Chapter 70: The Greatest Moment of His Life

  The countless swirls of folded black and white were even more stunning on his full-sized greatsword than they’d been on the smaller shortsword, and that had been sold as art. All along Tristan had known that this blade would put that smaller one to shame.

  Working it had been a serious challenge; the material was so strong, he had to get it ridiculously hot to make it malleable. It had also taken twice as many heats as he’d expected, because he just couldn’t find any other way to keep it hot enough to work the gorgeous mithril. It had taken him half a day to get the general shape, and another full day to hammer out the finer details.

  His arms ached with an intensity he’d never felt before. Yet the moment he set his hammer down and truly looked at what he’d created, Tristan knew it was all worth it.

  And this is just the basic form, he acknowledged. I’ve still got lots to do before this sword is finished.

  It was time to work on the runes.

  At Tempy’s suggestion, he’d forgone bowls for his arcane dust and magical essences, instead taking the big old buckets she’d provided. Each was so tall they reached almost to his knee, and he’d packed them full. He’d heeded her warning about having enough Sources to pull from, to guarantee he’d be able to complete his designs.

  He cleared his throat as he set his chisels down around the edges of his rune designs. He’d kind of taken Tempy’s previous warning that the chisels wouldn’t be usable in the actual enchanting process as a challenge, and he’d found a use for them. Glorified paperweights or not, they were still being useful. The designs they outlined--the runes he was going to add to his newest sword--were going to be beautiful additions to an even more magnificent sword. He supposed all artists felt that way about their creations though. And that’s what one of these runes would be, too: his creation.

  He’d decided both runes should offer ways to increase his durability in battle. He’d thought back to his early dungeon run with Chessa and Opie, the oozes in Sharing Cross, and even the Rockmoor Cemetery, and he’d come to the conclusion that what he really wanted were two things: first, the ability to reduce incoming damage; and second, a way to heal back some of the damage he’d already taken.

  The latter was way easier, as it wasn’t something he had to design at all. It didn’t surprise Tristan to learn that having a bit of self-healing was a fairly common desire among adventurers, especially those who found themselves in parties like Tristan and Sophie’s, where they didn’t have a healer. [Minor Rune: Siphoning] was almost exactly what he wanted--other than its downside of reducing his damage dealt. For a tank, though, that hardly mattered, since there would be others around to deal damage. One thing he’d learned from Opie all those months ago was that consistent healing was much more useful than just a potion in a dungeon.

  [Minor Rune: Siphoning] Your weapon deals 10% less damage, converting the reduced damage directly into self-healing.

  That it was also a commonly used rune also meant that Tempy had crafted it “hundreds of times” by her count. Tristan hoped that was an exaggeration. He certainly didn’t want to craft the same rune hundreds of times. But she did provide him with extensive feedback and clear guidance in its implementation, so maybe she really had.

  The other rune was far more tricky. Technically speaking, it wasn’t just one rune: it was a tandem rune, meaning it was two smaller or weaker runes interconnected and working together to create a stronger effect. Tandem runes weren’t usually something beginning enchanters even knew about, because they had a much higher chance of explosive failure.

  Tristan hadn’t let that deter him.

  He’d wanted to make Taunt, but as Tempy had explained, that was a Major Rune and way beyond his current ability. So he’d taken that setback and instead viewed it as an opportunity. He’d needed a creative solution to the problem.

  He’d realized that what he wanted from Taunt was a way to draw enemies to him while tanking--to capture their attention--as a way of safeguarding the rest of his party. It was that ‘aggro’ concept Sophie had told him about. Well, he’d come up with a rather unique way of accomplishing a similar goal.

  The rune could, once completed, produce an aura granting those in his party +1 Stealth, while also giving himself -1 Stealth.

  But that wasn’t all it did. Of course not. See, he’d quickly decided that he didn’t want that ability to be a constant, always-on style ability. For one thing, he didn’t think he’d always want to be bad at sneaking around and hiding while holding that sword. Sure, he could just [Combat Switch] it away, but that would mean he’d have to lose all its other perks, too. Secondly, he remembered from his experiments (and Tempy was quick to verify his theories) that constant buffs or debuffs were almost always balanced by being weaker effects. Activated effects, on the other hand, could be much stronger.

  By making the aura require activation, he hoped the range and effect would stay relatively large.

  He used the second part of the tandem rune to create a small shield of force that would always orbit him. Following the same thought process as the Stealth aura above, he’d decided that instead of having the shield provide a small boost to his armor value at all times, it would be an activated ability, too. And by making the runes tandem, one trigger would activate both.

  So what had he chosen to use as that trigger?

  Technically, it was a thought. But for people like him, there was also a secondary trigger: striking the orbiting shield with his sword. The action wouldn’t be required at all. But where was the fun--the style--in that? Best of all, if he did everything right, he was fairly sure that striking the shield would even make the same TING! sound that he’d grown to love back in tier 1, when he’d tapped his old [Repaired Rusted Sword] on his [Heartmender’s Shield].

  All of this was to say he had big, ambitious plans for his newest greatsword. He just hoped he was up to the task.

  For the next two hours, Tristan worked at duplicating the more common [Minor Rune: Siphoning] with Tempy’s guidance. She’d said it would be a slow and exacting process, one that required constant vigilance and unwavering precision. While in his practice attempts he’d used the chisels to engrave the runes into the metal, here he was doing it with pure magic. [Imbue] was unlike any other skill he’d ever attempted. It directly replaced the metal, or possibly converted it into, a durable, tangible magic. It was amazing.

  And somehow he succeeded.

  While he took a short breather, Tempy examined his first rune, an appreciative grin spreading across her face. “That’s great, kid. Don’t get cocky.”

  She was right, of course. Tristan managed to refocus himself quickly, as his eyes traveled back to the papers on which he’d planned everything. It was time to begin his own original tandem rune.

  Tempy tried to offer as much advice as she could, specifically about his technique and keeping his lines clean, but as it was a brand new design, she didn’t have any specific experience to draw from. When it came to new runes, there were no common pitfalls to avoid or tricks to bolster his success. They were all different and unique. All he could do was hope that he’d designed it properly.

  At least Tempy seemed to think he had, so that was encouraging.

  After topping off his buckets’ Source material, Tristan stretched his arms, cracked his knuckles, and buckled down. Little did he know that this time the process would take four hours.

  It challenged him in a way that was wearing but also exhilarating. It was so new and fresh that, even though it was hard, Tristan didn’t care. The feel of the metal and magic in his hands, coursing through his body and under his control was so strange--yet also completely natural. He couldn’t quite explain it other than to say that it felt good. It felt right.

  Perhaps this was what he’d been unknowingly working toward his whole life. This was where his Path had always wanted him to go.

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  It took all of his focus to complete what ended up as a grueling marathon. As he neared the end, even his eyes were tired, and he could feel the rest of him trying to slump down in exhaustion. He just couldn’t let it happen. Not yet. Not until the final line was complete.

  The moment the final thread of magic linked both halves of the tandem pair, joining them as one, Tristan knew it was right. It resonated with him; the loop had closed, and now all the magical essence he’d fed into it thrummed to life, ready to serve its intended purpose.

  The same elation swept through him as when he’d completed his first rune--just much, much larger this time.

  Yet despite all that excitement and emotion, somehow what followed next was greater still. The greatest moment of his life so far.

  It started as golden energy began to visibly rush into him, as if it was being pulled from the very realm itself. He could feel it building, like too much water about to burst through a dam. But it wasn’t violent. If anything it made him feel safe, warm, and light--so light he almost felt as though he were being lifted into the air! All the while, he began to glow, with the brightest light of all coming directly from the center of his chest, shining out from the same place as his hidden scar.

  Then came the DING!, but it wasn’t just one, this time. Similarly, the halo that surrounded him this time wasn’t just gold. An interwoven spiral of gold, green, and blue surrounded him, coursing through him, as the rest of the Foundry seemed to dim in his presence and five distinct DING!s echoed off the walls.

  As Tristan felt the weight of his body returning, and his feet once again rested on the floor, he opened his eyes with a huge, contented sigh.

  For a moment, everyone was simply staring at him, including Tempy who was slack jawed.

  Once she composed herself a little, she whispered, “Gods among us. You got an Inspiration.” There was a brief silence as she clearly debated whether to ask the next question. “How big was it?”

  Tristan was taken a bit by surprise, so he decided to check his notifications.

  INSPIRATION! You have created something new to the Realm, and in so doing, expanded your knowledge and ability!

  Congratulations! You've reached LEVEL 17!

  You've reached LEVEL 18!

  The swordsman Class has reached LEVEL 8!

  The enchanter Class has reached LEVEL 7!

  The enchanter Class has reached LEVEL 8!

  You have earned another skill selection.

  Skills Earned:

  [Descending Crescent] An attack ability that lets the user make an empowered downward slash against a single target, dealing greater damage the farther the sword descends. Damage scales with Strength and Agility. 20 second cooldown.

  [Magic Resistance I] A passive skill that grants the user a 5% reduction to all magical damage taken.

  [Agility Up I] is already known, upgrading to [Agility Up II]

  [Agility Up II] A passive skill that grants the user a 20% increase to Agility. Skills that scale exclusively off of Agility receive double this bonus.

  Skill Selection:

  You may learn one skill from the options provided. Any skill not selected now will still be available in subsequent level-up skill selections if you so choose.

  Do you wish to proceed now?

  Tristan couldn’t believe just how long that scroll had been, and it threatened to get longer still. He’d gained five levels! Five blessed levels! The two in enchanter at least made sense, but the one in swordsman, and additional two in swordsmith?! His Primary Class had gone up two whole levels! It was unreal. It was almost unbelievable! If he hadn’t been staring at his own Status at that very moment, he wouldn’t have believed it.

  But there it was. Five total levels.

  He ran a hand through his shaggy hair in disbelief. Inspirations are freaking amazing!

  The blinking question still lingered there, before his eyes. I guess I might as well get all the cool new toys at once.

  With a mental Yes directed at the prompt, two options appeared before him. He had to read them several times, because while his eyes went over them, his brain was still stuck on the fact that he’d gained so many levels.

  [Free Repair] A passive ability that removes the material cost from [Repair Item].

  [Inspiring Blade] A passive ability that grants an aura to members of your party. While you wield a sword, your party members deal +5% damage.

  As Tristan finally began to parse the two skills, neither seemed overly impressive to him. The first skill was a clear upgrade, but to a skill he hadn't really gotten much use from since, well, it was at least before he’d arrived in Rockmoor. Granted, that might change once he got out into the world of adventuring again, but...

  The other option looked a bit more promising. It offered some additional combat power--to others. For Sophie and her astrals, and anyone else he ever partied with, it would be a small but worthwhile damage increase. Dealing more damage was always better. Granted, it would be completely worthless when he was soloing. He thought about that for a while, wondering about when the next time would be that he’d even be solo.

  Regardless, didn't a definite combat perk outweigh the gains of [Free Repair]? If he thought about it in the most analytical of terms, like he imagined Chessa or Sophie might have done, then this selection was between a slight economic upgrade or a slight party-combat upgrade.

  Since his Core already helped on the money side of things, he went with the skill that gave him something new, expanding his toolbox, so to speak. He took [Inspiring Blade].

  “Hey, Tristan,” Tempy was saying, snapping her fingers near his face. “Ark to Tristan? Hello? Gods, you must have gotten a skill selection... and gone right into it, no doubt, without considering the one helping you."

  “Yeah, sorry, but I got two swordsmith levels! Five total.”

  “That's awesome!” Tempy replied, as her previous annoyance seemed to be completely replaced with giddiness--a feeling that Tristan definitely shared. She gestured toward his workbench. “Could you also... check out your final product, please? I’d like to know what it does.”

  Her excitement only added to Tristan's intense sense of accomplishment. He turned his attention back to his black-and-white greatsword and was also filled with pride. The sword was even more impressive than the last time he'd inspected it, as now it had three distinct runes engraved down the middle of its blade, just above the crossguard. And they glowed blood red, standing out brilliantly against the high contrast blade.

  But it was also pulsing an odd pink, as a literal question mark overlaid his vision, casting an aura that regularly vanished and reappeared across the finished blade.

  “Why is it pink?” he asked as he used [Identify], and immediately the cause of Tempy’s excitement was clear.

  [Sanguine Challenger (rare)]: [Lone Defender], [Sturdy II], [Minor Rune: Siphoning], [Minor Rune:**UNNAMED**], Soulbound

  A truly prodigious work crafted by a talented swordsmith and enchanter, pushing far beyond expected limits.

  Please name your new Rune creation!

  Tristan’s mouth dropped open. “It says I get to name it!”

  “Yeah, so don't be a child about it,” Tempy warned, “or everyone will just change the name themselves, and what should have been a big win will instead turn you into a punchline, like Astley. Would you believe that idiot originally called [Bonding Glue] something as stupid as [Never Gonna Give You Up]?”

  Tristan grimaced. “That’s awful.”

  Tempy clearly agreed. “Yeah, which is why no one calls it that, at least not without a lot of eye-rolling. What’s your new rune do, anyway? How impressed should I be?”

  “It’s... hard to explain,” he said. “It’s defensive, kind of like a [Taunt], but in a different direction? Not in the normal way, more like a ‘notice me’ way.”

  Tempy shook her head. “Right, so you’re awful at the whole explaining thing. I’ll just scan it when we get off this boat.”

  Tristan shrugged. He was still thinking about naming his totally new, totally original rune. He wanted to heed her warning, though, so he immediately said goodbye to his stranger ideas. He definitely didn't want to end up deserted like the [Bonding Glue] guy.

  He decided he'd put a bit more thought into it, and would get the other distraction out of the way first. Besides, [Lone Defender] was another new property he hadn’t seen before, and he was curious to see what it did.

  [Lone Defender] While wielding this sword, take 5% less damage from attacks targeting only you.

  It was another solid tanking property, and he would take everyone one of those that he could get. He knew he wasn’t a tanking Class. He thought back to that old conversation he’d had with Sophie, where she’d tried to explain aggro to him, and how miffed she'd been by his lack of correct lingo. She’d practically shouted at him for constantly calling it “attention” instead.

  We'll, what's a little light revenge among friends?

  He entered his new runes name into the field with a grin, and the pink glow faded immediately.

  Congratulations on your new creation!

  [Minor Rune: Attention!] A small shield orbits around you. Activation gives +1 Stealth to party members and -1 Stealth to yourself for 1 minute, increases your armor by 25% for 5 seconds and makes a nifty sound!

  He couldn't wait to show it to Sophie.

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