Riftside 3 - Chapter 29

It was afternoon by the time I re

turned home. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, Roq rested across my lap. The house was quiet. Knut was out escorting Katherine to lunch before her big assist with Nabeeh’s breakthrough, Lan was…somewhere, while Eryn and Nabeeh were outside practicing with Eryn’s new skill.

Pa and Torsten had started working on the normal Emmets we’d brought back, twenty three of which had gems in them, according to Roq and Arclight.

And it was the hunt which churned in my mind. 

“What skills are we making for me? We’ve got not one, but two!” Roq asked.

“Im thinking of the hunt,” I said. “On one hand, it was a success. We located a major threat and neutralized the Queen. On the other, it was a near-disaster. So many errors and unforeseen dangers that almost cost us everything.”

“Our shield-bearer, and my wielder, rendered helpless by bug spit,” Roq said. “It is indeed an affront to my tactical security, Ash. A gaping hole in the armor of my royal guard. We require a solution.”

“I know,” I said. “We were lucky you burned the toxin out of me as fast as you did after Primal Form ran out, letting me carry Knut until he recovered.” I paused. “Roq, can we upgrade abilities? Change them?”

“Change them?” 

“Yeah. Like you mentioned with Hammer to the Face, after lying about it, how it might be able to come back.”

“Ahh. Yes. That. Sure,” Roq said. “But we have to become a lot stronger first.”

“I know Adventurers who’ve been through their second breakthrough can evolve some skills during their leveling, depending on which class. I’m not sure what I can do, since, you know, Hammerlord doesn’t come with a manual exactly. But I was hoping we could upgrade one of your current abilities, even though you’re only through your first breakthrough.”

“Maybe? Which of my flawless creations are you interesting in making even more flawless? Except for Hammer to the Face.”

“Blood Forge,” I said, thinking of how the toxin had rendered me more helpless than I had ever been even as a scavenger. “It’s powerful, but it only works when you’re in my spatial. If we could use it while I’m wielding you, we could fight off toxins like that Emmet venom in the middle of a battle.”

“Hmm. I’m not much in favour of defensive abilities, but in this case it is a sound one,” Roq conceded. “To cleanse my wielder of poisons in the heat of combat… yes, it has a certain regal flair. It is a worthy endeavor and should be within reach with the power of my level eighteen ability. But what of the one for level fifteen?”

My mind shifted to the frantic moments in the Queen’s tunnels. The chaos, the smoke, the sheer number of enemies. “The Mana Leech was amazing, but it only works in melee. In the moments between the fighting I had to be more careful with my abilities. Besides, you know, Primal Form.”

“What about it?”

“You saved us from the Queen. Thank you. Friend.”

“My Primal Form is the solution to all our problems!” Roq preened. “You merely need to unleash me more often. Your performance in supporting me during the last fight was… less than adequate.”

I grunted. 

“I’d have supported you better if I wasn’t paralyzed. And at Ma and Pa’s, even with me starting out dinner with a full mana bar, you barely finished your stew before I ran out. And that’s after having practically devoured your pie. We’re still limited by my mana.”

“Speaking of pie, what about making Devour, then?” Roq asked. “The skill we discussed before.”

“How useful would it be?”

“I believe if we trigger it just before I assume my Primal Form,” Roq mused. “I would consume a carcass, and the resulting surge would not just replenish your mana but temporarily boost your abilities, and continue doing so while I am busy striking down our foes.”

“Giving you more time in your true form.”

“Precisely,” Roq said smugly. “It is a plan of flawless genius.”

“Then that’s what we do,” I said, straightening. “We already do the best damage in Dawnwatch.”

“The best damage in all of Noros!” Roq corrected.

“Sure. But now it’s about survival and sustained battle. We’ll make Devour, and upgrade Blood Forge.”

“An excellent decision, my second-in-command. Now, let us begin the forging!”

I closed my eyes, letting the world fade away, focusing on the link between us. Roq’s mental presence was easily found this time, and there was an abundance of energy ready to be shaped.

“Ready?”

“Let’s forge!”

First, Devour. 

I pictured Roq as a burning forge. When a carcass was thrown in, it would burn the monster, drawing the essence from it. Not for healing, but turning its pieces into mana and raw power. I envisioned that power flowing into my core like steam when making liquor, refilling my mana. 

The idea was simple, but forcing it into being was a battle. 

Roq helped, lending his will to shaping the raw energy. But monster carcasses are full of impurities. We couldn’t risk just anything getting funnelled into my being. Finding the right ‘heat’ and ‘filtration’ of the skill took a long time. By the time we had ‘hammered’ the energy into the skill we wanted, and I let it snap into place, my mouth was dry and my shirt was soaked with sweat. 

“Decent work, Ash,” Roq said. “Not my level of soul forging, of course, but I should not expect it to be.”

“Damn you,” I said, wiping my brow. “I’m sure you were fighting me, not helping, at least for the mid part.”

“No comment,” Roq said. “But if I did, it was merely to help you gain fortitude in soul forging before we undertake the next, more arduous skill creation.”

“Don’t do it again,” I said. “Or next time I’ll let you ‘win’ when you push back and you’ll be left with whatever mangled skill it results in. Is that what you want?”

Roq went quiet for a second as if to gather his thoughts.

“Firstly, you would not dare. Secondly, I’m sure I could save it if needed. And third, fine.”

After rehydrating and stretching for a bit, I sat back down to work on the Blood Forge upgrade. 

“This is more delicate,” Roq said. “Both because we are changing a perfect skill of my creation, which means it is beyond your simple means and talents, and secondly, I am not quite sure we’re supposed to be evolving skills this early in a soul weapon’s meteoric rise. But nevertheless, we will succeed. Nothing else is acceptable.”

“Any ideas before we start?”

“Focus on how it feels when I use Blood Forge on you, and then envision it being done through the arm. And to be clear, that is what you are asking.”

“What?”

“Imagine asking Pa to forge a sword, but he has to do it standing outside the smithy and working in through the window. That’s what this will be for me when we complete the skill.”

“Oh? How come?”

“Let us say you are your usual clumsy self, and you step on a discarded claw, or tooth, or…sharp rock, wounding your heel. The way my ability currently works, I can connect with your heel from the spatial storage, and work my healing from there. Easy peasy. But now, if you are holding me in your hand, swinging me about and slaying monsters, I have to reach up your arm, down your torso, lower body, and leg, all the way to the heel, just to save you from yourself.”

“Huh.”

“Well said. So, heed my instructions well, apprentice. Let the master of soul forging guide you!”

Roq wasn’t wrong. It turned out to be extremely delicate work, having to envision the healing warmth flowing directly from Roq’s haft into my arm, a continuous, cleansing current. And then I had to let it suffuse my entire body, or the skill wouldn’t work. As Roq said, it was a massive shift in how the skill worked, one that required us to unravel and re-create the original skill. Three times the connection frayed, the intent scattering, forcing us to restart.

“Again, Ash!” Roq commanded. “And this time, focus. It is not a brute-force smash! As usual. It is the art of the master soul forger. Find the grain of the steel and work with it! Except the steel is your body and the grain is your mana channels.”

I failed again.

And again.

But each time I got a little bit closer to keeping my focus while running the magic through my entire body.

Finally, having gone deep into a meditative state, letting the concept flow, guiding it rather than forcing it, I managed to keep my concentration, layering it across my body, all from my grip on Roq.

With a final thread, laid along my heel, the resistance disappeared, and the skill reshaped itself.

I opened my eyes, my body shaking. 

“Did…did it work?”

“Behold my magnificence,” Roq replied.

I checked his stats, a grin spreading across my face as I read the new and updated descriptions.

NAME: Vannash' Khazeesh (Roq)

WEAPON CLASS: Warhammer

LEVEL: 19

EXPERIENCE: [|---------] 10%

WEAPON TYPE: Bludgeoning, Piercing

ATTACK SPEED: Fast

RANGE: Short

SPECIAL:

NAME: Power of the Hammer

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: +50% Strength

NAME: Impact Amplification

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Every attack delivered using this weapon will deal far greater damage than it would ordinarily do.

NAME: Armour Disruption

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Armour seems to soften or become brittle under the weapon's repeated strikes.

ABILITIES:

NAME: Armor Break

TYPE: Active / Attack

DESCRIPTION: Channel a crushing force into the hammer's head and release it on direct impact, delivering a blow that can crack armor and temporarily stun the target.

NAME: Forge Anchor

TYPE: Active / Debuff

DESCRIPTION: Strike the ground and release a mass of steel-husk mana that attacks and roots any target in place.

NAME: Shockwave Slam (NEW)

TYPE: Active

DESCRIPTION: Slam the weapon into the ground to unleash a concussive shockwave, damaging and staggering all enemies in a fan-shaped area of effect.

NAME: Primal Form (NEW)

TYPE: Active

DESCRIPTION: The soul within the weapon manifests into its physical form. The appearance and strength depended on the weapon’s level.

MANA COST: 20 of Wielder’s Mana per minute.

NAME: Devour (NEW)

TYPE: Active

DESCRIPTION: Convert a carcass into raw energy, granting wielder mana regeneration and five percent bonus to their stats. Lasts for thirty seconds.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

NAME: Upgraded Blood Forge (NEW)

TYPE: Active / Self-Heal

DESCRIPTION: Transform stored monster carcasses into energy that amplifies the wielder's natural regeneration. May be activated while the weapon is wielded. 

“By the bells, those are some nice skills!” I said. “Good job us.”

“Adequate support by you.”

“Oh, Roq. You are spoiling me with your praise,” I said, rising, stretching, and yawning.

“Worry not. I will keep you humble.”

“I’m sure you will, buddy. Let’s go see how the girls are doing.”

I made my way downstairs and felt the silence of the home settle in me. It was weird when no one was around as we were always together. Just went to show how took even the smallest of things for granted.

“How’s it going?” I called as I stepped out into the training yard.

Eryn turned, a brilliant smile on her face. 

“Getting the hang of it. Watch this.”

She walked over to stand next to me. 

“Aegis Gate,” she said, and a shimmering, circular portal, about the size of a tower shield, materialized in the air before her. It crackled faintly at the edges, the air within it distorted as if by intense heat. She raised Arclight, drew, and loosed an arrow. It passed through the gate without a sound and buried itself in the target dummy’s face.

“Nabeeh!” Eryn called.

Our fire mage nodded and cast her own spell. “Fire Bolt!”

The bolt of flame shot not at a dummy, but straight at Eryn’s chest. A flicker of protective instinct shot through me, but I refrained from trying to protect her, trusting they knew what they were doing. The Fire Bolt slammed into the Aegis Gate and exploded in a shower of sparks, completely neutralized. A moment later, the gate faded.

“How cool is that?” Eryn asked, her eyes sparkling.

“I love it,” I said, genuinely impressed. “What can you do with it?”

“I can place it up to a stone’s throw away. My stone’s throw, not yours, you freak,” she said with a laugh. “So, if Nabeeh or Lan are in danger, I can give them cover.”

“And my spells go through it as well!” Nabeeh added.

“So it knows friend from foe?” I asked. “I didn’t—”

“No, it just depends on which side you’re on,” Eryn explained. “If I put the gate backwards between Nabeeh and a monster, I’d be protecting the monster from her spells. It only works one way.”

“Gotcha,” I said. “What about non-projectiles? Like Immolation?”

Eryn and Nabeeh exchanged a glance. “We haven’t tried,” Eryn admitted. 

“Uhm… Are you volunteering?” Nabeeh asked. “On account of having self-healing and all?”

I chuckled. 

“Sure. Let’s see what happens.”

“Thirty seconds on the cooldown,” Eryn said, and once it passed, she cast it in front of me. I was about to poke a finger through when she yelled, “Stop! Things can only go one way through. We tested it by poking an arrow through and then tried to pull it back. Ripped it straight in half. I don’t want to try it with anyone’s flesh, not without a healer. Yes, even though Roq can probably remake your finger.”

“Smart,” I said. “Instead of one magic damaging my skill, let’s try fire magic!”

Nabeeh raised an eyebrow and said, “Immolation.”

The spell hit me as if there was nothing between us. An agonizing heat bloomed beneath my skin, fire ravaging me from the inside. It was nothing compared to a breakthrough, but it sucked. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay standing.

“Roq. Heal.”

A powerful, soothing warmth flowed from his haft and up my hand. A far stronger healing than before. It met the magical fire and calmed it to the point where I could manage to breathe normally. My skin, which had blistered, began mending.

“Ouch,” I said through clenched teeth. “Guess the shield only works on projectiles.”

“Oh, damn. I actually thought it would block it,” Nabeeh said, giving me an apologetic look. “How… how did it feel? I’ve never tested any of my spells on myself.”

“Don’t,” I said flatly. “That sucked.”

“Worse than a breakthrough?” she asked, her voice small.

I paused, seeing the genuine fear in her eyes. 

“Nervous for tonight?”

She nodded and sat down on her haunch. 

“It’s been so long since my first. I still have nightmares about it. With even more energy this time, and Katherine healing me… I just hope my mind survives.”

“You shouldn’t worry, flower of the desert,” Roq said. “I will be there to talk you through it.”

“Yaay,” Nabeeh said, letting out a shaky, nervous chuckle.

Suddenly, Eryn’s eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open as she pointed at Roq. 

“You… you healed! But Roq was out here!”

I just smiled. 

“Yup. Upgraded Blood Forge so it works outside my spatial now. And from this experiment, I have to say it seems quite a bit more powerful, but then again, I think we just went through most of a carcass, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did!” Roq said proudly.

The girls congratulated me, their excitement momentarily overriding Nabeeh’s fear. She asked about the other skill, and I explained Devour. I had Roq activate it, and a quick check of my stats showed a temporary five percent boost across the board. It wasn’t that great of a stat boost, but every bit helped.

“It is unfair that the desert flame gets her breakthrough before me,” Arclight complained.

Eryn sighed, and said, “Nabeeh has been working for her second breakthrough for longer than you’ve even been a weapon, Arclight. Besides, her breakthrough is relatively standard. Doing it with you has… uncertainties. I’m not a bowyer, nor a smith. I was supposed to be a healer, but I’m not. Not that I’m ungrateful for having you, I am, but, I just don’t know how I’m supposed to guide your breakthrough like Ash did with Roq.”

“I understand. But it is senseless to leave me at level 9,” Arclight retorted. “I am not like Roq, so I will not accuse my wielder of wanting to keep me at this level so she can leech experience and grow faster, but—”

“But you will say it anyway because you understand it is true,” Roq finished smugly.

“I understand it not to be true,” Arclight shot back. “Especially considering your wielder has decreed we not go hunting for days. If my wielder was in charge, we would be hunting.”

“What are they talking about?” Nabeeh asked.

I chuckled as Eryn just sighed and shook her head. 

“You don’t want to know. She’s just jealous of your breakthrough today.”

“Come on,” I said to them both. “Let’s get something to eat before Katherine and Knut get back. We will need it.”