Chapter 264 - The Rainbow Forest (Patreon)

Zeke rolled his shoulders and, for the first time since ascending, embraced his transformed skills. Some, like [Unleash Momentum] and [Weight of Two worlds], were unchanged by the {Arcane Colossus} class. And [Mark of Companionship] had only gained a rudimentary tracking function. The others two had been completely reworked.

After activating [Metallurgical Repair], he immediately recognized the differences. The most obvious change had been that it was no longer an attack; as [Life Scythe] – as well as its predecessor, [Leech Strike] – the skill had stolen vital energy from his enemies. But with his new class, it had become a self-heal. The second major difference was that, instead of being powered by vital energy, it drew its power from the earth itself.

Even as the skill activated, Zeke saw tendrils of yellow energy flow up from the ground and into his body. The moment they hit his pathways, he felt a surge of energy; more, he felt two weeks’ worth of minor fatigue wash away. His skin, visible through his threadbare shirt, writhed with thick bands of that golden mana.

“Oh, that’s nice,” he muttered to himself, basking in the feeling. The skill hadn’t just been upgraded; rather, it had also been fundamentally changed by his class. Before, the healing power of [Life Scythe] had been fairly limited by the fact that it was an attack. It was still incredibly useful, especially considering that it functioned off of how much damage he did. Still, it was a versatile skill that had seen him through a host of difficult battles. By comparison, [Metallurgical Repair] had given up that versatility in favor of doing a single job: healing him. And based on the power flowing through him, Zeke suspected it would be extremely potent.

But it wasn’t entirely good news. Keeping the flow of healing going required concentration, and the moment he lost contact with the ground, it stopped. Zeke tested it a couple of times by leaping into the air.

“What are you doing?” asked Jasper.

“Testing.”

The skill reminded Zeke of Talia’s [Focused Reformation], but instead of requiring him to eat hearts, he needed to maintain contact with the ground. Or perhaps rocks in general. So, it was a lot less restrictive, though he could sense that the healing properties weren’t quite as strong. Or perhaps they just weren’t as fast-acting. He’d have to do a lot more testing to find the skill’s limits. So, even though he would miss his very first skill – and the iteration that had followed – he was satisfied with the changes.

Next, he moved on to [Avatar of the Colossus], examining the skill’s description:

[Avatar of the Colossus] (F) – Derived from [Avatar of the Beast] Vastly increase a target’s physical prowess, augmenting Strength and Endurance of a companion. Caster will experience a lesser increase. Upgradeable.

In some ways, the skill was inferior to [Avatar of the Beast], from which it was derived. The old skill, which had evolved from [Mark of the Bear], had increased the recipient’s physical attributes by a set amount. However, the new skill limited that to only strength and endurance. In return, using it on someone else would also affect Zeke’s stats, though to a lesser degree.

“I’m going to use a skill on you,” Zeke said, turning to the dark elf. Then, he narrowed his eyes. “Actually, I’m going to use two skills on you. I want you to tell me how it feels and what the effects are.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t worry – they’re augmentation skills,” Zeke said, taking comfort in the way Voromir’s grip felt in his hand. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the weapon that had been his companion almost since the very beginning. “Should see an increase in strength and endurance. You might also get access to a lesser version of my skills. I’m not sure, which is why I need to test some things before we go into battle.”

He waited until Jasper gave him a nervous nod before casting [Avatar of the Colossus]. Immediately, Jasper’s eyes lit up.

“My strength and endurance increased by an entire tier!” he exclaimed.

“And that’s good?” asked Zeke. Oberon had told him that the tiers were incredibly important, but Zeke had no context for it. The only information he’d gathered was that he was definitely stronger than the other slaves in his team. Beyond that, he was flying mostly blind.

“Life-changing,” was Jasper’s response. “Going from C-Tier strength to B-Tier is a…it is…”

“Life-changing,” Zeke provided, echoing Jasper’s first response. But he’d also gained some information about Jasper as well. The man’s strength was C-Tier, which meant that Zeke’s strength was on an entirely different level, regardless of the numerical value of the stats.

“Indeed,” Jasper stated, shaking his head.

“Explain the tiers to me,” Zeke said. “For instance, you say that C-Tier strength is vastly inferior to B-Tier, right? What numerical value would someone with C-Tier strength need to match someone with B-Tier?”

“More than a hundred,” Jasper stated. “But no one would do that. We only get a few attribute points per level, and most people put them where they can get the most effect. For instance, if you have A-Tier agility, you would have to be a moron to put any points into other, lesser tiered stats.”

Zeke nodded along, pulling up his own status sheet.

If it took a hundred points to match the power required to go from C-Tier to B-Tier, then what would it take to reach A-Tier? Or in Zeke’s case, S+-Tier? The should be no comparison between him and most people. So, even though he was freshly ascended, he wasn’t quite as far behind the elites of the world as he’d expected.

There would obviously still be a huge gap, especially considering that there had to be people who’d experienced just as many fortunate encounters as he had. So, he still had an extremely long way to go; however, that had always been the case because, even though he’d only just managed to ascend, there were still higher planes waiting on him. And no matter how strong he felt, there was still a world of difference between him and people like Oberon. Or even the Warlock he’d encountered beneath the Red Wastes.

For now, though, he felt confident in his strength, almost like he’d gotten a head start – a feeling that was somewhat accurate, but was completely insufficient in telling the entire story. After all, he’d fought and bled from every improvement he’d managed to gain. So, any advantage he currently enjoyed, he’d earned.

“Interesting,” Zeke said. Then, he concentrated on [Mark of Companionship], casting the skill on Jasper. Almost as soon as he did, he saw tiny, hair-thin tendrils of yellow energy flow up from the ground and into Jasper’s legs. He looked down and was unsurprised to see the same flowing into his own body. So, he asked, “Do you feel anything?”

“I feel…better.  More energized, perhaps,” Jasper said. “Almost as if something is devouring my fatigue.”

Zeke pointed at the dark elf’s feet, asking, “And those? Do you see them?”

Jasper looked down, but Zeke didn’t need to hear the elf’s answer to know that the tendrils of earthen energy were invisible to anyone but Zeke himself. Perhaps someone else with a class related to the earth would be capable of seeing them as well, but Zeke had no way to test that.

“I also sense your presence,” Jasper stated. “Even if I close my eyes, I know where you are.”

Zeke nodded. That was the change forced upon the skill by Oberon. Originally, it was intended to help Zeke find his friends, but for now, it might help Jasper in case one of them was separated. In any case, [Mark of Companionship]’s real benefit was that it gave his friends access to weaker versions of some of his skills. None of them had ever been capable of manifesting [Weight of Two Worlds] or [Unleash Momentum], but they’d always been able to use [Leech Strike]. In that respect, it seemed that [Metallurgical Repair] was similar.

Moreover, in addition to the active usage, it also fed Zeke – and because of [Mark of Companionship], Jasper as well – a slow trickle of energy that would help with fatigue and minor injuries. Zeke didn’t know the limits of that passive effect, but he suspected that it would be helpful, if not life-altering.

But he’d been wrong before, and he was prepared to be wrong again.

“Can you…will you remove my restraints as well?” asked Jasper.

“No,” Zeke said. For one, he’d only known Jasper for a little more than a week. That was definitely not enough to earn Zeke’s trust. For another, it was infinitely easier to alter his own restraints because he could follow the flow of energy from the blockages in his own skills all the way to through the runes. Removing someone else’s restraints would require far more study, and even then, the problematic nature of trying to unravel the complicated runes would be significantly enhanced. Even if he managed to unlock Jasper’s skills, there was almost no chance he’d be able to preserve the shackles, which would then open them up to all sorts of questions. He explained the latter reason to the dark elf, adding, “Before we leave, I’ll do make sure you’re freed, though. One way or another.”

Jasper sighed. “I suppose it is more than I could expect,” he said. “In any case, do you think that you will be able to defeat the kobolds, now?”

Zeke shrugged. “I’ve never really met anything I can’t beat,” he said. He’d struggled quite a bit, but he’d never found his power wanting. Still, this was a different plane with different rules, and there was a good chance that he’d made a lot of erroneous assumptions. That was normal, though. Zeke was a lot of things, but no one would ever call him a planner. Even when he made an effort in that arena, his plans were more like guidelines.

But it was as much a conscious choice as it was a personal limitation. Sure, he could try to plan for every eventuality, but the moment he went into battle, everything would change. He’d rather be flexible with a general outline for how he wanted to control the flow of a fight than a meticulous plan that might be outdated the moment he made it. That, coupled with the fact that his brain just didn’t work that way, had pigeonholed him into doing things a certain way. And so far, aside from a couple of big mistakes, it had mostly worked, so, it was difficult for him to see any reason to change things, even if it might have the potential to make his life – or path – easier.

Zeke said, “Just stay back and let me do the heavy lifting here, okay? I don’t know what your stats are, but without skills –”

Jasper interrupted, “I am well aware of my combat deficiencies.” He rolled his own shoulders. “Typically, if any interaction ends in a fight, it means that I have failed in some way. Even so, I will not shy away from it if violence finds me. After all, some creatures simply cannot be reasoned with.”

“I’m kind of the opposite,” Zeke said. “Pretty much everything ends in a fight for me. Good thing, too, because I’ve gotten pretty good at it along the way.”

So, without further discussion, Zeke pushed past Jasper and cast his gaze into the dark tunnel. It was lit by the occasional mana globe, but those scattered points of illumination were not up to the task of lighting the way. Jasper had ranged a little way ahead, so, after dismissing his mace, Zeke grabbed the cart and started down the path. They descended for a few more minutes before Jasper grabbed his arm, indicating that he should stop.

So, Zeke let go of the cart, engaged the brake, and resummoned Voromir. Thus armed, he crept forward, careful not to make a sound. He was no stealth specialist, but he had learned the basics during his time in the troll caves. Jasper followed him silently, seeming more like a shadow than a living being.

A little more than a minute later, Zeke saw the tunnel widen into a large cave. Kneeling, he cautiously approached until he could see into the cave.

It was endless, stretching on for hundreds of yards in every direction and filled with lightly glowing flora. Swaying trees reached toward the ceiling, their bark stark white and their leaves glowing light pink. Other colors were represented by the rest of the cave’s dense foliage. Blues, greens, oranges – every color of the rainbow made an appearance. To Zeke, it looked like someone had painted an underground forest using all the wrong colors. But there was power there, too. Subtle, but pervasive, like a mist of vitality hanging in the air.

And then there were the kobolds.

Short, scaly, and looking like miniature humanoid dragons, they roamed in large packs, usually with a human-sized alpha at the head of the group. Each kobold was equipped with wickedly sharp, scything claws that Zeke had learned they used for digging through solid rock. In fact, many of the tunnels that had been appropriated and expanded by the stone dwarves had originated at the end of those claws.

To the miners, the kobolds were dangerous pests that needed to be exterminated when they were found. However, for the overall operation of the mine, they were a necessity. Fortunately for the dwarves’ efforts, they were also incredibly prolific, and the mountain was filled with the creatures. The deeper one went into the tunnels, the more powerful the kobolds became, which made any expedition balance risk versus reward. The shallower mines weren’t nearly as profitable, but they were relatively safe, all things considered. However, the deeper tunnels were home to increased dangers as well as higher-grade ores and gems.

Jasper got Zeke’s attention and pointed to a track path that had been cleared by previous groups of miners. It cut straight through the forest, presumably to the other side where they could continue deeper into the mines. So, their way was clear. They only had to walk the path.

And fend off a veritable army of kobolds, because to follow that path was to invite challenge. With the cart, there would be no sneaking past. If they wanted to go further, they’d have to pay for their passage in kobold blood. Eventually, the kobolds would wise up and leave them be, but it would take quite a few deaths to reach that point.

But that was okay. Zeke hadn’t fought anything in a while, and even then, he hadn’t had access to his skills. Now that he did, he was itching to test things out.

So, he stood to his full height, said, “You mind the cart. I’ll take care of the monsters.”

Then, he strode forward and down into the rainbow-hued forest, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.