Loot Review 2: Consulting the Book of Armaments

“Don’t forget the thing you got with the box,” Vivian pointed out as John opened his inventory.

“Right,” he said, finger an inch from the display. He willed it closed and reached back into the box, hand digging past the already noted items until it clasped around the wooden disk. He placed it on the table and hit it with Observe.

“Some nice buffs there,” John said. “Getting boosts to stats is always nice, especially Charisma. Let’s see what the rest does.”

Inspiring Aura: While you are engaged in combat, your allies within 5 meters of you have their willpower boosted.

Mark of Combat: Gain a mark point for every enemy felled (up to 5). Each point provides +2% Strength.

Evocation: Forest’s Boon: Cost: 20MP 15 Durability. Call upon Yav’maia’s power to bolster your allies’ Strength and Endurance by 15%.

“Good mix of team play stuff and boosts for me,” John said after reading the info. “Good for us. First one’s a bit vague.”

“It probably isn’t too different from what I can do,” Teri theorized. “Something to increase their bravery or resistance to fear.”

“Sounds likely,” Vivian added. “If that’s how it works, it frees you up from needing to boost us.”

Teri nodded, looking at the disk. “We’ll need to see it in action, but I agree.”

“We’re going to get to the weapons soon, right?” Beth asked, taking a final sip from her drink, the slurping sounds of the last bits of liquid being sucked up the straw filling the room.

“Patience, young grasshopper,” John said, placing the sigil back in the box. “We should probably do them one at a time, so we don’t scuff Vivian’s table.”

“Thanks for that,” Vivian said, leaning in to give John an appreciative kiss on his cheek.

“Just being a good boyfriend,” he said, testing the word. It felt good to say it, almost as good as the kiss. “Now, how about we start with the whip.”

John summoned the flexible weapon. Unlike how the trevolk had their weapons embedded in their arms, this one was far closer to a conventional whip. A dark green vine around two meters in length spooled onto the table, dark woody spikes sticking out from the last dozen or so centimeters. The handle was smooth wood the same color as the spikes, around a third of a meter in length and felt nice to hold.

“That sounds fun,” Beth said, perking up as John read the Observe. “Mind if I give it spin?”

John cast a glance at Vivian. The redhead adopted a thinking expression, then nodded.

“Just don’t go all out, please,” Vivian requested. “And it would be safer if you tested it in the hall.”

“Copy that,” Beth said with a little salute and hopped out of her chair, snagging the weapon from John’s hand. He twisted around to see Beth stop right past the doorway, whip dangling from her hand.

“Okay, let’s see what a bit of juice can do,” Beth muttered and John managed to activate Arcane Sense in time to feel a pulse of her mana flow into the weapon. Her wispy mana flowed into the vine and the flexible weapon began to writhe in a serpentine way.

“Man, that’s freaky,” Beth remarked as she began to move the whip. “Feels like I’ve grown an extra arm.”

“Had a similar thought when I got my wind spirit,” John said.

Beth’s face took on a melancholic tint as the whip began to move with more purpose, the spikey end bobbing up and down slightly.

“Can’t really make it move all that much,” she remarked. “Don’t think I’ll be able to Scorpion anyone with this. Going to give it a swing, see how being able to make it twitch works with actual movement.”

Beth drew her arm back and snapped it forward, the whip whistling through the air. Beth repeated the action several times, each repetition sending the business end in a slightly different direction.

“I can control where it flies, sort of,” the lithe girl reported. “And I think with a little practice I could get pretty good with this.”

“You can have it you want,” John offered. “Can’t see myself pulling a Castlevainia.”

“I think something like this fits me better than a basic sword,” she said. “Not that what you gave me to try out isn’t appreciated.”

“I get that,” John remarked. “But you need to find the right fit. Plus we got a second one. Might see if there’s anything I can do with Craftsmanship. Might be able to enhance it. Or I could muck it all up and ruin it.”

“Still should give you experience, right?” Aeolia asked as Beth walked back into the kitchen, placing the coiled whip next to her chair.

“Should,” John answered. “And I should still check the whip’s info. Could be stuff you can use. Already seen Living Core, lets the thing heal by sending mana into it. And I’m guessing Controlled Path is what you were using, but better to be safe than sorry.”

Controlled Path: With an application of mana (.25MP/sec), you can take control of the whip, performing small adjustments to its movement.

Growth Spike: For 15MP you can extend the length of the whip by a meter for 30 seconds. This does not stack.

Evocation: Lash Storm: Cost: 26MP, 15 Durability. Extend Thornbite an additional 4 meters and cause it to strike out on its own, attacking anything in the direction its handle is pointed for (Wis) seconds.

“That sounds badass,” Beth remarked excitedly as John finished reciting the Evocation.

“And super dangerous,” John countered. “Once it’s cast, it keeps going and doesn’t discriminate between friend and foe. Really don’t want to invoke Murphy’s Law and risk hitting one of you guys.”

“Well, if we need it for some reason, I won’t say no to you borrowing it from me,” Beth cheekily offered.

John nodded, drawing out the next piece of gear. A wooden sword not unlike his Greatwood Sword manifested in his hand, though designed to be effective with just one hand instead of two, leaner than his second weapon and slightly longer than the Zilhavrum Sword.

“Nothing new on the Attribute front,” John said, disappointment in his voice.

“Doesn’t your greatsword have something to do with the undead?” Aeolia asked.

“Yeah, a fifteen percent damage boost against that type of enemy,” John answered. “Observe mentioned something about a recent undead threat making them cultivate the Steelwood trees to deal with them. Maybe this is just an older model.”

Shelving that line of thought for later, John called up the Evocation information.

Evocation: Willow Stance: Cost: 15MP, 12 Durability. Increase Agility by (Wis)% for (Evo Lv)/2 minutes.

“Not the flashiest of things, but nice,” John said. “Would pair nicely with my wind spirit ability, if I wanted to supercharge my Agility.”

Putting the sword away, John switched it for the shield. It was roughly triangular in shape, the front bearing a carving of thorny vines in a style reminiscent of a Celtic knot. A set of vines played the part of straps on the smooth backside and John slipped it on his arm. The straps, initially wider than his arm, shifted into a snug and comfortable fit, much like how John’s coat fit.

Taking it off, John placed it on the table and called up its info.

“Nothing standout here,” John said. “Not that I’m expecting to go sword and board, so I’m not too bothered by it. And I doubt the Evocation will sway me.”

Evocation: Defense of Thorns: Cost: 20MP, 15 Durability. Grows spikes from the shield’s front. Lasts (Evo Lv) minutes. Can be dismissed for 1MP.

“Okay, spike bashes are kind of fun,” John admitted. “But still not enough to get on board using this.”

“Kind of sucks to be getting stuff you’re not planning to use,” Beth pointed out.

“Anything I don’t plan on using is on the table for anyone to pick up,” John said, eyes turning to Teri. “That goes for extended friends too. Figure that will keep those elders a little happy.”

Teri smiled slightly. “It’ll at least make it hard for them to complain. But probably just barely.”

“We’ve still got a few things to go through,” Aeolia said, playfully punching the goblin’s arm.

“First got to get through the last of the weapons and armor and we can check the dirt and whatever's in the treasure box,” John remarked, pulling the sole piece of armor they won. It closely resembled the chestplate and footwear he had, the same elaborate patterns of weaving vines decorated the open faced helmet.

John felt his face twist into a sour expression and Vivian quickly asked, “Something wrong?”

“He’s a bit upset that this isn’t part of the same armor set as the other Steelwood gear,” Senka answered for him.

“Read my mind for that one?” John asked with a snorted laugh.

Senka shook her head. “I know you well enough to know missing a piece of a set and getting something from a new one really irks you.”

Aeolia nodded. “Yeah, not a hard one to puzzle out.”

“Glad I’m easy to read,” John muttered, tapping the sole unknown Attribute.

Mark of Protection: Wearing this piece of armor increases your resistance to magical attacks.

“Haven’t gotten a magic protection effect yet,” John said, his mood lifting.

“Wonder if it protects against all sorts of magic or just directed things like fireballs?” Teri pondered.

“Thinking it might shield the wearer from something like your magic?” Vivian asked, quickly catching on to Teri’s line of thought.

When Teri nodded, John lifted the helm to his head, the wooden piece of armor fitting snugly. Once it was in place, he watched as Teri furrowed her brow in concentration, the mana bar above her head ticking down slightly.

“I’m not feeling anything any different,” he reported.

“I only put in the minimum effort,” Teri replied. “It washed right off you. I can still sense your emotions, so it’s not protecting you from sensory magics.”

“We can run a full test later,” John said, taking the helmet off. “Let me review the ‘Armor Set’ real quick and we can move on.”

Honored Guard Armor Set: A position of great prestige, those chosen to serve in the Honored Guard stand proud as they protect sacred sites and important members of their society.

Set Bonus: 2 Pieces: +5 Strength. 3 Pieces: 10% Damage Reduction. 4 Pieces: +15% Endurance. 5 Pieces: +20% to all weapon skills.

“Not a bad set,” John assessed. “But not a lot of use with only one piece.”

John returned the helm and pulled out the last item they had won off an enemy. A thin strip of wood around twenty centimeters long, no thicker than two of his fingers, that forked slightly near the end. Delicate vine carvings spiraled up and down the length, an occasional leaf sprouting from them. For a brief moment, the smooth wood under his finger felt both coated in dirt and slick with water. Shaking off those odd sensations, John cast Observe.

“Now this might be something useful,” John said cheerfully. “Let’s see what these do.”

Focus: This item is a conduit for magic. All spells are 5% cheaper when cast through it.

Channel of Nature: Spells employing Earth or Water mana are 20% cheaper when cast through this focus.

Century's Grace: +10 Wisdom when used with healing or plant-based magics.

Rejuvenating Touch: Healing effects are 25% stronger and last 50% longer when this item is used as a focus.

Evocation: Grand Blooming: Cost: 25Mp, 20 Durability. Generates a circle (Wis) meter in diameter. On this area, all spells and effects cast with at least 50% Earth or Water mana have their effects increased by (Evo Lv. x 3)%. Duration: (Int)/ 2 Mins

“Huh, that’s new,” John remarked, pointing to the first Attribute. He let out a small chuckle. “I’ve got a spellswordy kind of build but all of the combat stuff we’ve won has been weapons or heavy armor. The closest thing to a ‘mage class’ item has been the arm of a woad.”

“Going out on a limb that it does a little more than something you can bonk monsters with,” Beth said with a grin.

“Ha, ha,” John said goodnaturedly. “It’s got a healing Evocation. Though, now I wonder if I could convert it into something like a staff.”

Shaking his head, he pocketed that idea and instead threw the wand towards Beth.

“Catch,” he said as the piece of thin wood arced over the table. Beth easily snagged it, her eyes widening the second her hand touched the old wood. “So you feel that too?”

“Yeah, feels kind of damp,” she reported.

“Huh, I felt some dirt in there,” John muttered. “Only for a second, then it was just wood.”

“Well it still feels damp for me,” Beth remarked, twirling the wand. “Handles like it’s dry though.”

Vivian let out a thoughtful hum. “I wonder if that’s because your mana has a decent amount of water in it. Though I’m not sure what that means about what you felt, John.”

“Think it might be because your aura is weird?” Aeolia asked.

“Weird how?” Vivian pressed, her face a mix of intrigue and concern.

“When I used his goggles, his aura was all black with bits of color twinkling in it,” Aeolia informed the group.

“A black aura?” Vivian muttered, confusion in her voice. “That’s not what I was taught. I believe you, but the way I learned it was that there are the six elements that appear in auras: fire, earth, water, air, light and dark; each represented by a color: red, orange, blue, green, yellow and violet. And a seventh type of aura, white, represents someone who has no strong leaning toward any element. That means they use neutral mana, but have the ability to slightly lean into all the elements.”

“Beyond converting or drawing mana out of items, I haven’t used any elemental mana,” John said. “Think it’s just a me thing? A lot of games have the main character as some prophesied hero, complete with some unique standout power.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Vivian smiled. “There was that bit about colors peeking through your aura. I’m betting they were the colors I mentioned, correct?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Aeolia answered.

"You aren't suggesting what I think you are, are you?" Teri asked.

"If you think my conclusion is that John could develop the ability to use all types of mana, then you're right," Vivian stated. "And I think that means he has the same potential in all of those elements as someone with a strong aura."

"What the hell makes an aura strong or not?" Beth interjected, right as John opened to his mouth to utter the same question.

“It’s a term some use to refer to the potency of one’s mana as reflected in their aura,” Vivian explained. “Someone with a ‘bright’ aura is said to have a greater affinity to the mana indicated over someone with a ‘dimmer’ aura. To put it in simple terms, if two people with a fire alignment and the same amount of mana were to pour everything into a fireball, the one with the stronger aura would have one with more kick.”

“And you think I’ll be strong in everything?” John asked.

“Possibly.” Vivian shrugged. “Like I said, I’ve never heard about a black aura. Either it’s such a rare occurrence that it never got noted down or those who had it were mistaken as having some other aura.”

“I wonder if Mason or Cammie know anything about it?” John mused. “Mason didn’t say anything when he scanned me on Wednesday, but if I’m just like a white aura but with greater potential, maybe sensing that is difficult, especially when I haven’t even scratched the surface of what I can do.”

“Speculating with little evidence isn’t going to get us anywhere,” Teri interjected. “And going off what ifs might make us focus on something wrong.”

“Teri’s right,” Vivian said, shaking her head. “This is a rabbit hole we can jump down later. Let’s finish going over the loot. What’s left anyway?”

“We’ve got that jar from the chest and the treasure box,” John answered, reaching over to pluck the wand from Beth. He returned the reclaimed focus to his Inventory and asked, “Which one do we want to look at first?”

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