Grand Game 285: Aetherstones (Patreon)

By rights of your bill of ownership, you have renamed the tavern ‘Sleepy Inn’ in the safe zone of sector 12,560 to ‘Wyvern’s Roost.’

After I renamed the inn, Saya hurried away to change the tavern’s signage, leaving me and Cara alone again.

“Do you have anything else to sell or buy?” she asked neutrally.

From her tone and question, I gathered she didn’t want to revisit our previous conversation and I nodded easily. “I do, actually.”

The time had come to reap the benefits of my improved thieving. My traps had served me well against opponents who outranked me and in circumstances where the weight of numbers lay against me. They had also proven especially devastating against unwary opponents and in situations where I’d had time to prepare the ground.

Unequipping my wristband, I pushed it across the table. “I need a rank four replacement for this, and tier two and three set trap ability tomes.”

“Hmm,” Cara said. “Give me a moment.” A few seconds later, she materialized the items I requested.

You have acquired an improved set trap ability tome. Governing attribute: Dexterity. Tier: advanced. Cost: 25 gold. Requirement: rank 5 thieving skill.

You have acquired a superior set trap ability tome. Governing attribute: Dexterity. Tier: expert. Cost: 50 gold. Requirement: rank 10 thieving skill.

You have lost a simple trapper’s wristband.

You have acquired the rank 4 item:  the veteran trapper’s wristband. Cost: 800 gold. This item can be used to configure traps of expert tier and below. Each trap can consist of a maximum of 4 components, using any combination of triggers, elements, and guides.

As with its simpler variants, the veteran trapper’s wristband does not store components but holds trap-making crystals. Each crystal can be transformed into the desired part as and when required.

Currently stored trap-making crystals: 200 / 200.

Available triggers: pressure plates (for use on floors), sound glasses (omnidirectional), tripwires (between two points), motion pins (cone), and remote control (manual activation).

Available elements: lightning, poison clouds, fire, spring-coiled daggers, bear-trap clamps, small explosives, blot of darkness, and ice.

Available guides: reflect (redirects an element in the desired direction), split (divide and reflect an element), and funnel (concentrates and directs an element in the desired direction). Note, guides only stay materialized for 5 seconds.

Money remaining in your bank account: 14,655 gold coins.

My jaw dropped open in shock. The veteran’s wristband was a significant upgrade from the one I’d been using.

For one, the number of stored trap-crystals had increased fivefold, for another there were two more element effects to employ—blot of darkness and ice—both of which intrigued me.

The biggest differences, though, were the addition of trap guides and the ability to combine four trap components in every trap. Together, they would allow me to create traps of greater complexity.

With this, I can shoot lightning bolts around corners, I thought gleefully. Or funnel an explosion into a single victim.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Cara said, chuckling at my expression.

“Oh, it’s far more than that,” I murmured. Picking up the two tomes, I wasted no time in learning what they had to teach before equipping my new wristband.

You have upgraded your set trap ability to superior set trap. This tier 3 ability increases the effectiveness of any trap you deploy, enhancing its range and strength, and making it harder to spot.

You have 14 of 55 Dexterity ability slots remaining.

You have equipped a trapper’s wristband. Stored trap-making crystals: 200 / 200.

“That’s it?” Cara asked. “You don’t need anything else?”

I nodded absently, still inspecting my new toy.

“Your shopping spree is smaller than I’ve come to expect,” she observed.

“I’ve realized I need to be more circumspect with my ability slots.”

Cara nodded, seeming to understand what I meant.

Rolling down my sleeve to hide the wristband, I glanced at her. “I do have two other matters to discuss with you, actually.”

“Oh?” Cara asked, sounding wary.

I smiled to reassure her. “The first is with regards to the wayfarer’s gloves. Kesh has found a buyer. Can you tell her to go ahead and complete the purchase?”

“Of course. What’s the other matter?”

“The second is more in nature of a question.” I paused, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. “What do you know about aetherstones?”

“Aetherstones?” Cara asked, sitting back in surprise. “They’re colorless gems, and not all that pretty to look at, but they do have a curious ability to record aether coordinates. That makes the stones highly prized.” She peered at me. “Where did you hear about them?”

“When we left Nexus, I saw a player leave without employing a portal.” I shrugged. “One second, she was fidgeting with something on her hand, the next she was gone. There was no scroll, nor any spell cast that I could see.”

“Ah, and you’re wondering how she did it,” Cara said. “The player you observed likely used an aetherstone artifact. With the right enchantments the gems can be made to teleport someone between sectors.”

“That’s what I thought.” Removing the bracelet I’d looted from Yzark, I placed it before Cara. “I’ve managed to acquire one for myself.”

Cara drew in a sharp breath. “Where did you get that?”

I smiled wryly. “I’m sure you’d rather not know.”

Not questioning me further on the bracelet’s origins, Cara picked it up and inspected it minutely. “Don’t tell me you intend on selling it?”

I blinked at her. “No, of course not!”

“Good, because items like these are greatly sought after. Few have them, and even fewer are willing to part with them. They usually only change hands after death.”

She eyed me for a moment. Wondering who I had killed to get it?

“In fact,” Cara continued, “I’ve rarely spotted an aetherstone artifact in the hands of any but an elite.” She pushed the bracelet back to me. “Most tier five players will kill you just to loot that off your corpse. Keep it hidden.”

I nodded and covered the bracelet with my hand. “What makes them so rare?”

“The aetherstones for one. They are hard to find, and this one has five. But the bracelet’s value resides in more than its gems. The enchantments required to make such an artifact are difficult and few possess the required patience or skill.”

“How do I use it?”

The question seemed to puzzle Cara. “The same way you would any other enchanted device, of course.”

I waved aside her response. “Not to teleport—I expect that will be easy enough—no, what I want to know is how do I etch a location into an aetherstone.”

“Ah. That’s easy, too. Simply channel mana into a gem. The process can take anywhere between an hour or a day depending on how much magic you can control. Once the aetherstone is fully charged, you can imprint any of your known key points onto it.”

I frowned. “How will I know when the stone is charged?”

Cara tapped my hand covering the bracelet. “Have you noticed that difference between the artifact’s aetherstones?”

I nodded. “I have. Three seem to shine with life. The other two are dull.”

“There you go. When you charge one of the empty stones, it will burn with the same inner fire as the other three. Then you may imprint it.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it,” Cara confirmed. “A word of warning, though. After you’ve teleported to a location, the aetherstone’s stored coordinates will be erased and will have to be re-etched.”

“I see,” I murmured, thinking that to be more of an advantage than a feature of concern. It meant I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone stealing the bracelet and learning the coordinates of the nether-infested sector once I etched them. “Thank you, Cara. That was enlightening.”

“You’re welcome. Is that all?”

I hesitated, then broached the topic she seemed determined to avoid. “I haven’t forgotten our earlier conversation, you know. We will speak of it again—soon.”

Cara sighed. “That’s old history, and I shouldn’t have dredged it up to begin with. Best you forget about what I said.”

“I won’t.” I stopped myself from saying more. There was no point in making promises I wasn’t sure I could keep—yet. “I’ll see you, tomorrow,” I said, rising to my feet.

“Bye, Michael,” Cara replied, only a hint of sadness in her voice as she watched me leave.

✵ ✵ ✵

I made my way up the stairs and to my room. Slipping into the chamber, I locked the door behind me. It had been a long night, and all I wanted to do was sink into the bed and sleep.

But time was a commodity in shorter supply than gold.

For one, I still had to find the dire wolves, and for another, I had to flesh out my plans for the valley. At this stage, all I truly had was an idea. If I was going to pursue it, I needed to determine how viable the entire notion was—that meant learning how to create a faction and speaking to the representatives of the three major Powers in the sector. If they weren’t amenable, my plan was sunk already.

I will have to find Loken and Muriel’s envoys and secure a meeting.

I already knew Tartar’s envoy, but approaching Talon was more problematic than finding the other two—he had threatened to kill me, after all. I sighed, realizing I would have to risk a meeting with the good captain anyway.

So, prioritize, Michael. Sitting down on the bed, I ran through what I had to do and when.

Visit Captain Talon tomorrow. Find the wolves tonight. Sleep out the rest of the day. I closed my fist around the aetherstone bracelet. But first, I need to learn how to use this.

The artifact was my ticket to reaching the arctic wolves. Sure, I couldn’t teleport directly into the guardian tower, but the bracelet would take me to the nether-infested sector and from there, Snow and the others were only one short portal hop away.

For just an instant, I was tempted to go to them immediately. But checking on the dire wolves came first, if only because their circumstances were less certain. It had been nearly two years since I’d seen Duggar’s pack and the sudden surge in the valley’s player numbers had to have taken a toll on them.

Bending over the bracelet, I focused on one of its empty aetherstones and slipped mana into it. The stone sucked eagerly at the magic, craving more. I let it have it, and in nearly no time at all, a torrent of mana gushed out from me and into the gem.

Your mana has been depleted.

Void armor inoperative. Current charge: 0%.

Well, that was easy. I glanced at the stone, expecting to see a change, but it looked just as dull as before. I frowned. Perhaps, it just needs time, I thought and waited anxiously for the stone to light up.

It didn’t.

Urgh. Now what? I drummed my fingers on the bed. Cara had said to channel mana into it. Alright, let’s do that.

Closing my eyes, I spread my awareness. The channeling skill was similar to meditation but, where restoring psi required turning my focus inward, mana was recouped from the surroundings. The world of the Forever Kingdom was saturated with magic, and to regain my mana, I only had to direct some of that mana to seep into me.

Which I did now.

You have replenished 1% of your mana.

You have failed to advance your channeling: skills cannot be gained in a safe zone.

Ignoring the Game message, I guided the incoming stream of magic into the aetherstone. It drank it in just as easily as my body had.

I kept channeling, feeding more mana from the surroundings into the dull gem. Cara had been right. The process was simple.

But how long would it take?

✵ ✵ ✵

It was close to midnight before the aetherstone was sated.

By that time, my limbs were shaky and my eyes heavy. I had, in fact, nodded off several times over the course of the afternoon and had contemplated stopping no few times, but each time, I’d shaken myself out of my lethargy and kept going.

And now, finally, I was done.

Blinking blearily, I stared down at the gem that had been the object of my focus for the last twelve hours. It was shining as brightly as the other three on the bracelet and for the last few seconds had refused more mana.

Huh, I thought, my thoughts stupid with sleep, I guess it’s charged. Too tired to move further, I flopped down on the bed. I’ll rest, just for an hour or two, then I’ll set out, I thought drowsily. The wolves shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Closing my eyes, I let sleep claim me.