Chapter 405 - Sooner Than I Thought

Chris

East Fort

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have my Healing Bed with me,” I muttered to myself.

It had been a tiring few days, and my body was on the edge of exhaustion. The fighting, the running, the fighting again, the running, and then fighting some more. Even with my Spirit coursing through me, it was barely enough to keep me going.

After my discussion with Michal concluded, I was led to a well-furnished room in order to rest and think about things. I was able to do neither of those things. One, because I didn’t have my Ice Bed. The treasure I missed most right now. And two, because I was deliberately choosing not to think about such things.

I, instead, chose to yearn for what wasn’t here with me.

Instead of the cooling and refreshing treasure of a bed, I laid upon a mundane frame of wood, cloth, and stuffing. It was nice, by those standards, but not magical.

When that didn’t do the trick of diverting my thoughts, I pulled up my Status.

~~
Name: Christopher Zalenski
Race: (D) Human*
Class: (D) Warden of the North(Legendary) – Level 127
Profession: (D) Adept Runesmith(Epic) – Level 102
Affinity: Arctic
Faction: Frostheim (Leader)
Title: Viscount

Strength - 3594
Agility - 1669
Perception - 750
Fortitude - 3091
Endurance - 1816
Vitality - 1230
Intelligence - 607
Wisdom - 969
Acumen - 566

Free Points: 119
~~

When this war is over, I want to be able to forge my first star. I already have enough to upgrade my Body to Copper, and it feels like my Law has grown enough to take another step there as well.

The Concept of Heaviness I’d integrated felt settled, now, and after continued use in rapid succession, the connection between my three aspects of Ice felt solid enough to reach for another.

I wasn’t sure what it would be yet, but I could begin looking once again. Maybe a debuffing aspect, a slow like what [Field of Snow] promised, or a sapping like [Frozen Leach]. I let my mind play with ideas for a moment before pushing on.

While the last few weeks might have been some of the most hectic and draining, they also came with an increase in level and gains that outmatched anything I’d done so far.

I stared at the 119 Free Points I had. I knew I needed to spend them in Agility and Perception, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. It was where I’d dumped every Free Point so far, and it was a band-aid instead of a cure.

The cure was leveling my Profession. The Agility I gained from Runesmith would more than keep up with my growing Strength. If I kept using Free Points, by the time I reached the level cap, my Agility would be so skewed and wildly out of the ratio I liked to keep. Except this time, instead of being below the 2:1 ratio, it would be over. By a lot, too.

The extra Agility wouldn’t hurt, but it felt… wasted. As silly as that sounded. I wanted to shove it into Wisdom, instead. More mana was always good, and it would allow me to progress through the Stars of Primordial Frost faster. My Mana Heart was already doing a lot, and I wished to advance it as soon as I could.

By the end of D-rank, I was projected to only reach 3,400 Wisdom, which would only allow me the Second Star. Not to mention that the levels would come slowly, as Runesmith was much harder to level.

To do the same would take a massive amount of valuable materials, ten times as long, and a focused effort I wasn’t sure I had in me. Even then, it would be rushing rather than growing. My Skills wouldn’t grow, and my options to keep an Epic Profession, one I’d spent so long chasing, would be slim.

I’d gain essence, sure, but it would leave me poorer because of it.

It wasn’t like Warden of the North, where I’d gained nearly a dozen levels in a week.

The essence I gained from my daily dungeon runs was nothing compared to the last few days. It would have taken me months, maybe a year, to gain as much as I had.

Vulwin, who had advanced as soon as he arrived, was below level 120. Books said that the average person took somewhere between 5 to 20 years to get through all of D-rank.

I’d evolved in the Spring, and now, less than a year later, I was already 27 levels through D-rank. Nearly a third. The later levels would come slower, I knew, but even with that added in, I was around a fourth of the way done.

The pace was blazing, from what I’d been told, of the wider universe. I wasn’t sure if Faction elites or champions were different, but it felt supremely fast from my perspective.

I expected D-rank to take a decade. Based on the way it was going, it wouldn’t even take half that.

I wonder if our ‘Assessment’ comes when the first person reaches D-rank, when enough people reach D-rank, or if it’s just timed for when the average person should reach D-rank.

That puts what Michael said into relativity.

Nope, I didn’t want to think about that, but the last distraction I had was the 119 Free Points sitting in the bank. I could use more Endurance, but that will make my Agility problem worse. Can never go wrong with more Vitality or Wisdom, too.

In the end, it was seeing that my Agility was about to become my third-highest stat that cinched it. Also, my Spirit could only do so much, and I was pushing myself to the edge of what my stamina could currently handle.

All 119 went into Endurance. [Body of a Frostborn] didn’t kick in immediately, but I was in for an extra 89 Strength when I next gained essence.

Sigh…

Now I was back to my decision. One I’d successfully put off for… barely a few minutes. I’d known the effort had been futile, but I tried all the same.

Procrastination was my natural instinct when the two paths that lay before me were… unideal. Unideal wasn’t a strong enough word, but it was what fit.

The worst part, the part that had initially sent me reeling, was that it was so logical. If the argument was stripped of all emotion, it made sense. A rational amount of sense.

It took me back to when I killed my first Human. They’d been thieves, set to steal what little we had during a time of strife. They’d deserved it, and it was justified, but I still couldn’t help how I’d felt initially afterward.

I remembered Austin’s words. Not of comfort, but to help rationalize it. He’d said, ‘Think about it like you saved someone in the future from dying. Someone they would have killed, had they continued living.’

The same logic could work here, as well.

That didn’t mean I had to like it.

Enough beating around the bush, I admonished. There were only really two options in front of me.

I could agree with what was said, and wait here and watch people die, or I could not. I’d given my word that I would be dispensable, however they saw fit, but that did not include standing idle just to watch.

There were other fights and other Forts. I could go back to Fort South and plant myself there and repel everything thrown at me. Or, I could continue smashing my way North.

With that thought, I reached for my Message Stone. A device I was cherishing more and more. Its range was still shit, but there were new iterations coming out that extended it. D-rank Artificers and Runesmiths who could make higher-grade Stones.

I’d yet to study them in depth. Another thing to do that was still on my list.

“Rachel, can you ask Vanessa if I’m needed anywhere else right now?” I sent with the faint hope I would.

“Sure, give me a second,” Rachel sent back a few moments later.

Doing something I should have done already, I asked, “How fares the Fort where you’re at. You were sent to Fort North, right?”

Her response was swift this time, expecting the question most likely. “Fiery. With so many Fire Mages in one spot, it’s been an experience. After blasting away what attacks there were, I’ve rotated back and forth between a few Forts that need me. Doing similarly to what you’re doing in the South, I hear. Except with a bit less destruction and a touch more heat.”

If that was how the north is doing, and I’d seen to the south, I wondered what Zuri would do next. It didn’t seem like any of her Faction’s big hitters were here. The Baron, maybe, but even Rachel could have taken him on without a sweat.

She’d either have to send more or send stronger. Or, arrive herself.

The Stone buzzed, “Vanessa’s informed me that you’ve done more than she could have hoped and that you can rest until she gets here.”

Until she gets here? She’s coming?

I echoed the question on my mind, “She’s coming?”

“Oh yes, and she aims to outdo you, from what I can gather. Being forced to watch has her blazing hot, and more than ready to let out some steam.”

The reason she hadn’t been in the field to begin with was so that she’d be able to respond rapidly, wherever the need arose, waiting for Zuri to commit or show up. Now it seemed that wasn’t necessary anymore.

“What does she intend to do?” I asked.

There was a delay as Rachel relayed my question, “‘Push the advantage’ was all she said.”

A counter offensive? Not what I expected, but it’s strategically sound. If Vanessa leads the charge, with me, Rachel, and what I’ve felt of Michael, Ian, Claire, and Zach, it would be a devastating attack.

We’d agreed to a Defensive Alliance, and this technically didn’t fall under the umbrella of ‘defending’, which was mute at this point. Once I’d agreed to come, I wouldn’t stop just because the wind started blowing in the other direction.

It seemed like my decision had been made for me. Vanessa was on her way, and I was to wait regardless. Depending on how fast she traveled, it would be a day or two.

I could stomach a day or two of fake fighting. For their growth, I told myself.

Just as I slipped the Stone back into a pouch on my belt, it buzzed with a message once more.

“News just reached me, Zuri’s on her way.” Rachel’s message was clipped, but said all it needed to.

Vanessa was on her way.

Zuri was on her way.

It seemed like this was going to end sooner than I thought.