Rune Seeker
Chapter 15: Rescue Mission

The ring settled back behind Hiral, its energy completely spent, and he could only stare in awe at the line of destruction. It wasn’t just the monkey, but the two-foot-wide furrow of melted street—and the building beyond—that drew his eyes.

“Yeah, almost overpowered,” he whispered.

“Almost?” Yanily asked over the party chat.

“It needs to charge up,” Hiral said, understanding the process that’d led to the powerful release of energy as he jogged over to help Yanily up. “It took all of those killed monkeys to do that. Not something I can use frequently, or even on command.”

“Excuses,” Yanily joked, taking Hiral’s hand and getting to his feet. “Did we win?”

At the question, a notification window popped up in front of Hiral’s eyes.

Dynamic Quest Complete

Congratulations. Achievement unlocked - The Best Defense…

You have successfully escorted the citizens to safety.

Please access a Dungeon Interface to unlock class-specific reward.

Note: Rewards will be adjusted for escorting all citizens safely and defeating the Alpha.

Oh, nice, a bonus for completing extra objectives?

Hiral closed the notification window with a thought, but another yellow window popped up almost immediately.

Runic Artificer: Class Ability Unlocked – Distracting Shot

Distracting Shot – At the expense of reduced damage, your shots can inflict Distracted (Debuff) to opponents.

Distracted (Debuff): Target suffers -10% chance to hit, critically hit, and damage for 6 seconds.

Note: Distracted (Debuff) does not stack. Multiple applications refresh duration to a maximum of 6 seconds.

A spontaneous ability evolution? Also nice. Must be from Inspirational Growth. Easy enough to weave into normal shots as well, though it looks like it’s RHC-only. Should help make Nivian’s tanking easier.

“Everybody okay?” Seena’s tired voice asked via the party chat, snapping Hiral’s attention back to reality, and he closed the ability window.

“Nivian?” Hiral said, looking at where the tank sat off to the side of the still-glowing furrow of melted stone.

“Yeah,” Nivian said. “Whatever Yanily says, I don’t care how overpowered you get as long as you can keep doing that. Oh, and I got an achievement, though I’m a little insulted by what it’s called.”

“You’re not the only one,” Seeyela said.

“Yes, we’ve got a lot to talk about, considering everything that just happened,” Seena said. “First, though, let’s gather up. Soldiers are coming to see to Bellina and the others, but who knows if more of those monkeys will show up. I don’t like how spread out we are.”

“We’re on the way,” Hiral said.

“You better not have destroyed my spear with your death beam,” Yanily joked as the two jogged over to join Nivian. “Ah, you’re lucky,” he added, pulling the aforementioned weapon out of what was left of the Alpha.

Hiral just shook his head and helped Nivian up to his feet, the tank looking more than a little worse for wear. “You okay? I mean, really?” he asked, noting the half-missing shield, the blackened bark armor, and the blood running down from a dozen wounds. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Nothing Wule can’t fix,” Nivian said. “Glad you finished it when you did, though. That thing had a nasty stacking debuff up close. Got hotter and hotter every three seconds. Felt like my lungs were burning with every breath, and it was slowing down my reactions.”

“Check your notifications,” Yanily said. “It would’ve been every second, but I think Wule’s buff protected you like my amor did me.”

“You look like you’re talking instead of moving,” Seena said, and the three winced in unison.

“Coming, boss,” Nivian said, and this time they went straight to the others without another word.

“Wule, you good enough to start on Nivian?” Seena asked, pointing towards the bedraggled tank.

“Yeah, Terminal mainly took care of my injuries with the heal-over-time effect,” Wule said. “I’m getting a little low on solar energy, though.”

“Left, could you bring out your Banner of Courage?” Hiral asked.

“Of course,” the double said, reaching his right hand over to his left bicep.

Within a second, solar energy gathered at his fingertips, and as he pulled his hand away, a streamer of glowing smoke followed it, solidifying into a banner that began flapping in an intangible wind another second later. A golden dome of energy expanded out from the fully formed banner, and refreshing energy washed through Hiral.

You have been buffed by Banner of Courage.

Critical Strike Rate increased by 8% for 180 seconds.

Critical Strike Damage increased by 30% for 180 seconds.

Minor Healing Over Time for 180 seconds.

Minor Shielding granted for 180 seconds.

Immune to Fear and Fear-like effects for 180 seconds.

Solar Absorption Rate increased by 1 Rank for 180 seconds.

Since Left didn’t let go of the banner, there wasn’t even a timer.

“We keep using the banner for after-fights,” Seena said, obviously checking her own buff notification. “But it’s got some great in-fight benefits as well. Left, use it as you see fit. Let’s take more advantage of it.”

“Understood,” Left said as everybody benefitted from the recovery portion of the banner. And it wasn’t just the party; Bellina and the others visibly improved under the golden aura. A few of the approaching soldiers paused within the dome, but their eyes widened as they noticed the effect, and they quickly approached.

“Thank you for escorting these people,” the soldier in the front said, crystal armor in thin plates over his chest, upper arms, and thighs. Despite not connecting to each other, Hiral could make out an aura of protection extending not just between the individual pieces, but also over the soldier’s entire body.

Interesting. I bet I could do something like that. And the armor seems to stay attached the same way my RHC thigh-plates do.

“Happy to help,” Seena said, already looking better thanks to the recuperative effects of the banner. “You’ll get them the rest of the way out of the city?”

“We will,” the soldier said, pointing back to what looked like the tail-end of a group of refugees and soldiers vanishing down a side road. “You got them here just in time. Another few minutes and we would’ve been completely gone.”

“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Seena said.

“You did,” the soldier agreed, though they seemed to have a thought as they looked to the side. “And maybe you are again.”

“Oh?” Seena asked as another CRACK echoed through the city, and a massive chunk of the cavern’s central ceiling collapsed to the floor with a ground-shaking CRASH.

“Yes,” the soldier said, his eyes lingering on the rain pouring through the widening hole. “If you’ll listen to my request…?”

“Let’s hear it,” Seena said, though she did give a quick look to the others.

“We—my troops and I, I mean—have to get these people out of the city. There’s nobody to spare to go look for others. We’ll be taking them to a main exit on the east side of the city, but…”

“But you think there’s somebody out there who might need help?” Hiral said, filling in the blanks when the man hesitated.

“Yes. Somebody very specific,” the soldier said. “There’s an important research project going on right now. One I’m told will change the course of the war. Except, we haven’t heard anything from the people running it. If they’re dead, well, that’s the end of that project. If they’re alive and just can’t get to us…”

Dynamic Quest

You’ve been asked to investigate the status of an important group of researchers who hold the key to winning the war.

Find the researchers, and if they live, escort them to safety.

Accept? Yes / No

Seena looked at the others before responding, but they all nodded. Yes, part of it was just that this was the next logical step in getting through the dungeon, but, more than that… the people felt so real. Dungeon quest or not, they couldn’t just do nothing when they had the chance to help. A tap of Seena’s hand on the air—likely hitting the Yes in the notification—and she focused her attention back on the soldier.

“We’ll do it,” she said. “Where can we find these researchers?”

“I’ll draw you a map,” the soldier said.

“Left, you’re the best with directions—could you work with him?” Hiral asked his double.

“Of course,” Left said, picking up the banner and going over to get directions from the soldier.

“Hey, Seena, I need to talk to Bellina about something,” Hiral said to the group leader. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Sure,” she said. “Don’t be long, though. We’ll head out once everybody has a bit more solar energy. I suspect we’ll get another timer soon.”

“Won’t take more than a few minutes,” Hiral said. “Oh, and Seena, that wall was amazing. I didn’t know you could do something that big. No way we would’ve gotten everybody through safely without it.”

“Heh, usually it’s me critiquing performance,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, but credit where it’s due and all that.” He then turned and started jogging over towards where Bellina was seeing to her parents.

“Thanks,” Seena said into the party chat. “This doesn’t mean we aren’t going to have a talk about your death beam, though.”

Hiral winced at the fair reproach, but he turned his attention to the group of refugees rather than replying. “Hey, Bellina, everybody okay?” he asked as he got to the small family, noting Livik in his mother’s arms.

“We are, thanks to you and your group,” she said. “No wonder they had you scouting the southern tunnels; you’re all so much stronger than most of the parties.”

Stronger?

Hiral’s head turned towards the nearby soldiers helping the rest of the refugees get moving, and they were all wearing that same armor. Armor… but no obvious PIM. Were they all Growers? Makers had the tattoos and Meridian Lines, while Builders had the double-helix script found on Hiral’s skin. Dr. Benza had said something about the fourth race, Bonders, having animals with them or something, and there definitely weren’t any of those around—other than the monkeys.

Or, was this dungeon set back in a time before the PIMs were created? The other dungeons they’d been in had featured elements from the past, so it could be possible.

“Do the others not have PIMs?” Hiral asked Bellina.

When she didn’t immediately reply, he turned back to her and found her sort of smiling blankly at him. He asked the question again, and her expression didn’t change in the least, almost like he hadn’t spoken at all.

Odd. Is something wrong with the dungeon, or is this like the Tutorials where there are things I can’t know yet?

Changing tactics, Hiral moved on to the whole reason he’d come over to talk to the woman. “Bellina, that sign I saw you make—over your stomach, back when we found you—can you tell me more about it?”

“The sign?” she asked, her face snapping back to life. “You mean this?” She traced her finger in front of her stomach again.

Yes, yes, that was definitely the same glyph of fertility Arty was tattooing on Growers back on the islands. What’s the connection?

“Yeah, that one,” Hiral said. “What’s it mean?”

Bellina gave him a bit of a strange look, but she didn’t freeze up like she wasn’t able to answer this time. “It’s a ward of protection from the Enemy. You guys don’t use it?”

Hiral just shook his head—no point getting into details. “No, can you tell me more about it?”

“Well,” she said, looking at the others around her a bit, though they were busy preparing to leave, “we don’t usually talk about it—taboo and all—but since you saved us, I guess… I guess I can tell you. The ward, it’s kind of a superstition. I mean, the real glyph works. It stops the Enemy from getting control of you. But getting a glyph is expensive. Only a few of the soldiers have it, or if somebody gets strong enough, it would be dangerous for the Enemy to take them.”

“Like the Fallen?” Hiral guessed, but Bellina’s face paused again.

Nope, not going to learn more about that here.

“What does the ward do, then?” he asked, and Bellina seemingly came back to life.

“Nothing?” she said with an embarrassed shrug. “Most of us can’t afford the real glyph, and we’re just normal people. We’re not fighters like you or the soldiers. I guess… we just use it for good luck? Hold on, are you saying you don’t have a glyph?” Her eyes went wide.

“Nope.”

“But you’re so strong. What if the Enemy gets inside you? They’ll turn you against us!” Fear lingered behind her eyes.

The image of a sadistic, glowing grin popped into Hiral’s mind, and the memory of what had happened to Picoli—of what she’d become, after the Enemy got inside her—made Hiral nod. That thing had been so much stronger than Picoli. Almost unstoppable, really. Bellina’s fear was more than justified.

“So, we should get this glyph if we can?” Hiral asked.

“You should, you should,” Bellina answered quickly. “The Enemy always gets in through the same spot, or so I’ve heard.” She pointed at where she’d traced the ward on her stomach. “The glyph stops them from taking over if they get inside.”

“Does it do anything else? Anything for… fertility?”

Bellina’s face scrunched up at the change of subject, but she just shook her head. “I… don’t think so. But, you know, I did hear they’re very careful to check that women aren’t pregnant when getting the glyph. It changes us inside, so the Enemy can’t take control. I don’t know what that would do to a little one if they’re already in there.” She looked at Livik in her arms, then gave him a tight hug.

“That’s good to know, though I think I’m safe from that worry,” Hiral said, forcing a smile. Then he nodded at a pair of approaching soldiers.

“We need to get moving,” the first soldier said, eyeing Hiral but talking to Bellina.

“We’re ready,” Bellina said, only to likewise glance at Hiral. “Unless there’s something else?”

“No, no, nothing,” Hiral said. “Thanks for answering my questions, and… take care.”

“You too,” she said, taking one hand off her son and patting Hiral’s arm. “Again, I can’t thank you enough for saving Livik.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Hiral said, looking up again at the massive hole in the cavern ceiling.

Literally.

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