“I do not deny it,” Ruwen said. “But change has arrived. The indignities of the past are at an end.”
“What authority do you have to speak like this?” Phoenix asked.
“I am Uru’s Champion, and I have refounded the city to the south, where I rule. The change has already begun.”
Thistle stepped in front of Phoenix and Willow, her back to Ruwen, and whispered to the pair as she waved her arms.
Rami, this is a harder sell than I thought. Can Resource Dungeons produce the twelve essences?
Two seconds later Rami responded. Yes, although it’s rare.
Well, Fractal is one of a kind. I’ll make it happen. I’m going to name drop, too.
Ruwen didn’t wait for Thistle to finish. He raised his right arm, pulled his sleeve down, and focused on his Dungeon Master mark. A deep yellow-orange sphere covered in dark rifts blazed under his wrist, and its hundreds of escaping light rays caused everyone to squint. The mark burned like a star, and everyone but Phoenix stepped backward and away from the heat.
“I am the Dungeon Master of the Shattered Sun,” Ruwen shouted. “A Resource Dungeon with a newly created portal in our city, New Eiru. The Companion herself has struck a deal with me. I have given those under her care land. Their rights and treatment are identical to those bound to Uru. Everyone is welcome in New Eiru, including your Clans.”
“Does the Companion fight with you?” Willow asked.
Ruwen lowered his arm. “The Pact forbids it. But I don’t expect you to fight either. Regardless if you help us, a section of the city will be set aside for your Clans. In addition, I will provide a large portion of land for your people. We will be your allies in this dangerous world, and in the future, if you travel within our country, it will always be on equal terms.”
“At what cost?” Phoenix asked.
“Nothing. I will do the things I’ve stated. If your Clans flee across the mountains, and we survive this war, you are still welcome in New Eiru. But there are things worth protecting, worth fighting for, in our new city. Including the Shattered Sun, which will generate essence to help you on your path.”
The crowd had tripled in size and shouts erupted at the mention of essence.
“You lie!” Thistle shouted.
Ruwen nodded. “I have. I will again. But I have not done so here.”
Chaos exploded as the crowd surged forward, and Ruwen heard his name multiple times.
I keep hearing my name. Can you tell why?
Rami laughed. Because of my mom. Evidently most of the people who used their Wyrm Coin to ask about advancing their Cultivation Level were told, “Ruwen Starfield is the shortest path.” Including Willow.
She never misses an opportunity to stir the pot.
Nope. But you aren’t far behind. That was a masterful job of manipulation. You are becoming dangerous.
Not really. Everyone wants equality and a safe place. It sells itself.
Ruwen shouted over all the noise. “The Clans are welcome in New Eiru. A place is being prepared for you. Until we meet again, may the True God light your path.”
Without waiting for a response, Ruwen turned, channeled two Energy per second into Dash, and pushed his Gold legs to their limit.
Chapter 22
On the six-hour return trip to New Eiru, Ruwen didn’t bother trying to increase his Fortification level since it wouldn’t go up anymore. Instead, he threaded Spirit through his Meridians with the new Refinement form and increased his Core Velocity to speed the essence processing.
Ruwen used three hours to finish reading the book on Naktos that Tremine had given Ruwen on his Ascension Day. Aggressively attacking Uru seemed out of character for Naktos, who loved knowledge, books, and alchemy. Even his subjects had a love of alchemy and many used potions and elixirs in their attacks.
Probably from reading about all that alchemy, Ruwen had the urge to create something. He removed the Small Mobile Alchemy Lab from his Void Band, used his Falcon Gloves of Training to help increase skill levels, and created fifty Major Health Stickers. He still couldn’t figure out how to force a common picture on them, so they would probably be random, and embarrassing, when applied.
Ruwen’s Alchemy skill had gone up three times as he struggled with the difficult recipe. It reached sixteen and made his stickers eight percent more effective.
Shing!
You have advanced a skill!
Skill: Alchemy
Level: 16
Effect: Alchemical creations gain a 8.0% increase in success and effectiveness.
Ching!
You have created…
Health Sticker, Major
Quantity: 50
Effect: Heal 108 Health on contact.
Effect: Heal 11 Health per second for 30 seconds.
Effect: Halve all Bleed effects.
The last hour Ruwen had tried to recreate the Observer spell Distract with the essences visible below the spell. While knowing the essences involved was valuable information, not knowing the amounts and order of each essence made perfecting the spell extremely difficult.
Traveling in Shelly was so smooth that Ruwen could never tell if they were moving or not. He monitored his map, and when it showed they’d reached New Eiru, he left the bedroom he’d occupied and entered the main room.
Sift lay on his back in the middle of the room, his body twitching. His Falcon Aspect made him look like a sick bird.
“Are you okay?” Ruwen asked.
“No,” Sift said. “Against my better judgement, I put on that Suffocation Vambrace.”
“Oh.”
Ruwen felt bad for his friend. The Divine Fortification form, while effective, caused immense pain. Adding the Suffocation Vambrace would have increased the difficulty of the process significantly. He hoped that once they broke through to the Gem levels, it would get easier. At least he had Last Breath to help him deal with it. Sift only had meditation, which he was terrible at.
“We’re back home,” Ruwen said.
Sift shifted his head enough to see outside. “It’s still dark.”
“It’s three in the morning.”
“Everyone will be sleeping,” Sift said. “I should be sleeping.”
“Have you
