Leo stepped forward to inspect the loot. Ancient Armor: Defense 220, 2 Sockets, Medium Armor (reduces movement speed by 5%), Required Strength: 100.
This was the best white armor available, and with two sockets to insert gems for attribute bonuses, it was a prize. Unfortunately, the Strength requirement was too high to use for now, so he tossed it into his inventory.
Lizard's Light Plate: Defense 100, +5 Mana, Light Armor, Required Strength: 41.
Since it was similar to what he was wearing, Leo asked, "What are your Strength stats? Can either of you use this?"
It turned out Majesty had only added 2 points of Strength per level, so at 40 points, she couldn't use it. Gerdie, however, had added 3 points per level and had exactly 42 Strength.
Without a second thought, Leo tossed the armor to Gerdie. Gerdie looked at Majesty, feeling a bit lost. Majesty was a front-line combatant, yet the armor with the highest defense was being given to the support.
Majesty looked at Gerdie and said very seriously, "Take it, Sister Gerdie. It improves the squad's overall strength. My brother will allocate a better one to me later."
Gerdie stole a glance at Leo; he was beaming with a supportive smile. Feeling moved, she changed into the Light Plate.
Great Helm: 15 Defense, Required Strength: 26. Leo handed this to Gerdie as well.
Finally, the main event: a stone of unknown nature. Leo picked it up. It was a dull gray stone with no apparent attributes, but the surface was engraved with mysterious patterns resembling a dragon. The more Leo looked at it, the more familiar it became. Could it be a Sol Rune?
As soon as that thought flashed through his mind, attributes appeared on the stone.
> Rune: Sol. Required Level: 27.
> Socketed in Weapon: +9 Minimum Damage.
> Socketed in Armor/Shield: Damage Reduced by 7.
>
Leo remembered the scratches from the zombies earlier, which dealt direct, true damage from Hell's influence. If this rune were socketed, that damage would be reduced by 7 points. A great find! He happily tucked the Sol rune away, but a bold idea suddenly struck him.
"Keep the matter of this stone a secret. If you see anyone selling stones like this back at the encampment, buy them if the price isn't too high."
After gathering the remaining odds and ends, the three continued their exploration. They soon encountered more monsters, dealing with them easily, and reached Level 12. Along the way, their luck held as they found a small pond, where Leo excitedly washed the filth from his body.
As dusk began to settle, they came across a small stone house in the moor. They surrounded the house, cleared the nearby monsters, and went inside to rest. Gerdie rested for a moment before beginning to prepare dinner.
Seeing that everyone was idle, Leo decided to hold a squad meeting.
"We're all Level 12 now. Everyone, introduce the new skills you've learned so we can coordinate better."
By the time Gerdie had finished the fragrant dinner, the introductions were complete.
Leo:
* Level 1 Skills: Sacrifice, Smite, Resist Fire, Might.
* Level 6 Skills: Holy Bolt, Resist Cold.
* Level 12 Skills:
* Charge: Rapidly closes with an enemy. Damage +120%, Accuracy +50%, Mana cost: 9. Prerequisite: Smite.
* Zeal: Quickly launches multiple attacks. Damage +12%, Accuracy +10%, 2 attacks, Mana cost: 2. Prerequisite: Sacrifice (Every level in Sacrifice adds +12% damage to Zeal).
* Resist Lightning: Reduces Lightning damage for the team. Radius 10.6 yards, Lightning Resist +52%. No prerequisites. (Hidden effect: Every 2 levels increases max resistance cap by 1%).
* Blessed Aim: Increases Accuracy for the team. Radius 10.6 yards, Accuracy +75%. Prerequisite: Might. (Hidden effect: Passive 5% Accuracy bonus per level).
* 1 Skill point remaining.
Majesty:
* Level 1 Skills: Claw Mastery, Psychic Hammer, Fire Blast.
* Level 6 Skills: Burst of Speed, Shock Web.
* Level 12 Skills:
* Charged Bolt Sentry: Sets a trap that fires charged bolts at nearby enemies. 5 shots, 5 bolts per shot, Lightning Damage 1-7, Mana cost: 13. Prerequisite: Shock Web.
* Weapon Block: Passive. Allows blocking when dual-wielding claws. Current chance: 26%.
* Cloak of Shadows: Briefly blinds enemies and reduces their defense. Duration: 8 seconds. Defense +10%, Enemy Defense -15%, Radius 20 yards, Mana cost: 13. Prerequisite: Psychic Hammer.
* 3 Skill points remaining.
Gerdie:
* Level 1 Skills: Find Potion, Howl.
* Level 6 Skills: Taunt, Shout, Leap.
* Leap: Jumps out of danger or into battle. Radius 4.6 yards, Mana cost: 2. No prerequisites.
* Level 12 Skills:
* Find Item: Searches monster corpses for hidden items. 13% chance, Mana cost: 7. Prerequisite: Find Potion.
* Increased Stamina: Passive. Stamina +30%. No prerequisites.
* 4 Skill points remaining.
They finished dinner quickly and began organizing today's haul. Since Gerdie had learned Find Item, Majesty lent her the Gull dagger to use while scavenging the battlefield; the +100% Magic Find was extremely useful. They had gathered over a dozen items today, including several blue ones.
Leo swapped out his unsightly Bone Helm and equipped two more blue items:
* Strong Crown: +52 Defense, +30% Defense, Required Strength: 55, Level 7.
* Iron Gauntlets of Equilibrium: +15 Defense, +17% Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), Required Strength: 60, Level 7.
* Greaves of Pacing: +15 Defense, +10% Faster Run/Walk, Required Strength: 70, Level 9.
Majesty's Strength was insufficient, so she only swapped for short spears and Leo's discarded Bone Helm, along with a pair of blue Chain Boots (+10% Movement Speed).
Gerdie, having focused on Strength, equipped a Lizard's Heavy Belt (+5 Mana), Light Iron Gauntlets, and a Great Helm—a full blue set. However, her Dexterity was too low to upgrade her weapon.
The medicine collection reached 30 Light Healing Potions, 20 Light Mana Potions, and 5 Rejuvenation Potions.
Leo was satisfied with the gains, but the inability to equip the Ancient Armor was gnawing at him like a cat's claws.
To rapidly increase their strength, he decided they had to take a risk. He asked the two women to return to the encampment. They were to continue exchanging potions for small charms, liquidate the extra gear, try to purchase runes and charms, and restock supplies so they could fight in the wild for several more days.
Leo would open a Town Portal in three hours for them to return. At first, Majesty refused, insisting that Gerdie should go alone.
However, Gerdie's inventory wasn't large enough to carry everything, and Leo wasn't comfortable leaving anyone alone. He took Majesty aside and persuaded her earnestly, giving his word that he would be careful.
"If we can trade for charms to boost my Strength, I can immediately equip the Ancient Armor. Tomorrow's leveling will be much easier. Besides, I'm quite strong now; I don't fear small groups of monsters. Worst-case scenario, I have several Stamina Potions—I can just run to safety and open a portal."
Unable to withstand Leo's persistent pestering, Majesty finally agreed to return with
Gerdie.