Rune Seeker

Before Hiral entered the secret room on the other side of where they’d fought the Mid-Boss, he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d find. When he passed through the door, he had to admit to himself, this piqued his interest.

It was definitely another kind of research room, with devices similar to what they’d found lining the walls in the dome. It didn’t have the same crystal latticework coating those walls, but plenty of tubes and pipes, along with dozens of crystal roots ran everywhere. Even more interesting, many of these devices – whatever they were – still seemed to be active. Status windows with text in a language he could read – but definitely didn’t understand – constantly scrolled across them. There were numbers, graphs, and even little diagrams.

Measurements and readings, no doubt.

Measurements and reading of what? Well, that was pretty obvious, with the center of the room being dominated by two thirds of a crystal pillar, split in the middle so it connected with the floor and ceiling. And, there, hovering within a zone of energy in the space between the crystals, was a pair of gauntlets.

Looking at them, Hiral could feel his pulse quickening. Those gauntlets weren’t made out of crystal. Or metal. Or wood. Or stone. Or… or anything else solid. No, if his senses were telling him the truth, the gauntlets were made out of pure, semi-solid, solar energy. Semi-translucent plating ran from the wrist to what would likely be the wearer’s elbow, while the fingers seemed to be made up of thousands of tiny, solar links. The knuckles sported something that looked like a rising sun – an absolutely impressive feat considering what it was made from.

Kind of like the Emperor’s Greatsword, though I don’t feel the same power from them.

If anything, they felt like they were A-Rank from what he could sense, though the containment field they hovered in was probably obscuring things. Even his View wasn’t activating despite how long he stared at them.

“Thought you’d like all this,” Seena said.

“Oh, I do,” Hiral admitted. “And Gauto would kill for a chance to be in this room. Whatever these things are, I bet all this equipment around here is set to analyze them.”

“That may not be all,” Left said, standing closer to one status window in particular. “I don’t understand most of what this says, but I believe the field there is helping prevent the gauntlets from decaying. They seem to be… unstable.”

“Oh… no,” Hiral said, his hopes immediately falling. “So, we can’t take them with us?”

“Can you get more information, Left?” Seeyela asked. “You figured out the systems in the Asylum quick enough, and you had way less intelligence then.”

“One moment,” Left said, poking the hanging window, then beginning to kind of wave his hand up and down. As he did that, text on the screen flashed by, though he occasionally stopped it to look at what it said. “I believe I’m getting the hang of it. Let’s see. Ah, I have something here…”

“What’s it say?” Yanily asked immediately.

“Let him read it first,” Seena deadpanned.

“These are dramatically named – the Auroran Conquerors – and appear to be one of the last things created before the island was launched,” Left skimmed and explained. “It seems like they weren’t finished though, left in this half-solid state. The researchers were trying to create something that wasn’t made from crystal, to improve the flow of solar energy.

“They theorized these gauntlets would directly be able to link up with a user’s PIM – almost becoming part of it – to act as both a weapon and a constant buff. If they’d managed to get them to work,” he finished.

“What went wrong?” Hiral asked, circling the gauntlets and trying to put himself in the researchers’ shoes. Honestly, he didn’t have the foggiest idea how to solve the problem if they hadn’t figured it out. And Mold Crystal sure wouldn’t help him here.

“The Conquerers weren’t able to stabilize themselves even when connected to a PIM,” Left said, continuing to scroll down the pages. “Being constructed of pure energy themselves, the PIMs they tested with weren’t able to maintain the balance. There wasn’t any harm to the user, but the gauntlets themselves immediately began to fade.

“The researchers estimated a PIM would need to make up more than seventy percent of a user’s body to be able to support the gauntlets. One noted that even the Fallen aren’t believed to have reached that kind of energy saturation. Thus – yes, they actually wrote thus here – the gauntlets were placed in this state of suspension in hopes the Builders would be able to solve the problem at a later date. Also, they hid the gauntlets deep in this facility because there was a small worry they would explode and take the entire building with them.”

“Good thing that didn’t happen,” Yanily said. “But since it still could, we’re letting them stay here? I hate leaving good loot lying around, but…”

“Anybody have any ideas?” Seena asked. “Hiral, do you think you have the – What did Left call it? – energy saturation in your body to use those?”

“No way,” Hiral said. “Seventy percent? That’s not about any of our solar energy stats – capacity, storage, or output. No, to have that kind of saturation, somebody would need to be… need to be…” he trailed off slowly as he looked at Left and Right. “Would need to be beings of pure solar energy.”

“Uh… Left?” Right asked.

“Yes, Right?” the other double responded.

“Do you see the way he’s looking at us?”

“I do.”

“Is it making you nervous, too?”

“Very much so. That’s his ‘let’s-test-something-on-my-poor-doubles face.”

“It really is.”

“You think that’ll work?” Seena asked, ignoring the plight of the doubles.

“I think it very well might,” Hiral said. “Right meets the requirements. He’s got the energy saturation, and his body replicates the effects of a PIM. He and Left may be the only people in existence who could use these. And, given the Auroran Conquerors look very punchy, Right is the obvious choice.”

“Lucky you,” Left said flatly.

“At least if you explode, you come back,” Yanily offered.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Any objections to him taking them?” Hiral asked.

“How sure are you it will work?” Seeyela asked.

Hiral thought about it for a second before answering. “Sure enough we should be back in the town when he tries to remove them from the containment field.”

“Do you remember when he used to agonize over the thought of us dying?” Right asked Left.

“I do… until we talked him out of it,” Left said.

“I suddenly regret that conversation.”

“Stop whining,” Hiral said. “Just think of how much better you’ll punch things if this works.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Right said. “Anything else you need in here? Otherwise scram while I stare down my mortality.”

Instead of walking out of the room, Hiral actually stepped closer to Right. “In all seriousness, you know you don’t have to do this, don’t you? We joke about it, but I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think there was a good chance of it working. The PIMP wouldn’t put these here if it didn’t think we’d have an option.”

“I know,” Right said. “And, like Seena was saying before, we need every advantage we can get against the Enemy. These gauntlets here might be one of those.”

“Two,” Yanily said. “You know, since there are two of them.”

“You can leave him here in case these explode,” Right offered.

“Tempting,” Hiral chuckled. “You sure?”

“I’m sure. You should get back to the town in case you’re wrong though. You have a tendency to explode, and it could be hereditary.”

“Okay,” Hiral said. “Stay in touch over the party chat. We’ll see you soon.”

“One way or another.”

“Let us take one last quick look around,” Seena told Right. “We’ll let you know when we’re… clear.”

“You really say that like it’s going to explode,” Right said flatly.

“Nothing’s exploded all day, I feel like we’re due.”

“Says the woman who arguably creates the most explosions out of anybody in the party, Hiral included.”

“Either way,” Hiral interrupted. “She has a good point. Give us a few min to check for any other secret doors. There might be more loot in this place.”

“I’ll stay and help him figure out how to get the gauntlets out of the field,” Left offered. “I have an idea that may be able to kill two birds with one stone.”

“Oh?” Seeyela asked. Then she looked between Left, Right, and the gauntlets.

“I said two birds, not two doubles,” Left clarified. “And, before you ask, something must be powering this equipment. Something like…”

“Solar Cores!” Hiral caught on, eyes immediately doing to the glowing pillar. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You kind of did,” Seena said, pointing at Left.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll take credit for that,” Hiral chuckled. “The pillar and the devices around the room?”

“I figure there has to be at least two Solar Cores in here,” Left said. “Maybe even three.”

“Would save us hunting down some of the smaller golems,” Seeyela said. “Or their corpses.”

“Less experience,” Yanily said. “Also means we finish faster and can see Nivian and Wule sooner. I’m game. Let’s get moving.”

“Sounds good,” Hiral said, giving Left and Right a thumbs up, then turned and left the room with the rest of the party. As soon as they got back to the Mid-Boss’s, he reached back out with his domain, searching for any sign of a second secret door. Across the walls, along the floor, and even the ceiling, he carefully moved his senses, but didn’t find anything.

“I think it was just the one secret room,” he finally said after two minutes – and three passes – across the entire room.

“Probably for the best,” Seena said. “I’m sure there will be one with the other Mid-Boss as well. Left, we’re heading out. You two good in there?”

“I’ve found three Solar Cores,” Left replied through the party chat. “Removing them will likely destabilize the field, so I’ll do it once you’re a safe distance away.”

“Let’s not keep the men waiting,” Seeyela said, already jogging out of the building – the previously sealed door to the Mid-Boss’s room noticeably absent.

Hiral and the others weren’t far behind, and as they reached the edge of the field – and the wall separating the ruins of the city from the facility, Seena spoke up. “Really, what do you think their odds are? Are they going to explode?”

“Sixty-forty,” Hiral replied.

“We can still hear you,” Right said flatly.

“Good, because we’re at the wall,” Hiral said. “You’re clear to do whatever you were going to try.”

“I’m quite confident this will work,” Left said. “Though, you still may want to shield your eyes in case I’m wrong.”

“Let’s take cover behind the wall,” Seena said, shooing the party out of a direct line from the facility. “Okay, we’re somewhere safe.”

“Here we go,” Left said, and everybody else held their breath.

Hiral couldn’t lie to himself and say he didn’t suspect there was at least a chance of it all going catastrophically wrong. But, after ten seconds of no explosions, then thirty seconds, then a full minute…

“Guys?” Hiral asked, peeking out from behind the wall. And finding his two doubles walking down the path in their direction.

In Left’s hands, the man carried three Solar Cores, while Right held up his hands to show off his literally-glowing, new accessories.

“Success!” Right said when he saw Hiral’s face.

“They’re okay,” Hiral told the others who were looking at him. “And Left got…”

Dynamic Quest: Update

Find a use for the Solar Core: 1/1

You have found a use for the Solar Core, but more power is still needed to fully activate the RACIAL Scanner.

Additional Minor Solar Cores Obtained: 3/5

Major Solar Cores Obtained: 1/2

“Well, you can see,” Hiral said, gesturing to the notification window that explained what he’d been about to.

“Nice!” Seena said, and the party filed out from behind the wall to greet the doubles. “How’d it go?”

“Hiral’s theory proved correct,” Left said, looking at Right. “As soon as I removed the cores, the field failed, and the Auroran Conquerors began to destabilize. However, when Right put them on, the process reversed.”

“They like me,” Right said with a wink – Seeyela immediately groaning – then held up the gauntlets for all to see. Like when they’d been within the field, they were still semi-transparent, with his Meridian Lines and pseudo-aspect visible underneath. Unlike when they’d been in the field, there was now a loose band of energy – about three inches thick – extending from the edge of the gauntlets. Starting at the back of his forearms, then going up and past his shoulders, the energy met behind his head, the soft glow making it look like…

Yanily chuckled. Then, well, so did everybody else.

“What?” Right asked, his eyes narrowing.

“You didn’t tell him?” Hiral asked Left.

Left just shook his head, clearly forcing himself to keep a straight face, now that Hiral was looking.

“Didn’t tell me what?” Right asked, a slight edge to his voice.

“It’s nothing… really,” Seena said, one hand in front of her mouth to hold back the chuckles.

“Doesn’t look like nothing!”

“It’s… just,” Hiral started, then took a deep breath to center himself. “The light from the bands, where it meets behind your shoulders…”

“What about it?”

“Well, because of how… smooth your head is, it makes it looks like a small sunrise.”

“A really shiny sunrise,” Yanily snickered.

“Eh?” Right asked, putting his gauntleted hands to his head and feeling around. It really didn’t do anything to change the effect. “What about if I do… this?” he asked, then dramatically dropped into a sideways fighting stance.

“Bands moved perfectly to keep the sunrise… rising,” Yanily said.

“It’s more than that,” Seeyela said, standing off to the side. “Somehow, it looks the same from over here. With that silky-smooth head and how sparkling clean the light makes it look, I guess we should start calling you Mr…”

“Just don’t,” Right interrupted.

“Then stop winking. It’s creepy.”