The Wandering Spire

Jeze and the team debated if she should set up a Security Disc in the corridor that led to the chamber they were in. On one hand, it would alert them if they were attacked, assuming their attackers were unable to locate and disarm the trap. But on the other hand, Dunar pointed out that the trap may harm other Guild members. Ultimately, it was decided that Jeze should use the Water aspect Security Disc as it was less lethal and loud enough to alert them of a potential attack.

"Micky can heal them if they are friendly," Helga pointed out.

"Great," the Healer muttered.

The Security Disc added an extra layer of protection, which allowed the team to rest, but Dunar still insisted on a light watch schedule. It was Jeze's turn, and she sat by the entrance looking out into the dark corridor. The others were behind her and further inside the chamber. They sat in a circle with Ziplocke in the center.

"What advice do you have for us as a team?" Dunar asked. The Leader was interested in tactics and formations. Dunar hoped to learn more from the Goblin, who had hundreds, if not thousands, of years of experience working with Adventuring teams.

"Your weakness is that you rely too much on Jeze's versatility," Ziplocke answered.

Mikal scoffed at that answer. "Of course, the Demon will play favorites. He is bonded to Jeze!"

"It's not a contest, Micky," Helga admonished.

Dunar sat and was thinking. With a nod, he stated, "Ziplocke is right."

"Of course he is. I am incredible," Jeze called out.

"Shouldn't you be further down the corridor on watch?" Mikal snapped.

Rolfe and Helga chuckled.

"Let's be serious a moment," Dunar said, and the laughter died down. The Leader continued, "The Empire's Special Forces Team we fought earlier. Their tactics relied on their caster."

"And their gear," Rolfe added.

Dunar nodded and responded, "Right, and it was used to protect the Rune caster. If you recall, they opened up with the flash spell to blind us. We were fortunate that Jeze knew the Darkness aspect to cancel out that spell."

"Like I said, I am incredible!" Jeze announced.

"She learned that aspect from me!" Ziplocke said in his shrill voice.

"By the Frozen-All-Father, these two are annoying. Can we try another vote?" Mikal grumbled.

Dunar ignored the comments and continued, "The Empire team's tactics were built around their Rune Caster. The three Protectors guarded with shields so that the caster could blind, shock, and confuse their opponents. This, in turn, would create an opening for the team's Striker to inflict significant damage."

"The enormous sword fighter who, your's truly, defeated!" Jeze called out.

"You engaging that fighter without your Rune Magic was reckless and stupid," Ziplocke admonished.

"But it was glorious!" Helga cheered.

The Goblin ignored the warrior maiden and added, "Jeze, you are a smaller fighter. You should focus on blending your fighting with your Rune magic. You will only hold yourself back if you continue to focus on them individually."

"It's challenging to Shape glyphs with weapons in my hands," Jeze responded.

"The Goblin is right. That is why you need to practice it more," Dunar stated.

"Enough about Jeze! How could we have fought differently against the team? Should I have attacked the Rune caster with my ranged spells?" Mikal asked.

"You actually performed your function perfectly. You kept Helga, Dunar, and Rolfe alive and healed," Ziplocke said.

Mikal blinked his eyes several times. He opened and closed his mouth with indecision.

Helga laughed. "You made Micky speechless again!"

Rolfe was quiet and thinking throughout most of the conversation. Finally, he perked up and exclaimed, "The Runes!"

"What are you talking about?" Mikal said with a scowl.

"Their shields had Runes etched along them. When they activated them, the shields gave off a burst of energy. Helga had a clear line of attack on the caster, but she was stopped by the Rune magic," Rolfe explained.

"So?" Ziplocke asked, but there was a twinkle in his red eyes.

Rolfe continued, "Jeze said that Rune magic requires perfection. What if Helga and I targeted the Runes on the shields with our weapons? Could we have scratched them enough to disrupt their magic?"

Mikal snorted but stopped. "That is actually a brilliant idea," the Healer admitted.

"If we teach the basics of Rune magic, you will be able to easily spot magic Runes and how to disrupt the pattern," Jeze called out from her post.

"I would like that," Rolfe said.

"Ya, me too!" Helga added.

"You could be even more effective if you channeled your Will into the attacks," Ziplocke said.

"What?" The others asked in unison. This was the first time Jeze ever heard of channeling Will into something that was not a spell.

"Don't look so surprised! You do it with the Resin when you disarm traps," Ziplocke said.

Jeze was about to retort but paused. The Goblin was right! It was easy to insert her Will into the Resin, but why would it not be possible with her weapons? It would be much harder, but it could be done. She was eager to try this!

"How do we do that?" Dunar asked.

Mikal answered, "The same way you warded off the Affliction spells when we entered the Mists. You first locate your Will through mediation. Picture it as a ball of energy that you could move from your mind down to your arms. From your arms, you move it to the tip of your weapon and release it when you strike."

Rolfe and Helga practiced. The two breathed deep, and their faces consorted from the effort.

"This is hard," Helga whined.

"I want to try this. Let's go back and fight those Legionnaires again!" Rolfe exclaimed.

Jeze called out from her post, "Did I hear we are going back to fight the Legionnaires?"

"Fools," Mikal muttered with a shake of his head. He called out to Jeze, "Stay focused on your duties!"

Helga and Rolfe chuckled and then returned to their breathwork.

"Should we invest in enchanted weapons of our own?" Dunar wondered.

Ziplocke shook his head. "You have the right strategy by relying on your skills and wits. Having enchanted weapons will dull your abilities as you will rely on them. Also, enchanted weapons have charges, and they run out. I have seen it happen too often where a team runs out of charges and fails at a critical moment." The Goblin let loose a shrill laugh at the memory and added, "If only you could see the look on their faces when it happened!"

"Dunar, you should learn and practice this technique. It will take lots of effort, but if what Ziplocke says is true, I believe you will also be able to disrupt Rune casters by striking them with your Will focused attacks," Mikal said.

"How come you never told us this before, Micky?" Helga asked.

"I just learned about it now! And it is all theoretical, but it makes sense," the Healer responded.

"My brother talked about how the Monks from the Jade Principality were able to disrupt their opponents' Will with focused strikes of their fists and cause them to fall to the ground. I would imagine that would include disrupting Rune casting," Jeze called out.

"Why have I never heard of this before?" Dunar asked.

"Because it is incredibly difficult to do," Mikal responded.

"It's a pretty common tactic used by skilled warriors. I have an idea! You should practice it on Jeze!" Ziplocke shrieked and laughed at his own joke.

"Watch yourself, Goblin. They will also want to practice on you to prepare for their fight with Demons," Jeze cautioned.

Ziplocke's laughter stopped as suddenly as it started, and the Goblin ran to hide in the Shadows. Helga and Rolfe chuckled.

"Aww, Come back!" The warrior maiden called out.

"Yeah, we still have questions!" Rolfe added.

"Such as?" Ziplocke returned and asked.

"How close are we to Adept rank?" Helga inquired.

Mikal snorted and answered, "Not close at all. Did you forget that we were just promoted?"

"Berserker Orn could run through the deep snow as fast as the Dire wolves without winter clothing and while carrying a sack full of heavy stones," Dunar explained. The Leader then asked, "Could you do that?"

Helga shook her head and replied, "Not yet."

"That man is amazing," Rolfe said quietly.

"And to think that there are two more ranks above his," Helga added.

"Hey Ziplocke, how does one advance beyond Berserker and become a Druid?" Rolfe asked.

Jeze recalled that Druid was what the Frostsworn had named the Elite rank. Herald was the highest and what they used for the Hero rank. She only saw one Elite and that was Couzart, the Shadow Reaper. He looked extremely powerful and Jeze wondered what a Hero rank would look like.

Ziplocke snickered and asked for more paste. Mikal scowled and called out to Jeze to hurry up.

"But what about my post?" She teased.

"Just give the Goblin the paste!" Mikal snapped.

"Now Mikal is eager to learn from ole Ziplocke," the Goblin snickered.

The Healer took a deep breath and replied calmly, "I now realize the benefits of your wisdom."

Ziplocke blinked his eyes several times. Helga and Rolfe laughed out loud.

"Now Zippy is speechless!" The warrior maiden observed.

Jeze arrived with the paste and offered it to Ziplocke. The Goblin slurped it up eagerly and smacked his lips with pleasure. When he was finished he discovered the Proven were waiting for him to continue. The Goblin's lips pulled back into a grin.

"You all are at Adventurer rank. Very few make it there, and most Adventurer ranked finish their careers at that level. Adept rank requires one to be at the peak of human ability. One must have a powerful body and a powerful Will," the Goblin started.

"We know this already!" Mikal snapped.

"Patience, Micky," Helga admonished.

Ziplocke continued, "In order to break the bounds of the Adept rank, one needs to be able to tap into their Spirit."

"Like our soul?" Mikal asked.

"Exactly! With a strong body and Will, you can sense your Spirit and bring it forth," Ziplocke said and added, "But it is extremely difficult."

"Do we achieve this with meditation?" Dunar asked.

The Goblin responded, "It's much more than that. In fact, it is nearly impossible without the aid of an Immortal being."

“Like you?” Rolfe asked.

Ziplocke laughed so hard Jeze worried that the Goblin’s little chest would burst. Finally the Demon calmed down.

“I’m not an Immortal being,” he said.

“But you lived for thousands of years!” Jeze said. Ziplocke told them that he aided the Ones from Before, which was so long ago.

“Time passes differently in the Abyssal plane. A decade could be several hundreds of years here on the Material plane,” Ziplocke answered.

“So, you are like middle age then?” Helga wondered.

“How dare you!” Ziplocke shrieked. “I don’t look that old,” he added.

“Why do you call us mortals?” Mikal asked.

Ziplocke snickered. “It gives me a sense of superiority.”

The Healer rolled his eyes.

"How did Couzart achieve the Elite rank?" Jeze wondered.

"That is a secret that is closely guarded. It can be assumed that Couzart and other Elites made terrible sacrifices," Ziplocke said and let loose a cackle of laughter.

"Can one achieve Elite rank through effort?" Dunar asked.

"I'm sure it has been done," the Goblin answered.

"Are there other ways?" Helga asked.

"It has been said that one can find special Elixirs that will bring one's Spirit forth. But you must be careful! If your Will and Body are not strong enough, you will die a terrible death as your soul bursts through your body! Oh, that would be priceless to behold! Imagine that!?! Some fool drinks the potion thinking they will be given immense power, and then at the last moment, boom! They are dead!" The Goblin cried and fell to the floor with laughter.

"He is not right in the head," Mikal said.

Helga and Rolfe nodded in agreement.

Dunar rose and ordered, "Gather your gear. It is time for us to move out."