Getting downstairs, Jake saw the elders all standing in the same position as when he had left them – standing while holding their staffs by their side slightly to the front as the back of their clothes somewhat hovered above the floor.
As Jake got down from the stairs, the heads of the elders turned to look at him. They all noticed something about Jake now that they could see him clearly without all the blood but none of them said anything.
The true mages were meticulous and paid close attention to detail so when they saw Jake, they immediately noticed that his appearance was a bit different from when they had first taken him from Veda. His appearance had improved.
After leveling up twice, it did not just affect his stats but also improved the overall attributes of his body which naturally improved his appearance.
Although the true mages couldn't see it, Jake's muscles were now more refined than before and his abdominal muscles were now stronger. His muscles also slightly bulked up which increased Jake's body mass and his size as well. The muscles in his arms and legs firm and somewhat tensed up as Jake saw all the elders looking at him.
The improvement in his face which the true mage elders noticed was the almost perfect symmetry of Jake's face. A slender nose, more pronounced cheekbones, a squared jawline with more pronounced definition at the gonial angle, clearer and smoother skin. At the moment, Jake wasn't very far from Sky in terms of looks and appearance.
Rheya had also noticed the subtle changes in Jake's appearance but just like the elders, she had opted to remain silent about it but the prevailing question going through their minds was undeniably unanimous: How is he doing it?
"Shall we proceed?" Raistrel asked. "We should not be slothful in our endeavors."
"Rheya." Serryl called out. "You remember the location of the enchanted armour, yes?"
"I do." Rheya answered.
"Please be kind enough to apparate with the Harbinger and take him there." Serryl said.
"My name's Jake." he corrected.
"Yes, but frankly I prefer to call you the Harbinger." Serryl replied with a slight smile. She exuded a certain air around her that made her approachable and presented her as an easygoing sort of person. Only time will tell if that is her true character.
"We don't exactly care about your name." Irvil said sternly then apparated.
The other elders soon followed after Irvil and began apparating as well while Rheya walked towards Jake and held onto his arm.
'So hard and rigid.' Rheya thought as she held Jake's arm and wrapped her slender fingers around it.
"I'm sorry if I kinda overreacted before." Jake apologized. "You were right about what you said and I just wasn't thinking about what good actually came out of this whole thing."
"I'm glad you chose to listen to reason." Rheya replied and gave Jake a warm smile that somehow made the light in the room reflect in her eyes and cause her golden irises to glisten a bit.
"I still almost died." Jake shouted playfully.
"Are we still talking about that?" Rheya asked with a small chuckle.
"You think it's funny?" Jake asked, staring at her as he admired how exceptionally beautiful she was. He had seen a lot of pretty girls but Rheya was on another level compared to them and the golden colour of her irises made her totally different from others.
"We should get going." Jake said. "They might start to wonder what's taking so long."
"Of course." Rheya said then apparated with Jake.
They appeared in an enclosed space and found the elders already there.
"What took you two so long?" Firsena asked.
Rheya was about to respond when Firsena cut her off and said "Nevermind."
Right in the middle of the circle the elders so naturally formed, a round hole opened up in the ground after Viesagol chanted a spell and from the hole, a show-glass was being elevated by the platform it was on.
Inside the show-glass was the most godlike armor Jake had ever seen in his entire life. The armor gleamed under the light in the room, its intricate design mesmerizing to anyone who laid eyes on it. Jake could hardly believe he was about to be given such a magnificent piece of craftsmanship.
The armor was adorned with intricate engravings, each most likely telling a story of the armor's creation and some history of the true mages during the war that happened between them.
It seemed to exude a sense of power and strength, as if it held the essence of magic itself within its plates.
As Jake gazed at the armor through the show-glass, already wishing he could touch it but 'Soon enough', he told himself, he couldn't help but imagine the warrior who once wore it into battle. The amount of confidence the person must have felt with the armor on must have been enough to make the person feel a new kind of euphoria.
In that moment, Jake felt a sense of awe and reverence for the craftsmanship and history encapsulated in the godlike armor.
From the breastplate of the armor, to the plate arms or the brassards, to the gauntlets that ended with a slight curve making it appear more like devastating claws, it was all pure white with not a speck of dirt on it.
The armor was a mixture of pure white and gold colours that were used so elegantly that it only increased the mystifying strength of the armor
The plate legs, the greaves, even the couters, they were all pure white but there were two long and broad wings at the back of the breastplate which was gold in colour. The gold colour also went through the whole armor in two lines, spreading from each wing and staying near the edges of each piece but being very visible to anyone who looked at it.
Looking at Jake's reaction and his amazement because of the armour, a couple of the elders smiled slightly.
They all knew the effect the armour had on people. It was the same as when Rheya saw it for the first time and even now, it was still affecting her, almost pulling her in.
"We present, the enchanted armour." Zedron said pridefully, obviously very pleased with the effect of the armour on Jake.