that time or the range was shorter. I’ll have to test it later.

“It was Linksight,” he said, looking up before his friends could prompt him. “I felt the two of you in my party when I triggered the exchange, but now...nothing. I think my paling opened up for a second, then closed again. Hang on, I’m gonna go make sure the cables are okay.”

He closed his eyes, not waiting for their response as he focused on his breath. To speed things up, he reached out to Dozer, who’d managed to fall asleep in the two minutes that no one had been paying attention to him. With the aid of the slime’s sleepy non-thoughts, he was inside his soul within thirty seconds, then at the Tear not a second later. A quick inspection revealed no further damage. The cable gauges showed that there had been some strain, but the needles had returned to nominal. His barometers reported much the same.

He returned to his body, quickly filling in the others before summoning his keyboard to type himself some reminders.

Todo: Schedule essence exchange, observe within soul.

Todo: Test essence exchange with unawakened around, verify oversoul.

Todo: More cable reinforcement. Maybe do this one first. Think about it.

Todo: Make a porthole. Will linksight function if I make the essence clear? Will works that way. Promising.

Todo: Make an iris. Oversoul on command.

Question: How is oversoul controlled from outside the soul? Can I get system access now that I’m silver? Test at core. Test at paling.

“You know,” Tallheart said to Ameliah, scratching at the base of one of his antlers, as Rain continued typing furiously, “I have met many strange humans, but I believe he might just be the strangest of them all.”

“I won’t disagree with you,” Ameliah said, smiling.

Rain wiggled his fingers at them, dismissing his keyboard. He set a fresh marker, then summoned a verbose progress report, whistling in appreciation of what he saw.

Progress Report

marker_1: silver [3061 Sowing 25 19:34]

marker_2: s1 [3061 Sowing 26 02:49]

Span: 7.2 hours

Character

Total Exp: 2,035,830 -> 2,036,178 (+348)

↳Stamina Use: 6

↳Mana Use: 342

Skills

Extend Aura: +21 exp

Winter: +4 exp

Intrinsic Clarity: +342 exp

Amplify Aura: +61 exp

Detection: +105 exp

Channel Mastery: +30 exp

Intrinsic Focus: +342 exp

Magical Synergy: +342 exp

Aura Synergy: +32 exp

Aura IFF: +120 exp

Aura Compression: +1 exp

“What now?” Tallheart asked.

“I just checked my experience gains from the essence exchange,” Rain replied. “I leveled three times.”

Ameliah did a decent Dust impression. “You did not,” she scoffed.

Rain beamed at her. “Okay, yeah, not even close. I was just surprised by how many skills got experience. I’ve been so focused on what new ones I want to take that I almost forgot about all the stuff I already had. They can get to fifteen now, and some of them...I’m not sure what’s going to happen.” He pointed at the list they couldn’t see. “Aura IFF, for example.”

“Mmm, the negative thing,” Ameliah said. “I doubt it will work that way, given that Channel Mastery doesn’t. I suppose we’ll see.”

“You will take Prismatic Intent, correct?” Tallheart asked, interrupting Rain’s reply.

Rain nodded, glancing at him. “That was the other thing I wanted to do before I called it a night, but...”

He looked at the list of experience numbers again. There were a lot of skills there, and he’d barely done anything. Just his normal usage was going to be a strain until he sorted himself out. On that note, he activated Purify at half power, confining it to the tent and holding the spell until the urgent signal from his bladder vanished. He swore he could feel the experience flooding in.

That need settled, he looked up, receiving his friends’ appreciative gazes. “I think I just reconsidered. Even if we’re not traveling tomorrow, I’ll be using mana on this and that, and I don’t want to risk adding something new. Not yet.”

“Come again?” Ameliah asked, gratitude turning to incredulity. “I mean, I agree that that’s the smart thing to do, but you’ve been drooling over Prismatic Intent since you learned of its existence. Multiple auras at once! You’re telling me that you’re sitting there, with a free skill point, able to take it right this instant, and you’re going to wait!?”

Rain chuckled. “I know, right? Sometimes, I even surprise myself.”