Chương 18: Gifts

After Eric tested the movement of his new shoulder piece, the familiar chime of notification windows rang louder than usual. /—————————————————————\ Warning! The item 'Last Will Of The Dying' has been consumed. \—————————————————————/"He gave you his life?" Grim stared at Eric for a moment.

"Before he died, he gave me the task of finding and protecting his family. I don't even know who they are. Any ideas?" Eric asked while still trying out his new armor piece.

"I'll have to dig through old records. I can't remember when I brought them here." Grim pressed his hand against the wall. Towering bookcases appeared and extended into the black void in the sky. The Elegy Vault had no roof inside, or at least Grim liked it that way. He pulled out one book and shuffled the pages.

"Not now." Grim shut the book sharply and continued, "We're already running out of time." Eric raised his eyebrow but said nothing. Grim was right. They were in a hurry, and Ash was still trapped. Eventually, the Shattered could search for the warden and find out he's dead. Whatever he was hiding can wait. I'm not giving up, though.

"Okay, then. Let me read the description of the item first," Eric said and summoned the window. /—————————————————————————————\ Warden's Plate Description: Masterfully forged in the hideout of Death himself, this shoulder plate is imbued with spectral power. Use it to defend yourself from incoming damage. This item has no durability or limited use. Some attacks cannot be blocked. Wearing this item increases your Vitality and its defensive capabilities scale with your Stamina, Strength, and Willpower.

Attacking while not carrying a weapon does bonus damage to some enemies. Passives: Avenger - Emits a powerful explosion when the wearer suffers critical damage. Shocking - Grants resistance against lightning attacks. Augments: Last Will Of The Dying - The Key Warden gave you his blessing. This item is charged with his energy and shaped by his abilities. Use it more to discover its power. Skills: [LOCKED] \—————————————————————————/ Eric stared into the text, trying to process what he was reading.

The item had no durability, provided more defense, and had great passives. His eyes lit up with excitement.

"This thing is insane!" he showed the description to Grim.

"Of course it is! Did you miss the 'masterfully forged' part?" The Reaper knocked on the shoulder plate and continued,"You can thank me for that, but first, we need to try the tutorial for it!" Eric had gotten so distracted by the armor that he'd completely forgotten tutorials existed. He didn't know how to use the item in actual combat. Please tell me I'll keep all my body parts in this tutorial. The interior of the Elegy Vault flipped upside down, and everything fell into the black emptiness.

Eric floated in the air as Grim appeared, sitting on his throne. Small lights emerged into the nothingness, and soon it looked like the night sky with stars and constellations.

"Being the best employer in all the realms has its difficulties. I have to make some changes when you complain, or at least tell you that something's going to be different and not do anything after that. Just like the employers on Earth," Grim stood up from the throne and flew over to Eric.

"From now on, tutorials tied to my equipment will include proper guidance. Actually, I'll babysit you for this one!" Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! A violent force suddenly grabbed Eric and dragged him downward through open space. The stars blurred around him as his speed increased. In the distance, he recognized his home planet and its moon. He was heading to Earth.

Crashing down like a falling star, Eric woke up in a crater with a diameter of a football field.

"Was this necessary? I'm going to file a complaint with Human Resources!" He yelled while dusting his clothes.

"No, actually. It's completely optional. I could've given you the softest landing possible. Why didn't you try to shield yourself from the fall?" Grim extended his hands forward and, like an orchestra conductor, summoned slabs of white marble. Platforms crashed into the earth near the crater one after another. After that, giant pillars descended from the sky, connecting with the blocks and locking them into place. Columns made from ebony impaled the ground and formed what seemed to be an ancient theater.

At the finale of the space symphony, Grim brought his hands down and signaled the end of the construction phase. The clouds on Earth parted ways for the massive falling roof piece of the theater.

"It feels great to create stuff! Eric, get out of your hole and move over to the training ground," Death sounded genuinely excited. Climbing out wasn't hard. The problem was that the crater edges kept collapsing under the shifting sand. Fed up with the geological masterpiece he was traversing, Eric teleported twice and landed at the edge. In the distance, the ancient theater was visible. Below him was a vast valley with no vegetation in sight. He arrived on a hill and now had to go down to reach his destination.

Looking around, he wondered where this place was located, as it looked strikingly similar to a desert.

"Where are we? And why send me back to Earth?"

"You're on a planet similar to your own, in my training realm. I've dimmed the lights in the Elegy Vault, spawned some stars for ambience, and I'm enjoying drinks and snacks in my throne. Don't be jealous."

"Great choice! You waited until I left to start eating." Eric yelled at the clear sky and slid down the hill. Coming closer to the training ground, he marveled at the details in the ivory and ebony constructs. Each odd column had a capital depicting ocean waves, while each even had spiral scrolls for its top piece. Only the skeletal framework of the roof existed. It didn't provide protection from the searing hot sun. At the entrance, two giant blocks stood on either side.

The left carving showed a warrior raising a shield against a three-headed beast. The right depicted soldiers locking shields beneath a rain of arrows. Did he come up with everything? I haven't seen such ancient ornaments up close. Curiosity drove Eric to explore further into the theater. Passing the marble tablets at the entrance, he walked down a flight of stairs. In front of him was a rectangular arena covered in sand. At its center, it had a dividing line, creating two equal sections.

"Usually, I wouldn't interfere with the training process, but I'll make an exception this time," Grim's voice rang from above. He peered through the clouds like someone watching TV. Popcorn fell out of his mouth, and he continued, "If you paid enough attention, you could see the two marble blocks at the entrance showing what you have to do."

"So… I have to parry attacks and projectiles?" Eric looked at the clouds.

"Yup, that's it. Now get to work!" In the squares, the sand formed two distinct groups of enemies. Two medieval soldiers comprised the first one, and the other was a long cannon, resembling those on pirate ships. The challenges ahead began working and looping forever. Two sand warriors made predictable swings, and the cannon on the other square fired at fixed intervals. This feels… safe and easier, like learning something for the first time. Eric stepped into the soldier's square.

They didn't notice his presence and continued performing the same attacks. He stopped in front of them.

"That's it? No hidden death trap?" Expecting an answer, he gave Grim several seconds, but nothing followed. After sitting in silence, Eric stepped closer to the soldiers. Medieval warriors in chain armor and helmets trained their moves forever. The weapons in their hands were real, but the figures were made of sand. Instead of faces, they had blank canvases. One of them was wielding a regular sword, while the other had a halberd in his hands. Eric decided to start with the smaller blade first.

The shoulder plate was shining bright from the sunlight. It spanned his entire arm, top to bottom. Despite the armor's size, movement felt completely natural. Eric tried to bend his arm. The individual armor plates came together and magically formed a larger piece resembling a shield. Tightening his muscles made the shield a little bigger. Okay, I got it. Let's do this. Eric waited for the sword-wielding soldier to complete his attack.

Just as it finished, he moved closer and put his left side forward, activating the plate. The blade descended, hitting the golden shield with a sharp metallic ring.

"There you go!" Grim threw some popcorn from the sky. The sand soldier collapsed into a pile and failed to reform. Before the impact, Eric closed his eyes. He quickly opened them as fear evaporated upon hearing Death. Parrying an attack didn't cost him any essence or effort. The sand pile disappeared from the ground completely, leaving only the other dummy with the halberd. Eric teleported directly into the soldier's range. The strike from the two-handed weapon was more powerful.

The reaper acolyte absorbed the impact and dropped to one knee.

"That wasn't so smooth. Some strikes are harder to block. Choose carefully," Grim commanded from the heavens. He seemed to enjoy the progress his apprentice was making. Heavier weapons carried more force when striking, and Eric struggled to recover. He knew it was obvious but hoped that the Warden's Plate could take it easier. The second sand square hosted the artillery piece. It was reclined horizontally on a small carousel with two wheels. At its back, it had a fuse reigniting itself after every shot.

Eric waited for the fuse to spark before teleporting as far away from the cannon as possible. The ignition cord reached its end and fired a round. Lightning spread across the golden shield the moment the cannonball struck. Successfully parrying another projectile charged the armor piece even more. Eric released his arms, and the electricity dissipated.

"We're done. Let's pack it up!" Just as Grim's voice echoed, the whole ancient theater flew upwards with Eric in it. He fell to the ground from the acceleration. The flying structure reached higher into the clouds and disappeared in a flash of light. Eric appeared back into the Elegy Vault, covered in sand.

"Thanks for the sunbath," he said.

"Count yourself lucky that I didn't send Morty to pick you up!" Grim rose from his throne and snapped his fingers once. The furniture in the safe-house vanished instantly. Only the endless sky and wooden walls were left.

"I've got work to do. Don't get yourself killed and free Ash once and for all!" Death summoned his scythe and slashed the floor. A portal to some city on Earth opened, and he jumped right in. What a way to say goodbye. Looking around the empty room, the reaper acolyte geared up and headed for the exit. Outside the Elegy Vault, the layout was the same as before. Eric scanned the area for any immediate danger but couldn't sense anything. He spotted a flag close by and locked onto it immediately.

Eric had to navigate the outdoor obstacle course and return to the entrance of the inner part of the tower. This time, the traversal felt effortless. The damp air from the staircase nearby reminded him of the water puzzle holding Ash captive.

"I'm getting you out this time. I promise." gasping for air, Eric ran over to his companion. He woke up the bird, and it immediately sprang into action. Ash flew to the top of the cage and dangled upside down from the bars.

"You're trying to show me something?" At the top of the second floor, above the rotating fountains and the cage, was a horizontal bar attached to the ceiling by chains. The steel links disappeared into a massive clockwork mechanism overhead.

"I can't fly, but I know exactly how to pull this thing!" Moving below the metal pipe, Eric extended his hand into the air.