Chương 49

The Next Adventure Awaits As I strode through the streets of Oakreach with Kaelis, Allaria and Voklum in tow, I couldn't help but reflect on how successful the past two weeks had been. I'd reached Rank 4 in Aura Manipulation, which meant that with my next level up I'd advance a tier and unlock a new ability. Many of the residents of the Tower had become my unfortunate test subjects, and I was really starting to get a handle on how to project my Aura with some semblance of control.

Don't get me wrong – it was by no means perfect, but the results were no longer so… varied. In fact, I was doing so well that it'd been nine days since I'd last melted a brain. Unfortunately, it'd only been six since I'd last excited a demon. I thought Kaelis's eyes were going to pop out when he saw the whip appear in Evalria's hand. The Aura level-ups had really slowed down after the first one, which, while frustrating, was probably for the best.

I didn't think the Trial Zone was quite ready for Peter Brookes to have access to another ability just yet. While it hadn't been my primary focus, I'd also made some solid stat gains. During the week I was on my own, I started each Tower run on Floor Five and worked my way up to Floor Eight. The bosses didn't really start to pose any sort of challenge until Floor Seven, but the earlier ones were still useful for training Aura.

Current strength: 51 Current durability: 45 Current agility: 34 Current intelligence: 21 And those were just my base stats – with my items, I was even more of a beast. Speaking of items… there was good and bad news on that front. The bad news was that, despite many attempts, Zeus hadn't dropped another Heart of Lightning. It appeared that Rel had been incredibly lucky when he'd received his on our first attempt.

Then again, considering how ridiculously overpowered the item was, I supposed it made sense that it'd be a very rare drop. However, the flying dream was not dead. No matter how long it took, I would find a solution. In a place as vast as the Trial Zone, there would surely be other opportunities to get an item or ability that granted flight. Now, the good news. As we walked towards the Guild Hall, my hands rested casually on the pommels of the two swords hanging at my waist. Yes, you heard that right. Two swords.

It had taken several attempts, but I'd finally convinced Pyroth to part with the second elemental blade. Now, you're probably imagining me killing him over and over again until it dropped. You'd be wrong. I tried that at first, but I quickly learned that the sword was also rather rare. I eventually ended up trying a different approach. I talked to him. Unlike Zeus, who had no interest in friendly conversation, Pyroth was actually a pretty decent guy, and we quickly became good buddies.

It turned out that we had a lot in common. However, there was one thing in particular that we bonded over… We both fucking hated yetis. Back when Rel and I had first killed the Frost Queen, she'd claimed that Pyroth had asked for her hand in marriage, but that she'd turned him down due to his temper. It was a load of bullshit. The truth was straight out of one of those'the DNA test says you are NOT the father' shows.

Pyroth was madly in love with her, but she'd cheated on him with the Yeti King, hence her dumbass yeti children. After the first one was born, she'd tried to convince Pyroth that he was the father. When he pointed out that it wasn't possible – on account of him not being a lumbering, furry moron – she lost her mind, and he very sensibly got the fuck out of there as quickly as possible.

When I told him I'd torn a chunk out of one of the yeti's legs and then demolished the ice palace with them still inside, he roared with laughter and clapped me on the back so hard that I gained a point in durability. He said that he owed me one, so I called in the favour and walked away with a new sword.

Blade of Eternal Flame A weapon from the armoury of the Avatar of Flame Equipping the sword grants the following bonuses: + 4 strength + 3 durability + Resistance to heat-based magic + Grants the ability: Biting Flame Biting Flame Each successful strike infuses the target with searing heat, applying a stack of Biting Flame. Each stack increases damage taken and causes the target to burn over time. Stacks up to five times.

Elemental Blades (2/2) Set Bonus Wielding both Elemental Blades unlocks the ability Frostfire Blade Frostfire Blade The opposing elemental energies fuse together, wreathing both weapons in frostfire. Strikes deal bonus fire and frost damage and partially ignore resistances. Duration of effect scales with wielder's agility In terms of appearance, the Blade of Eternal Flame was the twin of the Blade of Eternal Frost.

Both of their handles were wrapped in black leather and the hilts and pommels were shimmering silver – on the frost sword, the metal was etched with icy patterns, whereas the flame sword bore coils of smoke. The blades, which looked as if they'd been carved from crystal, reflected their elements – pale blue and deep orange. There was only one slight problem… I still had no idea how to fight with swords. Luckily, it just so happened that I knew a badass skeletal knight who was an absolute monster with a blade.

I intended to begin lessons as soon as possible. I'd picked up plenty of other loot during my runs, which was one of the things I needed to chat to Rel about. Some of it would be sold on the auction house, but we also needed to decide what to give to our party members. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. * We arrived at the Guild Hall to find that Rel had not yet returned. That meant one thing… It was stew time.

Fifteen minutes later, Derek was weaving his way between the tables with a tray loaded with four bowls of steaming hot stew. My stomach grumbled eagerly as the smell reached my nose. Apparently, it was not to be. A small oval of blue arcane energy burst into existence directly in Derek's path. He squealed, launching the tray into the air as he leaped to the side and executed an incredibly impressive roll to take cover behind one of the nearby tables.

I spotted him peering between the legs of one of the chairs with wide eyes, muttering what sounded suspiciously like, " I don't get paid enough for this shit." Kaelis, Voklum and Allaria rose to their feet, weapons appearing in their hands as they withdrew them from their inventory. They moved to surround the portal, which was growing rapidly by the second. The pulsing blue light washed over their faces, grim determination marking their features. I wasn't watching the portal.

My eyes were fixed firmly on something else… something tragic. Heart-wrenching, even. Our stew pooled on the floor, shards of broken bowl floating among the meat and vegetables. The Trial Zone really was a fucked up place. Why was it always the good ones that died young? That stew had a great destiny. One involving me and my stomach. I shook my head sadly, then turned to face the portal. It was now around seven feet tall, humming with familiar, powerful magic.

It looked a lot like the portal on Floor Seven, and I had a strong suspicion who was about to step through. It stabilised.

"Allaria," Kaelis hissed, "put an arrow in whatever comes through." She nodded, pulling back the string of her bow. Her arm quivered slightly, and I wasn't sure whether it was from effort or anticipation. A small figure emerged from the portal, the brilliant blue light obscuring its features.

"Now!" roared Kaelis. There was a snap as Allaria released. The enchanted arrow tore through the air, leaving a trail of startling green light in its wake. It struck the figure and bounced off, clattering uselessly to the floor. The portal winked out of existence. Rel stood there, staring down at the arrow with a raised eyebrow. He glanced up, his gaze drifting over the spilled stew, then over Kaelis, Voklum and Allaria, who were suddenly looking rather sheepish, before finally settling on me.

"If you'd told me there was going to be a party, I'd have returned sooner." * Rel and I left our party members to their own planning and preparations and headed to his office to catch up.

"You'll be pleased to know," he said, sinking into his new chair with a contented sigh, "that Osian and his skeletal knights are now even more magnificent. Between the armour and weapons dropped by the Troll King, Tarridor, Azzarath and Pyroth, they're fully equipped and ready for action."

"Fuck, yes," I replied.

"I've got to say, I'm pretty damn impressed by Kaelis, Allaria and Voklum. They've kicked ass over the past week I've been with them. They've shown almost as much commitment to training as I did to cutting down trees in my first few months here." Rel nodded.

"Indeed. I''ll give credit where it's due – Kaelis did an excellent job selecting the final members of our party. How far did they progress through the Tower in the second week? By the end of the first, they'd overcome Evalria and could hold their own against the demon army in Azzarath's palace."

"It took a few days and several resets, but they finally managed to take down Azzarath," I said.

"He was still more than their match individually, but their coordination is really impressive considering how long they've been working together. We pushed on to Floor Six and spent some quality time with the pirates. The battle on the beach was fantastic training. After that, we just kept cycling through Floor Five and Six." Rel didn't respond, instead taking on that distant look I'd come to associate with people checking their system interface.

Based on the smile slowly spreading across his face, I assumed he was pleased by what he saw. I opened the interface and cycled to the total stat points leaderboard. Total Stat Gains: Peter Brookes Lokta'Inif Tog Tog Squire Rel Lendoria He'd made it back into the top five? He must've been a busy little squirrel this past week. I continued to scroll down until I found our party members. Kaelis was in 87 th, Allaria in 91 st and Voklum in 83 rd.

"Not bad," Rel muttered, letting his interface close and returning his attention to me.

"They're not quite in the qualification range, but we still have half a year left. We can continue their training through Expedition Centre quests when we reach Stonehaven."

"What are we going to in terms of giving them items?" I asked.

"I have loads of stuff they would benefit from using, but I worry about being like one of those parents who hands their kids everything and they become spoiled and complacent. I don't want them to become douchey trust fund kids living off daddy Pete and Rel. My old world was full of people like that, and they were rarely productive members of society." Rel snorted.

"Based on their history, I don't think that's something we have to worry about with those three. Perhaps Kaelis was on the lower end of the douche scale when we first met him, but we soon made him see sense. Voklum seems to dislike the typical Trialist as much as we do, and Allaria utterly despises them after her experience with Lokta'Inif." I nodded and leaned back in my chair, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"Lokta'Inif also strikes me as someone who won't give up easily," I said.

"I can't imagine Grey Fang will be the last person who attempts to claim the bounty on our lives. What if Kaelis, Allaria or Voklum get caught in the crossfire? I'd hate for one of them to get seriously hurt, or even killed, when better armour or a stronger weapon could've prevented it. No, we should give them anything they can use." *"Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas! Peter Claus is here!" I said cheerfully as Rel and I stepped out of his office.

I'd found a burlap sack in one of his desk drawers and had it slung over my shoulder.

"Who's that?" asked Kaelis, leaning back in his chair to peer past me.

"I don't see anyone."

"I'm Peter Claus."

"What? Your name's Peter Brookes." I sighed. Clearly Christmas references were wasted on an alien planet where no one had ever heard of it. Still, I am nothing if not persistent.

"So, tell me," I said.

"Have you been good boys and girls this year?"

"What happens if I've been bad?" asked Allaria. Her tone was entirely innocent, but the smirk suggested otherwise.

"I, uh, well… you'll get a bag of coal."

"I don't understand," said Voklum.

"How would that be a punishment? Coal is incredibly useful." I glared at them for a few moments, then tossed the burlap sack aside.

"You guys are no fun. Right, Rel and I were chatting in the office, and we decided that before we head to Stonehaven, you all need the best possible equipment. We're going to give you a few of the items we picked up during our training on Floor Six and beyond." I grabbed one of the inventory pouches that Rel and I had prepared and held it out for Kaelis.

"You've been wearing that shit armour since we first met. It's time you traded it in for an upgrade." Kaelis reached out a little hesitantly, and for a moment I thought he was going to refuse. Then he looked at Rel, who nodded and gestured impatiently with a paw for him to get on with it.

"This… this is incredible," he said, shaking his head softly. He rose to his feet and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Grandmaster. I will make sure that you do not regret giving me such a lordly gift." Moving to stand beside one of the empty tables, he withdrew his new plate armour from the pouch. He lay each piece reverently on the table, the polished black metal gleaming in the light. Blackflame Plate A suit of armour once worn by the Avatar of Flame. Effective against attacks from enemies with below 35 strength.

Equipping the armour grants the following bonuses: + 7 durability + resistance to heat-based magic It was Voklum's turn next. His current weapon was a warhammer that had been provided by the quartermaster. It was decent quality but offered no bonuses. I think he was going to be more than happy with his gift. I handed him an inventory pouch. He rose to his feet, and a warhammer of the same dark metal as Kaelis's new armour appeared in his hand.

The runes etched into the head burned with an orange glow and thrummed gently. Avatar's Judgment The weapon once wielded by Pyroth, the Avatar of Flame Equipping the warhammer grants the following bonuses: + 5 strength + Resistance to fire + Grants the ability: Avatar's Breath Avatar's Breath Releases a concentrated blast of superheated air in a forward arc, dealing heavy fire damage and knocking enemies back. Power and range scale with user's strength.

"Now this is more like it!" Voklum roared, swinging the warhammer experimentally. The runes left a faint orange trail in its wake. He turned to face me, a broad smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you, Peter Claus. This is a far greater gift than coal."

"And last but most certainly not least," I said, turning to face Allaria. This time, I was the one who smirked.

"I think you'll like this one. It was dropped by one of the bosses on Floor Eight." She was uncharacteristically quiet as she took the inventory pouch. A moment later, a bow appeared in her hand. It was crafted from dark, polished wood, its surface carved with intricate webs of lightning.

Stormcaller's Bow A weapon from the armoury of Zeus Equipping the bow grants the following bonuses: + 4 agility + 3 intelligence + Grants the ability: Thunder's Mark Thunder's Mark Each successful shot applies a stack of Thunder's Mark. At five stacks, a powerful bolt of lightning strikes the target, consuming all stacks. * An hour later, after making our final preparations, we gathered outside the Guild Hall.

"I've really enjoyed my time in Oakreach," I said, my gaze drifting across the incredibly stylish citizens in their peasant garb, then the cobbled streets, wooden buildings and thatched roofs. Finally, my eyes found the enormous column of black stone towering over the town.

"But I'm quite looking forward to our next adventure." I turned to face my party and grinned.

"Let's fucking do this."