The night was spent in quiet. The tavern was practically dead as we sat and ate our meal. We ate free of charge due to being Hargo's disciple and apprentices. It was good food despite the chilling news that had been spread. We were served a loaf of bread, a bowl of stew, and some kind of meat and veggie pie. We had two separate rooms as Sam required her own due to gender differences and awkwardness.
That night I laid there and wondered a little about Hargo and what it all meant. I realised that the people might require my help fixing things and keeping things in order considering Hargo shared his designs with very few people. As I wondered I realized that I needed to figure out my skills so I knew what I was able to do. I sat up some and started talking with Gluttony.
/ You currently have the following stats.
Name: Ignatius Soulsmith
Species: Armored Sky Dragon Man
Class: Necromancer
Current titles: Dead Eater, Bookworm, Hargo's Disciple, Beloved of Dwarves, Death Lord.
Passives:
Blessing of Aed the Fire God ( Boosts all fire and smithing capacities while marking host a champion of Aed)
Fire Monarch 4/10 flame mastery.
Molten Titan Body (Combination of Molten Heart and Molten Titan fortification)
Power of Kong
Shadow Sight
Soul Hearing ( necromancy job skill)
Archery Mastery lvl 4
Smithing lvl Max
Necromancer Class level 7/10 ( Will be able to combine job with blood line at lvl 10)
Active skills:
Disaster Enhanced Abilities
Tail strike, Claw, Breath, Tongue strike, and Roar.
Earth Magic level 3/5
Hawk Eye (Recieved from assailant)
Accupoint strike ( Recieved from assailant)
Smithing Strike lvl max.
Shadow Manipulation lvl 4/5
Stealth lvl max
Shapeshift lvl 3
Lulling Voice lvl 1
Shadow Stalk lvl 1
Do you wish to combine similar skills and create more beneficial ones?/
I took a moment to contemplated it. (Yes) I thought. I felt a crackle throughout my nerves as Gluttony took action. My eyes sharpened further and my muscles seemed to be constantly warm. The system rang through my mind again when it was finished. My shadow based skills were all combined to create the passive skill Shadow Assassin. The shadows completley eat sound from walking while obscuring me from the view of others but enhancing my view. My body based skills were combined and turned into Molten Dragon Body. Now it helps build body mass and muscles along with healing and extended lifespan.
My Necromancer skills remained unchanged just like my Disaster level skills. It was rather thrilling, having Gluttony is awesome.
I opened my eyes to see steam rising from my body and looked down to see my body had become even more muscular than before. I was more barrel chested and my arms had become almost 6 inches thick. My legs were the things that really got strong. Moving them was like trying to move small hills. I sat up and listened carefully to the quiet room. The only thing I heard was Legions strange multi-tone breathing. I shook my head a little and brought out Hargo's gauntlets. They laid in my hands while I stared at them.
" Why did you say you did so little?" I wondered as I thought of his last words. They seemed to echo through my mind as I sat there. I sighed as I came to understand that I really didnt know much about Hargo and his past. The night passed quickly. I hardly slept at all. Questions came and went with the wind till I could hardly think and finally collapsed from mental fatigue. (This is too much.) I thought tiredly.
The next morning I rose when the light hit my eyes. I was tired and groggy as I lifted my head from the pillow. I looked down the the sheets and found my feet were sticking off the end of the bed as my wings were splayed out like a flattened hawk. I sat up and pulled my wings in. "Haaaaah." I grunted as I stretched out. I quickly found my clothes by the bed and put them on. The leather fit nice and snug and I slowly opened the door to head down for breakfast. The smells wafted up from below. Eggs, bacon, sweet and fruity smells wafted up from below. The noises were slightly quieter than the night before. I guess people were taking the news slowly.
Mary was behind the counter and smiled a little as I approached. I really got a good look at her in the daylight as it shined through the window. She stood about 4 foot 3 and wore a weathered apron that looked like it was originally white that had since turned grey. It was splattered with stains of various colors and was worn ragged on the right side. Under it she wore a shirt and skirt made of a red and plaid material which made her white and silver hair stand out like a lightning strike in a thunder storm. " Was wondering when you'd wake up. Got just the thing for you." She said as she ran into the kitchen in the back. Her voice was a light rumble like pebbles clattering on stones. Each word like the pebble hitting, Direct but slightly cheery and warm. She came out with a large plate filled with food. Slices of toast, bacon, fried potatoe like things, and a large wooden tankard of juice was laid out on a table where Mary made a gesture for me to sit. It was a small circular stone table that stood about 4 feet tall and had a small chair below it made of wood that was painted white. I slowly moved the chair back with a small scraping sound against the stone and sat. I was slightly surprised that the chair was able to hold me. It didn't even creak.
My eyebrows rose. "This ones pretty sturdy." I said. Mary let out a small laugh. "We dwarves are very proud of any work we put our hands too." She huffed with her head high in pride.
My mouth formed a slight smile. ( Just like Hargo. I hope all dwarves take that pride to the grave just like he did.) My stomache growled and I chowed down on the meal. The bacon came from a Steel Boar. Their hides were thick but the name came from the fact that they grew large metallic tusks from their mouths. I got a skill for Metalic Reinforcement but that was absorbed by Molten Titan Body or MTB as I came to call it.
The toast was just normal toast and really did nothing but taste good. The potatoe-like objects were actually something unexpected. It tasted just like a baked potato but the butter it was covered with made it soft and succulent. I would eat a hundred if given the chance.
/ Host has consumed Wood Ant Egg./ I nearly spat out the thing I was eating in shock. It was delicious... But seriously! It wasn't like anything I encountered before. I looked toward Mary and she quickly came over. "Is it true that these are Wood Ant Eggs?" I asked in an attempt at curiosity.
" Indeed. We really have a sharp young man with us today." She turned to leave but I waved quickly. " That wasn't really what I wanted to ask. I haven't ever seen a Wood ant what are they like?" Mary made a sort of pouting face as she held her chin a little in pondering. " They're a peculiar beastie. Look like a tree but in reality their body is under ground. Essentially an ant with a tree that grows out of the buggers hind quarters. The eggs grow on the tree and fall when they're ripe see. But if you pick'em up before they can hatch and dig into the soil they stay in egg form. Makes good eating dunnit?" I nodded in understanding.
"Thank you for easing my curiosity." I bowed my head slightly. " No problem deary." She said as she walked off to tend to another customer. I continued eating and found I got two skills that were absorbed. The first was overridden by MTB. The other was earth resistance which was absorbed by MER. ( Soon I'll have resistance to all the elements.) I chuckled inwardly as I finished eating. I felt stuffed. My belly was almost round as I finished the last piece of bacon.
I heard movement on the stairs as Sam came down and saw me. "Ignis. Have you eaten... yet?" She asked as she noticed my round belly and slowly shook her head. " I guess I should have guessed as much. You sure can be a glutton sometimes." She sat down and waved to Mary who brought her over a smaller plate that had some of the same things I had on it.
I sighed and patted my belly. " Cant help if the locals give me food now can I?" I retorted. She snorted. " Says the one who looks like he can roll down the street if I push him. We laughed and talked till Legion came down.
After we had all gathered we met Mar outside the Inn. " His Majesty has ordered me to bring you to see him. He was rather busy due to missing persons who were recently reported from Weremar and our other two sister continents. Lady Samantha was on the list but since she's adventuring it was obviously squashed. We already sent news to the other continents and cities about this fact." We moved toward the spider elevators again and slowly made our way up.
" You know Mar. I could just fly up to the top level to meet his majesty. Why all the walking?" Mar shook his head before he spoke. " Only the Kings Sky Knights have the right to fly about our city. Anything else is shot down or speared by a javelin." A little sweat dotted my brow slightly as we walked after that. Thankfully after reaching the 30th level there was a central elevator. After stepping inside the crystaline case Mar turned and inserted a strange screw key into the spiders mechanism and it started to climb.
After about 10 minutes we finally reached the top level of the city. No buildings dotted the level besides the castle and a church. They were placed opposite of each other but were exactly the same size. The church was designed of pure white rock and stained glass while the castle was made of a mix of metal and granite. We slowly made our way to the front gates after the spider let us out. They were enormous iron gates decorated with designs of sentinels riding dragons.
They slowly opened to reveal a large courtyard filled with flowers and green grass. We walked down a path made of crushed quartz rocks which made the path sparkle as it reflected the sun. We soon arrived at the main door which was manned by two dwarven knights who noticed Mar and let us through without stopping us.
The interior of the castle was very victorian with a dual staircase leading from an upper level. It was brightly lit and the carpets were a scarlet with purple trim. ( Truly extravagant) I thought as we continued walking. We went up the stairs and soon stood before a pair of large redwood double doors. Mar turned to us before we entered. "I'm sure Madam Carnac remembers how to act in the presence of royalty but in case you two dont I'll say this now. Remember to bow when you meet the king and do not speak unless otherwise spoken to. Do I make myself clear?" Legion and I slowly nodded.
The doors slid open revealing a large ballroom like area. It had a large curved ceiling and pillars that lined the walls. A guard stood by every pillar with their swords presented before them. A single large carpet went from the door all the way to the thrones. We slowly walked and knelt before the king. I quickly glimpsed upward so I had an idea who I was talking to. What I saw was a bald dwarf who wore a Smith's outfit. His body reeked of metal that I could smell from 20 feet away. But the look still didnt change the look and demeanor of him. This was indeed a king. He slowly shifted his hand.
"Marius please have them stand. You know how I hate formalities." He nodded and we slowly stood. My full height was exposed to the king and a grin showed on his face as he hopped off his throne. "So you're the one they've been talking about aye?" He asked excitedly. " That depends on what your majesty has heard." I responded slowly. He shook his head a little.
"Nuh uh. None of this "Your Majesty" business. I want to know if my brother really chose you." My eyes widened a little as I stood up a little taller.
" Brother?" I said in confusion. " I'm sorry sir but I'm afraid I'm not familiar with your brother." He shook his head a little and muttered. " Figures that knuckle headed fool would do this. My name is Kylisius Jantic Verst. King of the city of Verst, And my brother was Hargosius Malphestus Verst Wyrmsmith. Your master."
Needless to say my jaw hit the floor.