Chapter 97
A True Aura Master
We'd hung around after completing the quest to give the villagers a hand. After freeing them from their shackles, I'd busied myself "relocating" the bodies of Malvokar and his warriors. Rel, meanwhile, was playing doctor, blasting anyone who'd been injured with a dose of Rejuvenating Touch. Winterclaw... well, the best way I could describe his contribution was that it fell somewhere between a distraction and therapy.
I returned to the village after disposing of the corpses to find Winterclaw entertaining the children. Hrok, the little boy who'd been backhanded by Malvokar, seemed to have taken a particular liking to the wolf.
“Higher!” cried Hrok, giggling excitedly.
He was sitting on Winterclaw, beaming from ear to ear. The wolf glanced back to make sure the boy was holding on, then bent his legs slightly before pushing off the ground.
“Weeee!” shouted Hrok as Winterclaw shot fifteen metres into the air. The wolf came back down and landed so softly that it didn't so much as jolt the little guy.
After we'd helped in every way we could, I handed over a few sacks of gold. It wouldn't undo the damage Malvokar had done, but at least the villagers wouldn't have to worry about money for a very long time.
Then we set off once more, racing across the ice towards Stonehaven. Once the village was out of sight and we'd fallen into a companionable silence, I turned my attention to the quest completion message. I'd been too busy to pay it any attention after the fight, but considering all we'd be seeing for the next few hours was ice, it seemed like the perfect time to check it out.
Quest Complete: Malvokar the Slaver
You have slain Malvokar and his warriors, sparing the villagers of Grondheim a terrible fate.
Quest Reward:
Armour Enhancement – Frost
Armour Enhancement – Frost?
Oh, fuck yes.
It sounded like the legendary peasant garb was about to become even more legendary.
Armour Enhancement – Frost
Grants a powerful enhancement to all currently equipped armour. The effects are permanent and cannot be transferred.
Enhancements include:
+ 3 to all stats
+ Grants the ability:
Frozen Bastion
Frozen Bastion
Your armour is temporarily coated in a protective layer of enchanted frost, greatly enhancing its defensive capabilities.
The potency of the effect scales with the user's dominant stat.
Duration: 90 seconds
Cooldown: 1 day
Damn. It was awesome.
The stat points were nice. Combined with the bonus from Armour Enhancement – Superior, it’d bring the total provided by my peasant garb to eight. However, it was the ability that I was really excited about. I'd somehow become the team's resident meat shield, so Frozen Bastion sounded perfect for those occasions when we came up against something truly monstrous, like the Dark One.
I was about to ask Rel if he'd checked out the rewards yet, but it would've been an entirely pointless question. I glanced over just in time to see a thick, icy-blue mist coalescing around his robes and hat before it formed into a heavy coating of frost.
My next question was going to be about the effect it had on his mobility. After all, frost and ice aren't exactly known for their flexibility. Clearly, Rel had been wondering the same thing, because he leapt from Winterclaw's head and performed a series of rather impressive aerial acrobatics before landing with a flourish that would've put any Olympic gymnast to shame.
Frozen Bastion had no negative effect on mobility, then.
Caught up in my excitement, I withdrew the item from my inventory and almost used it immediately... then I hesitated. I'd need to equip my sunglasses, bracers, and hat first, but I also wanted to see what was available in the Rewards Office.
When Auroria first told us that some of the items cost up to 5,000 points, I'd thought there was no way we'd ever be able to afford more than one or two of them. I'd been completely wrong. That might've been true for mere mortals who had to grind Tier Two and Tier Three quests, but for legends like me and Rel? It turned out earning points was easy as fuck. When GEC priced the items, they'd clearly done so on the assumption that nobody would be farming Tier Five quests this early in the Trial.
Even after buying the Pitchfork of Lurus, I'd managed to amass more than 4,000 points. And we still had over seven weeks left of our grind-a-thon. By the time all was said and done, we could easily clear 20,000.
No, for the first time since entering the Trial, I’d actually think things through and not rush into making a decision.
*
“So, what do you want to do first?” asked Rel as we arrived at the Expedition Centre. “Visit the Rewards Office? Check the Quest Boards? Try and find Kaelis, Voklum, and Allaria?”
Just as I was about to answer, I felt a little nudge from somewhere deep in my subconscious. It brought a memory racing to the forefront of my mind.
I sighed.
“Yeah, we should do all of those things,” I said. “But first, I have a promise to keep.”
Rel raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He fell into step beside me as I pushed open the doors and headed towards the Assessment Office, apparently content to come along for the ride and witness events unfold. Winterclaw trailed behind, stopping regularly to sniff anything that he found interesting.
I took a deep breath and raised my hand to knock.
Auroria hadn't been particularly impressed by my inquiry into the possible existence of her tail. However, when we'd run into her again at the Auction Office and I'd treated her to a healthy dose of the classic Peter Brookes charm, she'd seemed considerably less frosty.
Maybe this wouldn't end in complete disaster after all.
“Enter!” came the cat lady's familiar voice.
When I opened the door, she glanced up from the holographic tablet floating on the surface of her desk and smiled. “Peter. Rel,” she said. “I’ve heard much talk about the two of you over the past few weeks.”
Rel nodded knowingly.
“That does not surprise me,” he said. “Tell me... what have people been saying about us? Wait! Don't answer that.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “They’ve been talking about my remarkable mastery of the arcane arts? No... my majestic wizard hat and robes? No... my powerful, loyal, and glorious summoned minions?”
“I'm afraid not,” she replied. “It has mostly been Expedition Centre employees complaining that your... precociousness has rather upset their carefully planned progression system.” She giggled, causing her ears to twitch. “Honestly, I have loved every minute of it. Molvan over in the Rewards Department is an insufferable cretin, and the two of you have made him look rather foolish.”
Excellent. She was in a good mood.
“Great,” I said. “I'm glad to hear it!”
She wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to me. She'd just spotted Winterclaw, who'd apparently finished conducting a thorough investigation of every smell in the corridor and had finally wandered into the room.
With an excited squeal, she jumped to her feet. A casual wave of her hand dismissed the holographic tablet, then she hurried around the desk and knelt on the floor, her arms spread wide.
“And who is this cutie pie?” she asked.
Winterclaw padded towards Auroria with remarkable dignity, but I could tell from the twitching of his muzzle that he was loving every second of it. She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his fur, and proceeded to scratch him enthusiastically.
“This cutie pie,” said Rel mildly, “is a centuries-old, noble, and powerful great wolf.”
Auroria paused and glanced up at Rel... then shrugged and continued fussing over the wolf.
We were forgotten for a few minutes while she heaped attention on Winterclaw, but eventually her wait, I'm at work and am supposed to be a professional persona reasserted itself, and she rose to her feet. After one final scratch behind the wolf's ear for good measure, she turned her attention back to us.
“So...” she said, clearing her throat. “What can I help you with today? I'm presuming it's not assessment-related, given that the two of you already have access to Tier Five quests. If you require assistance with auctioning or exchanging items, you'll need to speak to Gaelin.”
“Ah, well,” I said. “We're not strictly here on business. I have a... friend who'd like to meet you.”
Auroria took another look around the room, then stared at me questioningly after confirming no one else was present.
Elirion the Weaver.
Sensei looked exactly as he had the last time I’d seen him. The blue linen shirt, vest, chinos, and boots. He spent a few moments taking in his surroundings, but it didn't take him long to put two and two together. His tanned face split into a broad smile when he spotted Auroria, revealing a set of impressively white teeth.
“Ahhh,” he said. His voice held none of the usual gruffness it did when he spoke to me. Instead, it sounded almost... pleasant. “You must be Auroria! My student, Peter, holds you in very high regard and has told me all about you.”
He stepped towards her and held out a hand. His sudden appearance had made Auroria jump a little, but she quickly regained her composure, took his hand, and gave him a respectful nod.
“However, I must also apologise,” he continued. “Peter told me all about his rather rude and intrusive question, and although I am only his master in matters relating to Aura, I still feel some responsibility for his... lack of social grace.”
Auroria chuckled.
“Don't worry. I've heard far worse. Besides, I'm a good judge of character, and though he might be something of an idiot, it's obvious to me that he's a decent person.”
I wasn't sure whether to feel touched or offended.
“You have me at something of a disadvantage,” she continued. “You apparently know all about me, yet I know nothing about you.”
When she reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, I noticed her cheeks had flushed a little.
She was blushing!
“I am Elirion the Weaver,” said sensei with an elegant bow, “but you may call me Eli.”
Auroria stared at him for a few moments, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Elirion... the Weaver?” she repeated.
Sensei smiled and nodded.
She shook her head in disbelief. “The same Elirion who defeated the Lich God Angarrum?”
“Angarrum...” said Elirion slowly, as if tasting the name. “Ahh, yes. I remember him. The jumped-up necromancer who fancied himself some sort of divine being. Indeed, I did bring an end to his reign, but honestly, I'm surprised you've heard the story. It was only a small matter.”
“A small matter...?” said Auroria. “The Lich God Angarrum conquered over a hundred star systems! He slaughtered hundreds of trillions and animated their corpses to serve in his army!”
“Hmm,” said Elirion with a distinctly unmodest shrug. “Now that you mention it... that does ring a bell.”
“I read all about you during my studies,” she continued. “You slew the Dark Lord Zendrash! You single-handedly repelled an invasion from the Scarred Dimension and destroyed the rift they'd created!”
What the fuck?
I knew Sensei was a powerful Aura Master, but I had no idea he was some sort of galaxy-wide celebrity. As I listened to Auroria list off his accomplishments, I couldn't help but realise how damn lucky I'd been to receive the Essence of Knowledge.
Who knows... if I kept up with my training, maybe one day there'd be books written about me and people fangirling over my accomplishments.
“Well, when you put it like that,” said Elirion, “I suppose I have kept myself busy over the years.”
He waved the thought aside.
“Some of my deeds may have been recorded in books, but I can assure you there are many more known only to me. How would you like to accompany me for dinner, and I’ll tell you all about them? There must be somewhere nice to eat around here.”
“That would be incredible!” she said. “I know a really great place a few streets over.”
“Excellent,” said Elirion. He held out his arm. “Shall we?”
She nodded enthusiastically and looped her arm through his.
They didn't so much as acknowledge our existence as they left.
“What the fuck was that all about?” asked Rel.
“That...” I said slowly. “...is what a true Aura Master looks like in action.”
Winterclaw nodded in agreement.
*
Our next stop was the Rewards Office.
Considering my recent experience with the Aurak, the choice of my next item was obvious. I bought Mindguard of the Blackstar.
Mindguard of the Blackstar
An ancient artefact forged by the demigod Izaldir for his chosen disciples.
Equipping the item grants the following bonuses:
+ 10 intelligence
+ 4 durability
+ Significantly increases resistance to mental and spiritual attacks and influences
Despite the fact the purchase wiped out most of my Expedition Centre Points, it was well worth it. I still intended to continue my minimal-item approach to training, but at least the Mindguard was sitting in my inventory, ready to be equipped if I ever found myself in another sticky situation.
It was a signet ring crafted from a dark metal, with a single star etched into its face. Fortunately, the design was fairly simple and wouldn't clash too heavily with my peasant chic.
I was excited to see that the unique rewards had been updated. Several new items had been added, and one immediately caught my eye.
Boots of the Guardian
These boots once belonged to Verik Ashfall, Guardian of Alantria. He was famed for placing himself between his allies and danger, no matter the risk to himself.
+ Self-cleaning (superior)
+ Self-repair (superior)
+ Damage mitigation – physical (effective against attacks up to 85 strength)
+ Damage mitigation – arcane (effective against spells up to 85 intelligence)
Equipping the item grants the following bonuses:
+ 12 durability
+ Grants the ability: Intercede
Intercede
Instantly swap places with an ally who is about to be struck by an attack.
Your damage mitigation is greatly increased for 3 seconds.
Cooldown: 1 day
Cost: 4500 Expedition Centre Points
The item's description was a bit lame, but the ability was incredible. It was inevitable that someone in our little group was eventually going to do some outrageously dumb shit and get themselves killed.
My money was on Kaelis.
I could easily imagine us stumbling across a world quest involving some absurdly powerful troll god. Despite the fact the guy could turn him into a bloody mist with a single punch, Kaelis would lose his mind, go full berserker-mode, and charge straight at the motherfucker.
At least this way, I could be the one who ate the punch.
The things I do for my friends, eh?
It'd take a few more weeks of intensive questing before I could afford it, but I wasn't particularly worried. The price pretty much guaranteed that nobody other than me or Rel would be able to afford it, and despite his many noble qualities, I couldn't imagine Rel having much interest in an item whose sole purpose was to turn its wearer into a sacrificial punching bag.