Ruwen skipped the sections on Laborer and Household Sub Classes and moved to the pages detailing the Collector abilities. There were five of them.
Ability: Immunity
Effect: Increase Resistance to Acid, Poison, and Disease by 20% per Ability Point.
Ability: Prospector
Effect: Increase Perception by 20% per Ability Point.
Ability: Ripen
Effect: Accelerate growth of target. Increase speed by 200% per Ability Point.
Ability: Stone Echo
Effect: Sense reflected vibrations allowing discovery of buried or hidden resources. 500 feet per Ability Point.
Ability: Sunburn
Effect: Convert sunlight and other power sources into Energy. Increase efficiency by 20% per Ability Point.
Ruwen had twenty-two ability points to spend, and while there were some interesting abilities here, especially Sunburn, he needed to wait until he could go through the Fighter and Commander abilities. And he couldn’t do that until he learned how to select his Sub Class.
Ruwen had far more spell points, forty-three to be exact, and he glanced at the Mana-based Worker spells.
Spell: Steady
Effect: Increase balance by 25% per spell level. Each spell level reduces width required for safe movement.
1 level: 12 inches
2 levels: 6 inches
3 levels: 3 inches
4 levels: 1 inch
5 levels: Rope
Spell: Tumble
Effect: Falls (20 feet per spell level) are slowed to that of a three-foot drop.
Ruwen had seen both these buffs when Ahvy’s team of Shooters had loaded Ruwen’s Void Band at the city warehouse. Both appealed to him because he hated heights, and these would make him safer and help survive a fall.
The level seven and nine Worker Energy-based spells were next.
Spell: Fresh Air
Effect: Creates a bubble of clean air around the Worker's head. 2 feet per spell level.
Spell: Climb
Effect: Creates 100 feet of magical rope for every spell level. Use Energy to propel items along the rope.
Ruwen continued on to the Mana-based spells for the Collector Sub Class.
Spell: Lockbox
Effect: Create a magical lock that can only be opened with keyword uttered during creation. Each spell level increases the strength of the lock by 200%.
Spell: Net
Effect: Creates a magical trap. Each spell level increases trap size and strength.
1 level: Small Creatures
2 levels: Medium Creatures
3 levels: Large Creatures
4 levels: Very Large Creatures
5 levels: Gigantic Creatures
Spell: Shed
Effect: Create 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet basic structure to keep occupants safe from the elements. Each spell level increases all dimensions by 5 feet.
Spell: Minion
Effect: Create a helper from rocks, trees, or other solid items. Will follow very simple commands (dig, fetch, chop, etc.) for 4 hours. Each spell level increases duration by 5 hours.
Spell: Fresh Harvest
Effect: Alter the flow of time, slowing it immensely, keeping the target from spoiling. Each spell level increases the bubble by three feet, and the duration by 6 hours—movement within the sphere destroys the effect.
Fresh Harvest was how the cities received and stored fruits and vegetables. That just left the Energy-based Collector spells for Collectors.
Spell: Drizzle
Effect: Generate rain in a radius around the Worker. 10 Energy per second for every 100 feet of radius. Every spell level increases the radius by 100 feet.
Spell: Chaff
Effect: Remove unwanted objects from harvest. Every spell level increases Haste by 25%.
Spell: Sow Seed
Effect: Move small objects using Telekinesis. One pound per spell level.
Spell: Harvest
Effect: Magical scythe cuts crops in a 120-degree arc in front of the Worker. 10 feet per spell level.
Spell: Greenhouse
Effect: Alter the temperature up or down by ten degrees in a 100 foot radius around the Worker. Every spell level increases the radius by 100 feet and the temperature by ten degrees. Temperature and distance are adjustable.
Like almost everything with the Worker Class, the abilities and spells seemed to be utility-based and meant to help get jobs done. Ruwen’s shoulders slumped, and old bitterness tried to surface. But the emotions didn’t feel right, and he wondered if his two-point drop in Wisdom affected his judgment.
Ruwen’s entire experience with Worker capabilities had shown their incredible versatility. While the spell and ability names weren’t flashy, they could, with a little imagination, be used in powerful ways. With just a little thought, you could see how powerful some of these capabilities were.
Insect Repellent might allow Ruwen to keep poison gas or acid away or clear the way through a fog. He wondered if Stone Echo might be a basic version of Rami’s vibration magic and allow him to see his surroundings better. Sunburn could be a great way to augment his Void Band’s Energy needs. His Scarf of Freshness was a powerful piece of gear, but if he didn’t have it, or was in an environment where it wouldn’t work, Fresh Air might let him breathe underwater or other hostile environments. Chaff might have an insane impact on his fighting skills.
Distributing his spell points between the Worker and Fighter choices would be difficult. He closed the book with a mental hand, clearing his vision.
Ruwen’s years of training with Rami triggered as he sensed a disturbance near him. He didn’t slow or look around, but concentrated on his other senses to provide clues. Because the temple Guardians hadn’t reacted, it probably meant it was one of his friends.
The first hint of dawn colored the eastern sky grey, but it remained dark around the temple. Ruwen had spent the entire night circling the giant structure. The temple Guardians’ humming was the only sound, which made hearing the attack easier to catch.
Ruwen recognized the sound of the Viper Step.
Sift had ambushed him.
Chapter 5
Ruwen reacted immediately, no longer having to think before acting, and leaped to the right, away from the temple. As he landed, he pivoted to face Sift, sinking into a defensive stance.
This part of his route remained the darkest as the temple blocked the rising sun. Ruwen turned his head slowly back and forth, using his peripheral vision to see Sift, but there wasn’t enough light. Ruwen could have toggled on Detect Temperature to aid him, but he knew Sift would frown on that. Honing your senses to work without magic was a valuable skill, too.
Ruwen didn’t move, knowing Sift would use any
