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1275 Words
Conor shrugged the comment off. “I don’t see it as that important anymore. At least not for the next year. We’ll be fighting in teams, and while it would be nice to round out my damage in a rift, I don’t see it as a good way to spend my money right now. Better to be a more capable front liner and earn my team, and therefore myself, more points.”
Matt liked the man’s approach. If he still had [Copper Skin], and knew it didn’t have side effects, he would’ve given it to the man on the spot. He was right, and the better he was as a defensive shield for their mages, the more Matt could go on the attack as a melee damage dealer. Right now, he was a hybrid, which he didn’t mind, but focusing on the attack would allow his abilities to shine.
They reached the store in question, and Matt inspected the gauntlet Conor was interested in. It was made by a Tier 7 crafter who obscured his work, so while Matt wasn’t able to get a perfect look at the item’s runes, he was able to get a feel for its general craftsmanship.
He was honestly impressed with the item. It was good, solid work that seemed to have the runes completely integrated with the metal, but not in the way he was used to seeing. After checking the price, Matt understood why Conor was hesitating.
At a Tier 8 mana stone for the Tier 7 item, it was expensive. Matt could only give his opinion and leave it up to the other man to decide.
“I think the price is worth it. It’s well made and will last you a while. It’s also a great defensive item if it does as it says and absorbs attacks that land on your off arm. The price, though…”
Matt let himself trail off, and after another few minutes of Conor pacing, he finally bought the item.
As they walked back to their headquarters, Conor offered an explanation. “I had a lucky rift before I came here, but that was most of my liquid assets. Hard to jump off the ledge like that.”
“I understand. Look at the bright side. It should last you well after this war, and with its durability and repair enchantments, it should last a good while longer with minimal spending. I think it was worth it. Oh, by the way, we should probably get the girls together and do some sparring when we get back.”
They were nearly back to their rooms when their AIs were pinged. Their party had a mission in three hours.
9
The two of them ran the rest of their way back, and Matt noticed there was a great deal of bustle for both sides. It seemed that everyone was rushing to make up for lost time, compared to the slight lull that had happened before the auction.
It could also be the rulers pushing each side to earn more points. They have to both be desperate to win the staff and gauntlet. I can’t say I blame them. Those items seem incredible, and they weren’t even made for me.
Matt and Conor burst into their suite of rooms and saw that everyone else was already getting ready. Liz threw Matt his under armor clothes, which he slipped on, and he slung his bag over his shoulders in a swift moment.
Conor took longer with his full metal plate armor, but his teammates helped to expedite the process. In five minutes, they were on their way down to the teleporter room, only to find a mass of people milling around the entrance.
The door opened, and a woman’s voice called out, “Quill’s team, you’re up.”
There was a shout from a small group, then a shoving as they made their way forward.
The same voice shouted out again, “If your scheduled time isn’t in the next hour or less, go away. Come back then. The teleporter is busy, so we won’t be doing early jumps.”
“f**k!” Annie looked ready to fight at the realization.
Liz shrugged and offered, “Want to go back to our room for the next two hours or so?”
Emily kicked at the ground and added her two cents. “Or we stand around like these guys. I guess the three-hour time slot was an actual time to leave, and not a suggestion.”
Matt felt dumb as they trooped back to their room. He knew it wasn’t true, but he felt like everyone they passed was watching them. It was just in his head, but he felt foolish for their rushing.
They all sat awkwardly around their common room for a while before Liz threw on a random show for them to watch. Conor was the only one who removed any of his armor, only his chest plate. It was, as Matt knew from his training at the orphanage, the most uncomfortable portion of plate armor to wear for a long period of time.
It was the first time Matt truly understood the phrase, ‘hurry up and wait’ from all the war movies he had seen. They were rushed to get ready for combat, then expected to wait around for their time slot.
Two excruciating hours later, they backpacked Aster and headed down at a more sedated pace, just to wait in line now that their teleport time was closer.
They still had to wait another forty five minutes for their exact time slot. From their observations, it was obvious that the in-planet teleporter only worked every five minutes, severely limiting the number of teams able to go out.
“Team Bucket? Your turn.”
There was a noticeable air of confusion at the team name, and as Liz kicked at the dirt, she sheepishly mumbled, “I thought it was funny. Sorry.”
Now that Matt knew what it was, he started laughing. It was funny. He liked the bucket of skills they had and how ridiculous it was.
They moved forward and through the crowd to reach the door and entered the same teleporter room they used last time.
A woman walked beside them and hastily barked at them, “The objective is to tie down the medium fort and keep the defenders from leaving. If you can take the fort, do so, and you will be doubly rewarded. More information is in the AI packet.” She took a single breath before she asked, “Questions?”
None of them said anything, and they were then guided to the circle of runes that would teleport them to the nearest city.
They arrived in a flash and were hurried out of the city center by a uniformed official. They quickly jogged to the entrance of the city before boarding their various flying devices and taking to the air.
Matt was reviewing what he knew of the medium forts and comparing it to what his AI had on file about them. They were larger than the forts they had charged previously, and usually protected a strategic asset, whereas the smaller forts acted like a fence to guard the more valuable areas.
The medium forts were wider and covered a larger area with both their physical walls and their protective formations. According to the information survey, there was a simulated, high-value ore vein slightly to the west of the fort. It was in the perfect position to provide the occupying faction control over the area, and an opportunity to collect points.
- Writer
