Forged Legacy

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Hannah pleaded.

“I’m better off staying here,” Harvey confirmed, pulling her into a hug. “Elena and I are in a good rhythm right now, and you can’t deny the new armor we’ve been making is helping everyone.”

“I know, but that means we won’t see you for over a week,” Hannah complained.

“They have their job to do, and we have ours.” Julian placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “The armor is great, Harvey. Thanks for rushing to get ours done so fast. Keep up production and see if you guys can’t do anything to reinforce the wall.”

“Will do. Let us know if you have any problems with the inscriptions when you get back. Elena is still figuring out which works best.” Harvey said.

Julian looked down at the breastplate covering his chest. A tower matching his own Defender of Veil’s End mark had been drawn in the middle in ink made from Iron Elemental Cores. It naturally boosted the durability of his armor, and he could feed it more essence if he wanted to increase the effect. Hannah wore a new set of armor herself, but instead of full plate armor like Julian’s, she had asked them to add plates in strategic spots over the leather armor provided by The System.

It had been 4 days since Harvey finished his first shield, and he’d become a wrought iron machine ever since. The forge ran almost all hours of the day. Whenever he had to wait for something to cool or for his next batch of ore to melt, he sprinted down into the cave, killed enough elementals to replenish his stock, and got back to work. Julian could see the wear and tear his body was suffering, but stopped asking him to slow down after Harvey rejected the notion for the sixth time.

He’d used the skill tattooed around his eyes to take Julian’s full body measurements, and over the course of a few days forged a full set of armor. He needed a lot of help from the leatherworkers to make everything fit and it wasn’t exactly comfortable, but add in the kite shield and Julian felt like a true juggernaut. With all the extra strength and dexterity of a level 20 warrior, he could move just as effortlessly in the plate as he could 6 levels ago.

They had all taken massive steps forward over the last few days, each finding their stride in both class and profession. Except for Elena, she was still at level 5 in her class, but a feverish dedication to inscriptions proved she wouldn’t be far behind with her profession for long. Each had gotten new skills and stats that would be vital for Veils End, but it was time to get back to the goal Julian had since the beginning.

Finding more survivors.

Julian hated sitting around Veils End, knowing there might still be people starving out in the cold. He knew that spending time on his profession was important, but he only got more anxious to leave as each day passed. Now that they’d blazed through the early profession levels, he and Hannah were on the hunt for any survivors or outposts deeper in the living forest.

The duo set out again, Hannah perched high on Buttercup’s saddle while Julian jogged alongside.

“Do people normally ride deer? I keep worrying that you're gonna hurt his back.” Julian asked.

“Excuse you, I’m not that fat.” Hannah quipped. “I don’t know if they ever did back on Earth, but it feels just like riding a horse.”

“Are you sure you’re ok, Buttercup? I can push her off if you want.” Julian crooned, patting the buck’s neck.

“He’s fine, I’m talking to him right now.” Hannah groaned.

They kept their jogging pace well into the evening, only a few encounters with hungry beasts foolish enough to try and sink their teeth into them slowing them down. Buttercup took a hit when they accidentally ran over the top of a porcupine with metal spikes, but Hannah made short work of the wound. A short barrage of arrows took the porcupine’s life, and a vibrant green glow shone from her hands. The spines clattered to the ground one by one as the healing ability she’d gotten with her level 10 profession skill repaired Buttercup’s flesh. It worked much faster than Doctor Silva’s, but had the drawback of only healing animals.

Hannah’s essence hawk made its rounds all day, but didn’t find a single hint of essence being used around them.

“Where is everyone?” She asked, pulling a carrot from her slipsack for Buttercup.

“Hopefully, sitting in an outpost somewhere. If not, everyone’s dead.” Julian cursed. Latest content publıshed on noveⅼfire.net

It took them two days of travel to find a single living soul, and Hannah was shocked to discover that the bird had found dozens of skills being used recently. It was a similar mix to what she’d felt testing the hawk around Veils End.

“That’s gotta be an outpost, right?” She asked.

“Let’s go find out.” Julian cheered, sprinting after the bird.

It wasn’t long before they started seeing signs of civilization, but it wasn’t what Julian expected. Massive treehouses sat nestled among the leaves high above them, with rope bridges stretching from tree to tree. Smoke rose from chimneys running alongside the trunk, making it look like the forest had caught fire. Instead of building walls to protect themselves from the various beasts roaming the forest floor below, they pulled up the ladders so nothing could reach them.

Piles of beast carcasses littered the ground just outside the city, rotting wolves, bears, elk, snakes, and birds all left to fester. The air reeked of rotting flesh, and buzzing flies made it sound like someone was running a weed whacker.

It was a feast of decay that attracted even more beasts who snacked on the freshest carrion in between naps. In any other circumstance, they would be at each other’s throats, but the Veilstriders here seemed to be keeping them fed well enough to overcome their base instincts.

“Are we taking them out?” Hannah whispered, an arrow aimed through a gap in Buttercup’s antlers.

“Yep. Start shooting and I’ll handle any that get too close.” Julian confirmed.

The buck stood completely still as arrows flew over its head, the tangle of bony antlers acting like a fortress turret for Hannah to hide behind. The first shots got the beasts' attention, while the infused arrows that followed ended their lives. Julian counted 6 timber wolves, 3 snakes, and a massive brown bear. She was aiming for the wolves first, letting her build up her Steady Draw for the bigger beasts.

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Julian took his normal spot in the front and readied himself. The snake coiled up before shooting towards him like a ballista bolt. He’d yet to fight this species, and guessed their level 10 adaptation was this lightning-fast strike. It had leafy green scales spotted with black diamonds, and its muscular body was at least as thick as Julian’s neck. Its tactics pegged it as more of a constrictor than relying on venom to incapacitate him, which was just fine with Julian.

Flooding his Heroic Leap sigil, he lunged to meet the charge head-on. His sword came crashing down, meeting the skull with a heavy crack. Blood sprayed forward as the head got pushed to the ground, the back half of its body barreling into his chest. The weight of the body alone would have toppled most men, but Julian stood firm. Holding the beast upside down, he stomped on its head and scored his blade down its side. A kill notification confirmed its demise, and he let the corpse flop to the side.

Hannah’s arrows hit like a log shot from a cannon, the force of her essence infusion knocking away the wolves as they got close. Their bodies were still incredibly resilient, and losing blood only fueled the rage in their eyes. Deafening howls filled the trees, so loud the leaves above their heads shook like a hurricane. Buttercup stood resolute, trusting her to keep the beasts that had terrorized him just days earlier at bay.

The duo worked with practiced efficiency, dispatching the gaggle of weaker beasts until only the bear remained. Hannah had reached the upper limit of her Steady Draw after landing 10 shots in a row and aimed the SUV-sized hunk of muscle ambling their way. With a snicker, she let the arrow loose. The air hissed as feathers sliced through it, whistling until the steel arrowhead met flesh. She expected the shaft to nearly disappear, embedded deep into the beast’s body, but was stunned to see it penetrate less than that first haphazard shot she’d sent towards her first Bloodrunn.

“That’s some thick skin!” She yelled.

“Just keep shooting, and warn me before you shoot your ace!” Julian shouted back, taking a defensive stance.

Hannah nodded, sending essence towards her newest class skill. All the potential she’d built up with repeated use of her steady draw gathered into a single shot. Where her first skill imbued an arrow, her newest skill created one of its own. Pure essence condensed into a crystalline weapon humming with barely constrained power. Her weave ached as it struggled to fuel the most powerful attack she was capable of producing, leaving her arms shaking as she struggled to draw the bow.

She’d joked with Harvey and Elena about a skill that let her shoot nuclear bombs. They’d laughed and written her off, saying she’d never be able to accomplish something like that in G Grade. It might not be a nuke, but she’d found her bomb.

Turns out, the Loom could use her existing skill as the basis for her next one, creating a sigil that layered on top of her steady draw. The tattoo itself was an addendum to the original, superimposing the crystalline arrow over the normal one that only lit up when she’d reached the full potential of her essence infusion. Only then could she activate her latest skill, Critical Mass.