(All items listed at bottom of chapter, can skip if you want)
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Name: Tero
Guild: The High Order
Rank: High Magister
Level: 46
Class: Adventurer 20, Leyline Strategist 20, Leygate Magister 6
Strength: 10+4
Body: 10+40
Agility: 10+8
Dexterity: 10+8
Intelligence: 130+150
Willpower: 32+54
Charisma: 21
Stat points: 0
Mana: 14700/14700
]
It took two weeks…
Two full weeks of leveling, dungeon running, and gathering, but most of all, gearing.
Gear in this world was an interesting problem.
Every profession had at least some level of overlap with another, and no profession really got blocked out by another.
Runesmithing stacked with enchanting, which stacked with leather reinforcements, which stacked with whatever else you could figure out how to attach.
Of course, figuring it out was the hard part.
You couldn't just keep sewing things onto a robe and expect it to become better.
I knew this because I tried.
The first version had so much reinforcement around the shoulders that lifting my arm pulled the entire robe up with it.
Sera watched me struggle for a while before saying anything.
"Can you cast like that?"
"Yes."
"Comfortably?"
"...It's just version one okay?"
By the end, there were five different things contributing to most of our equipment. The materials themselves, my enchanting, Sera's runes, the leatherwork, and the alchemical treatments.
Then we had to sit there circulating mana through everything until it stopped feeling like we were wearing someone else's clothes.
That part was actually pretty nice.
The whole set seemed to settle around me, and for the first time I could really feel how much work we had put into it.
With that being said, the amount twenty devoted people could get done in two weeks was insane.
We all had matching gear.
Well, the main parts at least.
People still had their preferences, but the green robes and pale fur made it pretty obvious we belonged together. The gold insignia helped too.
It felt nice.
Felt rewarding.
The only thing irking me was that the leading guilds were hitting level sixty now.
They were getting ready to do the raid.
Although I could change the layer we were on, basically refreshing our access to loot and using maps to locate chests, I had to come to the conclusion that I wasn't yet that special.
The largest guilds were getting into the thousands of members.
They had people whose entire job was getting guildies onto their layer.
And getting other people out of it, if you believed the rumors.
I could be useful to twenty people.
They apparently had entire departments being useful to thousands.
Blake told me not to worry about them.
Which was easy for him to say, but whatever he said, I felt weirdly locked into going along with it.
He did strange 'star magic,' as he called it.
Some of it looked like my Magic Missiles, only with the power of fate involved somehow.
That was so far outside my understanding that I mostly judged it by the damage.
And the damage was significant.
Each bolt could tear through the head of a yeti, and they never seemed to miss.
The first time I watched one bend around a tree, I stopped casting just to stare.
"How'd you do that?"
Blake lowered his staff.
"It was going to move."
"That doesn't explain the tree."
"No."
Then he went back to drinking his mana potion.
He wasn't even primarily a combat caster. Most of his contributions had been helping our resource acquisition, guiding my portals toward layers that were apparently worth visiting.
So seeing him casually put a hole through a yeti was a bit much.
The only real limitation was that he couldn't make many of those bolts, nor supply the mana to keep casting for long.
Still.
For a boss fight?
Definitely useful.
We spent most of our time in the Alpine Forest, although getting properly established there took some effort.
At first we needed whatever warming gear we could find, or have one of our fire mages keep an aura of warmth running.
Nobody wanted to wander out of that aura.
It made gathering awkward when four people followed the same guy from plant to plant.
Eventually our own equipment solved most of that problem, and we started working farther into the zone.
We ended up calling the two halves Alpine Forest and Alpine Hills.
Technically it was all Alpine Forest, but half of it was a desolate frostland with barely a tree in sight, so we needed some way to explain where we were.
"Near the trees" stopped being useful pretty quickly.
We also found a layer with nobody in it.
No players, at least.
The NPCs were still there. Shops were open, guards stood around, and the inns had rooms ready.
We checked guild chat, the market, and the usual gathering places.
Nothing.
It was… unsettling.
Maybe everyone had left.
Maybe they had all joined some larger guild and moved together.
I preferred that explanation, although nobody actually knew.
People died every day.
Elites in particular were a nasty wake-up call. Ordinary mobs usually attacked in patterns you could learn, but elites noticed when something wasn't working.
A wolf that stopped chasing the person with the shield was suddenly a much bigger problem.
Still, the empty layer gave us access to all the public materials and little useful bits at the vendors' asking prices.
No competing buy orders.
No arriving to find someone had bought the entire stock or was hogging a workstation.
It saved us a ridiculous amount of time, and having our own little slice of the world was nice once we got used to the quiet.
During all this, me and Merlin also learned a hard lesson about flying.
Birds didn't care what zone you were in.
And they could see you.
We had gone up to get a better look at the hills when a shadow moved across the snow below us.
At first I thought it was a cloud.
Then Merlin looked up.
"Oh, we need to go down."
I followed his gaze.
[Level 65 Hellflame Roc]
Yah.
We needed to go down.
I had never descended that quickly on purpose before.
By the time we reached the trees, my robes were smoking around the edges, and Merlin had apparently decided landing on his feet was optional.
Thankfully, it didn't pursue us once we stayed on the ground.
Flying was OP, but sending a level sixty-five our way still felt rude.
After that, we flew low.
Very low.
Sadly, most of the bigger names in the guild ended up lower level than the others.
A fire mage got more experience burning through mobs than I did sitting at a bench fixing everyone's sleeves.
Still, I hit level forty-six, and the lowest member of the guild was forty-five.
The highest was forty-nine.
One of our two fire mages had really gone crazy, and I had to respect him for that.
It was fun being with everyone.
Of course, hiding my personal life from Sheral was a pain in the ass.
She noticed that me and Jane weren't talking much almost immediately.
When she asked, I told her we were busy.
She looked at me, looked at Jane working about twenty feet away, then looked back.
"Alright."
I didn't trust that answer at all.
But we had a goal, and from what I could tell, we were all good people.
We got familiar with each other's magic.
Learned who needed time to prepare, who ran out of mana first, and who said they were fine when they very clearly weren't.
We even managed a few ten-versus-ten spars.
Those were educational.
Mostly in the sense that being friends with a telekinetic mage didn't stop him from dragging you face-first through the snow.
"You were flying," Merlin said afterward.
"I was three feet off the ground!"
"Should've learned from the bird."
On the morning of 19/2/0, we started getting ready.
A week later than I had wanted, but looking around, I couldn't really regret it.
People checked each other's straps, compared potion supplies, and made sure their ward reserves were full.
Sera went down the line inspecting her work.
Nobody argued when she told them to hold still, even if she had that unaware rudeness to her.
During the two weeks, someone had leaked information about the dungeon in the back of The Nest.
It was actually two dungeons that led into a twenty-person raid.
Four groups could clear the approaches.
Then all twenty of us could face what waited at the end.
When I heard that, I knew what I wanted.
We were going to be the first guild to clear it on Legendary.
It would put us on the map.
Most of the bigger guilds were focused on the grand prize of saving the world from demons, so for once there was something worth doing that they weren't all throwing people at.
I looked around at the matching robes, the staves, and the people still joking while they checked their equipment.
Then I checked my own belt again.
I wanted to be right about this.
[Frostbough Hood]
[Elite — Head]
[+10 Intelligence, +4 Willpower]
[Insulated hood with reinforced brow and collar.]
[Clear Sight: Reduces snow glare and improves visibility in dim light.]
[Frostbough Mantle]
[Elite — Shoulders]
[+8 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +4 Body]
[Fur-lined mantle with flexible bearhide protection.]
[Spread Impact: Distributes glancing impacts across the shoulders]
[Frostbough Weathercloak]
[Elite — Back]
[+8 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +2 Agility]
[Windproof, water-resistant cloak with a quick-release clasp.]
[Winterward: Reduces incoming cold damage by 15%.]
[Frostbough Magister's Robe]
[Epic — Chest]
[+20 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +6 Body]
[Reinforced robe with a minor woven defensive barrier.]
[Aegis Weave: Consumes 300 stored mana to create a defensive ward lasting up to six seconds. Sufficient damage can break it early.]
[Cooldown: Two minutes.]
[Frostbough Warming Tunic]
[Elite — Undergarment]
[+2 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +8 Body, +2 Strength]
[Insulated, moisture-wicking inner layer.]
[Even Warmth: Redistributes retained body heat and slowly dries accumulated moisture.]
[Frostbough Trail Trousers]
[Elite — Legs]
[+2 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +4 Body, +2 Agility]
[Insulated trousers with reinforced knees and thighs.]
[Loose Thread: Helps fresh ordinary webbing slide off before securing its grip. Does not break established or magical restraints.]
[Frostbough Casting Bracers]
[Elite — Wrists]
[+6 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +2 Dexterity]
[Flexible forearm guards with recessed rune plates.]
[Ward Catch: Activates the robe's Aegis through a deliberate squeeze of the fastening, without speech or a free casting hand.]
[Shares Aegis's reserve and cooldown.]
[Frostbough Spellweaver Gloves]
[Elite — Hands]
[+8 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +4 Dexterity]
[Insulated casting gloves with reinforced palms and fingertips.]
[Steady Fingers: Reduces trembling]
[Frostbough Reserve Belt]
[Elite — Waist]
[+2 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +6 Body, +2 Strength]
[Reinforced belt supporting bags, a staff loop, and two protected quartz cells.]
[Ward Reservoir: Stores 600 mana, sufficient for two Aegis activations.]
[Recharge: Transfer personal mana at a one-to-one rate during at least one uninterrupted minute outside combat.]
[Stored mana can power Aegis only.]
[Frostbough Surestep Boots]
[Elite — Feet]
[+6 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +2 Body, +4 Agility]
[Insulated boots with reinforced soles and flexible ankles.]
[Surestep: Improves traction]
[Frostbough Conductor Staff]
[Epic — Casting Focus]
[+20 Intelligence, +6 Willpower]
[A balanced frostfir staff with a neutral quartz core.]
[Conductor: Direct damage, healing, and protective spells channelled through the staff gain 8% potency. Summoned creatures' later attacks are unaffected.]
[Clean Channel: Channelled spells cost 3% less mana, to a minimum of one.]
[Frostbough Quietheart Pendant]
[Elite — Neck]
[+12 Intelligence, +4 Willpower]
[A neutral-aspected quartz pendant compatible with different schools of magic.]
[Quietheart: Filters interference from the wearer's equipment, easing prolonged concentration.]
[Frostbough Ring of Precision]
[Elite — Ring]
[+8 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +2 Dexterity]
[Handlight: Creates a small directed light for ten minutes.]
[Activation Cost: Two mana.]
[Frostbough Ring of Resolve]
[Elite — Ring]
[+6 Intelligence, +6 Willpower]
[Hold Fast: Reduces the duration of hostile fear effects by 10%.]
[Frostbough Seal of the High Order]
[Epic — Trinket]
[+6 Intelligence, +2 Willpower, +2 Body]
[A gold insignia bearing the guild's star-crowned archway emblem.]
[Order Signal: Sends an agreed signal to attuned guild seals within 150 metres.]
[Signals: Gather, Danger, Retreat, Ready.]
[Activation Cost: Two mana. Transmission interval: Five seconds.]
[Dense stone and magical wards can block transmission.]
[Frostbough Expedition Satchel]
[Elite — Bag]
[Quantity: Four per member.]
[Capacity: Ten inventory slots each.]
[Snowheart Hunter's Stew]
[+4 Body, +4 Willpower]
[Duration: Two hours.]
[Improves comfort during ordinary cold exposure.]
[One meal buff at a time. Does not grant cold-damage resistance.]
[Clearbough Tea]
[Drink — Six servings per member]
[+10% natural mana regeneration outside combat.]
[Duration: Thirty minutes.]
[One tea effect at a time. Additional servings refresh the duration.]
[Bluecap Mana Draught]
[Alchemy — Eight per member]
[Restores 400 mana over twenty seconds, up to maximum.]
[Shared cooldown: Two minutes.]
[Restoration effects cannot overlap. Does not directly recharge ward cells.]
[Snowheart Mending Draught]
[Alchemy — Four per member]
[Accelerates recovery from minor-to-moderate wounds and slows ordinary bleeding for thirty seconds.]
[Shared mending-draught cooldown: Two minutes.]
[Does not regrow limbs, or replace treatment for major arterial bleeding.]
[Ironleaf Antitoxin]
[Alchemy — Four per member]
[Reduces ordinary animal venom damage rate and duration by 20%.]
[Duration: Thirty minutes. One active dose effect.]
[For existing venom, affects future damage and remaining duration only.]
[Does not counter supernatural or boss-specific venom unless that venom explicitly permits it.]
[Frostbough Field Repair Roll]
[Utility — One per member]
[Contains supplies for three small fabric, leather, or strap repairs, plus one spare fastening charm.]
[Replacing rune components requires a trained crafter.]
[Broken focus cores and Aegis plates require workshop repairs.]
[CRAFTING CONTRIBUTIONS]
[Enchanting]
[Each of the fifteen equipped pieces receives +2 Intelligence and +2 Willpower.]
[Total: +30 Intelligence, +30 Willpower.]
[Already included in the item cards.]
[Runesmithing]
[Provides the named rune abilities, ward reserve, activation controls, and guild signals.]
[The belt, robe, and bracers form one defensive system: battery, ward emitter, and trigger.]
[Leather Reinforcement]
[Adds physical protection, stronger seams, durable straps, improved grip, and reinforced soles.]
[Provides no additional unlisted attribute bonuses.]
[Alchemical Conditioning]
[Improves insulation, water resistance, material flexibility, and durability.]
[Tempering adds +2 Body to the robe, tunic, belt, and boots.]
[Total: +8 Body, already included in their cards.]
[Personal Mana Attunement — Frostbough Circuit]
[Requires all fifteen equipped pieces and forty-five minutes of personal calibration.]
[Complete Circuit: +5% maximum personal mana and +10% natural mana regeneration outside combat.]
[COMPLETE EQUIPMENT TOTAL]
[+124 Intelligence]
[+42 Willpower]
[+32 Body]
[+8 Agility]
[+8 Dexterity]
[+4 Strength]
[With Snowheart Hunter's Stew]
[Body bonus increases to +36.]
[Willpower bonus increases to +46.]
[With Clearbough Tea and Complete Attunement]
[Natural mana regeneration outside combat increases by 21% in total.]