Rune Seeker

Hiral wasn’t entirely sure what he’d expected to find when Al had started talking about a ‘fortress’ for them. And, the fact it was upgradable had really made him wonder. Would it be a basic shack to start, since they’d have to put in the work passing trials to make it defensible? It likely wouldn’t already be some massive castle with tall walls and all the fixings.

There, when he laid his eyes on the actual building – or, more precisely, buildings, plural – it was somewhere comfortably in the middle. Three squat, heavy buildings stood tucked into the corner of the clearing, with the main one right up against the cliff. It was the only one that had a second floor, but little ornamentation besides that. The windows were narrow – far too thin for a person to fit through – and the thick door looked to be made from a familiar brass.

Beside it, the other two buildings were equally non-descript, though there were subtle differences. The one on the left had a single heavy chimney, while the one on the right had three smaller versions. The one with multiple chimneys was also bigger, Hiral realized, as their continued walk forward gave him a better angle to look at things.

“As you can see,” Al said, interrupting Hiral’s thoughts. “It’s not much to start.”

“Not even a wall,” Nivian pointed out.

“Not even a wall,” Al agreed. “Though, there are several trials that will give you access to materials and schematics to build one.”

“Schematics?” Seena asked.

“A plan, or blueprint,” Al said. “More than that, really. You see, if you wanted, you could cut down trees from the surrounding woods…” he pointed at the numerous trees they’d just walked through. “And manually build a rudimentary wall. If you have the skills, of course.

“Or,” he continued. “Successfully presenting a schematic to the heart of the fortress – the War Table – will allow the wall to be built automatically.”

“That and any other building you provide it a schematic for,” Al said with a nod.

“Is there a list of the buildings?” Left asked.

“Yes…” Al said slowly. “Though it’s not exhaustive. Tomorrow made sure to include secret or hidden schematics throughout the valley. A reward, of sorts, for true trailblazers and completionists. Some of them are nothing more than cosmetic, while others are – shall we say – more potent.”

“Can we take schematics like you’re talking about from the other side of the valley?” Hiral asked. “I mean, if we clear our side, move over to theirs, and find them before the other faction does.”

“Of course you can,” Al said. “Doing so is a good way to limit the power of the opposing fortress, as each side only has one copy of each schematic hidden within its territory. More than that, some of the most powerful schematics you could hope to find for your fortress are located within hidden trials in their territory.”

“We may want a group or two dedicated to looking for these,” Hiral said to Seena.

“Are all the schematics hidden behind trials?” Seena asked Al.

“No,” Al said. “Some are simply hidden.”

“Which means no rewards for completing a trial,” Seena reasoned. “Might be hard to convince people it’s worth it.”

“I’m sure we’ve got some people who want to explore more than fight,” Seeyela said.

“Like Gauto,” Hiral said. “Sure, he’ll do a raid – maybe even two – but given the choice between that and exploring to find hidden knowledge? No contest.”

“Some Growers I can think of like that too,” Seeyela said. “Actually, now that I think about it, I saw at least one of them already talking to Gauto. Maybe they’re in a group together?”

“Would make sense if people with the same interests ended up partying together,” Yanily said.

“Partying?” Hiral asked.

“Hiral, my friend, we really need to get you a copy of the guide so you can catch up on the lingo.”

“Ah, the guide. Of course.” Hiral rolled his eyes and turned back to Al. “We start with three buildings?”

“Yes,” Al said, pointing at the longer building with multiple chimneys. “That is your barracks-slash-living area. It has the most beds and kitchens, though at this point it’s little more than a shared-sleeping space and a group of kitchens with some tables. It’s also not nearly big enough to fit all of the people you brought with you. Perhaps a quarter of them at this point?

“Upgrades will allow multiple avenues of advancement for the building, such as more beds, individual rooms – from additional floors – as well as more advanced kitchens. Finding certain ingredient schematics will even allow you to expand a garden – assuming you find one of the schematics for that. All of this will lead to recipes provided by the kitchens, granting certain buffs to those who eat them.”

“Sounds similar to our old Gourmand ability,” Seena said.

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“Do we get buffs for a good sleep as well?” Yanily asked with a chuckle.

Surprisingly, Al nodded. “Find the right schematic, and yes, you will.”

“Okay, that’s kind of amazing, and a little too coincidental,” Hiral mused. The buffs granted by the raid zone were very similar to the ones they’d gotten from the PIMP. Not to mention the fact the PIMP worked with everything going on in there, even though the Cradle had been built years – centuries? – before the PIMP had existed. Just what is going on here?

As usual, that wasn’t something he had an answer for, so he tabled the question for later.

“And the other buildings?” Hiral asked instead of voicing his internal curiosities.

“There on the left,” Al pointed towards the building with the single large chimney, “is the crafting area. For now, it’s barely a forge and leatherworking station. With enough natural skill, it has everything you need to craft useful equipment.”

“But with schematics?” Hiral asked the leading question he could tell Al was just waiting for.

“With the right schematics,” Al said dramatically, “you could craft wonderous items. A-Rank items, I believe you call them.”

That made people pause and take a second look at the building. Hiral had lucked into creating an A-Rank item with Blight’s Mercy and the Solar Refinement Solution. The first in thousands of years. Any others they had, they’d gotten as dungeon rewards.

To be able to make their own A-Rank gear though? Just how far ahead would it push the assembled groups’ overall power? Sure, there’d be some rank disparity weakening the weapons when used by lower-Ranks, but the items would still be more powerful than equivalent Ranked items.

“What kind of schematics can we get for that?” Seena pointed at the forge, clearly thinking the same thing.

“An alchemy lab?” Politet spoke up, his voice raspy and eager. The undead had even pushed himself to the front of Nivian’s group to ask the question.

“Of course,” Al said. “What respectable force doesn’t have the ability to make its own potions and elixirs?”

“What’s an elixir?” Yanily asked before anybody else even opened their mouth.

“Typical ignorant Breather,” Politet said under his breath, likely nobody but Hiral and Left able to hear him.

“Potions. Elixirs. Draughts,” Al said, to answer Yan’s question. “And more. A potion will provide immediate – or short term – effects. Such healing or minor buffs. While the healing is in a way permanent, it is also in a way not. You can be hurt again.”

“With you so far,” Yanily said. “We have those. And we can make more in an alchemy lab?”

“You could, and while they are very useful – necessary, even – they are also in a way the least of what you could make. A draught is like an enhanced potion, in that their effects last significantly longer. Hours or days compared to seconds or minutes. Very useful if you are planning a long outing, or know danger is close.”

“Okay, and elixirs?” Yan prompted.

“Permanent boosts,” Al said. “Increases to your attributes, solar energy, and other things. But,” he held up a hand before anybody could ask another question. “The list of what each crafting station can create is very long – assuming you find the schematics – and we could spend days discussing it. Needless to say, there is more than just potions, elixirs, and draughts from the alchemy lab. Just like the forge, leatherworking station, jewel crafting station, enchanting bench… and many more. The possibilities aren’t endless, but they’re close.”

“We need that alchemy lab,” Politet said to Nivian. “It should be our priority.”

“I’m sure we will have a number of priorities,” Nivian said. “Which will be discussed shortly.”

“You’re not listening to me,” Politet said. “I need it so I can…” he trailed off, looking over at Hiral and others who’d turned at his outburst. “Whatever. I’ll find the schematic myself if I have to.” A huff, and the undead turned back into the group to stand behind the rest of the undead – as far from Nivian as he could, apparently.

There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Hiral spoke up again, addressing Al. “And the final building? Is that where the War Table thing you were talking about is?”

“Correct,” Al said. “It is your command center. Like the other buildings, numerous upgrades are possible to increase its utility and power. It is also, from there, where you will guide the growth of your fortress. While it itself is not your barracks or crafting center, without it, you cannot upgrade anything else. If it the heart of your fortress, and must be protected at all costs.

“Also, it is where you will station your general, once that person is chosen.”

“Our general?” Seena asked, looking over at Hiral. He had been offered the Runic General class, after all. Once again, another coincidence?

“They are the person that victory or defeat shall hinge on,” Al explained. “If your general should die, your faction loses the battle for the Cradle. That’s it. End of story.”

“Even if others are still alive?” Hiral asked. “And the fortress is standing?”

“Even if,” Al confirmed. “Assassins were a common tactic in past iterations of the Cradle, and one I would encourage you watch out for.”

“Does our general need to be our leader?” Seeyela asked. “Part of a raid group or go out to clear trials?”

“No,” Al said. “They can be those things, but they can also be… symbolic. Somebody given the role of general, who then stays protected within the walls of the fortress.”

“I will be the general!” a voice called, pushing their way forward, the rest of the parties having arrived while Hiral and the others had been talking to Al. By the way the guide’s voice carried, everybody along the path had probably heard everything. “It only makes sense it’s me.”

The commotion caused everyone at the front to turn, and Hiral spotted a Maker pushing their way through. By the robes they wore – and the Medium at their shoulder – they were an Artist.

And… one Hiral recognized. He wasn’t the only one either, as solar energy pulsed out from the Growers around him, and a Bamf of purple flames deposited Seeyela right in front of the man.

“You!” she seethed, Fangs of the Lady appearing in her hands as a Shaper on either side of the Artist moved far too slowly to stop the woman.

Her body a blur to almost everybody in the Cradle, Seeyela’s weapon streaked forward to stop at the man’s neck. Green, Ghost-Web Venom glowed dangerously along the edge, but she hadn’t broken his skin.

“Do you remember me?” Seeyela asked quietly, though her voice carried clearly across the suddenly silent space. “Because I sure remember you.”

So did Hiral, though not from any of his time up on Fallen Reach. The city – the island – was a big place, so he couldn’t be expected to know everybody. This Artist in front him, however, was not somebody he expected to ever see a second time. At least, not alive.

This was the Artist who’d led the Shapers he’d met during his first trip down to the surface. The ones who captured and tortured Seeyela and her group. The ones who’d stranded them on the surface and left them to die.

Worse, by sash he wore over his shoulder, this Artist was on the Fallen Reach council.