Published at 16th of February 2024 2:21 pm

Chapter 24. Into the Unknown

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“Not all fallen divine entities are powerful enough to transition all the way into our dimension. Some get stuck in spatial pockets between their origin realm and ours. They’re weak and hungry. Their senses tell them where they can find the most people to consume and ascend. So, they create rifts and attempt to pollute our realm. Bastards, the lot of them.” - Kaitlyn Smythe, Rift Researcher, Planeswalker.

When Nox and Viktor asked for their group to be excused from Fifthday’s combat class, Professor Wolfhammer made them face a significantly stronger wolf centaur. The five of them failed to bring it down despite improved teamwork. However, no one suffered any injuries, and they lasted five minutes against the beast without suffering any close calls.

The professor approved their time-off request. He had letters for them by the end of the class so their Fifthday afternoon class’s teachers would excuse them, too. It turned out of the five of them, only Nox had a class on Sixthday. Fortunately, Dean Woodson was more than willing to release him. He guessed it was a common occurrence in the dungeon studies department. Nox supposed a trip into a rift or god’s domain added to their education.

“This is a university, not a school,” Dean Woodson told him. “You’re adults. We can’t force you to attend class. Since you have a dungeoneering badge, we can’t keep you from delving either.” She held up Professor Wolfhammer’s letter. “This is to keep you from getting penalized. Poor attendance can affect our decision regarding whether you pass classes or not and will hurt your chances of getting into more advanced courses. I advise you always get a professor to write a note if you intend to skip class.”

Fourthday’s classes didn’t come with any exciting developments. Nox used the evening to explore the campus shops and parks with Lillin before going to bed early.

On the morning of the expedition, Nox woke extra early and visited the University’s mail office as he had done for the past week. He had no packages or letters from Mou. Nox had no choice but to delve without his Artisan’s Arm.

Nox met Lillin for breakfast afterward. Despite the upcoming day of heavy effort, he loaded his tray with food. He had three eggs, two sausages, fried bacon, and sourdough bread. They came together as a beautiful breakfast sandwich which Nox topped with butter and pickles. He also got hard cheese, thin-sliced cured venison, and hard rye bread. The stall owner raised an eyebrow at the volume he took. After almost two weeks, most were used to Lillin’s ridiculous appetite. Nox wrapped them in grease paper and stored them in his satchel. Nox reckoned it would last two meals as long as he rationed the food. He also stuffed his pockets with dried fruit. Lillin’s stale stored food would keep her fed and last as her emergency stash.

The duo were halfway through their early breakfast when Caitlin and Alexander entered the cafeteria. They didn’t greet Nox and Lillin or approach them. The siblings didn’t express contempt or hostility, but it was clear that they didn’t approve of his choice in a delving group.

When Nox walked by, Alexander still shot Nox a smile. Caitlin kept her eyes on her porridge. Even though she never shared more than pleasantries with him, Nox had grown to like the pair. He hoped they’d eventually forgive him.

They reached the university’s airship dock just after the sixth bell. A long airboat awaited them. The rest of the party was already on board. Nox boarded without question, and Lillin followed.

“Where are we going?” Nox asked as the vessel took off.

“The diviners detected a rift in the hills just west of the city,” Roque said, pointing at a thicket in the distance. Even though the sun peeked over the horizon, casting its rays across the mostly flat landscape, the sky world remained dark around the thicket. It reminded Nox of Lillin’s gravity orb. Light warped around the black locus, and the world beyond appeared stretched out.

“I pulled a few strings, and we get the first crack at it,” Viktor said. “Only the inspectors have peeked inside, and they gave the rift an F-rating.”

Nox found the rift rating systems inconsistent. Typically diviner mages or individuals who specialized in sharpening their mana sense classified dungeons. They studied the mana density in the domains and the resident beasts to determine the ruling god’s power and assigned it a rank.

Unlike dungeons, rifts weren’t static existences. The portals leading into them flickered in and out of location. They didn’t last forever, appeared randomly near population centers, and closed when the entity at its heart died or the realm suffered sufficient damage. If left unattended, the creatures multiplied and spilled out into the world. Then they attacked cattle, ravaged villages, and eventually swarmed cities. As a result, delvers worked to destroy them as soon as possible. Occasionally, mages let more stable rifts persist to harvest renewable resources or train the inexperienced.

Most rifts near big cities only lasted a day or two. As a result, appraisers rarely took the time to visit them and accurately measure their power. Instead, the diviners who detected them assigned them a rank based on their estimations. Most delvers didn’t mind and accepted the letter-based rankings since rifts were often significantly weaker than dungeons.

“It looks close,” Nox said. “Why didn’t we just take a wagon? Hiring a longboat feels wasteful.”

“A wagon?” Viktor laughed. “Why would we waste time on a longboat? We have two and a half days to complete this rift. Every hour spent on transit is an hour wasted.”

“It’s our family boat,” Annabelle said. “We got swarmed by Cloud Hunters on our way here. The vessel needed repairs and a new crew. They’re sticking around for a few extra days for our delve before returning home.”

“I asked Father just to give us the Wedge.” Viktor sighed. “If we delve twice a month, our earnings will be enough to pay the boat’s docking costs, energy costs, and the staff. Three sailors are more than enough to run the vessel. Two of them can double up as defenders when we’re not around. We’ll need to pay extra, but the convenience and time saved is worth it. Don’t you think so?”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Nox shrugged. “My mother cut off my access to the royal family’s privileges as soon as she married my stepfather. I’m no stranger to longboats, schooners, and frigates, but I rode with hunters. It was cramped, but I had a great time.”

The two other men in the party shared a knowing look but said nothing on the matter. Instead, they watched the approaching distortion. Nox used the silence to study his party mates.

A half-plate protected Roque's shoulders, chest, back, and abdomen. He wore metal greaves and gauntlets, too. The aspiring aether warrior’s forearms, thighs, and neck remained unprotected. He carried a round shield and a great axe on his back. Two shorter handaxes hung from his belt. Roque had built his star around a rare strength-enhancement cantrip. His planets increased his speed and durability. As a result, all the armor and weapons didn’t weigh him down.

Meanwhile, Viktor wore leather armor under his university-issued coat. Runes stitched into the hem, and a couple of mana gems suggested it carried enchantments. Viktor wore a longsword on his belt. Unlike Roque, he relied on spells as much as his martial abilities. Even though Nox didn’t like the lordling, he couldn’t deny Viktor’s usefulness in a fight.

Finally, he turned his attention to Annabelle Oakheart. It wasn’t the first time Nox’s eyes had drifted to the young woman. Her blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail, exposing her ears and elegant neck. It felt odd enjoying the sight of a woman’s clavicle, but it was a pretty sight. She wore leather gauntlets and boots. The frilly low-cut blouse under her coat and the suspenders holding up her trousers gave her an almost swashbuckler appearance. The outfit reminded Nox of the sky pirates his mother’s patrolling airships occasionally captured.

Annabelle carried no melee weapons besides the long dagger on her belt. Her left glove housed an enchanted sling. It didn’t fire mana arrows like Ratra’s Bow but infused projectiles with concussive essence. The weapon lacked power but kept foes away and off-balance. She was a support mage and did the role well. It disappointed Nox that her brother and fiance didn’t see the value in her abilities.

The trio was better equipped than most ordinary students. Roque and Victor hadn’t explained their weapons’ powers, but Nox was sure they carried enchantments, too. Magical equipment was rare, and only the affluent could afford them. Almost half the students at Woodson University were of noble lineage. The other half came from rich mage, Aether Warrior, or merchant families. Yet enhancements beyond durability and strength were surprisingly rare.

The longboat reached its destination half an hour after leaving Ygg. A small contingent of soldiers approached the vessel when it landed. Their appearance suggested the armored men and women were a passing patrol. Protocol likely dictated they wait near new rifts until delvers arrived to take care of them. When the soldiers noticed the university coats and the badges on the lapels, they backed off.

The party wove through the thicket, leaving the longboat on a hilltop. Mana density increased as they entered the area of warped light. The world no longer looked distorted, just darker. Even though dawn had not long passed, it felt closer to dusk.

Then they saw the rift.

It looked like someone had grabbed fistfuls of the fabric that was space and ripped it apart using nothing but brute strength. The opening stood seven-foot tall and had frayed edges. Orange light leaked through the rift, betraying its rank.

Only a handful of spells made it possible to see mana. Nox knew little about them but had heard they were tier two or higher. However, Mana System Theory taught students how to identify mana density by refracted light. The colors of the rainbow were a good measure of it, with red indicating low density and violet signifying high density. Breathing air around mana of blue and above could potentially cause internal mana burns for anyone under the rank of expert.

Orange light suggested that the rift was on the difficult end for apprentices. The residing beasts and environment played a major role in deciding a rift’s danger levels. Nox hoped the diviner’s estimations were correct and they weren’t walking to their deaths.

“Let’s divvy up the potions before we go in,” Nox said.

“Can’t we just go in?” Victor asked. “This can wait until we get a look at whatever we’re dealing with.”

“I’d rather do it now. We don’t have a healer, and I don’t want your death on my hands.”

“You should really worry about yourselves.” Roque guffawed. “We can take care of ourselves.”

“I insist.” Nox glanced at the crew member that had followed them. He carried three little packs and waterskins for the Oakhearts and their friend. “You can put it in your packs now or keep them on your person, and I’ll have peace of mind.”

“Fine.” Victor sighed.

Lillin pulled various vials out of her storage. Each party member received three containers of pills.

“Red is healing. Blue restores your mana. Green is for stamina recovery. I stayed up late Seventhday night to make these for you. Shops would put the healing and stamina recovery pills in the major category. Meanwhile, the mana regeneration pills are minors. Don’t take more than two of them at once and leave an hour between pills of the same kind.”

“Why pills?” Victor asked, “Aren’t potions quicker?”

“You’d be right if it were any other alchemist’s creation, but I used my magic to turn them into pills. It will be like glass candy when you consume it. Either suck it or infuse it with a mote of mana to destabilize the pill’s exterior and immediately get the juicy center inside.”

“That’s kind of brilliant,” Annabelle commented, holding a vial up to the light.

“You get an additional vial.” Nox pressed a fourth container into her hand. “Place it somewhere secure where it won’t get knocked around too much.”

“Is this your Trap Foam?” She asked.

Nox nodded. “Only use it in emergencies and shout a warning so everyone can get or stay clear.”

“Why don’t we get one of those?” Victor asked, frowning.

“You’re a melee fighter,” Nox replied. “You’ll move around too much, jostling the container. We can’t risk them breaking while on your person. It will be a pain to get you out, and if you’re unlucky, the foam could suffocate you.”

“Is this it, though?” Roque sounded annoyed. “You demanded twenty gold for just this?”

“Of course not,” Nox laughed. “We got a lot more in Lillin’s spatial storage. You can carry your shares of them if you’d like. I just wanted to avoid loss during battle or traversal accidents.”

“No.” Victor smiled, placing a hand on Roque’s shoulder. “I’d rather not carry more than we have to. Can we head in now, or is there anything else you want to discuss or distribute first?”

“No,” Nox replied. “That’s all.”

The Oakheart twins and Roque took the packs from their servant. They carefully stowed their pills while Annabelle stid the Trap Foam into her blouse. The man handed her a couple of pouches, too. Then the servant returned to the longboat, and the party entered the rift.

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