B01DCAV4W2 (S) (22 page)

You have found: Ring of Spell Storage.  Durability 10/10.  Item Class: Uncommon.  Quality: Average.  Weight: 0.01 kg.  Traits: Holds one spell that can be cast upon activating the ring.  This Ring can hold one Novice Level Spell.  The spell will only last one day before degrading.  Spell equipped: None.

You have found: Ring of Poison Resistance.  Durability 12/12.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 0.01 kg.  Traits:  +9% Poison Resistance.

You have found: Ring of Health.  Durability 16/16.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Superb.  Weight: 0.01 kg.  Traits: +43 Health.

The Ring of Health was a definite plus!  The poison resistance could come in handy too, but the Ring of Spell Storage was absolutely fascinating!  Richter had heard of rings like that when he played the game, but had never seen one!  He sent a mental signal to Futen and decided to test the ring while he waited. 

The ring was a band of black metal with intricate glyphs covering the inner loop.  A single grey opaque stone was set into the band.   Richter focused on the ring, but nothing happened.  He tried pressing on the stone, but there was no movement to indicate it was a button or a switch.  Turning it around his finger was also fruitless.

Richter decided to invoke a spell.  Casting
Ice Dagger,
a foot-long projectile of blue ice shot into the forest.  The ring remained the same though, and examining it showed that there was still no spell equipped.  When he cast the spell he had thought he’d felt the ring tingle slightly though.  He cast
Ice Dagger
again, this time focusing on the ring.  There was a definite tingle!

Remembering an old conversation with his shipwright, Shivona, he slowly summoned the magic to cast
Ice Dagger
again, but did not invoke the spell.  His hands developed the ‘cold’ feeling he always felt for a split second before the ice shot from his hands.  Focusing on the ring this time brought up a prompt.

Do you wish to store
Ice Dagger
in your Ring of Spell Storage?  Yes or No?

Excited Richter chose ‘Yes.’ His mana bar dropped by twenty points and the cold feeling disappeared from his palm.  Focusing on the ring again he had a feeling that he could
will
the spell to be released.  The ring’s description now showed, ‘Spell Equipped: Ice Dagger.”  Even more interesting, the grey stone was now a glacial blue-white in color.

He extended his fist like Green Lantern and willed the spell to be unleashed.  Immediately, a foot-long blue ice bolt shot into a fallen log not too far away and stuck there quivering.  That particular log was where Alma was sunning herself.  His familiar shot into the air with a hiss and then she looked at him with her eyes half-lidded.  He was suddenly glad that he didn’t know any lightning spells yet.  If he did, she might have zapped the hell out of him!  He could just hear his mother’s voice, ‘Don’t push buttons when you don’t know what they do!  That’s how they dropped the atomic bomb!’ 

Richter shook his head annoyed.  Even though he was now distanced from her haranguing by pretty much all of time and space, thinking of those lectures could still push his buttons!  Really mom!  Really?  THAT’S how they dropped the atomic bomb?!?

Clearing his thoughts of the old argument, he looked at the ring again.  A smile found its way back onto his face.  This was an amazing tool!  His mana hadn’t dropped a second time when he invoked the ring and he hadn’t even needed to do a hand motion or a spoken incantation.  He wondered if this would work for non-casters.  It might be a way to arm his people with magic even if they didn’t have the affinity. 

Thinking about it, he also realized that it might be great for spells with a cooldown period.  Summoning the power for another spell, he stored
Grease.
  He’d test it later to see if he could cast the spell back to back, once himself and once from the ring.  The stone on the ring was now the color of a forest in summer.

His experimentation was disrupted by Futen materializing in front of him.  A quick command was all it took to identify the other two rings.  The remnant flared white and suddenly Richter knew the value of what he was holding.

You have found: Ring of Enchantment Resistance.  Durability 10/10.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Exquisite.  Weight 0.01 kg.  Traits: +32% Resistance to enchantment type spells.

You have found: Inert Ring.  Durability 10/10.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Superb.  Weight 0.01 kg.  Traits:  This ring was enchanted at one point, but is no longer. 

The first ring answered why Sonirae had been able to resist his
Charm spell
.  The ring almost evened out his +50% Life mastery bonus.  Who knew what other innate resistance she might have had.

The ‘Inert Ring’ was a mystery, however.  It was clearly of fine craftsmanship, but it had somehow become unenchanted.  It was a thick silvery metal with what looked like a small ruby.  Maybe he could at least hawk it for some spare change. 

Finishing his search, he examined her cloak.  It turned out to just be simple cloth, and it had been torn and waterlogged from floating down the river.  He did find one more interesting item tucked into a small pocket, though.  It looked like chicken wire that had been bent, wrapped in on itself and forced it into a rectangular box.  A latch could be seen on one side. 

At first, all he saw on his prompt was ‘Unknown Item.’  Then he remembered reading about something in his Lore book, however.  There had been a small excerpt regarding a magician’s interest in mechanical items to augment his spells.  The magician had spent time with various artificers and one had mentioned a similar item.  That was enough for him to identify it. 

You have found: High Steel Spring Wall.  Durability 411/411.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Superb.  Weight 5.8 kg.  Traits:  This box is actually a 15x15 foot wire mesh wall.  When activated, the ball will unravel and hooks built into the wire will latch onto any convenient surface.   It will create an impromptu wall over a cave mouth or tunnel.  The durability of the wall will need to be overcome before passage is once again possible.  To activate, simply remove the latch.   

Richter looked at the object in amazement.  Even though this world didn’t have the science of Earth, they still did amazing things.  He put the item into his Bag.  The last thing he had to figure out was which rings to equip. 

The Ring of Health from the Assassin was no brainer.  He also wanted to hold onto the Ring of Spell Storage, and his old Ring of Healing was also a must.  He decided to reequip his Ring of Flowing Thought and his Ring of Hidden Dangers.  Staring at the rest, he decided to forgo his Ring of Mana, especially since his new Ring of Spell Storage in effect gave him an extra spell.  He slipped on three of his old Rings of Health on as well, which brought him up to eight rings.

Richter marveled over how his body surged with increased vitality.  He just felt… healthier!  Putting on his Bracelet of Health completed his equipment. He stood and then smiled grimly down at the now naked body of the Assassin.  She did have a nice pair of sweater bunnies despite some of the burns, he thought.   Too bad she was dead and a crazy psychopath, but… comme ci comme ca.  Richter gave a vindictive little grin as he turned away.  Then, whistling the theme song to the Andy Griffith show, he started walking up river.  It was time to loot another body!

CHAPTER 13

Richter kept following the river east.  A small focus of his will made his Traveler’s Map appear in the upper left corner of his vision.  It looked like he had only floated about a mile downstream from where he had freed Terrod.   He sent Futen ahead to scout invisibly.  Alma, still somewhat tired, rested upon his shoulders as he made his way along the riverbank. 

While he walked he pondered the mistake that had started this entire cascade of events.  First his maiming and death, then his hurried flight through the forest, and finally a life and death battle with two Professional killers.  How, in the name of Zues’s BUTTHOLE, had he thought that the Assassin was a level 6 nobody!?!  Richter knew he wasn’t crazy.  There was no way that he could have misread his own prompt so horribly.  He played over his first meeting with the woman again and again, but still couldn’t figure it out. 

Richter finally allowed that he wouldn’t find an answer out here in the wild by himself.  Besides, his new Tracking skill had made the world come alive.  Minor depressions in the grass that before would have been overlooked now spoke of a rabbit that had run from cover, but not fast enough.  A few scant drops of blood led to a nearby tree where Richter could see a hawk’s nest.  A crumpled leaf showed the passage of a large animal and a small tuft of brown hair revealed that a bear had passed by a day or two ago.  Richter didn’t know how he knew these things exactly, but he was fascinated by the proof of life around him.

Before he knew it he had arrived back at the site of his battle with the Warrior.  He was so lost in his reverie that he almost stumbled into his own traps!  The tell-tale red glow alerted him however, and he was able to recover all four of the dart mechanisms.   Then he walked up to Orvin’s body.

The Warrior lay just where Richter had left him.  Alma threw her head into the air and roared (admittedly in a very cute and high pitch tone, but Richter wouldn’t tell her that) in triumph at seeing her vanquished foe.

Orvin’s face stared sightlessly up into the sky.  The hours that Richter had been gone had been enough to bring scavengers.  Luckily, it was only birds at this point.  They easily scattered as Richter approached.  One that had been pecking at Orvin’s ruined throat stood its ground and cawed at him in defiance. That didn’t last long though.  Alma cast
Haste
and dove in.  She hit the bird with a
Psi Blast
and then latched her jaws onto the bird’s throat and grabbed its body with her four legs. A few beats of the dragonling’s wings brought her prey over to a rock and she dove into her meal with gusto.

Richter gave a smile as he looked at the fate of the black bird.  “Don’t start shit, won’t be shit,” he said before turning his attention to the Warrior’s body.  Futen phased into view and flared white, indicating that at least one of Orvin’s items were enchanted. 

You have found: Steel Kettle Helm.  Defense +4 (Max +5).  Type: Medium armor.  Durability 35/50.  Item class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 6.1 kg. 

You have found: Orichalum Splintmail.  Defense +23.  Type: Heavy armor.  Durability 113/120.  Item class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 44.8 kg. 

You have found: High Steel Ridged Armbands.  Defense +4 (Max +5).  Type: Medium armor.  Durability 35/50.  Item class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 7.3 kg. 

You have found: Steel Armored Gloves.  Defense +5.  Type: Medium armor.  Durability 40/45.  Item class: Common.  Quality: Average.  Weight: 4.6 kg. 

You have found: High Steel Chainmail Pants.  Defense +8.  Type: Medium armor.  Durability 37/40.  Item class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight 9.2 kg.

You have found: Glass Boots of Shockwave.  Defense +10 (Max 12).  Type: Light armor.  Durability 419/500.  Quality: Average.  Weight 2.1 kg.  Traits: Can cast
Shockwave
by stomping your boot down.   A ripple of force will emanate from your position, propagating through the ground.  Chance to knock down anyone in the nearby vicinity.  Uses: 1 per day.

You have found:  Ring of Axe Wielding.  Durability 17/18.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 0.01 kg.  Traits: +4% damage with axes. 

You have found: Ring of Health.  Durability 8/8.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 0.01 kg.  Traits: +23 health
x 4
.

You have found: Ring of Stamina.  Durability 8/8.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Above Average.  Weight: 0.01 kg.  Traits: +26 stamina
x 3
.

The health and stamina rings didn’t seem like anything special, but the Ring of Axe Wielding was interesting.  Richter had never been an axe man, but if this ring existed then it made sense that an equivalent ring for swords, small blades… and bows!  He smiled.  Now that would be something worthwhile.  He’d have to talk to Krom about it. 

Orvin’s large shield was impressive in its stats.

You have found: Steel War Door Shield.  Defense +14 (Max 17).  Durability 52/70.  Item Class: Common.  Quality: Average.  Weight: 17.2 kg.

The shield seemed to just be a giant slab of steel, a little under and inch thick.  Nothing fancy but with that defense, it definitely got the job done.  Weighing in at damn near forty pounds, it better, Richter thought.

His axe was even more exciting though.

You have found: Moonstone Hatchet of Goblin Slaying.  Damage 14-17. Durability 58/60. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Superb. Weight 9.2 kg.  Traits: +24% damage to goblins.