Chapter 39 - Separation

  The rest of the day, Elaine and Jack focused on making different potions. Jack managed to make several Stamina and Mana potions along with an actual Health potion that was Common rarity.

  True to her word, Elaine even taught Jack how to create a basic poison. They had to work outside the library for that, as she didn’t want to risk anyone else getting exposed to it. The poison they made was a simple nightshade poison. It was only Trash rarity and unlikely to cause more than a stomachache. Jack kept it anyways. It would be a waste to treat his spear with it, but he could still use it to improve his Poison Resistance. That was the bad part of having those skills. There was only one way to progress them.

  By the end of the day, Jack managed to gain a couple of levels and even finish one of his new quests.

  *Level up! Alchemist (Level 6)*

  +1 Wis./Perc.

  *Level up! Alchemist (Level 7)*

  +1 Wis./Perc.

  *Quest completed: Novice Craftsman*

  Complete five different items under the guidance of a teacher (5/5)

  Reward: Choose one of three

  -Spell, related to the field of Alchemy or Enchanting (Choose one)

  -Skill, related to the field of Alchemy or Enchanting (Choose one)

  -Knowledge, related to the field of Alchemy or Enchanting (Choose one)

  The reward for this was difficult for Jack to choose. At first, he was inclined to choose the spell or skill option. Those had the most potential for growth and could help to improve his ability in either profession. In the long run, it made the most sense, but he already had so many skills and spells now that he was honestly starting to have trouble keeping up with all of them. Another skill or spell would mean just another thing to work on. That was ultimately why he chose the Knowledge reward for Enchanting. He had only just touched on that profession and wouldn’t have much help learning more for a while. It might be enough to allow him to keep leveling the class.

  *Knowledge gained: enchantments learned – Decrease weight, self-repair, Increase Mana

  That brought up the total he knew to eight enchantments. Daniel had also showed them the enchantment for increased sharpness as well. It wasn’t what Jack had hoped for, but three new enchantment diagrams would give him more to experiment with. All things considered, they might not had learned much from the library again, but it wasn’t a complete waste, and it helped keep Elaine distracted while waiting on Elizabeth to finish the Trial.

  *~*

  Elizabeth moved around the slime. She thrust with the short sword the Trial had given her into the center of its mass. She found herself falling back on the training Teresa had drilled into her as she moved through the sea of slimes. Teresa had taught her a little about fencing and Elizabeth found the style was a good fit for her right now, though Teresa admitted that she had only dabbled in the style back on Earth.

  With it, she was almost always able to strike the core of the slime, but for every one that she managed to take down, more kept appearing. They weren’t very threatening but there was simply no end to them. The only benefit was that they were slow, and she was fast. She never thought of herself as fast before, but right now she never felt faster. She reveled in that feeling, drawing it to keep herself moving.

  She stabbed into the next slime piercing the core and moved quickly to the next as that one was dissolving. The slimes continued to follow her through the room, and it wasn’t long before they had her surrounded. Still, she continued to fight, carving through them as she moved. So long as she could keep up her accuracy and speed, she wasn’t worried about the slimes getting to her.

  Elizabeth lost track of how long she fought. The constant movement and ever-encroaching slimes kept her mind distracted until she was reacting more on instinct. As the fight dragged on, a sense of peace began to settle on her.

  She didn’t know where it came from, but she allowed it to fill her, letting the training, as short as it had been, guide her through the sea of enemies. It almost felt like she could close her eyes and still know exactly what to do and where to go. She was so focused on the new sensation that she barely even noticed it when the Trial came to an end accompanied by a few System Notifications.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  *Akashic Keeper Trial – Trial of Perseverance Completed*

  *Quest reward: Ability (Rare/Passive) Regenerate (Beginner)*

  You have proven your ability to persevere even against overwhelming odds. No setback will hold you back for long.

  Dex. +2 Con.+2 Str. +1 Will +4

  *Level up!: Human (Level 3)*

  +2 Unallocated.

  *Wisdom has reached the first Threshold: Wisdom has granted the skill Meditate*

  *Skill gained: Meditate (Beginner)*

  The Path of cultivation requires balance and understanding. This skill will help you cut out distractions and focus the energies around you. Improves Mana Regeneration, and can help improve Body, Spirit and Mana Cultivation levels.

  *Skill upgraded: Meditation (Beginner) has changed to Battle Meditation (Beginner)*

  Your use of Meditation to calm your nerves while in the middle of a fight has resulted in a skill upgrade. The stress of battle is a situation most find overwhelming. Instead, you have found serenity in the chaos.

  Increased Mana and Stamina regeneration while meditating in combat. Increase cultivation in heighten states.

  Elizabeth stared at the messages for a while. Battle Meditation? Was that the state that overcame me during the fight?

  “Wait, regenerate?”

  *~*

  Jack stood with Rayne and Sylvian as they were preparing to depart. They had held off as long as possible, hoping to see Elizabeth come out of the Trial. It would at least be one thing to not worry about, but Jack knew it was unlikely. It had taken him a few days to complete it when he tried. The only small relief that they had was that the leaf still wasn’t letting anyone enter it, so the Trial had to be still ongoing.

  Now they had to leave, or they would have to wait another day before beginning their trek south. They needed to go find the Southern Lord and see if he was still willing to offer sanctuary for them and the others. With the elves lives at stake, they couldn’t wait.

  “Will Zephyr be able to reach us if we get to the Southern territory?” Jack asked.

  “I can follow along until I meet my limit,” Zephyr said. “Then we can find a place nearby to meet regularly for any updates.”

  “That will have to work,” Jack sighed.

  “We should hurry,” Rayne said. “I want to put as much distance between us and the Wenduags before the sun comes up.”

  “Find somewhere with a good foundation for the city if you can,” Savgar said. “Well protected, with room to grow. We will need a solid base if this turns into a siege.”

  “Just don’t use the crystal until we all meet again,” Daniel added. “We will all need to be together before using that.”

  “I’ll ask Reynard if we can find him,” Jack assured them. “If we can’t then we’ll just find a good place for mounting the rescue at least.”

  “The Southern Lord will find you,” Savgar grunted. “He found you last time, didn’t he? But don’t forget your training while you are gone. You might not be helping us work on the tunnel, but you are still one of my apprentices now. You’ll have a lot of catching up to do later.”

  “Make sure you stay in touch as well,” Elaine said. “Even if there is nothing to update us on.”

  “Same goes for you,” Jack replied.

  “We got this bro,” Bryant assured him.

  “Back into the jungle then,” Jasper said, jumping onto Jack’s head.

  “This is ridiculous,” Ciao said jumping onto his shoulder. “I hate this tether. I distinctly remember requesting a cozy place to take up residence when we made this pact.”

  “Suck it up,” Jasper said. “It’s part of the price. You wouldn’t even be this close to Kharzast without it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jack said. “I can only promise to make a place eventually once things settle down enough.”

  Ciao tsked. “You made sure to grab my books?”

  “Yeah,” Jack confirmed. “They’re in my Storage for now.”

  They left the others, disappearing back down the tunnel. Jack led the way through the now familiar path, and soon they were once again staring back at the night sky with only the distant light of the Wenduags’ camp above them.

  No one uttered a word as they crept down the cliffside and away from the camp. They followed Zephyr, not certain which way was south from their location. It wasn’t until they had been traveling for a few hours before they chanced talking.

  “How far away do you think it will be before we reach Reynard’s territory?” Jack whispered.

  “Clayton built his camp close to the center of the jungle,” Zephyr said. “But we are still in the Eastern Lord’s lands. If we travel south for a while and cut west, we should be able to get to the start of Reynard’s lands.”

  “We won’t know for certain though,” Rayne said. “There are no lines with Beast Lords territory so keep an eye out for the Chualtalas. They should avoid the Southern Lords lands, but they could be anywhere here.”

  They ran in silence for a while. The elves moved through the jungle with practiced ease and Jack struggled to keep up with them. With both Jasper and Ciao clinging to him, he couldn’t make use of his Shadow Shifting to cover the distance. He adapted to the situation, using Zyne to help him swing around the trees when needed, but still wasn’t as fast. Every so often they would come to a stop for Rayne to check the area or for Sylvian to try and get a feel for the land with her Plant Sense.

  They kept their weapons ready as they traveled. Rayne and Sylvian carried the two bows and their last remaining arrows. They would need more soon. A lot more.

  They been traveling for a few hours into the morning when Zephyr finally brought them to a stop near a large boulder. It jutted out in the middle of a river, acting as a good landmark and resting place. “This is my limit,” Zephyr said.

  “Do we make this the meeting place then?” Sylvian asked.

  “It would be better if we had more cover,” Rayne said.

  “Are we still in the Eastern Lords lands?” Jack asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Zephyr said.

  “You are not,” came a voice nearby. They all turned to meet Reynard appearing out of thin air nearby. “Though it is right at the edge of mine.”