Hitman With A Badass System

Michael and Gaya made their way back to the Blacksmith Guild, the bustling streets of Sagespire a stark contrast to the desolate silence of the Verdant Sanctuary. They entered Rurik's office, finding the dwarf standing proudly before two armor stands, a smug grin on his face, a hammer casually perched on his shoulder.

The armors were magnificent.

Once dented and scratched from his battle with Agra, Michael's Dark Armor now looked pristine and brand new. The dents, cracks, and scorch marks from Agra's attacks were gone. Rurik had used a mixture of melted dragon scales – a rare and incredibly expensive material – and some other metal, forged it into a paste, and used it to mend the armor, making it even stronger, and more resilient, than before. The black metal gleamed under the light of the forge, the crimson runes etched into its surface pulsing with a faint, inner light. It looked menacing, intimidating, and fit for a God.

On the other hand, Gaya's armor was a different story. It had been reforged completely. Rurik had dismantled it, piece by piece, and sent the individual components to the Runemasters' Guild, with very specific instructions. He had to pull in a few favors, call in a few debts, to get it done discreetly. The runes he requested were rare and powerful as well as dangerous. Only the most skilled of runemasters, the six-star elites, could handle them. The runes, etched into the silver metal of the armor, now shimmered with a faint, ethereal light. They would absorb celestial energy more efficiently, allowing Gaya to channel her own power without interference. They would also protect her from the radiation that came with godhood. And Rurik had taken the liberty of enhancing the armor's stealth capabilities.

"Welcome back," Rurik said, gesturing towards the armors with a flourish. "Take a look. Tell me what you think."

Gaya approached her armor, her hand hovering over the smooth, cool surface, her eyes wide with appreciation.

"So, shorty," she said with a teasing amusement. "What kind of magic did you perform on my suit?"

Rurik grinned, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Magic?" he scoffed. "This isn't magic, lass. This is craftsmanship. This is dwarven ingenuity! I had to pull some strings and call in some favors to get this done. Those pointy-eared bastards at the Runemasters' Guild… they're a pain in the ass to deal with. They think they're the shit, you know? With their fancy tools and their delicate little runes. They wouldn't even give me the time of day, not at first. I had to persuade them. Remind them who forged their precious little hammers. "

He paused, taking a swig from a nearby mug of ale.

"But I got it done. Your armor, Goddess, is enhanced, stronger, and more resilient. And those runes, they'll protect you from anything this realm can throw at you. And it'll still vanish. Like… poof." He snapped his fingers, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Just the way you like it."

"Alright, alright, enough with the suspense, shorty," Gaya said, rolling her eyes. "Get to the main point. What's the special sauce?"

Rurik grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"This armor, my lady," he said, taking on a dramatic tone, "it doesn't just vanish you anymore. It makes you intangible. Like a fucking ghost. Arrows, swords, spells… they'll just pass right through you. For a few seconds, mind you. But in a fight, a few seconds can be everything."

When she heard him, Gaya's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn't expected that. Intangibility. The ability to phase through attacks. It was a game-changer. Both she and Michael knew the value of such an ability. They'd both been in enough battles to know that a few seconds could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Between life and death. It would allow her to dodge a fatal blow, reposition herself, and strike from an unexpected angle.

And the applications… they were endless.

Even as a goddess, she knew she wasn't invincible since Michael had shown them that gods could be killed. And if he could do it, who else was out there, plotting, scheming, hunting for a way to end a god?

She needed every advantage she could get.

Seeing the interest in her eyes, Rurik continued with a proud smile spreading across his face.

"And that's not all, my lady. I acquired a special ingredient. Blood of a lightning eel. From the Veran Sea. Nasty buggers, those. I infused their essence into the armor. Now, when you deactivate the invisibility, you'll release a shockwave, a burst of lightning. It would stun anyone within a few feet of you."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over her.

"It won't do much to gods, of course. But cultivators? Up to the Elemental Attunement realm? They'll be shitting themselves. Literally."

Gaya's eyes widened. She remembered the cultivation realms in the realm of the Gods. Initiate, Qi Awakening, Spiritual Embryo, Elemental Attunement, Celestial Resonance, Soul Ignition, Ethereal Fusion, Void Transcendence, and finally, Divine Ascendancy.

"It's a significant upgrade, my lady," Rurik continued, puffing out his chest with pride. "The invisibility, it'll last as long as you keep quiet and don't run into a furnace. Or a god-level fireball. Intense heat or powerful spells will disrupt the energy flow. Make the armor flicker. And it'll take… five minutes to recharge before you can vanish again." He paused, his gaze meeting hers.

"But in the right hands, this armor is a game-changer."

"Let's… test it out," Michael said, a grin spreading across his face.

Gaya nodded, tapping the armor's surface. The metal, cool to the touch, seemed to hum with a faint energy. Then, the armor opened, a section of the chest piece sliding back to reveal a space within.

Gaya stepped into it, and the armor closed around her, the pieces fitting together seamlessly, as if they were molding themselves to her body.

"That's more like it," She cracked her neck, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips.

With a flick of her wrist, she… vanished.

Michael, even with his enhanced senses, could barely perceive her. He activated his X-ray vision, and even then, her thermal signature was… vague, a faint outline against the backdrop of the room.

"Not bad, shorty," Gaya's voice echoed, seeming to come from nowhere. "Not bad at all."

"Rise the heat, " she whispered, her voice barely audible.

After hearing Gaya, Michael knew that she wanted to test the limitations of the armor. To be honest, he himself was curious to see. Thus, Michael conjured a ball of dark fire in his hand as the flames licked at his fingers and the heat radiated outwards.

Rurik, instinctively, took a step back, his eyes wide.

Stepping towards the flame, Gaya reappeared, her form flickering into view as the heat disrupted the armor's energy field.

"Well, that's… expected," she said, shrugging. "Can't be invisible to a fucking primordial flame."

She chuckled, her gaze shifting towards Rurik.

"What else have you got, short stack? I wanna try everything." She paused, her gaze lingering on the dwarf for a moment. "But maybe not here. Don't want to accidentally fry you."

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Despite his stature and the way she addressed him, Rurik managed to puff out his chest with a surprising amount of dignity.

"There's more, my lady," he said, his voice gruff but respectful. "On your wrist. Take a look."

Gaya, her curiosity piqued, examined her forearm. She hadn't noticed it before, but there it was. A small, almost unnoticeable mechanism, built into the armor, with a series of tiny gears and reels. She raised her hand, flicked her wrist.

At that moment, a thin, silver line, almost invisible to the naked eye, shot out from the device, latching onto a nearby wall.

Michael, testing its strength, pulled on the line. It was strong and unbelievably so. He could feel the power within it, the potential. This could decapitate a man easily.

"It's spider silk, my lady," Rurik explained with a pride that only a master craftsman could understand. "From an Ancient Spider. Stronger than any metal. Can hold your weight. And you can strangle someone if you wish,"

"I like it. I like it a lot." Gaya grinned, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light before turning her gaze toward Michael.

"Your turn, big guy," she said, gesturing towards his armor. "Let's see what surprises Rurik has installed for you."

Rurik, beaming, approached Michael's armor stand.

"Well, John, the wings were a bit damaged so I took the liberty of fixing that. And I reinforced the armor. With dragon scales. Should hold up a bit better now. Against you know the gods and monsters and things." Rurik finished, clearly proud of his work.

Michael nodded, impressed. He tapped the center of the skull medallion. The armor retracted, the pieces folding in on themselves, the runes dimming as it shrunk back into its dormant state. He then unclasped the chain from the armor stand and fastened it around his neck, the medallion resting against his chest.

Then, with another tap on the skull, the armor sprang forth, covering his body. He shrugged, testing the weight, and the feel of the enhanced armor. The metal wings, repaired, reinforced, extended outwards, and sliced through a few chairs that had the misfortune to be in the way.

Despite the collateral damage, Rurik simply grinned, his eyes gleaming with pride.

"Feels lighter," Michael remarked, flexing his arms, testing the armor's movement. "More responsive."

"Dragon scales will do that," Rurik said, nodding. "Light, but strong. Stronger than anything in the mortal realm."

"We owe you one, Rurik," Michael said.

After exchanging a few more words with the dwarf, they left the Blacksmith Guild and stepped into a secluded street of Sagespire. Then, Michael activated the travel rune Seshat had given him through the portable portal. Soon, a shimmering portal opened before them.

They stepped through, leaving the familiar sights and sounds of Sagespire behind, and arrived in Larnia.

A vast, barren desert stretched out before them, its sands a sickly, yellowish hue, its air thick with dry, oppressive heat. The sky above was a blazing inferno, dominated by the two suns, their light harsh and unforgiving. In the distance, a tall, imposing pagoda, its form shimmering in the heat haze, rose from the desert floor. It was Nithroel's temple and where the Agni-King was.

"Well, ain't this charming," Gaya muttered, shielding her eyes with her hand. "What a shithole."

"Let's go get that bow," Michael chuckled. But as they began their trek across the desolate landscape, they had no idea that the traps set by Nithroel weren't the only things waiting for them in the temple.