Unranked ascension a lit.., p.29
Unranked Ascension: A LitRPG Adventure, page 29
Tenebrous Scales: Carapace Chest Armor, Quality [Rare]
This is a piece of armor that was created from the carapace of a Colossus Centipede. It has been further upgraded through the use of a powerful aspect in addition to a system upgrade token. The carapace used to create this armor retains some of its biological qualities, including its original body’s affinity for earth and its ability to heal on its own over time.
Close to the Earth: +10% movement speed while traveling over soil, +25% movement speed underground.
Second Skin: This armor will self-repair as long as it has not been completely destroyed.
As Lucius reviewed the details of his new armor, Jack examined it with growing confusion. Finally, when he couldn’t resolve his doubts, he looked up at Lucius in bafflement.
“This thing has no straps or latches. How the hell are you supposed to put it on?”
Lucius chuckled as he realized what Jack was worried about.
“So you noticed that. Watch, I’ll show you.”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up as the armor suddenly disappeared from the workbench in front of him, vanishing into Lucius’ storage ring.
Lucius stretched his arms out to the sides as he summoned the armor back out—this time, directly over his body.
Jack’s mouth hung open as he saw the unique way his friend was able to put on his armor, glancing down at Lucius’ storage ring in envy before shaking his head.
“You need to get me one of those rings…”
Chapter 63
Some Proper Armor II
Lucius did some light stretching to test the new armor covering his upper body. He swung his arms forward and back to ensure he wasn’t restricted and could still move with his full range of motion. Only when he folded his arms across his chest did he notice the scales pressing against each other slightly, creating a tight feeling under his armpits. Other than that, the chest piece felt nearly perfect and didn’t hamper his movement in any way.
Standing with his legs shoulder-width apart, Lucius crouched slightly as he looked over at Jack, clenching his fists tightly as he grinned slyly.
“Hit me. Give me your best shot, right in the middle of my chest.”
Jack’s eyebrows rose, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“You sure about that? You know how high my Strength is…”
When he saw Lucius nodding, he quickly agreed to the request. After all, he was quite curious about the armor’s defense himself. Without another word, Jack walked in front of Lucius, pulling back his clenched fist and twisting his entire upper body like a pitcher. He launched his fist forward with all his power, his knuckles slamming dead center into the black scales covering Lucius’ chest.
A sound like a heavy object falling off the back of a truck echoed through the forge as Jack’s Endless Grit enhanced fist struck the flowing layers of black scales on Lucius’ chest.
The impact sent Lucius sliding three meters backwards at rapid speed before two shadowy ropes jumped up from the ground, wrapping around his waist and preventing him from slamming into the wall.
The armor did its job masterfully, dispersing the force of the impact across his entire upper body and greatly minimizing the damage of the blow. Even so, if he hadn’t exhaled and braced himself for the hit, he probably would have had the wind knocked out of him.
“Damn... That’s hard!” Jack groaned, wringing his hand out.
Lucius looked down at his chest closely, rubbing the spot where Jack’s punch had landed. He noticed a barely visible hairline crack spreading across a single scale at the center of the impact zone. Just as he did, the edges of the crack slowly receded as the armor’s self-repair mechanism activated. When Jack saw the pristine condition of the armor, he couldn’t help but sigh in approval as he rested his hands on his hips.
“Okay, bud, I’m impressed. I was sure I could knock you on your ass with a full-strength punch, but that hit barely fazed you.”
Lucius waved his hand dismissively at Jack’s compliment as the shadowy ropes dissipated back into the floor.
“I just got lucky.”
Jack shook his head, raising one eyebrow skeptically as he heard his young friend’s shameless lie.
“Yeah, right. You can keep your bullshit to yourself. I know you could kill us all without breaking a sweat if you wanted to.”
Lucius smiled but stayed silent when Jack called him out, quickly changing the subject. He pulled off the old pair of belts around his waist that Patrick had inscribed for him to use as a sheath. Now that he had a storage ring, the belts had become redundant.
“Here, I don’t need this anymore. If you don’t have a use for it, give it away for me.”
Jack nodded and tossed the belt onto a pile of finished items he was preparing to distribute. As Lucius prepared to leave, Jack casually asked one more question while returning to his workbench.
“Once Tiber returns with those materials, I’ll be swamped for quite a while. Now’s the time to ask if there’s anything else you need.”
Lucius rubbed his chin, staring at the floor as he stood in front of the exit for a moment before shaking his head.
“No, you’re better off focusing on getting everyone else well-equipped. I’m one of the few people who can earn my own equipment through the system. I plan to close as many anomalies as I can over the next week before the big move while I’m out trying to track down Maryanne’s parents. I’ll be able to acquire all the equipment I need from that.”
Jack gave a quick nod, waving as Lucius departed. Once the door closed and he was alone again, Jack gave his new companion under the workbench a long look. After considering it for a few moments, he turned and walked over to the couch where he usually slept at the back of the forge and retrieved the thick blanket laying there. Careful not to wake it, he draped the blanket over the sleeping creature’s body.
After Lucius stepped out of the forge, he stood outside the door for a short while, deciding on his next course of action. As he stood there thinking, he glanced around, watching everyone as they moved around the farm focused on their various tasks. He happened to spot Maryanne, James, and Sarah carrying a bin full of food scraps toward the fenced-in area that contained the pig-like creatures and decided to check up on Maryanne to see how she was fitting in. He could ask James about the new creatures while he was at it.
When Maryanne saw Lucius approaching, she quickly set her bin of scraps down near the fence and ran up to him, grabbing his arm with both hands as she pulled him over excitedly.
“Lucius! Come and feed the animals with me. James, let me help, but it’s hard for me to reach over the fence.”
Maryanne picked up the bin of scraps and handed it to Lucius, pointing toward the food trough on the other side of the fence, where the mother pig and her many children waited eagerly—snorting and nosing at the wooden trough in excitement. If Lucius had been around when James first tamed them, he would’ve been shocked at how quickly they’d grown. Even the smallest of the new creatures had more than tripled in size.
Instead of lifting the bin himself, Lucius hoisted Maryanne up by the waist so she could dump it over the top of the fence. As the child gleefully watched the animals eating, he turned toward James to ask about the new creatures.
James wore a proud smile, collecting the empty bins as he explained the details. Talking about the creatures he had tamed was one of his new favorite things to do.
“I call them hedge-pigs. They grow super fast. They’re the second type of creature I’ve been able to tame. Mom said we can only afford to keep them if they can pull their own weight, but I found out that they can dig really good. I’ve been using them to make the holes for the new wall. Dad said we need to make a big trench around the outside once the wall is done, so that will be my responsibility!”
Lucius nodded along to the boy’s explanation, patting James on the shoulder in approval.
“Well done, James. You’re more capable than most of the grown men around here. Take good care of Maryanne for me while I’m away, okay?”
James couldn’t help but stand a bit taller at Lucius’ praise, nodding firmly as he glanced at Maryanne.
“You can count on me. I promise to keep her safe!”
“Thank you, James. If I don’t see you three before I head back out, then this will be goodbye.”
Maryanne grew visibly anxious as she listened to Lucius’ words, shifting her weight from foot to foot while clutching his leg.
“You’re leaving?” she complained.
Lucius gently pushed Maryanne’s freshly brushed hair back with one hand as he patted her on the head, noticing that Nana had taken good care of the child so far. Her clothes and skin were clean for the first time since Lucius had met her.
“Yes, Maryanne. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to track down your parents. I made a promise that I’d do everything I could to find them, remember?”
Maryanne nodded slowly, looking down at the ground. Her voice broke slightly from the emotions building up in her chest as she responded.
“Does W-Whisper have to go?”
Lucius let out a quiet sigh. He felt guilty taking the child’s best friend away from her, but he needed Whisper’s strength.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I know you and Whisper are friends, but I need Whisper’s help in case I run into something I can’t handle on my own.”
That was the final straw, and Maryanne couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Lucius gave the distraught child a hug, waiting a few moments for her to calm down before continuing.
“I know you’ve had bad experiences with people leaving, but you’re not alone this time, right? You have Nana, James, Sarah and lots of other people here to keep you company while Whisper and I are away.”
Maryanne rubbed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm her fear. She asked Lucius one last question as he stood back up.
“D-do you promise to come back?”
“I promise,” he said, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly before straightening up.
Chapter 64
A Lead
As Lucius began walking away from the three children on his way back to the farmhouse, a sudden thought struck him. He turned around and walked back over to Maryanne, reaching one hand forward as he stepped up to her. Maryanne looked up in time to see her storybook appearing in his outstretched hand.
“I almost forgot to return this to you.”
Lucius flipped the book open, retrieving the family picture taped there before handing the book back to Maryanne. He held up the picture for Maryanne to see as he spoke.
“But let me keep this for now—it’ll help me on my search.”
A gasp had escaped her mouth as Maryanne saw Lucius removing the treasured picture from her book. But when he explained how it would help him, she bit her lip before nodding firmly to his request.
“Okay, Lucius, please don’t lose it!”
Maryanne accompanied Lucius back to the farmhouse to put away her precious book. As soon as they stepped inside she darted away toward Nana’s room. He watched her hurry away for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and continuing on his way.
Patrick and the three soldiers were gathered around the kitchen table when Lucius walked in. Patrick was hard at work adding an inscription to Garrick’s longbow. A pair of boots from Roland and Tiber’s Kevlar vest sat beside him, waiting in line for their own inscriptions. The smell of boiling meat, vegetables, and spices lingered in the air from the big pot of soup slowly cooking above the wood stove. One of the older women of the group was slowly stirring the stew with a long wooden ladle.
The men turned toward the door in unison when Lucius walked in—all except Patrick, whose eyes remained glued to his task. Roland gestured for Lucius to join them with a wide grin across his face, sliding over to make room at the table. The large bald man was the first to speak, his tone as jolly and welcoming as usual.
“We’re almost ready to head home. Your friend Patrick here generously offered to add inscriptions to our equipment to improve our chances of survival on the dangerous journey through the city.”
Tiber remained silent, taking a small sip from his canteen as he rested his eyes. After Roland finished speaking, Tiber slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Lucius, a hint of worry on his stern face as he took his chance to speak.
“What are your immediate plans? We could really use your help when the time comes to move the civilians, and I’d like to introduce you to the base commander. He’ll want to meet the young man who single-handedly bested his three strongest soldiers.”
Lucius nodded as he approached the table, extending his arm to place the family photo in the center where everyone could see it. In the picture, Maryanne was perched on the shoulders of a large, bearded man. The man grinned from ear to ear, revealing two rows of even white teeth in the center of his handsome face. His attire resembled that of a typical lumberjack—a tight black beanie on his head and a red plaid shirt covering his thick arms and upper body. To his right stood a petite woman who bore a striking resemblance to Maryanne. It was obvious at a glance that the three of them were a family. The woman wore a flowing white dress adorned with blue flowers, smiling lovingly at the man and child beside her.
After placing the photo on the table, Lucius took a seat across from Tiber and addressed his questions first.
“I’ll meet you back here when you return with the engineers. I should return long before you finish constructing the defenses. That way, I will be here to make the final trip back to base with you to collect the civilians.”
A relieved grin spread across Tiber’s face when he heard the words. Their chances of getting everyone out of the city alive would go up immensely with Lucius by their side. After promising to be there for the dangerous move, Lucius gestured at the photo as he continued.
“In the meantime, I want to find these two people. The man in the photo is named David. He disappeared over a week ago, southwest of where we first met. The woman is Sarah, Maryanne’s mother. She went missing not long after. Please take a look and tell me if you have seen either of them.”
Garrick reached forward and slid the photo across the table toward himself, lifting it up for a closer look. His relaxed expression stiffened almost immediately, the casual air around him vanishing as his eyes lingered on the woman in the picture. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, without a word, he handed the photo to Tiber.
Tiber hesitated before taking it, noticing the change in Garrick’s face. A frown crept across his features as he studied the picture, his fingers tightening slightly around the edges. After a few tense seconds, his shoulders sagged, and he shook his head slowly, a heavy breath escaping him.
Lucius tapped his fingers against the wooden table, his eyes narrowing slightly with interest as he waited for Tiber to explain. Tiber passed the picture to Roland with a regretful sigh; his face etched with guilt as he glanced toward Lucius.
“We’ve seen the woman,” Tiber admitted. “A few days before we met you, we encountered a group of over two dozen well-armed men. They’d set up a temporary camp off the road ten or so miles southeast of the cabin where you found us. We ran into them while scouting the area. Unfortunately, they weren’t interested in talking and attacked us as soon as we crossed paths. Instead of engaging while being so outnumbered, we retreated. That woman was in the camp. She…” didn’t seem to be there of her own free will.”
A deep frown spread across Lucius’ face as he listened to Tiber’s account. His fingers, which had been tapping the table, were now curled into a tight fist. His expression darkened as he lowered his gaze to the floor. The sudden, loud slam of a clenched fist striking the hard wooden table caused everyone in the room to flinch.
When Lucius finally spoke, his voice was devoid of warmth.
“Show me where. Now!”
Tiber motioned to Garrick, who retrieved a map from his rucksack before spreading it out over the table. Tiber placed his canteen down and glanced at the upset young man, a mix of conflicting emotions evident in his expression as he spoke.
“Tragic scenes of injustice like the one we witnessed that day are all too common in this new world,” Tiber began, his voice steady. “If we tried to help everyone we came across, no matter how outnumbered we were, we’d have been dead long ago. We can’t afford to throw our lives away when we still have a mission to complete.” He paused, a shadow passing over his face. “Still... I’m sorry we left Maryanne’s mother behind. If we had known, we would have done everything we could to free her.”
Lucius remained silent, his gaze fixed on Garrick as the archer scanned the wrinkled map in search of the location of the bandit’s camp. Lucius knew that Tiber’s words were likely true, but they did nothing to quell the searing anger in his chest. In just a few days, Lucius had grown fond of Maryanne. He wouldn’t admit it, but he had become quite emotionally invested in reuniting the girl with her parents.
He couldn’t help but identify with her plight. Unlike him, Maryanne still had hope—her parents were loving, and she longed to be reunited with them. That hope stoked a desperation within him, fueled by the traumatic wounds of his past.
Finally, Garrick located the spot. He slapped his hand down on the map in triumph, quickly circling the area with his pencil and sliding the map toward Lucius. Leaning in, Lucius scanned the details with his enhanced perception, committing both the location and the route to memory.
Once he had his target, he stood from the table. But before leaving, he paused, almost forgetting that he still needed to warn the group about something crucial.
“I’m leaving. I’ll meet you back here before it’s time for the move, whether I find the woman or not. Also... stay out of the forest to the south. There’s a creature there named Magar…”
Lucius explained how he had met the creature, detailing the truce between them and the benefits of allowing Magar to protect the southern forest. He warned Patrick to ensure that none of the hunting parties he was about to organize ventured into that area.
