Riftside 3 - Chapter 19

The aroma of Knut’s pre-dawn bacon breakfast had nearly faded and I was in the middle of a delicious cup of tea, chatting with Eryn, Nabeeh, and Knut, when we heard a ruckus from upstairs. 

“About time,” Nabeeh said, shaking her head in half-mocking criticism.

“Like fearful boy on morning of first battle,” Knut said. “Sleep late, rise late.”

The sound of stumbling footsteps towards the stairs announced the imminent arrival of our newest, and most volatile, party member.

Despite our late night at the Timberline, we’d all got up at the usual time, early risers all. 

Lan, not so much.

She appeared at the top of the stairs like a thundercloud in human form. Her dark hair was a tangled mess hanging in front of her face, and she wore a simple tunic that looked like it had been slept in. She clutched her gnarled staff to her chest as if it were a shield against the morning itself.

“Good morning,” I said, not unkindly.

She grunted and braved the first step down.

“We’re having a party meeting,” I said. “Your attendance is required.”

At that, she glared through her hair at the empty chair between Knut and Nabeeh as if it had personally insulted her just by being there. 

“I’m still sleeping.” Her gaze flicked over us dismissively. “Whatever this is, you can handle it without me.”

“No, you’re not,” I countered. “Join us.”

“Why?” she demanded, her voice a low, grumpy monotone. “So you can all tell me how we need to be best friends just to kill a monster? I got the lecture yesterday and I vehemently disagree.”

“It’s about loot,” I said simply.

That got her attention. Her eyes, which had been dull with sullenness, narrowed and her gaze sharpened. 

“Fine,” she said, stomping down the wooden stairs, before shuffling over and slumping into the chair, crossing her arms and pointedly ignoring the fresh cup of tea Eryn pushed towards her. “Loot?”

“As everyone but Lan knows, we got paid by Mara yesterday, and—”

“For what?” Lan asked.

“Huh?” I asked.

“She paid you for what?” she asked again, eyes narrowing.

“Knowledge.”

“Not to take me?” she asked, with the faintest hint of vulnerability below her voice.

“No. We got you for free,” I said, winking at her. 

It wasn’t strictly true, as Mara had thrown in an extra Class Gem to the deal if we took her in, but this was a white lie I’d be fine with.

“Oh,” Lan said, and her expression shifted to something I couldn’t quite tell.

I pulled the blood-red Warrior Gem from my spatial and set it on the table in front of me. Then followed it with the deep green Ranger Gem.

“Shattered soul!” Lan cursed, leaning forward and eyes going wide. “She gave you two class gems?”

I nodded.

“What did you tell her?”

“How Soul Weapons break through.”

Her eyes went even wider. 

“Tell me!” she said. Then, as if she was about to tongue-kiss a Blightpede, she added, “Please.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” I said and looked at the rest of the party. “What do you think? Should we tell her?”

“No,” Roq said. “She might get it into her head that she deserves the resources to make it happen, and we cannot risk her taking resources which belong to me. We do not waste on those unproven or unworthy.”

Lan turned to glare at my warhammer where he was perched on the pillar atop his silken cushion. 

“You—” she started, but Eryn interrupted her.

“Why not?” my girlfriend said. “She’s a part of our party, is she not?”

“Is she?” Nabeeh asked. “I still don’t know anything about her.”

“We must get her drunk,” Knut said, stroking his beard. “Drunk lips let stories slip.”

Lan looked around, as if trying to decide who to refute or agree with, but before she could decide, I pulled out the deep blue Mage Class Gem Pa had carved from the chest cavity of the Steel Scrambler.

Nabeeh sat bolt upright, her tongue darting out to wet her lips while Lan’s breath hitched. 

“Three Class Gems?” Lan whispered. 

“Yup,” I said, grinning. “An impossible fortune, sitting on our dining table like salt and pepper…and pepper shakers.”

“Where did you get it?” Nabeeh asked.

“Steel scrambler. Good job, everyone.”

Nabeeh took a slow and deep breath, leaning back and closing her eyes, and I could see a veritable ton of weight lifting from her shoulders. 

“Congratulations,” Eryn said, squeezing her shoulders. 

“What?” Lan asked. “Why congratulate her?”

“It’s her gem,” I said. “She’s the closest mage to a breakthrough, besides, she’s helped us get two other class gems. It’s her turn.”

“Fine, I guess,” Lan said, shrugging. “I’ll find another by the time I hit twenty nine. Now, please. Would you tell me how to get a soul weapon to break through?”

“You haven’t heard from Mara?” Nabeeh asked, a shit eating grin spreading on her face and I rolled my eyes. She was going to make this harder than it needed to be.

“No,” Lan said, scowling. “She barely talks to me.”

“Well,” I said, “Soul Weapons—”

“We break through by using class gems,” Roq said, smugly. “I was the one to make this breakthrough, and the first one to also, you know, break through. Ever!”

Lan’s eyes widened, locking onto the blue gem with a raw, desperate hunger. 

“Then that’s mine,” she breathed, her voice cracking with a need so intense it was unnerving. “My staff… can break through!”

“Actually,” Nabeeh said, giving her a firm look, “No. It’s still mine. Your staff will have to wait.”

“But my staff is a soul weapon!” Lan snapped. “It’s stuck and has been since…” she shook her head, sending her hair flying. “Your power comes from you, Nabeeh. Mine comes from it. You don’t understand. I need it!”

Nabeeh flinched, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“No,” I said, my voice cutting through and stopping the girls before it turned into a debate. “Nabeeh gets the gem. End of story.” I turned my gaze on Lan, my expression hardening. “And this, right here, is the problem, Lan. You want the rewards of the pack, but you refuse to be a part of it. You didn’t tell us what you could do in the fight. We still don’t know how your spells work, your current level, or anything about you. What you see here? Three Class Gems on the table? That’s what this party can do. That’s the kind of power and wealth we generate. You have a chance to be part of all this, but you need to want to be part of it. Wholeheartedly.”

“No. You can’t give it to her. It’s not fair!” Lan said, crossing her arms and sinking back into her chair, the sullen mask slamming back into place. “She barely helped slay the monster!”

Knut let out a short, sharp laugh. 

“Life not fair. For everyone else, not being in our party is unfair. You complain of stumbling on bar of gold, stub toe, and now must bend to pick up fortune.”

“As if,” she said, her face screwing up.

“He’s right,” Eryn said. “We’ve grown faster than anyone in Dawnwatch, and you have the chance to be part of it. How is that unfair to you?”

“You don’t know what I’ve been through!” Lan shot back, her voice thick with self-pity.

This time, we all chuckled.

“Oh, are you pulling the dead parents card?” Eryn asked, her voice gentle but laced with a weary irony. “Unfortunately, that’s not exactly a unique club to be in around here.”

Lan flinched as if struck.

“I was given away by my birth parents because they couldn’t afford to feed me,” I said, my voice low and even. “My best friend was killed by monsters, so Ma and Pa took me in as a replacement for their son. It sucked. But you know what? I made it work. They are more my parents than my biological ones ever were. And this team?” I gestured around the table. “Knut and Nabeeh are now closer to me than my own siblings. And Eryn… she’s the other half of my heart. So yeah, I know what it’s like to have it rough, but also that life is what we make of it.”

“I have no parents,” Knut stated, his voice a flat rumble. “Mother murdered. Father vanished. All my life is battle. Fighting. To eat. To keep brother safe. Then I met them.” He nodded at Eryn and me. “My life is best it ever been.”

“My entire world, every soul I ever knew, my mate, our children… all annihilated by the Hive Mind,” Roq joined in surprisingly, but his voice filled with a contemptuous authority. “If you think your tale of woe is a sob story, you need to get in line. In this room, you don’t even break the top four.”

“Who lost most?” Knut asked, a grim curiosity in his tone.

“Me, obviously,” Roq said. “And then Arclight, because she, like me, lost her world. Except she wasn’t the queen of her world, so my story is still the saddest.”

Knut nodded slowly. 

“This is true.”

“Then it is Lan’s staff,” Roq continued. “It must also have lost its world, whatever or wherever that was.”  

“And I was born to privilege and power,” Nabeeh said. “I had everything. Then I dared to try and save my kingdom from a fool, and in return, I became an outlaw. Hunted by the very people I wanted to protect. I lost my home, my family, my future, all of it.”

Eryn looked at Lan, her expression softening with a sympathy that was almost painful. 

“My parents were killed by monsters right in front of me. An apothecary took me in and fed me, but any warmth he gave to his bottles and booze. I had no one. Then I found Ash. Now I have a family.” She leaned forward. “We know your parents died, Lan. We’re sorry for that. But growing up with two adventurer parents who loved you? Here, in this town? That sounds like a privilege. You have a soul weapon, and you’re worried people will try to take it? Try having Roq!”

“Yes, people would much rather steal me than your gnarled stick of wood!”

“Sure,” Eryn said. “And then imagine having his voice in your head, constantly.”

Lan licked her lips and swallowed.

“You’re not special here, Lan,” Eryn said. “You’re just… one of many.”

“And you’re being a bitch,” Nabeeh added to Lan, a wry, almost friendly smile touching her lips. “The sooner you smarten up, the sooner we can help you grow stronger.”

Lan just crossed her arms tighter, refusing to engage, but I saw the slightest tremor in her jaw. 

I took out and slid three Mind Gems and ten gold coins across the table to Lan. 

“Ma gave me these last night. Your share of Mind Gems from the raid.”

She stared at them, then at me. 

“Why only me?”

“Because you’re a member of this party, which means you’ll get your fair share of Mind Gems directly. But the rest of us? We pool our resources for party-wide upgrades, like leveling up the right member and securing Class Gems. That’s how we work. Everyone gets their turn.”

“Oh,” she said. Then she picked one up and, with a defiant flick of her wrist, popped it into her mouth, a classic act of teenage angst. 

“Alright,” I said, struggling not to smile, but changing the subject. “Here’s the plan for the day. First, I’m helping Roq create a new skill. He leveled up during the raid.”

“It is about time my development was once again prioritized,” Roq said, his tone one of mature, kingly satisfaction. “A leader must always sharpen his greatest weapon.”

“What kind of skill will you make?” Eryn asked.

“I’m not sure what’s possible,” I admitted.

“Anything is possible for a king!” Roq declared with roaring laughter.

“If anything is possible, then I want a way to get mana back,” I said. “The more I can use my abilities, the more monsters we can kill!” I laughed.

Knut joined me. 

“Good dream, brother. We all wish mana come back fast. See anyone can do it?”

“Alright,” Roq just said, a thoughtful note in his voice. “I will contemplate the intricacies of mana manipulation. It is a worthy challenge for someone knowledgeable as I.”

The table went quiet.

“You… you think it’s actually possible?” Nabeeh asked, her skepticism warring with a sliver of hope.

“Woman, you are speaking to a king who just days ago orchestrated the salvation of a failed breakthrough, changing medical science on your world forever,” Roq said. “Have some faith.”

“No,” Nabeeh said. “This is different. There are no mana regeneration or generation skills known to man.”

“How does it feel? Talking to your weapon?” Lan asked, looking at me. “Does he… know a lot? Remember much?”

“You can ask me, you know,” Roq said. “Though, I understand your hesitation. It might be best if you go through my henchman for now.”

I sighed. 

“It was strange, at first. You hear him, what he’s like, and from what Mara has told me, you’ve heard other Soul Weapons. But imagine having a second voice in your head, one only you can hear. That’s how it started. Thought I was going crazy for a while.”

“Then he realised how awesome I was, and he started worshipping me,” Roq said. “Doing my every bidding.”

“No,” I said. “Just, no.”

“The pies and satin pillows beg to differ.”

“I wish I could talk to my staff,” Lan muttered, quietly while I sighed and Eryn supportively patted my leg.

“Then work with us, and if its possible, we’ll help you figure it out,” Nabeeh offered gently.

“Anyway!” I said. “Once I’ve made the new skill for Roq, it’s time for my breakthrough. I’ve been level nineteen long enough.”

“Or,” Roq suggested slyly, “You could hold off. Let me reach my next breakthrough first and save the Class Gem for that. Level thirty has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Imagine the power I’d get!”

I swiped out Blisterbrand. 

“I have a second hammer, you know. I could just grind through the twenties with it.”

Roq grumbled about the indignity of it, threatening once again to transform inside my spatial storage and ripping me apart.

“Shouldn’t we get Katherine to help with your breakthrough?” Eryn asked, bringing us back on topic. “Just in case something goes wrong.”

I shook my head. 

“No. Roq’s healing is more powerful, and, weird as it sounds, I trust him to deal with this more than her. We’ll just need a bunch of monster carcasses and I’ll be fine.”

“What next?” Knut asked.

“Next, we go monster hunting,” I said excitedly and slapped my palm on the table. “We need to keep cutting down the Hive Mind’s forces so it can’t launch an attack like it did, while getting Nabeeh to breakthrough and also Arclight. Once they are ready, we’ll use the two Class Gems.”

“And then?” Nabeeh asked. 

“Then we start planning how to take down the Hive Mind,” I said, meeting their gaze, one by one. Well, not Lan, as she hid behind her hair, but that was fine.

“I stay to help with breakthrough,” Knut said. 

“Me too,” Nabeeh said. 

Eryn looked at Lan. The mage just shrugged. “I’m going shopping. My bedroom is dreadful.” 

She rose and stalked for the bathroom. 

*

Not long after, I sat cross-legged outside in our small training area. 

The cool morning air felt damn good on my skin, helping to rid me of the last of the hangover as I meditated. 

Roq lay across my lap.

“Ash?”

“Yes, Your Majesty? Tell me what you have discovered.”

“Oh, some manners for a change? Excellent. Well, I have contemplated the nature of mana and its consumption,” Roq announced. “There are two paths for us to take. The first, let’s call it devour, is where I consume stored carcasses, turning their energy into mana. There might even be a temporary boost to your abilities. It is similar in how your healing works.”

“How would that even work?”

“Simple, really. All it requires is a change in how Blood Forge works, and use part of the consumed carcass to send energy to your core so it can generate mana.”

“Oh? Then the carcasses would have a double use. And what’s the second?”

“Think of it as a sort of Mana Leech. Every time you strike something using my greatness, and not something like that other rip-off-hammer that you threatened me with!” he said dramatically, “I’ll drain some essence from our foes and convert it into mana. It would be a tiny amount with each strike, but unlike Devour, it would be a passive ability. One that only works when you are in the thick of battle!”

I considered them. The two had totally different approaches to mana regeneration, and Devour I could only probably use when he was stored away. Would it also come with a cooldown? How would it even work? Mana Leech would keep me topped up as long as I kept smashing things, which I usually did during battles. Could I afford to stash Roq away during a prolonged fight? Besides, Roq could even go into his primal form while I worked my magic with Blisterbrand. That would give him a lot of extra time, too.

But I’d like to get his input, too.

“You said you’re a king, Roq. Show me. Which one do we need most?”

“Mana Leech offers tactical flexibility,” Roq said. “It allows for sustained aggression, making our offense even more potent. Devour is a powerful tool, but it will probably come with similar restrictions and is reactive. A king does not react. He acts. We will forge Mana Leech.”

“Agreed.”

I let out a deep breath, closed my eyes, and reached for the link between us. How I’d sensed him during the breakthrough. He seemed excited and brimming with energy. Energy that needed a place to go.

“Ready?” I asked.

A pulse of pride and hunger answered. 

“Let’s make history, Ash.”

I pictured roots spreading from Roq’s head, drinking an enemy’s essence with every strike. 

I shaped the idea. 

Honed it. 

Then I poured my intent into the connection. 

Roq met me thought for thought, his drive matching my focus, each of us straining to create something improbable.

There was resistance.

A stubborn knot at the core of the warhammer which held us back. Entropy and old habits resisted change, but together we pushed through, shaping the skill.

In my mind I saw it as a thousand tiny lines reaching from the hammerhead, seeking the spark of life with every strike, drawing out mana as surely as muscle draws blood.

“More. Sharper. Make it relentless. It may never be sated.”

Power snapped into place, a lattice settling deep inside the warhammer. 

“Did it work?” I asked, my voice rough with effort.

“Check it for yourself, Ash.”

I opened the list of Roq’s abilities, and there it was.

NAME: Mana Leech

TYPE: Passive

DESCRIPTION: Regenerate +1 mana with every successful strike against any monster. 

“A king’s gift,” I muttered. 

Roq laughed. 

“Let’s see how the world likes us now when we can use our abilities much more often!”

I rose, stretched my shoulders, and called to the others as I reentered our home.

After sharing the skill with them, and convincing them it was actually real, it was my turn to be the subject of Soul Forging.

Knut offered his room, and I accepted, not wanting to destroy the bed I used with Eryn. Besides, we’d all chipped in and bought an extra reinforced bed for Knut after it broke during Enar’s breakthrough, so it should be able to hold me. 

Knut and Nabeeh looped heavy chains around my limbs as Eryn held my hand. 

“How should I forge you?” Roq asked.

“I need to be able to hit more monsters,” I said, my voice tight with anticipation and trepidation. “The Hive Mind uses numbers. Waves of them. We’re already hitting hard, but now we need to hit more. Many more of them at once. I want to be able to hold a breach by myself if I have to. With Mana Leech, I just might be able to.”

Eryn leaned in, kissing me, a long, lingering press of her lips against mine. 

“Good luck,” she whispered.

Nabeeh and Knut offered their own quiet words of encouragement. 

Just as I was about to start, the door opened.

Lan stood there, her arms crossed, trying to look casual.

“You alright?” I asked from the bed. 

She shrugged. 

“Figured I should be here. In case… Nabeeh accidentally lights the house on fire or something.”

Knut let out a booming laugh, but I just smiled at her, a flicker of hope in my chest that the young woman Mara more or less forced on us, was worth saving.

“Thanks for coming, Lan,” I said. 

“Whatever,” she replied. “Might as well be in here with you all.”

I took a deep breath, meeting Eryn’s worried gaze one last time. Then, I pressed the red Warrior Gem to my forehead.

The world dissolved into white-hot agony. Yet again.