Accidental Reaver

Chapter 228 - 227: Water Soul & Preparations

Luke hated acting as the bad guy. Especially when he wasn't positive if it was acting anymore.

It came naturally. Part of himself lost its way during the cold isolation. Pair that with the heat of purpose, and little prevented the Reaver from taking drastic action. True to that mantra, he awaited a dreaded 'teacher'—Annika. Sooty settled atop the head of a patrolling golem in the enchanters section on the upper floors, pecking at its carved ears.

An omnipresent hum settled in the air. Luke traced runes on the enchanting forge in preparation, its focus orb swirled pure essence inside. He set aside all loot he retained from the Tower and prior adventures. Thankfully, the place had plenty of shelves. Xera floated around from one corner to another, tapping on the golems when it suited her fancy.

"These guys don't react to anything, do they?" The sword-wand had her fill and turned into a wand. She lay on the forge, waiting.

Wayfinder said, "Can't see the price for what you want being cheap, lad. Are you sure you're willin' to discard all the gains like a flower lost to the winds?"

Luke exhaled. "Polar South showed what it did, and I need such a method. Material gains now, for knowledge forever."

Annika burst into the quiet sanctum. "My favorite student called me of his own accord. Have you seen the light, Lukey? Are we going to elope now? What should we name the first child?"

The Reaver blinked with a deadpan expression. Annika managed to turn most of the drapes on the floor into bunched-up cloth pads. The servants would have work to do after their meeting ended. He contemplated putting on the mask. Soon, but not yet, he decided.

"How hard is it to make another Black Metal Mask?"

"It's by all means impossible. Eldacar, that lovebird, well, he…"

"He had more to do with creating it than you let on?"

Annika looked away, scuffing her boots. Cedric came out of the weapon holster on her back. The staff-spear tapped on the ground. "Lady Annika is loath to admit assistance. Sir Luke."

"Cedric, you traitor!"

"Traitor to the lie, but never to you, my lady."

Whispering Tome hovered near Luke's left hand. The Reaver sighed and gestured to the loot piles on the shelves nearby. Meric's five drops, and anything gained on the floors on the way down. Even what was left over from Crystal Demon Point. All was laid bare for the next ask.

"Give those an appraisal. If I wanted to conceal a small group of people, what could it get me? There is a way. The mask could be irreplaceable, but is every method the same?"

"Almost too smart for your own good, Lukey. Have you ever wondered how the underworld smuggles through the gates?"

"Times of turmoil? Like the Tide?"

"Peeshaw. That's the least reliable method. How often is there an event like that? No, no, no. Other than their underhanded entry lines, it's concealment cloaks. Other methods exist. But!" Annika angled at finger at Luke, the blue owl imprint on the Defier's cheek shone. "When on a research crunch like this, they all fall short. Which group is next?"

"Is there a need for you to know?"

"Not at all. Not at all. You wouldn't happen to be butting heads with one of the Triad? Noble Groups? Oh, I know! The City Lord? You sly, backstabbing, mastermind. I love it."

"Well. You get the gist of things, Annika. What will it be?"

Going from the tip of her toes to the back of her heels, Annika moved about in thought. She zoomed up to the items Luke offered up as 'tribute' and swiped them all. The casual display stung more than the Reaver cared to admit.

"I'll trade these in to the Defier's Vault. Scholar's Wit calculates we can make four cloaks. They'll double as better quality items than the rag you have on currently."

"This came from a raid boss." Luke unveiled the Black Ice Mantle slightly.

"Okay. Fancy rag. Really, everything you wear now should be crafted from Tower Materials or special ordered. Every slot adds up quickly. Don't neglect it."

Snapping her fingers, a team of three female servants came and hauled away the valuables for Annika. "They can handle the dirty work. My hands are much too valuable to waste on something that trivial." Rushing white waters glided on her brown hair. She stalked around Luke, nodding to herself, hands gripping the opposite wrist.

"Lukey," Annika began, "you should know better than to think I wouldn't understand what you're really planning, you know? So when is it? Tonight? The next day? Let's cut to the chase, the Velvet Hand? Or the Red Gorrids? No other move aligns for you."

"You're so sure I won't put one of the higher families on the chopping block first?"

Annika laughed like she heard the funniest thing. "The worst way to go about it. It's borderline insulting. For those like me, who know you? My icebound student, you freeze the tributaries before damming the river."

Luke ran his gaze across the enchanting quarters, mage light floated over black marble flooring. A faint thud followed after every step the humanoid golems took in the area. Aura veils cut off any chance listeners. Annika's order busied the servants from before.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"If I have my way, three will become two, Annika. And not so long after, two of a different kind will become one. That's all I'll say. You probably understand the rest."

"That's all I needed to hear. None of us seven remaining can help you directly with any of that. It's borderline rebellion against the Duchy. Not that I'm loyal to this land of submission. In the end, it's still my home."

She scooped up a short list of materials Luke jotted down and compared it to her own analysis. "The servants should be at the vault, waiting for me to open it. I'll be back with what we'll need for those dashing cloaks. A little unheval will treat this city well, if you ask me."

The oddity-obsessed Defier returned to the spiral staircase. She turned her head and winked at Luke. Annika tapped the entryway, summoning a cascade of runes to seal off the door from errant visitors, then went to fetch the proper items in the Defier's Vault. The Reaver used the opportunity to catch up on Interface notices. He started off with Sooty's for the hell of it.

[Your companion, Sooty, has reached level 72. Gained 2 skill points]

Simple enough, but important to account for nonetheless. He perused another batch of log lines.

[You have reached level 72. Gained 4 skill points]

[You have stolen 12,101 HP, 752 Agility, 351 Intellect, and 0 Strength]

[You have reached the limits of the 2nd agility threshold. Must reach the next tier to unlock the next threshold]

Luke had a hunch about this. While struggling against Meric, the attribute flow shuttered quite suddenly. A threshold limit perfectly explained it. The zero for strength haunted him. It looked like agility would gain that privilege for a while as well. Judging from the 'fullness' inside, the Reaver bet the other two primary attributes fast approached their tier limits as well. Maniacally fighting well above your pay grade 'paid' generous dividends.

[Spectral Bloom snatches away the knowledge of desire from Meric, deepening your understanding of the Greed Concept within you]

[You have stolen 27 Water resistance, 33 Poison Resistance, 9 Poison Affinity, and 16 Water Affinity]

[You have gained enough Water Affinity to condense your second and final Elemental Soul]

Palming the metal edge of the enchanting forge, Luke halted any ambient movement. "Well, there's a conundrum if I ever saw one."

"Saw what? Saw what?" Xera pounced on the opportunity for mystery. Whispering Tome readied itself to record in runic, pages open.

"I have the opportunity to condense a second Elemental Soul. I'm just unsure if it's the correct decision."

"How can it not be? More is better right?"

"If there wasn't a limit, you'd probably be correct, Xera."

Wayfinder twisted his gears. "What other element did you have in mind for, frosty?"

There was the nickname again. The Reaver took it as it came. The two earned the privilege to poke at him occasionally.

"That affinity test said that shadow suited me best. You know, during my joyous visit to the regular hunter's side in the guild. I wonder how those three instructors are doing? I was hoping to get that as the second Elemental Soul. But water? That's what ice is made of. It's a lot more tempting than I thought. Caught me at an impasse."

Wayfinder's ticked his needle particularly loudly. "A picky idiot if I've ever been bound to one. Lad, you need to take into account your situation. Do you have the luxury? To grasp, hope, and directionlessly tussle like a senile, flipant, two legged, ice cone? For a chance at what? Some other soul that may or may not be better than this water one? By my direction, and magnetic field, this is no choice at all. Pick the soul, you blubbering idiot."

"Jeez, you could have been a little bit more considerate. What if he just decides not to? Just to spite you, huh? What do you think about that compass? Master is fragile," Xera said.

"He's a blubbering idiot, not a thin-skinned, blind fool. He takes our input into account more often than you'd think. Wandy lass."

Images of the past scrolled like film. They paused at the extinguished lake. The flames, the Concept within them. The power. Right. What had he been thinking? Lorcan Pyrite wouldn't wait, and neither would he. He condensed the Elemental Water Soul on the spot.

[Your body becomes the bearer of the Lesser Water Soul. Your command over water grows, as does its effectiveness. Water of all kinds struggles to affect you]

[Detected the host understands the Ice Elementalization technique. Due to the Water Soul, the structural integrity of your ice advances, and the cost to use it lowers. Other benefits may unexpectedly appear]

Well, the ship had sailed. From those two messages, the Reaver discarded an unsaid burden. The path may not be optimal. Nor could one say it was ineffective. Time would tell how much a boon the Water Soul ended up as. The moisture in the air seemed to kneel. An aqua blue, sigil imprinted board summoned to his mind's eye.

[As you have condensed two Elemental Souls, you may not birth another, no matter your affinity. Only an Ether Soul is still available, should you reach the requisite threshold]

That came as no surprise. He'd been well-oiled with that knowledge in advance. Chomping at the bit, Luke filtered for any remaining relevant log lines. He dredged up one more worth concentrating on.

[You have completed the Tower's quest, while defeating Meric as intended. You and your companion receive 20 skill points each]

Risk of what he'd done set aside to earn it, the windfall of ten levels' worth of skill points sent waves of gratification through the Reaver. Rather than himself, he celebrated for Sooty. His spunky black feathered sidekick desperately needed additional skill points. Sure, sure, he did too. All the same, it was how Luke thought about things. As Annika was set to be back at any moment, he postponed using the skill points.

Hot on the trail, Annika skipped back into the room, humming to herself. She poured four sets of wrapped materials onto prearranged flat tables. Four plain cloaks with scaled edges came next, flanking each material set. Liquid agents, demon hide, blackish Ichor, and four separate Eye of the Deciever, ready for use.

Annika shifted Cedric into a staff, taking position on the opposite side of the enchanting forge. She sniffed the air. The woman's expression twisted, fixated on Luke. "Something's changed about you. Which girl was it!? Cedric, report."

"It appears Sir Luke has remained in this room during your absence, my lady. No others have visited in the interim."

"I'll let the promicious student off the hook for now. Scholar's Wit never lies, what's the change? I'm having to fight over the water in the vicinity with you more than usual."

Doubling checking the entryway to the library and staircase were taken care of, Luke summoned the Black Metal Mask. It slid onto his face, altering the Reaver's appearance and stature. "A second Elemental Soul, scattered intellectual."

"Who are you calling scattered? I'm incredibly focused at all times." A white water rune circle expanded out, encompassing both Defiers. Mana liquified, lifting a set of materials onto the enchanting forge.

"Focus on the primary task. A widow awaits me. The road already has its obstacles."

Whispering Tome formed into Ghost Blade. A twister of yellow-blue sigils spiraled from the weightless blade. Xera composed black essence at her wand tip. Essence Bond affixed to both weapons. Runes crawled up from their hilts.

"Caught you red-handed. Always going after the married ones. What can satisfy you?" Annika started manipulating water and mana through Cedric. Tendrils of white-blue threaded into the inert material on the enchanting forge.

Ominous hissing invited itself into the sanctuary. Metaphysical chains already circled. A demonic laugh carressed the Reaver's sinful soul.

"Peace, Annika. I've become what I am, as this world has left little choice. Tears of the many, for the discovery of the one. Earth wasn't so different from here, just less upfront about it. Everything follows the same ethos."

Puzzled by his lack of reaction to the ambient phenomenon, Annika furrowed her eyebrows. "Care to share what ethos that is, my split personality student?"

Holy light suffused into the chains. Angelic murmurs brushed against Rune's ears—a hypocritical sermon of servitude. A disembodied gaze peered beyond.

"Winner takes all."