Rune Seeker

Hiral dashed up the stairs beside him even as the rain of solid slugs tore through the walls, the floor, and the stairs where he’d just been. Shredded stone flew in chunks, the trail of shots following him as he fled up to the next floor. The… the rapid fire just… stopped.

Not that Hiral did, climbing an additional two flights before he slowed. Thanks to his sensory domain blooming out through the broken windows, he felt the W45P toss aside its rifle – the weapon falling to the ground far below – and turning its gaze back on the building. Its left hand seemed to clench, the paired blades extending from the same arm beginning to vibrate ominously.

Yeah, he definitely didn’t want to get hit by those either.

But, now it seemed to be planning to get into melee range. Perfect.

Before the W45P had a chance to charge into the building after him, Hiral quickly activated his Arsenal of Amin Thett and his runes. Solar energy flashed around him as he dashed out of his hiding spot – straight for where the W45P hovered. His sprint chewed through the distance at the same time the flyer seemed to notice him. Predictably, the W45P moved to intercept, but Hiral cut hard to the right before he reached the still intact windows of this floor.

The thing was too fast for him catch it by surprise like this, so he changed direction to sprint to race along the windows. That wouldn’t be enough to get him ahead of the W45P also changing its angle, so he hard-turned one more time when he reached the corner of the floor, almost going back the way he’d come. This time, with the window just to his left, he poured on the speed, solar energy practically leaking out of him to leave a smoky trail in his wake. Even then, he wasn’t quite moving faster than the top speed of the W45P, but if it smashed through the windows like it had before, that would slow it down just enough to…

It didn’t enter the building, instead zipping down the alley next to it, and catching up to the dashing Hiral on the other side of the window. Having been outside right where the W45P was, there was no way it could actually see Hiral, the reflective windows making it look like it was flying by mirror after mirror. No, only its solar-energy senses were keeping it locked on to Hiral, now only fifteen feet ahead of it.

At its side, the W45P lifted its arm, blades humming from the vibrations running through them. Any second now, it would…

SMAAAASH, the window immediately in front of the speeding W45P shattered, a torso-sized block of metal vaguely resembling a dragon’s head with flames jetting out of the back arcing around.

At the same time Hiral’s decoy-clone of energy sped away from him, the Weight of Tomorrow SLAMMED into the speeding flyer’s chest. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow completely arrested the thing’s forward momentum to use its own speed against it. Metal crumpled beneath the blow as arms and legs splayed forward even as Hiral’s own arms and shoulders screamed in protest at the strain on them.

A squeeze of his hands in that second of impact activated the hammer’s other ability – No Time Like the Present– and the seemingly frozen flame in the dragon’s roaring maw ignited. Not with flame, though, or any other element Hiral could recognize. No, it was more like some kind of raw energy, with a ferociousness that sent a shiver down Hiral’s spine – even though it was his weapon. Something about that energy evoked an image of ‘the end’ straight into Hiral’s mind. Nothingness. A complete and irrevocable finality. That was the summation of The Custodian of Tomorrow’s breath attack.

And, even though this was only a pale facsimile of the original, it hit the W45P at point blank range at the moment of impact. The two abilities of the Weight of Tomorrow completely erased – and practically reversed – the W45P’s momentum, hurling it back in exactly the opposite direction it’d come in an explosion of terrifying energy.

Another SMASH an instant later across the far street sent a shockwave radiating outward across the front of the building, utterly bowing the entire building inward from the force.

No notification. The fight wasn’t over. Somehow.

Hiral burst forward on Rejection, blasting out the window in front of him with more of the same – now wasn’t the time to try to conceal his presence – and flashed across the street. His sensory domain cut through the hanging debris to find the mangled W45P through a series of broken floors, resting in a cratered pillar. One of its wings had been completely ripped off, while the other bent at a bad angle. Dust soaked with blood covered its entire right side, the garish wound in the shoulder open like someone had grabbed each edge and pulled it further apart. It was ugly.

But the health bar was still there, somehow at twenty percent – despite the caved in chest – and one of the legs bent as if the thing planned to stand up.

Not that Hiral was going to let it.

He cut through the dust cloud like one of the W45P’s own solid rounds, Weight of Tomorrow coming around to finish what it’d started. A micro-burst of Rejection jerked him to the side as the grounded flyer’s left arm came up, vibrating blades flashing across to bisect Hiral as he approached.

Pain flared from the left side of his abdomen – he hadn’t completely avoided the arc of the attack – but now the arm was past him, and he swung his hammer around. Moving the pressurized clamps along the haft to choke-up his grip, he closed the distance. It stole some of the power from the blow, but the hammer still crashed into the side of the W45P’s head. Stone rained from the shattered pillar as the whole armored foe jerked to the side.

Back and across the bladed arm came, and Hiral snapped the hammer up vertically, blocking the blades with the hammer’s haft. Even with a backhand, though, the thing was strong, easily pushing Hiral out from in front of it. That was fine with him, and he used the force along with a few micro-bursts of Rejection and Attraction to practically spin like a top as he got tossed aside.

Both of his hands slid down his weapon’s shaft, letting it reach its full length as he activated Here Today, Gone Tomorrow again. Using his whole body as a fulcrum, the hammer’s head circled around him to trace almost a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree circle. The impact of the hammer tearing through the pillar – and punting the W45P out the other side – shook the building. A second impact sounded when the W45P met another pillar.

Hiral was there the next second, his weapon coming around again. He took another pair of wounds across his thigh from the blades – carving him down to the bone – but it was a worthwhile trade. Even as the blood splashed from his injury, the Weight of Tomorrow crashed down onto the W45P’s left shoulder. As strong as the stressed brass seemed to be, it had finally reached its breaking point. Metal crumpled beneath the blow, crushing the shoulder down to waist-level. As the metal bent, it also ripped, revealing a torso that wasn’t meant to endure the same punishment as the armor. Blood and gore spewed out, the entire W45P immediately going into spasms.

Health still at five percent, the thing was somehow still alive. Suffering, but alive.

Four percent. It was bleeding out. But it wouldn’t be quick.

A glance at his hammer – that wouldn’t be any more humane, but plenty messier – and Hiral extended an empty hand. A pulse of Piercing and Separation sent a blade sideways into the exposed chest – around where a heart should be – and the health bar vanished. In the next second, a notification window appeared.

Dynamic Quest

Hidden Trial (A-Rank): Mechanized

Tomorrow’s 0M3G4 W34P0N stirs. Defeat more Mecha-Armor to initialize its systems. Defeating it will result in a hidden schematic unlocking new defenses and advanced class options.

Tomorrow’s Mecha-Armor, Mark G14NT Defeated: 0/5

Tomorrow’s Mecha-Armor, Mark W45P Defeated: 1/30

Tomorrow’s 0M3G4 W34P0N Defeated: 0/1

Hiral blinked. A look at the armor in front of him – it was clear it was armor now, with the leftovers of a person inside – then back to the notification window. Twenty-nine more of those? And five of those G14NTs?

A glance at his own heath – sixty-five percent – and he put a hand to the wound in his side. Blood ran freely from it and his leg, even though Runic Regeneration was working on patching him up. He’d managed to pull it off by himself, somehow. An actual A-Rank opponent. He allowed himself a full second of pride before he moved back to more pressing matters.

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Finally, he looked at the flavor text of the notification again. Specifically at the last three words of it – Advanced class options. Completing the trial would unlock advanced classes. An option for Seena and Romin? Or, the way it read, maybe it was something to do with the resulting building. Either way, that was huge… assuming they could deal with that many more of those things.

A look at his Raid Interface made him really question that. Nobody other than him was above fifty percent health – with Right sitting at twelve percent.

“You guys okay…?” he started, just as a pair of notification sprung up, the second completely replacing the first.

Dynamic Quest: Update

Hidden Trial (A-Rank): Mechanized

Tomorrow’s 0M3G4 W34P0N stirs. Defeat more Mecha-Armor to initialize its systems. Defeating it will result in a hidden schematic unlocking new defenses and advanced classes.

Tomorrow’s Mecha-Armor, Mark G14NT Defeated: 1/5

Tomorrow’s Mecha-Armor, Mark W45P Defeated: 2/30

Tomorrow’s 0M3G4 W34P0N Defeated: 0/1

“Define ‘okay’,” Seena groaned into the party chat. “We won, barely.”

“Same… here,” Right said, though his voice was strained. “Think… think I’ll stay here, though. Wait for you… to resummon me… back with the others.”

“Did you see the notification?” Yanily asked eagerly.

Hiral was just about to respond when his expanded sensory domain lit up, and a mechanical ROAR shook the city.

“That’s another one of those G14NTs,” Seeyela said. “I don’t think we can deal with another one of them right now.”

A second ROAR, this time from a different section of the city.

“Definitely don’t think we can deal with two,” Seeyela amended.

“More W45Ps out there too,” Hiral said, his attention on his domain. “Five of them. Maybe more.”

“That’s too many,” Wule said. “We’re already behind on healing, and low on solar energy.”

“Retreat?” Ilrolik asked. “Back into the woods?”

“No,” Hiral said. “These Mecha-Armors only sense active solar energy. They don’t seem sensitive to passive buffs. We can hide from them. Burst heal, then cut all solar energy usage and find a place to hide. Let your solar energy recharge normally.”

“They’ll come right to where we were,” Seena pointed out.

“I’ve got a way I can distract them,” Hiral said. “Then I’ll come find you. You’ve got one minute to heal. Then don’t use any more solar energy.”

“One minute isn’t much, boy,” Gran said.

“Then make it count.”

“We should move a bit away from where we fought,” Yanily said. “Which direction?”

“Toward the Playhouse,” Hiral said. “Still our priority.”

“Understood,” Left said. “You heard him, let’s heal what we can. Lingering heal-over-time abilities at the end.”

With his double giving instructions, Hiral’s eyes went to Right in the Party Interface. The twelve percent had dropped to eleven. Apparently, that double was also bleeding out – I didn’t even know he could. But, if Right wasn’t talking about it, that meant it was serious enough Hiral should hurry.

So, without wasting any time, he cancelled and reactivated Foundational Split, solar energy peeling off his skin to form into Right at his side.

As soon as he materialized, the double looked down at his right side, clenching and unclenching his fist, then lifting his leg up and down a few times.

“How bad was it?” Hiral asked his double.

“Bad,” Right said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get to you guys even if I wanted to. I dragged myself into a corner, so hopefully nothing would notice me. Lost my arm late in the fight – that rifle it was carrying was powerful – then it took my leg while I was finishing it off. More out of spite than anything else, I think.”

“Wow,” Hiral said, amazed his double had not only taken that much punishment, but had still defeated an A-Rank opponent with only one hand.

“It only worked because I knew I couldn’t really die,” Right clarified. “Took a big, big risk at the end there, and luckily it paid off.” He looked down again at his arm, then tapped his right shoulder. “A few inches more to the left, and I’d be having an entirely different conversation with you. Or, worse, you’d be dealing with two of those things at the same time.”

“Don’t think I could manage that,” Hiral said. “Figured out a few ways to trick their sensors though. Which, I’ve got to get to now. Then we’re running back to the others the old-fashion way.”

“Flying is overrated anyway,” Right said.

“You’re just jealous.”

“You have no idea. Flying! You and Left both. Who wouldn’t be jealous?”

Hiral just chuckled, but then turned his attention to what he needed to do next.

Spooling energy into his runes, Hiral began the process of creating dozens of his solar energy clones. They’d sprint randomly around the city – in areas where the party wasn’t planning to be – to distract the Mecha-Armors. He’d have to hope those G14NTsand W45Ps didn’t notice the area where the clones weren’t, but they’d cross that bridge if they came to it.

Just as the clones were beginning to form in clouds of solar energy at his sides, though, Hiral had a sudden idea. Threads of Connection reached out from him – along with hints of Exchange and Dreaming – to attach to each of the constructs. However, instead of connecting them to him, he tied them to his sensory domain. Part of him didn’t even think it was going to work… until it did.

What would the results be? He’d have to wait and see, but he’d already made a beacon of himself. A thought sent the clones out in all directions, running up and down stairs, leaping out windows, and dashing down the streets.

Now it was his turn. Though… uh… without Rejection, maybe he should take the stairs. Which he and Right did. It took a few extra seconds, but Hiral’s body was more than up to the task of what he needed. His rapid steps chewed through distance, down alleys and along the edges of building for cover whenever he could.

There wasn’t exactly sun overhead – the light was just kind of everywhere – so they didn’t have the luxury of shadows to hide in as they moved. And, since they couldn’t be sure entering one building would lead them to a corresponding exit, they kept to the streets. More ROARS from the mechanized G14NT echoed from time to time, but the monstrosities didn’t sound like they were getting closer. Either Hiral’s solar-energy clones were working to distract them, or they hadn’t noticed where the party was.

Actually, even Hiral wouldn’t have, if he didn’t have the Party Interface pointing him in their direction.

Just to be sure he wasn’t leading a sneaky pack of W45Ps back to his friends, he and Right ended up taking a bit of a round-about route, getting back to them about five minutes later. They’d moved deep into the center of a large building, holing up on the third floor in a room with thick walls. Seeyela waved at them from where she kept watch hidden at a corner, and Hiral moved straight on to check with the others while Right went over to the woman.

Their health had climbed up nicely in the Raid Interface, and all things considered, they looked to be in pretty good shape when he arrived. Drahn and Igwanda seemed to be missing, but if Seeyela was out keeping watch, it’d make sense for that pair to be doing the same.

“How’s everybody doing?” he asked Seena as she met his eyes upon entry.

Before she answered, her gaze checked in from top to bottom for injuries. Thankfully, Runic Regeneration had done its job, and the Coat of Amin Thett’s repair function had removed all evidence of wounds. She’d probably seen his health drop in the Party Interface, but she didn’t bring it up.

“Good,” she said. “That was one hell of a fight, though. Thing was a monster.”

“Armor was stronger than the Colossus we fought in Tomorrow’s Vigil,” Yanily added. “Felt like I was using a toothpick the whole time.”

“Hit hard too,” Romin said. “Mostly ranged attacks when it wasn’t simply trying to stomp on us.”

“Don’t think I could heal that,” Wule said. “So, please continue not getting stomped on if we fight more of them.”

“He’s talking to you,” Gran said to the miniaturized Wallop.

The Rune-o snuffed and looked at Romin.

“He says, It worked, didn’t it?” the Bonder translated.

“Only because those two muscle-bound Shapers caught the foot,” Gran said flatly.

Another snuff. “He says he was lifting too. He has very strong legs,” Romin said.

“One of the reasons we won,” Seena explained. “Is because the three of them managed to get the thing off balance enough for a big barrage from the side to knock it over.”

“You knocked the G14NT down?” Hiral asked, both amazed and impressed.

“Over,” Seena clarified. “It crashed into the building beside it, so it didn’t completely hit the ground. Made it to so it couldn’t use most of its weapons though. That was enough of an advantage to get us the win. Seemed like there was some kind of cavity in its chest. Got enough fire in there to roast the thing from the inside out.”

“They are called Mecha-Armor,” Hiral reminded her. “The one I fought definitely had somebody – or something – inside. Bet you found the… driver? Is that what we’d call it.”

“You mean she cooked the driver,” Yanily said. “It was a lot of fire.”

“Seemed like just the right amount, if you ask me,” Seena countered.

Yanily shrugged like he couldn’t argue with the point.

“The knocking-over thing,” Hiral said. “Is that something we can repeat if we want to complete the quest?”

Instead of answering, Seena looked at Loan and Ilrolik.

“We had to use some big cooldowns to make that happen,” Ilrolik said. “Maybe we can do that if we’re taking them on one at a time – maybe – but part of that was definitely luck. What’s the plan for what’s next? Hidden trial – this Mechanized quest – or The Playhouse.”

“Advanced classes,” Yanily said, looking from Hiral to Seena.

“I highly doubt anything connected to those brass monsters will lead me to an advanced class,” Seena said. Then she looked at Romin. “What about you? Feeling anything? How about anybody else?”

“You’re the one closest to level twenty,” Hiral said quietly, but she ignored him while she waited for the others to answer.

“Would it turn Wallop into some kind of Mecha-Rune-o?” Romin asked, and the companion’s head snapped up at the question. Then he took a step back, shaking his head vigorously. A snuff, some pawing at the ground, and another snuff. “Of course you’d get to keep your new armor,” Romin answered. “It’d probably be shiny.”

That made the Rune-o pause, and he tilted his head to the side to look back at his armored body, as if imagining it in brass.

“It probably wouldn’t do that,” Hiral said. “But, who knows with advanced classes.”

“How about the rest of you?” Seena prompted again.

“Maybe?” Loan said for his group. “But, nothing is jumping out at me.”

“No gut feeling?” Hiral asked his old trainer, and the big man smiled at Hiral.

“Nothing,” Loan said, then looked at his own hands. “Besides, for me, I have no interest in some kind of brass armor. My body is my armor and my weapon.”

“Same for us,” Nivian said after a quick look at his party. “Maybe there is something, but nothing we feel. No need to rush there.”

“It sounds like it’ll still be there after we finish The Playhouse anyway,” Ilrolik said. “That’s what the Trust sent us here to do.”

“Then that’s what we’re going to do, I think,” Hiral said. He’d basically been planning that anyway, but it was nice to hear the parties were all on the same page. “Once everybody is good on solar energy, we’ll move.”