The three adventurers ascended the spiraling stair case in somber silence. The only sounds in the air were their heavy footsteps, and light breaths. They had managed to slay the being responsible for their dire circumstances for the past week, but they were all wearing gloomy expressions. They had achieved their sought out goal of freedom. But at a devastating cost they weren't willing to face. Or that was how Argo felt at the moment. He didn't bother with using his armor's enchantments to observe his companion's expressions.
They all moved with purposeful intent, hastily making their way to the surface. They all shared an unspoken silence; unwilling to speak about the events that unfolded. Argo didn't mind, there was too much on his mind at the moment anyway.
Their strength was like dust in the wind, but they were still capable of grasping grains. They all carried a hidden guilt, feeling partially responsible for the attack on the City of Selene. All the more reason to make an effort to save the few people they could.
As they hiked up the never-ending cobblestone steps enshrouded in darkness, Argo decided to take inventory on all of the things he received. Due to the severity of the situation, he was unable to properly organize and examine his new skills and equipment. He was also very interested in the new trait he had gained.
Quest: Free the Sun from it's eternal bindings.
Name: Argo
Epithet(s): Last Hero
Rank: 0
Inherent: [The Miracle]
Traits: [Dichotomy], [Hero of Finality], [Moon Tether]
Skills: [Greater Hex Barrier], [Basic Swordsmanship], [Inferno Ballista], [Gale Drift],
Stats: [Strength: E- (+1)], [Endurance: E- (+1)], [Dexterity: E-], [Agility: E-], [Mana: F+]
Equipment: [Embrace of Gleneus], [Iron Sword], [Silver Longsword], [Iron Gauntlets], [Wooden Buckler], [Iron Dagger], [Apprentice Wand], [Bracelet of Strength], [Earring of Endurance], [Wolf Cowl], [Robe of Endearment], [Sword of Selene (Fragment)]
His stats had made massive jumps prior to beginning their haphazard plan to attaining freedom. He had breached into the low E ranks, placing him on par with an average adventurer. Or what he hoped was average, he felt that such a rank would be the middle of the pack.
His eyes moved to the new trait received after he killed Dianne. He was excited to look into it's details, it was rare to even obtain a trait. Something related to a retainer of a hero must've been something extraordinary.
[Moon Tether]: You have inherited the legacy of a former hero blessed by the Lady of the Moon. Through the possession of a fragment of her sacred relic, a tenuous connection has been formed.
Argo was puzzled by his new attribute, but could slowly discern the details. He now had a fragile connection with a living deity, the Lady of the Moon. He wasn't entirely sure what it entailed, or what the legacy of Selene was, but he hoped it didn't involve anything too dangerous. But judging by it's wording of Selene being a "former" hero, it couldn't have been anything good.
He hoped that he would reap some gains befitting a blessed of a deity, something that would outweigh the calamity enshrouding such a fate. But it felt like something he would have to figure out in time; maybe he only possessed a shallow connection meaning he wouldn't gain anything significant.
The enchantments of the austere blade also didn't go unnoticed, as he nearly shouted aloud in peer shock. He gulped, trying to contain the excitement bubbling up within him. Aria and Faye heard his strange reaction, as he felt them cast strange glances his way.
Letting out an awkward laugh, he assured them he was fine before carefully scrutinizing the description of the austere blade.
[Sword of Selene (Fragment - 1/4)]:
Rank: 0
Grade: A
Type: Weapon
Traits: [Celestial Silver], [Serene Night]...
The details surrounding the silver blade left Argo dumbstruck, unable to wrap his mind around the powerful weapon he had gained from Dianne. First off, it was a Grade A Weapon. Standing at the pinnacle of quality of any item available on the First Floor. It would catapult his strength into greater heights; but the fact the item was labeled as a "fragment" was concerning. It also wasn't entirely impossible for the sword when completed, was one of the strongest weapons on the First Floor.
[Celestial Silver]: This blade has been crafted of an unparalleled quality of silver, blessed by the Lady of the Moon herself. Possessing unrivalled durability, and sharpness befitting its sanctified wielder.
[Serene Night]: Instills weariness and serenity capable of placating the soul within a designated area. Those who succumb to it will be led into an eternal sleep
Argo realized the sheer power contained within one fragment was extraordinary. He was also familiar with the [Serene Night] enchantment, recalling the aura of sleep that Dianne had deployed against them. It didn't mention anything about the full moon the retainer had conjured, but he surmised maybe if enough mana was used it would create a tangible projection?
He also noticed that something differed from all of his other items with this particular weapon. There were more enchantments following the first two, but they were blurred out. He could tell they were most likely linked to the other fragments of the blade, and he would be able to access them if he collected all the pieces.
Argo couldn't help but frown, he would have to find three more fragments of this sacred relic? He had nearly died on multiple occasions, suffered severe trauma, and trained relentlessly to survive his encounter with a being wielding one fragment. It did align with the prophecy provided to him by Dianne. How a hero bearing a miraculous light would collect the fragments of Selene's sword.
Did that mean he would have to endure similar hardship three more times? He secretly hoped he could avoid it if he could, but the sheer power contained within this sacred relic would increase his chances of survival by a lot.
He also now had the time to turn his thoughts to this supposed "Hero of Light." According to Dianne, he was the destined one she had been waiting for. In addition, he was also the person prophesized by Selene to rebuild her sword to reseal the sun. Which left him with many questions.
He wasn't entirely convinced he was this destined hero. The only ways he could maybe convince himself were two things. One, that he possessed [The Miracle] which did possess distinct traits worthy of being related to a "miraculous light." The second, was his existence as a Tower-Blessed. Heroes were far and few between to come by, especially on the First Floor. That made his chances of being this individual all the more likely.
Even if he could accept that, it still left the idea of sealing the sun even more strange. The quest called for the sun to be freed. The Tower seemed to hint that it was imprisoned unfairly and it's existence was important enough to merit it's freedom. But for some odd reason Selene sealed it while splitting her sword for her retainers to keep.
Argo thought he had gained a wealth of information from Dianne- enough for him to have a cohesive idea about what transpired all those years ago. But he was actually more lost then ever. He was grateful nonetheless for obtaining a fragment of the sword. If anything, piecing together the Sword of Selene had a direct relationship with clearing the quest. Understanding the context of the sun's sealing could come later.
Moving past the description of the [Sword of Selene], he analyzed the three spells in his skills slot. During his skirmish with Arlo he instinctually decided on merging multiple spells. He was deeply intrigued about their information. They were one of the reasons he was still still breathing right now. The potency of his new barrier, and the fire bow he conjured were nothing short of astonishing.
Argo displayed abilities worthy of a full-fledged mage, making him almost rethink his combat profession. His arsenal would make any newcomer mage jealous! Paired with the blessings of mana he would be a prodigy in the field of mage craft. Clearing his thoughts, he perused their descriptions with excitement.
Rank: 0
Grade: E
Type: Spell
[Greater Hex Barrier]: Created from the fusion of [Hex Barrier] and [Mana Shield], producing an enhanced version of the former. Receiving an enhancement in durability and sturdiness, while decreasing mana consumption.
Argo was more satisfied with the latter half of the description of the spell. While [Hero of Finality] allowed him to absorb and manipulate mana in a level far beyond his peers, he couldn't use it freely. He wanted to keep his existence as a Tower-Blessed a secret for much longer. In addition, such a power came with it's own inherent drawbacks. The Tower really liked the idea of equivalent exchange.
A hero would gain unparalleled development, but suffer never-ending calamity. This idea extended to the mana's enthrallment. Now that the adrenaline had left his body, Argo was exhausted. Perpetually drained by the overuse of his Inherent he was about to fall asleep. He had recovered somewhat after breaking out of the nightmare, but manipulating mana to such an extent had drained him far more then he had thought.
He had become a living conduit of mana. Manipulating, and storing it in such extraordinary amounts had mentally and physically drained him. Aria had attempted to restore his vitality with her healing abilities before but it did little in that realm. It seemed restricted to recovering injuries then things like energy.
Once Argo managed to overcome all of these obstacles he would definitely collapse in a bed. He would sleep till hell froze over if he felt like it.
He quickly recalled his thoughts to further examine [Greater Hex Barrier]. The enhancement in durability and sturdiness was also an added bonus. It bolstered his defenses regarding both magic and physical attacks, giving him a lot more breathing room in long distance confrontations. As a sword fighter, he naturally excelled in close quarter combat.
Rank: 0
Grade: D
Type: Spell
[Inferno Ballista]: Created from the fusion of [Flame Bow], [Fire Lance], and [Fire Arrows], creating a powerful fire-based ranged spell. Possessing the innate abilities of its predecessors creates a powerful charged attack capable of incendiary destruction.
Argo was hit with shock after shock, simply astounded by the plentiful gains he had reaped from their ordeal. While obtaining skills and equipment were rare, he was bound to gain a lot from slaying such a large army of humans. Despite that, he had to be incredibly lucky to obtain certain spells sharing characteristics allowing them to fuse. And to create a Grade D spell at that, when he was only on the First Floor was extremely unheard of.
He remembered the sheer firepower contained within [Inferno Ballista] when he incinerated Arlo. This spell alone had skyrocketed his combat prowess, effectively allowing him to function as a long-range fighter. While he lacked fundamental knowledge regarding mage craft, he could bridge the gap with the power contained within this spell.
Rank: 0
Grade: E
Type: Spell
[Gale Drift]: Created from the fusion of [Gale Step] and [Swift Steps], giving rise to this agile movement art. Capable of creating gales at the user's soles to increase momentum and movement, mimicking the winds themselves.
Argo perused the last spell he gained. He didn't use it during the final stand-off because his mana had bottomed out. He couldn't help but grimace, if he had enough mana to use this he could've had the chance to slay the demigod before it reached the grand hall. Too bad his exhaustion also stopped him from doing so.
This spell would effectively increase his agility and speed during combat or travel. Skills and spells concerning mobility were highly coveted, allowing an adventurer to engage or retreat in dire situations. He had no doubt he would put this to good use once he reached the surface. Without it, he would've most likely been too late to save anyone.
He had reaped significant gains from this death trap, enough to propel his power to great heights. He didn't want to grow arrogant, but he felt his current arsenal could measure up to the likes of whatever Aria was using.
Argo's spells had also kindled a new interest of his; mage-craft. While his interest and talents lay with the sword, he also felt motivated to study mana manipulation and enhance his proficiency with spells. But he knew that trying to balance two different specialties was an enormous task; he was much better off trying to hone one to its absolute peak. Breaking the lingering silence, Aria stopped abruptly.
He had only been on the Isles of Endless Night for less then a month, but he had a solid lead in clearing the quest. The only problem was how to go about seeking the rest of the fragments. The description of the sword nor attribute yielded anything useful; was he supposed to explore the different islands?
Simply traveling to each island and looking for such elusive fragments would take months. This didn't take into account the potential perils and mishaps that might appear. What if all of the fragments were gifted to similar retainers who had lost their minds? Would he have to endure all of that again?
Once again he lacked strength. A necessity in the cruel trials of the Tower.
Argo mentally prepared a roadmap for himself. He would investigate any clues about the fragments of the [Sword of Selene], and strengthen himself. Once he reached a level that he was content with, he would travel to the different islands in hopes of discovering more information about the whereabouts of the sacred relic.
"Aria, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the other parts of this weapon?" Argo asked seemingly out of the blue. She was more experienced then him in many aspects, and she might know something about the Sword of Selene.
He couldn't tell her expression in the dark, but he sensed her glowering. "Of course not, I've never seen anything like it." She scoffed, "And I think it's about time you tell us about what happened when we were asleep. And how you weren't."
He winced, mentally slapping himself. He slightly forgot to brief them about the events that had transpired. But they were walking in absolute silence, how could he take that for her desire to speak?
Argo quickly told them about how he managed to wake up, and the following events that happened. He avoided discussing exactly how he broke out of the nightmare. He felt it was too sensitive and was grateful neither of his companions harped too much on the topic. He explained the prophecy Dianne told them about while keeping his conjectures to himself. He wanted to hear their unvarnished thoughts about the matter.
"A hero bearing a miraculous light, huh," Aria said dubiously. "It sounds like a bunch of blabbering."
Faye remained silent. Argo couldn't tell if she was deep in thought or simply confused. She decided to break her silence after a minute, "She let you kill her?"
"Yeah," Argo replied. "I think she wanted to die, with all that corruption and whatnot."
"More importantly, we now have a clue to the quest!" Aria bubbled with excitement, "I didn't think we would have to seek out fragments of a sword, though."
"Can't say I want to go through something like that three more times though," Argo remarked pointedly. "Even if the sword is a Grade A Weapon."
"What?" Faye and Aria replied in unison, prompting Argo to cough.
'I forgot.'
"Ah, I forgot it's Grade A," he whispered in the dim silence. "Please forgive me."
What followed was Aria's intense interrogation about it's effects, and whining. "What does it do? How are it's enchantments? Can I have it? I basically carried you guys! Give it here!"
Faye helped hold her back as Argo tried to distance himself from her. Which was an impossible task considering their confined surroundings. Maybe he didn't forget, but unconsciously decided not to divulge it in fear of something like this happening. After a couple of minutes she calmed down forgetting the direness of their situation. The city was going up in flames at the moment.
"That sword fragment is a great reward from all of this," Faye stated while observing the silver metal. "If it's really a key to the quest, I'm surprised no one else has spread it's existence."
Aria shrugged, "Most would probably keep it a secret. Adventurers aren't too keen on working together, for all I know this is the only piece that wasn't in the hands of an adventurer."
"How should we go about finding the rest of the fragments then?" Argo inquired curiously. With his current strength, major powers like the Pirate King or maybe the Red and Black Cohorts could take the sword fragment by force.
"Join a party?" Faye voiced reluctantly. While she didn't seem to keen on the idea she continued, "we could find clues and stronger companions through that method."
"Oh! I have an idea!" Aria said happily, "How about you join my party?"
"You have a group?" He asked dubiously, finding it very hard to believe. She was wandering around the Catacombs of Yore by her lonesome before stumbling upon two corrupted humans. Any sane leader wouldn't allow their members to waltz off like that.
"Yeah, of course I do, isn't that obvious?"
"No, it isn't."
Ignoring his blatant jab, "Well, you guys show plenty of promise. I'm sure captain will hear you guys out after my report. I didn't expect to get embroiled in something so dangerous."
"What is your group called?" Faye asked cautiously.
Aria replied curtly, "Red Cohort."
The air froze. Argo didn't expect her to drop such a bombshell with such a nonchalant expression. He could sense a sly smirk grace her features, prompting him to feel frustrated. Was she doing all this to put herself on airs?
But some of the pieces started to come together to make a cohesive picture. With her strength it would be strange for her to be a loner. But a member of one of the strongest groups on the First Floor? He didn't expect that at all.
If he managed to join their ranks it would be an invaluable boon. He would gain strong allies and potential experienced mentors. His strength would soar while he gained access to a wealth of information related to the isles. He could also use the fragment of Selene's Sword as a bargaining chip. But he would prefer not doing so.
He felt slightly excited about the future.