The Pinnacle Warrior

Plans were made remarkably quickly about how to best prepare themselves to throw themselves into this upcoming war. Everybody in Neverwood they talked to had different opinions on it, but, for whatever reason, none of the people that the party had frequent contact with had any desire to dissuade them from their planned course of action.

“There’s plenty of reasons why I’m here instead of in the Bulwark,” Gabriel said by way of explanation. “Call it politics. It’s one of the biggest ones. I don’t blame you for going to try to protect people you care about. I’ve done the same in the past. Still a horrible place, though.”

Michel and Liora didn’t give much of an explanation as to their opinions, but they seemed to be of the same opinion as Gabriel, that it was a country they didn’t hold particularly positive feelings towards, but they didn’t disagree with the Wanderers’ reasons for going. Instead of giving explanations on why they thought what they thought about the country, they offered plenty of thoughts about what the best options available to the party would be going forward.

For the first time, probably since the first time a month ago, the three erstwhile instructors came to talk to all five of the Wanderers at the same time.

“Slow yourselves just a little,” Liora said, to the obvious agreement of the other two. “I won’t go so far as to say I won’t let you go before you evolve, but I’ll do everything in my power short of forcing you to stay before you hit at least the boundary of Mithril. For people like you, fighting at high Steel means you’ll be a notable squad. You’ll be able to do some real damage to the enemy’s primary fighters, and you’ll make a bit of a difference.

“However, think of how much stronger in Steel you are than in Iron.”

Astrid took a deep breath and let it out with a huff. To say nothing of the attribute difference, the evolution for her Skills from Iron to Steel was insane. Steady Load increased markedly, Spectral Graviton evolved, and Mental Fortress would almost certainly upgrade as well. And, of course, that was ignoring the insane upgrade to Physique. The difference between Body in Iron tier and Physique in Steel went without saying: the frequency that she could use it, and making it a group-scale Skill, meant that she could save lives in a war. She doubted that the Skill would gain more charges when it evolved, but even a greater portion of healing would mean she could spread it further.

“But is it even worth it for us to go?” Astrid asked. “I mean, the enemy’s Adamantium tier people who’ve come around can do whatever they want on the surface, to say nothing of the Arcanite visitors.”

“Don’t worry about the Arcanite tiers, they won’t do anything for the war as a whole,” Liora brushed that off. “As for the Adamantium, however many they are, they will hold each other in check. If they show even a small opening to the enemy without knowing where those who can challenge them are, they can lose and even die in a few short seconds. The armies will serve as positioning, probing forces until the strongest can finally come out.”

“As for you yourselves,” Gabriel said, stepping in, “it has not been a secret that you all have extraordinary rarity Classes. We know you’ve been fighting far above your level and even watershed for a while. If you do what you’ve told up you have planned to, to find and fight Mithril tier monsters in the next few levels, then you’re going to find yourselves offered Classes of at least very rare rarity. You have taken steps to firm up your foundations which will go a long way. In fact, if I had my way, I would make you stay here for several more months.

“I know,” he said, interrupting Astrid’s disagreement before she could fully voice it, “that that isn’t going to happen. You’ve been moving so quickly for so long that hesitating as long as you have is already painful enough for you. At least, most of you wouldn’t wait. I know there’s one or two of you who wouldn’t mind maintaining a much slower pace. Regardless, you’ve made your decision, and though you’re not my soldiers, I’m gonna do my damnedest right now to make sure that you come out of this war alive. To do that, I’ve invited a couple of other people to come here this morning.”

Vera and Olafson came out, the first waving her fingers in a feminine hello while Olafson nodded with a solemn face.

“I have some basic Mithril tier armor to fill in the gaps of the less impressive pieces of your equipment,” Olafson said first. “Specifically, Astrid, a new platebody and gambeson; for Skandr, new boots and small adjustments to make to your brigandine. Muti, your armor and your rope darts both will be upgraded, specifically the second will be greatly changed. Felix, I have a few small tweaks for your helmet and replacement gauntlets. Finally, Benedict, a new duster is the main replacement for you. I have a planned upgrade that I think you’ll be happy with, though. Then, I have a few new enchantments to work with Skandr on to see if we can’t push things a bit higher as well.”

At that, the Craftsman stepped back, and Vera shrugged. “I don’t have anything as specific as Olafson, but I am more than willing to provide, at a significantly reduced price, plenty of consumables for you all. The primary difference in warfare compared to delving is that you can’t determine just how long a fight will continue. I’ve agreed with Olafson to provide each of you plenty of consumables, as well as an additional, much smaller spatial pouch that has enchantments on it to allow my fruits to last much longer.”

“And we will, of course,” Gabriel stepped back forward, “continue your training. Anytime that you’re not actively gaining levels, you’ll be recovering and drilling with us to make sure that, though we’re accelerating your progress, the end result is satisfactory.”

“This is all too much,” Astrid said, raising her hands. “You're offering so much to us that I know we can’t pay back.”

“Frankly, you couldn’t afford a quarter of the training that we’ve already given you,” Gabriel grunted. “We liked you fine, so we offered some training a month ago. Turns out, we like you more than fine, so we’ve given you a whole lot more than regular training. If we were charging you what most people would consider a fair price, we’d bankrupt you in something like a week. Don’t be thinking that you can pay us back anytime soon, because we don’t want you to. We want you to live, and surviving a war is a damn hard task, so we’re doing what we can to make sure that you survive. That’s not because we want anything from you other than for you to come back sometime.”

“It’s good to see young people sometimes,” Liora stepped forward, reaching forward and trying to touch Astrid’s face, but not being able to reach it. The tall redhead bent down and allowed Liora to cup her face in both hands. “To see you so full of justice and a willingness to fight for others… Perhaps I haven’t lost that myself.”

“You all could come with us,” Astrid responded, letting Liora pull her head down to kiss her forehead. “If five low Mithrils will make a difference, think of what three Adamantium people with decades of experience could do! Or having a Mithril-tier crafter or Greenthumb coming along.”

“We can’t,” Liora answered. For once, her face fell, not severe or gently affectionate, only disappointed. “There is a reason why Neverwood exists and why our fellows stay here. We were enough of troublemakers in decades gone by that people in power and we came to agreements, held in place by contracts written and enforced by those who dwell in the Dungeon. If we were to break that contract, to enter into our homeland once again, it would bring the wrath of creatures stronger even than the three interlopers you’ve mentioned onto the surface.

“No,” Liora repeated, “we can’t come to your assistance.”

“What’s the deal with these crazily powerful people in the Dungeon that just randomly come out sometimes?” Astrid demanded, standing up and stepping away from Liora’s personal space. She paced back and forth as she asked, “Are we all just here by their will? Is it a bunch of gods basically?”

“In terms of power,” Gabriel answered with a shrug, “they might as well be gods. I don’t know what the highest-level person in Arcanite is, but I’ve heard stories that there are people who hit level 300 and I have no reason to think that’s a lie. They don’t come to the surface because there’s not enough mana here for them to survive without losing much of their strength pretty quickly, but they are smart enough to know how to come up here, destroy everything, and then get back down into the Dungeon before too long.”

“Has that ever happened?” Astrid asked, her heart in her throat. “I’ve always been told that it was less than 300 years ago that the Dungeon appeared, so did these people exist from before that?”

“That, I don’t know,” Gabriel shrugged. “I suspect that is the truth, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it. And if somebody gets to even as high a level as we are, it isn’t much of a problem to live for well over a century. It could just be the strongest people from the appearance of the Dungeon. Who knows. And that doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“Well, it matters in the sense that apparently they could come up here and wipe us all off the face of the planet if they wanted to,” Astrid scoffed.

“They’re capable of it. They don’t do it because there’s a balance down below that I don’t understand,” Liora snapped in front of Astrid’s face, the sound surprisingly deafening. “So focus on what you can control. For now, we get you levels, and once this war is over, then we can worry about what’s happening down below, with the people who see all of us as ants. Got it?”

Astrid shook her head, realizing how far off track she had gotten. Looking at the rest of her party, she could see that there were plenty of faces that had similar concerns to her, but with the refocusing brought about by Liora’s words, the party started talking about what they would do moving forward, creating plans for where they were to go, how they would train, and what they would fight.

Over the course of a day, they went through their general plans and spoke with each person in the small settlement that was willing to provide any measure of help to the five Wanderers. Then, there was nothing to do but to follow the plan.

***

“You know, these shimmerbugs are really easy,” Skandr said, trailing both of his hands through a series of sigils that left a glowing pattern in their wake. In a quarter of a second, a half-circle of glowing symbols curved in front of him, and a column of wind swept the flying red from the air and headfirst into the ground ten meters in front of him.

“This is just to get experience,” Astrid replied, hurrying for it and smashing her hammer into the base of its head. In a single strike, the echoing thump of her hammer's strike killed the beast, though she paid it and the kill notification no mind as she hustled towards the other monsters.

“I know, it’s just always interesting to think of how far we’ve come. Even a month ago, when we were the same level, though these weren’t hard fights, the small differences in how we act and plan and fight are showing in how much simpler these fights are now.”

In just a few short seconds, the party shredded through the third red swarm of the day, and Astrid grumbled as she checked her experience.

Total Level: 80 (682,931/690,000)

Everybody else had already gotten their new Skills, and they planned on her getting hers now. With a frown, she said, “I just need to kill a couple on our way out, then I’ll see whatever’s offered to me and can make my choice.”

“Then let us move towards the exit,” Muti said. “It will be immensely simple to find something for you as we go. Then, we will take our day of rest back in town, where we will train with our mentors and see what Gabriel has found for us.”

After she said it, Muti activated her new burst Skill and flashed away faster than Astrid could track. Astrid shook her head, slightly amused, but largely unworried. Looking at the rest of her party, she saw the results of all of their Skills and couldn’t help but hurry even faster, so she could see which of the proposed options would be best for her.

Fortunately, with dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of the shimmerbugs around, each one giving thousands of experience, it wasn’t long before, with a roar of challenge, Astrid smashed her hammer through the head of an orange shimmerbug and reduced it to a corpse. The recovery granted by the level gained was electric, but she didn’t care about that. Instead, she glanced at her party, who knew what her excitement meant.

As one, all five turned and hurried towards the exit from the Dungeon proper. The few monsters that approached were weaker the further they went, so they didn’t pay the beasts any mind. In what simultaneously felt like a few short seconds and also long hours, the party reached the exit from the Dungeon and ran out as one. Then, with expectant gazes towards Astrid, they all waited for her answer.

“Give me a second,” she laughed.

“No,” Benedict snapped back. “We all read all of our Skill offerings as soon as we saw them, and you’re going to have to do the same.”

Astrid laughed and nodded slowly. Then, with her heart thundering in her chest, she started reading out loud.

“Mountain’s Foundation (Steel): Increases the Skill holder’s Power and Fortitude by 20%. While in battle and pushing against an enemy, the Skill holder will be strengthened. While locked in combat, the Skill holder’s Power is increased by a further 20%.

“Smite (Steel): For a Minor to Moderate cost of mana and stamina, infuses a weapon of the Skill holder’s choice with mana of an attribute of their choice which will expand and burst upon contact with a foe. Scales with Power and Magical Potency.

“Immortal Aura (Steel): For an Overwhelming cost of mana and stamina, creates an aura with a radius of 20 meters for 5 minutes. Within that range, all allied creatures will benefit from a 100% increase in health, stamina, and mana restoration as well as a 20% reduction in all damage received.

“Defender’s Dash (Steel): For a Minor cost of mana and stamina, increases the Skill holder’s Alacrity by 200% for ten seconds.

“Shieldsman’s Strength (Steel): While wielding a shield, increases the Skill holder’s Power, Alacrity, and Fortitude by 25%.”

Astrid went quiet after reading out the options, trying to determine which one would be the best for her to choose. Before she could come to any sort of a conclusion, though, Benedict spoke up.

“So I don’t get the Skill I’m looking for and go with Purging Wave while every one of the Skills offered to you are more than good enough to take? This is bogus, and you know it.”

“Purging Wave is a good addition to your Skill set,” Astrid laughed, reaching out and patting him on the shoulder. He glared up at her jokingly, a smile quirking at his lips as he shook his head.

“Yes, it is, but I wanted something different.”

That was the end of the complaints, and each of the party members started to mention their own thoughts on what she should do without waiting for Astrid’s own opinions.

“You’re not gonna take Defender’s Dash. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing you want.” Felix was the first to speak, though Muti jumped in next.

“Mountain’s Foundation is good. With how you like to settle and focus on a single enemy, it will almost always be granting you a boost to your two greatest attributes. It will also surely be rolled into your equipment Skill as soon as you evolve.”

“That’s true,” Skandr agreed. “However, Shieldsman’s Strength isn’t conditional in that way, just has to continue using her shield, and it’ll definitely be rolled into the equipment Skill as well. That way, she’ll always have a higher total percentage boost, and that’s going to compound with Steady Load and her Alacrity.”

“Immortal Aura is insane,” Benedict said, completely switching his focus. “Yes, it’ll use over half of your mana and stamina, but it lasts for five minutes, helps people recover, protects them, and finally, all of its effects are going to be reduced in cost and increased in strength by 20% because of your boon. I’d say it’s gonna be pretty hard to turn away from that one.”

“Yeah, it’s great,” Felix shrugged. “I don’t blame you if you take that. But Smite is basically the pinnacle of finishing Skills, isn’t it?”

At that, the Wanderers went silent, looking at Astrid for an answer. With a sigh, she nodded. “It’s one of the examples of a Skill that, when it doesn’t have any qualifiers, it’s better. As it is, it can be used to create the perfect finishing strike against whatever you hit.”

“And this isn’t a spellcasting Skill?” Benedict asked, disbelieving.

“No,” Astrid shook her head. “I don’t know how it works specifically, but it doesn’t require much understanding of the formation of different types of mana. I’d have to take the Skill better understand what exactly it does, though.”

“So what Skill are you going to take?” Skandr laughed, bumping her with his elbow.

“I...” Astrid trailed off, looking at her options. “Give me until Neverwood, and I’ll have made the decision by then.”

The rest of the party groaned in frustration at that, but instead of arguing, they all turned on their heels and started running towards Neverwood. Astrid almost wanted to tell them to slow down, to give her more time to decide, but didn’t. Being forced to make the decision would be good for her, she was sure.

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