Essence Wave Book 2 Chapter 22

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

Enjoy!

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

Man, that was gross, David thought as he washed deer blood and guts off of him, pouring a bucket of water from the well that formed next to the keep over his head. Luckily, his armor kept the mess from soaking into clothing, and let it all just sluice off.

After getting clean, he went into the keep, looking at the slumped over figures of the rescuees. “Are you all ready to move out again?” David asked.

The young woman who volunteered to be first looked up at him. “No, but we can if we need to.”

“I’d rather get you all to our main settlement,” David said. “There’s better housing, food, and clothing there. Mostly, though, safety.” He turned to Steve, who was working the kitchen, cooking the meat from the deer Aly’d brought back. “How long?”

“Ten minutes,” he answered. “Then let them eat. We’ll keep watch and eat after.”

“Good,” he said, then he turned back to the girl. “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself. I am David.” He held out a hand to shake hers.

“I know, Lord Black?” she asked carefully. “I’m Suzan.”

“David’s fine,” he laughed. “I’m only the lord because I was closest to the crystal.”

“I just didn’t want to deal with the headaches,” Colin said as he walked in.

“So you’re not an alien?” A middle-aged man asked.

“No, though we did meet one,” David said, then explained what happened to them right before the Essence Wave hit. Questions flew at him, and he ended up telling everything else leading up to them showing up like avenging angels, saving the listening people.

“Thank you,” Suzan said.

“What were they making you do?” David asked.

“Expanding the Corruption,” the healer answered. “It turned our Mana and Energy into more of itself. We were taught,” she shuddered for a second, “how to make the Corruption rather than destroy it.”

“If we didn’t learn fast enough, we were whipped,” Suzan added. “Those who couldn’t take it, or just were a little too slow, died under those whips.”

David turned to the healer, “Thank you,” he paused.

“Andrea,” she said helpfully.

“Andrea, for the information.” He thought for a moment, “Is there any place that you saw that would be important, or that held more slaves? How many of you were there?’

“A few hundred,” a young man said. “I’m Mason. Before I was working with this team, I was made to help out building stone buildings. A few humans were working with the Daemons. Helping them. One was an old bully. He found out my name and amused himself, and the lead Daemon, by making me become a stonemason. I was on a team that built barracks for the other humans to live in. There were ten buildings made, each holding forty people or so, but I don’t know if they were going to pack us in like sardines or something either.”

He rambled on for a minute, and David let him. He found out that the lead Daemon was roughly four meters tall, massively muscular, and had a terrifying face, like a mixture of a rottweiler and an ant. Patches of chitin covered it like armor, and it had a pair of insect wings that let it fly for short distances. Finally, he petered out, a haunted expression on his face. “Looks like dinner is ready,” David said finally. He looked around at the hopeful and tired faces. “You’re safe now, and we’ll figure out a way to save all the others too.”

Colin and Steve handed out hunks of deer meat, pulling paper plates out of their storage belts. That’s an idea, David thought, then shook his head. They ate quickly, then cleaned up. Aly leaned against his side for most of dinner, then left a bit earlier than everyone else to scout the way.

“Seneschal, we’re bringing the refugees back to Hope’s Refuge. Is a bridge available to get us across the river?” he asked.

“Lord, not yet, but we can get one done before you get back,” Josiah said. “I’ll get a team put on it immediately.”

“Thanks. We’ll want to start on a road to the fortification here, too,” David said.

“Got it. We already started one to Salida’s Revenge. Just the simplest gravel path the System lets us build,” he answered. A pause showed he was speaking to someone else. “The bridge will be up in a bit over two hours . Stay safe. We still haven’t heard from any of the other teams.”

David sighed, then turned to the others. “Let’s go.”

The journey back was relatively quiet. No Daemons showed up, and only a few animals were seen. Dozens more were heard, running away from the loud group of tromping people, though. David and his team often lifted one or two of the struggling refugees and let them have piggyback rides or carry them for a few hundred meters, letting them catch their breath.

Finally, after nearly seven hours of hiking, Dylan popped out from behind a tree, nearly causing David to have a heart attack. “Hiyah, boss,” he said with a grin.

“Evening, Dylan,” David growled back. “You’re lucky I’m carrying Suzan here, or I might have blown your head off.”

He had the grace to grimace. “Sorry, just wanted to turn you a bit. Our road starts a dozen meters behind me. You would have missed it otherwise.”

“Thanks,” David said.

Aly appeared beside him, “Though, next time you might want to announce yourself before appearing.”

He screamed and jumped sideways, then shook his head sheepishly. “You got better. Come on. You should be able to make it back to the city by the time the sun sets.”

True to his word, twenty steps past him, they left the forest to walk onto a gravel road. One of Steve’s buddies, Jack, was hauling a one meter cubed stone block to the end, which was only five meters to David’s right. He gently set down Suzan, then walked over to where another few people were working.

Summer was there and seemed to be gently coaxing a tree ahead of them to move itself out of the way. As he watched, the tree’s roots withdrew from where the road would go, and the whole thing slowly shifted about a meter. She slumped, her Mana and Energy going to the tree to allow its unnatural movement. To the other side, Jennifer the woodcutter was swinging an ax and felling another tree.

David stepped forward and caught the tree. “Where do I take it?”

“Lord Black,” Jack exclaimed. “Uh, I’ve been hauling them back to the base of the Refuge. Barry is there and hauls them up to the Woodcutter’s Hut. He’s been hauling these blocks down, and I carry them back then smash’em. Seneschal Josiah hasn’t built a second hut yet, though he’s said that he plans on it soon.”

“Well, I’m heading there anyway,” David said. “What happens to the stump?”

“Building the road grinds it up,” Jennifer said. “Probably takes extra Energy, but I’m not running low anytime soon. Mana’s more of an issue, hence why we get the blocks delivered. Smashing the rocks saves a bunch of Energy for little effort, though.”

Jack set the rock down right in front of the current gravel line, then picked up a massive sledgehammer that David just noticed. With a grunt, he swung it in a vertical circle, the tip glowing with Energy for a second before a Power Attack shattered the stone. All of the pieces flew away from everyone, showing Jack’s control of his swing.

“You are doing a great job,” David said. “Do you have someone on watch?”

“Dylan is scouting for us,” Jack said. “And we all have our weapons, just in case.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” he nodded at them.

Suzan was staring wide eyed as the edge of the road crept outwards, shaking her head. “Amazing,” she said.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Dylan said. “But I’m going back on watch again.”

“Take care,” Aly said to all of them, then turned down the road and started to walk. The refugees smiled to see a road, even if it was gravel, and noticed the slight buoyant effect the System-generated structure had on their feet. Even just the fact that they didn’t have to constantly watch their footing made it easier on them.

The road was only a few hundred meters long, and the trees surrounding them quickly gave way to a small grassy area. In front of them, the road continued to a large, arching stone and wood bridge. At the other end, at least thirty people were sitting slumped over around a small fire, still resting from the herculean effort to get the bridge done quickly.

Josiah and Michelle stood on the path, obviously waiting for them. When they got close, both of them turned to David and saluted with their hands to their chest. Just behind them, a few other people waited, all holding piles of clothing or platters of food. Off to their left, nearly five hundred meters away, a large double Log House was in the final stages of construction.

Michelle stepped forward and addressed the newcomers, “Welcome to the city of Hope’s Refuge. We’ve taken the time to prepare some food and new clothing for you. Please, grab whatever you wish, then follow me to a place where you can get some beds. Tomorrow, we will spend some time figuring out what all you can do, and what you want to do, to help out around here.”

“Thank you,” Suzan said, stepping forward and taking her role as the leader of the small group. She turned to David, then, Colin, Liz, and Aly. “Thank you.” She said to each of them. “We won’t ever be able to say it enough times, but thank you.”

“Do your best to help out and be there for each other and the city. That is thanks enough,” David said.

The refugees followed Michelle and Susan away, each one of them thanking the four on their way past. Once they were a few meters away, Josiah gestured for them to follow him. “Come on,” he said. They started the hike to the summit of their tiny plateau, quickly moving into a run that ate the distance quite quickly. In less than a minute, they managed to make it all the way to the top.

When they reached the Mayor’s Manor, Josiah led them to the map room. “Okay. So I finally heard from team two. They lost two members and were chased for a long time before they could get loose, but they managed to destroy a warehouse that stored something important. They were chased by the Daemon Lord itself, which is what killed the two. They stayed behind to distract and hold it up, letting the others escape once it proved impossible for them to outdistance it.”

“Crap,” David said. “What about teams one and three?”

“Nothing yet,” Josiah said with a frown. “We may have to write them off, which, we don’t have enough people as it is. Getting the twenty refugees you found won’t make up for losing twenty two trained people.”

“Seneschal, Lord, this is Team One,” Craig’s voice cut through their ears. “We need assistance. I’ve got ten injured civilians and five injured teammates. We’re free of the Daemons, but lost. Team Three is on the way to us, but they’re all injured and down a few personnel too. Can you send a group to the northwest after us? Please include a healer or three.”

“This is Lord Black,” David responded. “A team will be put together and sent immediately.”

“Oh, thank you!” Craig nearly cried.

“Use your Essence, and encourage the civilians to do so as well,” Josiah said. “Then focus on your healing Skills. We’re coming.” Josiah turned to Aly and Liz. “Can you two take a group out? David, you need to stay for a bit to work with the city System. Colin, you can either go with Aly and Liz or go help the road construction out to the fortification. We need that done if we want to have a shot at taking Buena Vista back from the Daemons.”

Colin looked at Liz, who said, “If they’ve got both teams together or nearby, that should be plenty of people for safety. Aly and I can find them, get them on their feet, and back quickly.”

“Then I’ll help with the road,” Colin said. “Stone blocks out, trees back, right?”

“Yes sir,” Josiah said, “but same command to you all. Use your Essence before anything else.”

“Considering I have almost five and a half thousand, yeah I should spend some,” David said. “I’ll go through this and we can talk in a bit.”

“I will help Michelle get the newbies situated,” Josiah said, “and get some more items prepped for the others incoming.”

David nodded, then moved to the corner and sat where two chairs had been set down. Another two were in each corner, giving the room a bit more of a finished feel. With a thought, he pulled up his available Ways list.

Protector (0/500), Runner (0/500), Berserker (0/500), Scout (0/500), Mage II (0/500) Shield Beginner (0/1000), Leader III (0/3000), City Knight (0/3000), Augmented (0/10000), Frontliner (0/1000), Shieldwall (0/1000), Scholar III (0/2000), Vanguard III (0/1500), Earth Mage III (0/1500), Body Temperer (0/2000), Metal Mage II (0/1000), Cultivator (0/10000), Swimmer (0/500), Omnicaster II(0/3000), Beast Leader (0/1500), Mana Artificer (0/3000), Baron I (0/2500), Apprentice (0/1500), Skill Evolver (0/3000), Complete Regenerator (0/3500), Unstoppable Earth (0/2000)

Huh, some new ones there. I need five more at two thousand or twenty-five hundred Essence. Maybe the three thousand ones too? I don’t know. Either way, though, I’ve got two more levels still before I could advance my tier anyway, so let’s look at all options instead of just the big ones. Beginner is still an option, maybe get some upgrades to Power Attack and Mana Bolt, but I’ve got Apprentice now too. Leader three might be good for the two leader Skills, maybe make it so A Leader’s Due isn’t so hard to use. Man, I really need to train that Skill.

David sat in thought, going through all the Ways before deciding, Scholar three. Start there. Scholar’s Focus, through its various incarnations, has been the best thing for my advancement so far. This should hopefully help push it forward. I hope.

He mentally triggered his Status, then started to feed Essence into the Scholar III Way. Throughout the process, he gained six Intelligence, and that was it. Amusingly enough, that equialized his Mana and Energy pools. The midway bonus was a buff to Scholar’s Vision, giving him the ability to see an enemy’s weakness, if they have one, to a specific Mana or Energy type. He was mostly excited by the confirmation that he could potentially upgrade his Energy Skills with Metal or Earth aspects.

The completion bonus, though, was what he hoped for.

Congratulations! You have Walked the Way of the Scholar thrice! Your focus and dedication to knowledge is unparalleled in your world, letting you stand tall! You possess an Epic evolution of Scholar’s Focus that has already evolved before!

Reward: Upgrade to Scholar’s True Focus [Epic] - You will now be able to simulate with perfect clarity every opponent you have defeated in your training room. New Inscription Workshop added, test potential combinations at or below your Skill level. Results are not guaranteed to be perfectly accurate. Higher Skill levels will improve accuracy. Additional options enabled for your core cave. Focus inward to stand taller outside yourself.

Nice! Now, I've got twenty five hundred more Essence into Ways before I have enough to level. Should I just walk the Baron Way? Would that really be useful now, though? Technically I’m a Baron, but there’s no way we have more than two thousand people total now. Mana Artificer would let me do more things with Mana Inscription, I’m sure. Complete Regenerator would be ridiculous. I wonder how it would change Advanced Bodily Repair? But it might be a Practitioner instead of Journeyman Way. Skill Evolver might let me do a bunch more changes like Advanced Bodily Repair, forcing two or more Skills together. But the one that really calls out to me is Body Temperer. I got that when I overstressed my channels, and they got stronger as a result. I have so much Mana and Energy that I cannot use it all. If it lets me use even a bit more, it’d be worth it.

Two thousand Essence flowed into my System. The stat gains from the way were equally divided between Intelligence, Constitution, and Strength, two to each.

His Minor Muscle Efficiency Skill received the first buff from the Way.

Add buff - use of Mana or Energy minutely improved in efficiency per Skill level? Or Mana/Energy can be used to improve muscle efficiency by a minute amount

The second one, though, was where the money was.

Gain the Body Tempering Skill

Level: Not Applicable (not able to level within System)

Description: Application of Mana and Energy to your channels in a specific manner will improve your ability to channel either resource. A common-level technique will be provided with this Skill.

The influx of data into his brain dropped David in his chair. He slumped over, falling unconscious from information overload.

“David!” Josiah exclaimed, rushing over from where he was examining the map.

Only a few seconds later, David stirred. “Ow,” he said, bending over and holding his head.

“What happened?” Josiah asked, keeping his voice low for David’s sake.

“Finished a Way. It gave me a new Skill, only it was more, uh, directed. I got a common Body Tempering technique inserted into my brain and now I just want to lay down,” David said.

“Body tempering?”

“Yeah, it’s a way, heh, of using my Mana and Energy to make my channels stronger. You know, so I can actually use the ridiculous regeneration rates I’ve got,” David said with a grin.

“Well, how long will it take to use it?”

“Uh,” David focused, trying to bring up the memory. After a bit, he looked up. “About one more Mana or Energy per ten minutes of usage for every hour of continuous tempering. Wow, that’s going to take forever.”

“So just level it up,” Josiah said. “Should get better.”

“No can do, this Skill doesn’t have levels,” David said. “But the notification said I was provided a common technique, so ostensibly there are better ones.”

“Might be able to find one in the Market, or if there is another level of the Way you walked.”

“Or maybe sometime we’ll end up in contact with other peoples fighting the Daemons, and we can trade directly with them,” David said. He channeled a bit of Mana and Energy through his healing Skill. After thirty seconds, his head stopped pounding.