First chapter with some actual combat. It's much longer than I planned it to be. It's almost as long as two of the previous chapters combined.
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Chapter 004 – The First Quest
A hero is someone who has power beyond reason and imagination. These were the words that echoed to Garnet. Although the original Garnet left her with the abilities of the Temptress, Garnet still needed something to fight with.
"The nobles will not take action unless they believe there is an iminent threat," thought Garnet. In her walk through the town yesterday, she saw how the East Walls were crumbling, but because of the time between invasions, the nobles did not see it as a priority. "There must be something I can do to force it!" she thought. The key lied somewhere in the Class choices that were presented to Garnet.
The Melee types all focused on improving the physical strength of an individual. Even though it was possible to become a One Man or One Woman Army, it would not be perceived as an actual threat. The same could be said of the Range types. That meant the key had to be somewhere in the Magic types. She needed something similar to Zedd's Summoner Class, but something that had a combination of magic and summons. However, Garnet did not have enough knowledge about magic to understand, so she had to ask the only person who might know, Zedd.
"Zedd, can you tell me about the types of mages," asked Garnet.
"What do you want to know about?" asked Zedd. "There's many different types of mages."
"Tell me about different Summoners," said Garnet.
"Well, I'm a Space-Time Summoner," said Zedd. "I specialize in things like Teleportation and Movement of people and objects. I can summon things like animals and if they make a contract with me, I can call them at will. Then, there's Druids, who have animal companions like a pet. There's Shamans that can call animal spirits. Dragon Mages have made contracts with a Dragon and contain part of their power, allowing them to also summon the Dragon in question."
"Hmm.." Garnet was in deep thought. She thought about the types that Zedd mentioned, but none of them was suitable for making a perceived threat. A Dragon was definitely fierce, but it also meant that you had to find a Dragon to make a pact with, something that she would most likely be unable to do. "Thanks for the information," said Garnet. "But none of them have what I am looking for."
"You can try the library in the castle," said Zedd. "They might have more information on other types of Summoners that I do not know about."
Escorted by Kirk and Klarth, Garnet made her way to the library. She made sure to do her Sexy Walk in order to draw attention of others. After all, she needed the attention of some nobles so that she might get the chance to use Drain Will and persuade them to lower their taxes.
When Garnet arrived in the library, it had numerous books, about two floors worth, but no people inside. "There's no one here?" said Garnet.
"Most of the nobility are educated in other places," said Klarth. "The books here are usually collected by the Wizard or other intellectuals who work in the castle."
"So no one ever comes to read them?" asked Garnet.
"Only those who are looking for specific information, like when Zedd was trying to figure out how to summon a hero," explained Klarth.
"I see," said Garnet. She walked around the library looking for the magic section. Whoever arranged the books at least had the decency to keep them organized. It took a while before she found what she was looking for on the first floor. There were numerous books on different types of spellcasters. It ranged from things like Blood Mage who used their own blood to fuel their magic to Battle Mages who combined physical strength with magic. Garnet flipped through each of the books, starting with Aeromancer, a magician that specialized in air magic.
In the Aeromancer book, Garnet found reference to an Elementalist, someone who used all types of elements. She immediately skipped to the Elementalist book and found a reference to something. It mentioned Dark Magic and Dark Mages, other mages who could also use the power of the elements. However, there was no reference to Dark Mages in the books, but she did not need the books. Garnet opened up the Menu provided by the Hero System and found Dark Mage under spellcasters. Like all the other Classes, it had a massive skill tree. She looked at the first few skills under Dark Magic: Fire Bolt, Lightning Bolt, and Air Bullet. She scrolled down until she saw another skill: Summoning Ritual – Skeletal Dog. The Dark Mage had the ability to summon undead monsters. It would seem like a threat that the nobles would then have to respond to. Perhaps the Dark Mage was what she was looking for, but she wanted to confirm with Zedd first.
"Let's go," said Garnet as she instructed Kirk and Klarth to follow.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Kirk.
"I think so," Garnet replied. "But I want to confirm with Zedd before I finalize anything."
Back at Zedd's Workshop, he was drawing something on the floor of an empty room. "We're back," said Garnet.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Zedd.
"I might have," said Garnet. "But I need to ask you about Dark Mages. What can you tell me about them?"
"Dark Mages are something I have not talked about in a long time," said Zedd. "They are individuals who have chosen a path that society demonizes because it typically calls for sacrifice for their abilities."
"What kind of sacrifice?" asked Garnet.
"Usually with the lives of others," said Zedd. "In exchange, they are granted immense power."
"Are Dark Mages bad people?" asked Garnet. This was what she wanted to know the most. If becoming a Dark Mage meant a loss of morals and character, it would not be the way to go.
"Dark Mages are bad people only if they lose their sense of self, but most never do and are only bad in the sense that they reject society," said Zedd. "They believe that ultimately, one should empower themselves with their actions and strive to achieve change with the power that they obtain."
"What does it mean to lose their sense of self?" asked Garnet.
"It means you lose sight of your original goals and your intent constantly changes," said Zedd. "When people choose a Class, they choose it with a specific goal in mind. But sometimes, people lose sight of that reason and goal. And with that, they also lose their sense of self."
"So as long as I focus on my goals, there is nothing to worry about," said Garnet.
"That is correct," Zedd added. "Are you thinking about becoming a Dark Mage?" he asked.
"Yes," said Garnet. "With this, I can force the nobles to take action!"
Garnet opened up her Menu and went to Class. She selected Dark Mage.
Do you wish to become a Dark Mage?
Yes/No
NOTE: This choice cannot be changed except for under certain conditions
Garnet picked "Yes." A white box with black text appeared:
Class: Dark Mage
New Skill: Fire Bolt (Level 1)
A small bolt of fire is sent from the finger tips to the target location at a high speed. It has a little explosive power It can be fired in rapid succession.
MP Cost: 8
New Skill: Lightning Bolt (Level 1)
Electricity is fired from the finger tips in a straight line. It is weak, but hits instantly and has a chance to stun its target.
MP Cost: 8
New Skill: Air Bullet (Level 1)
A burst of air is launched from the palm of the hand. Higher damage at close range with a strong knock bak effect.
MP Cost: 10
New Skill: Ritual – Call: Skeletal Dog
A skeletal dog is summoned immediately to your surroundings. It is fairly weak, but it is fast. It will grow stronger when the summoner grows as well. A maximum of three can be called at one time.
MP Cost: 50 for each Dog
New Skill: Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 1 Passive)
As a magician, you are sensitive to the environment around you, allowing you to absorb mana from the surroundings to supplement your own.
Effect: +100% Mana Regeneration
New Quest: Black Mage Tutortial with Zedd
Speak with Zedd
With this, Garnet now had the ability to fight. The problem was that she needed somewhere to practice. "Is there anywhere I can practice?" asked Garnet.
"Follow me," said Zedd. Garnet followed Zedd into an empty room in the workshop. "Stand close."
Zedd activated the magic circle beneath them. A bright light of blue flashed and now they were somwhere different. It was where Garnet had died and where Riley came into this world.
"I recognize this place," said Garnet.
"This is where you were summoned," said Zedd. "Call: Scarecrow!" Four scarecrows appeared before Zedd in a line. "You can practice here."
Garnet raised her arm and opened her palm. This would be her first time using magic. "Fire Bolt!" A bright orange light appeared from her hand and flew towards the scarecrow. BOOM. It was a direct hit. The scarecrow was in flames.
"Nice shot," said Zedd. "Do you have any other spells?"
"I have a total of four," said Garnet.
"Not bad for a beginner," said Zedd. "As you become stronger, you will gain access to more varieties. You should just practice the ones you have now."
Garnet changed her stance. She raised one arm and closed her hand. She opened her index finger forward and her thumb upward. This was the closest she could get to a gun. She steadied her right arm with her left hand.
"What are you doing?" asked Zedd.
"Testing something," said Garnet. "Fire Bolt! Fire Bolt! Fire Bolt!" she shouted. Three consecutive shots of Fire Bolt took out the remaining three scarecrows. At the top left of her vision, she could see that her mana had almost drained by a quarter. However, it was slowly increasing as well.
"You're good," said Zedd. "Did you have something like this where you were from?"
"Yes, I had something called a gun that had a similar effect," said Garnet.
"If you continue to pour additional mana into a spell, it becomes stronger," said Zedd.
"Call: Scarecrow!" said Zedd. Four more scarecrows appeared.
Garnet felt the flow of mana in her body. This was one of the advantages that the old Garnet had given her. She could feel as the mana flowed to her finger tips. She concentrated additional mana into it. "Fire Bolt!" Half her mana disappeared in an instant. BOOM. It was a large explosion, one that took out all four scarecrows in a single shot.
New Passive Skill: Charging
By consuming additional mana for a spell, the cast time and damage of the spell increases proportionally. For some spells, it can increase the effect or the duration.
"Very impressive," said Zedd. "There's one more thing. If you put breaks in the channeling of mana like an on and off switch, you can channel a spell, creating a continuous stream of the spell. Call: Scarecrow!" said Zedd. Four more scarecrows appeared. "Try it."
Garnet did the same as before. As she felt the flow of mana in her body, she channeled it, but with brief pauses in between where there was no mana. "Fire Bolt!" Five consecutive shots of fire appeared with about half a second delay each. "This is almost like a gun," thought Garnet. She took the gun stance that she learned from her military training. "Fire Bolt!" It was much steadier, much like a semi-automatic weapon.
New Passive Skill: Channeling
By consuming additional mana for a spell, it is possible to cast some spells numerous times in a short period of time.
"What are you doing?" Zedd asked.
"I feel some recoil when I fire that many shots at once," said Garnet. "I'm just trying to find a way to stand where it doesn't affect me as much."
"I see," said Zedd. "Some of the stronger spells have a very strong knockback effect if your stance is poor."
"I will be careful of those," said Garnet.
"Make sure to try your other spells as well," said Zedd. "It's best to know what each one does so you can make the most of each. "Call: Scarecrow!" said Zedd. Four more scarecrows appeared.
"Lightning Bolt!" shouted Garnet. A beam of electricity instantly zapped the distant scarecrow. It was a quick spell designed to stun a target. The scarecrow showed no visible signs of damage besides a small burn mark on it.
"Air Bullet!" shouted Garnet. Nothing happened. "No effect?"
"You might need to be closer to use it," said Zedd.
Garnet walked up right in front of the scarecrow. "Air Bullet!" VWOOM. The scarecrow was broken in two. It dealt more damage at close range. "I see," said Garnet. Range was a factor in determining the strength of an attack sometimes.
"One more right?" said Zedd.
"Can anyone see us here?" asked Garnet.
"No, why?" asked Zedd.
"This is going to be our key to getting those nobles to take action," said Garnet. She raised her arms forward "Call: Skeletal Dog!"
Three magic circles appeared in front of Garnet and descended from the height of her waist down to the floor. As it fell, bones began to appear. When it finished, each circle had the skeleton of a dog like animal.
"A summoning spell!" said Zedd. "A weak one, but nonetheless a summoning spell.
"I'm going to send a few of these around town to draw some attention," said Garnet.
"Why?" asked Zedd.
"You said the nobles will not take action unless they perceive a threat," said Garnet. "This is how I can make it seem like there is one. I plan to just send a few of these running around town."
Zedd thought about it. "It could work to at least raise draw attention to the East Gate and the Walls," said Zedd.
"Dismiss!" As Garnet said these words, the dog disappeared into smoke. It was gone without a trace.
Quest Complete: Black Mage Tutorial Complete
Garnet kept an eye on her mana, timing how long it took to regenerate. She could fire off numerous weak spells, but it was not limitless. She would need something for when she could not actually use mana, just in case.
"But, I don't recommend it," said Zedd. "It's best not to push them so quickly. I will try to do what I can, but you must work to build influence."
"Alright," said Garnet.
"Thank you hero," said Zedd.
"Hmm, do you think it will be possible for me to get some training with the guards or the knights?" asked Garnet.
"I suppose I can arrange for it," said Zedd. "Do you want some training there too?"
"I was a soldier where I was from," said Garnet. "But since I've gotten here, I haven't been able to fight anyone."
"It might take a few days, but I'll see what I can do," said Zedd.
"Thank you," said Garnet.
"Oh and please don't use your magic on them," said Zedd. "It might also be better to not show anyone your summoning magic. I have no idea how they might react."
"Okay," said Garnet. "I won't use my magic in the city."
"Now that you have your first combat abilities, there's is a task that you can help with," said Zedd. "There are reports of a powerful boar running around free in the East, but no one has been dispatched to take care of it because it is not seen as a priority task. If you can do this, then you will help placate some of the people and help placate the King."
A text box appeared:
Slay the Giant Wild Boar
There has been reports of an unusually strong wild boar loose in the forest near the East Gate. Slay the beast.
Reward: Experience, Silver, Fame
Yes/No
"I'll take care of it," said Garnet. "I haven't been able to get much practice fighting, so this is a rare opportunity for me."
Quest Accepted!
"Take Kirk and Klarth with you just in case," said Zedd. "I have business at the castle, otherwise I would go with you."
In other words, Kirk and Klarth was going to be watching over her. Garnet was now unsure whether Kirk and Klarth were spies for Zedd or if they were there to make sure that their precious hero was not hurt. But, the two were strong and could be relied on in an emergency. "I want to try to take care of it myself," said Garnet.
"That's fine," Klarth replied. "But the moment I feel that you are in danger, I will jump in."
"That's alright by me," said Garnet. "I don't want to die yet either."
"Don't worry, with us around, you will be safe," Kirk added. The two of them were among the top of the guards.
"Can I get a weapon by the way?" asked Garnet.
"Is there anything you prefer?" asked Klarth.
"Something with a blade, but not as long as the swords you carry," Garnet replied.
"Then what you want is a short sword," said Kirk.
"Where can I get one?" asked Garnet.
"The guards have their own armory, I'll go see if I can get you one," said Klarth. He left. It was now Garnet and Kirk.
"Can I fight you?" asked Garnet.
"What me?" said Kirk.
"Yes you, who else is here for me to talk to?" Garnet replied.
"You do realize I am much stronger than you right?" said Kirk. "Do you still want to try?"
"Yes," said Garnet. "I want to know how much stronger you are." Garnet was still at Level 1, but Kirk was at 25. There was a huge difference between them and she wanted to know how much the numbers meant. This was an opportunity to try it.
"To make it fair, I won't use any weapons," said Kirk as he put his sword down. "After all you don't use any either."
Garnet got into her battle stance. One arm in front of the other. Kirk on the other hand, just stood there. He had his armor so he assumed that Garnet would not be able to hurt him. If Kirk was slow, then she would stand a chance. "Are you going to attack or not?" asked Kirk. "I'll give you a free shot."
Garnet channeled mana into her hands. She was not going to cast a spell, but she wanted to know if it would work. Where she was from, there was the idea of chi or ki, that you could channel your inner strength through your body for a more powerful strike. If mana worked the same way, then it could work. "Then here I come," said Garnet. She sprinted forth with mana in her hand and threw a single punch.
THUMP. Garnet's hand made contact with his armor. There was the sound of footsteps, Kirk had moved a step back. "Ow, my hand," said Garnet. She looked at her hand it was a little red. Punching armor straight on was not a good idea.
New Skill: Mana Strike (Level 1)
Bare handed physical attacks deal magic damage instead of physical damage.
MP: 20 per hit
"That was pretty good," said Kirk. "There was real force behind that punch and I could feel it, but there is a big difference between you and I."
"The difference in strength is great," said Garnet. "I must become stronger."
"Strength takes time," said Kirk. "I spent a lot of time training and I continue to do so because I want to be better, but it isn't easy."
"I know," said Garnet. "But I feel so powerless, like I need to do a lot more and there's no time to do it."
"You've been entrusted with a huge task," said Kirk. "But you're not alone. Me, Klarth, and Zedd are all here to help you."
"Thanks," said Garnet.
Shortly after, Klarth returned. "I'm back," said Klarth. He was holding a short sword and something dark brown. "Here you go."
"What's this?" asked Garnet.
"It's leather armor for you," said Klarth. "We can't have you running around outside in those clothes," said Klarth as he pointed at Garnet. She was still wearing the clothes Zedd gave her. "They were definitely not suited for combat."
"I'll go get changed," said Garnet as she headed to the back room. The back room had sort of become her own personal room now. Zedd's Workshop was fairly large and could be considered a middle class or upper class dwelling. He had used many rooms for storage, but he had a few spare rooms still. It was definitely much better than what Garnet could have afforded in her old life. She removed her old clothes and put it into her inventory. It whole set registered as "Villager Clothes." She then changed into the leather that Klarth had brought her. She took a look at herself in the mirror. The leather armor and pants was at least practical. It covered the torso and the shoulders with some flaps to cover the thighs. The pants, boots, and gloves managed to basically cover everything else. For once, Garnet was glad that the leather was not revealing. The sword came with holster that wrapped around her leg. For the forseeable future, this was going to be what she was wearing into fights.
She then drew the short sword from the holster and swung it around. It worked with either a normal grip or a reverse grip for her due to its length. After taking a few swings, she put it back.
New Skill: One Handed Sword Mastery
You have demonstrated proficiency with one handed swords. Boost to damage when using a one handed sword. NOTE: It is also possible to use hand to hand and magic abilities with your off hand while using a one handed sword.
Effect: +10% Attack when equipped with a one handed sword, negates Hand to Hand Mastery
"The power of the Hero System," thought Garnet. When Garnet was done, she walked outside. Kirk and Klarth were staring. "I know what you're looking at," she said. "Hurry up so we can get moving."
After about a minute, Klarth looked at Kirk and finally said, "Okay let's go." The three made their way toward the East Gate. Along the way, there was a single man in red leading a group of about a dozen guards. Garnet focused on the man in red:
Leeroy
Level: 30
Class: Warrior
Sub-Class: Halberdier
Stats: ???
He was very strong. According to the numbers, he was stronger than Kirk or Klarth. "Who is that?" Garnet asked.
"That's Leeroy," said Klarth. "He's the head of Duke Charles Wellington's personal guard and helps to manage the Duke's soldiers as well."
The nobles all had their own soldiers to help maintain their land. This was the information that Garnet had obtained from Zedd. If there were many more people like Leeroy, the King's personal forces were incomparable. The nobles were the ones who held the real power and could probably turn on the King if they wanted. It is no wonder that Zedd wanted Duke Wellington on his side. Garnet would have to persuade him by force with her abilities.
Garnet, Klarth, and Kirk made their way out of the East Gate or what was left of it anyways. It was still trashed from the previous invasion, but the nobles had not gotten around to fixing it. If Garnet was going to be the hero that Zedd believed she was, she would need to gain influence over the others. That meant building up fame and respect among the common people. To do that, she would need to accomplish quests. The first one being the slaying of a giant boar to the east.
When they exited the castle, it was a large open plain. In the distance was a forest. This was Garnet's first time outside of the castle. "It's so big," she said.
"Is there not a lot of land where you are from?" asked Klarth.
"Where I'm from, we mostly have big cities," Garnet answered. "Most of the flatland have been made into cities."
"How is that even possible?" Kirk asked. "It takes an enormous amount of resources to maintain one.
"Technology is different in my world," said Garnet. "They created things to build and maintain very large cities."
"I see," said Kirk.
"Anyways, is there anything I should watch out for?" Garnet asked.
"There's mostly just wild animals," said Klarth. "The common ones here are wolves, boars, and slimes. Wolves are generally fast, boars are strong but slower, and slimes are resistant to physical attacks, so you have to use magic against them."
"When we run across them, I want to fight them myself," said Garnet. "There are some things I want to test out."
"That's fine, but remember, if we think you're in trouble, we're going to help you," said Kirk.
"Alright with me," said Garnet. She led the way with Kirk and Klarth following closely behind. As they walked across the plain towards the forest, there was nothing until the city was almost out of sight. It was there that Garnet saw the first boar. She looked at the boar:
Boar
Level: 1
Class: Beast
Sub-class: None
Stats: ???
"So a boar has a class too," thought Garnet. Garnet raised her arm and shaped her fingers like a gun. "Fire Bolt!" Garnet watched as the projectile zoomed towards the boar. BOOM. The spell exploded upon contact and knocked the boar over. It was already dead. Her magic power was incredibly high due to the passive Otherwordly Knowledge.
"You're a mage!" shouted Kirk.
"Zedd taught me," said Garnet. Even though she picked the class of Dark Mage, it was Zedd who taught her how to use the basic spells. It was best not to reveal that she was a Dark Mage. Right now, there was no way to tell unless she summoned the Skeletal Dog.
"Umm... why did the body disappear?" asked Klarth.
Kirk and Garnet turned around to look. The boar's body had disappeared. In its place was just a single tusk that belonged to the boar. "Is that normal?" Garnet asked.
"No," said Klarth. "There should be the bloody body of a boar right here!"
It was because of the fact that Garnet was under the effects of the Hero System. SNORT. "That's the sound of a boar!" Another one had appeared near by. The Hero System allowed Garnet to kill beast creatures for experience and items, but it would reappear soon after. It allowed for the hero to gain experience and train endlessly. When combined with the quests, they could grow in power and strength quickly. It was also dangerous though because it meant the path behind you was never truly clear. After a while, enemies would return, making it dangerous. But this left a big question for Garnet, what would happen if she died. "Would she I return to where I was summoned?" she thought.
"Lightning Bolt!" Garnet paralyzed the boar and stabbed it with her short sword. She counted. In about thirty seconds, it reappeared again. A text box appeared telling her that her Intelligence had increased from using magic.
"It keeps coming back," said Kirk. "Imagine the money you could make if you just kept killing one over and over again for its tusk."
Garnet continued to kill boars, but not every single boar dropped a tusk. Sometimes it did, sometimes it did not. She was able to put all of the tusks in a single spot in her Inventory. That meant that she could hold five different items, not just five items in total. She also noticed that the boar did not attack first. It would always wait for her to attack it before it did anything. The Hero System changed the rules of the world around her. It was something extremely powerful and beyond what most people could imagine, exactly as what Zedd had said.
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Level Up: Lightning Bolt (Level 2)
Stat Gain: Intelligence +1
You have leveled up!
It was a message from the Hero System. Garnet had gained a level. She opened her Menu to check her Status.
Status:
Name: Garnet
Level: 2
Class: Dark Mage
Sub-Class: Temptress
Stats:
HP: 280/280
MP: 750/780
Fame: 0
Strength: 3+1 (+5)
Dexterity: 3 (+7)
Intelligence: 6+1 (+22)
Vitality: 8 (+5)
Agility: 5 (+7)
Charisma: 9+1 (+10)
Stat Points: 5
Garnet's Status looked very different. She had more health and mana now. There was also something new called proficiency. She also had a bunch of numbers next to her stats. She remembered she had gotten the +1 Strength when she was practicing and getting used to her body. The extra point in Intelligence was from using spells just now. Her other skills including Otherworldly Knowledge and Golden Tongue gave the bonuses in the parenthesis. The five points from the level made a big difference. It was no wonder that Kirk who was 25 was able to resist her attack so easily. She knew that as a spellcaster, Intelligence was the most important stat and put everything in.
Stats:
HP: 280/280
MP: 320/880
Fame: 0
Strength: 3+1 (+5)
Dexterity: 3 (+7)
Intelligence: 11+1 (+22)
Vitality: 8 (+5)
Agility: 5 (+7)
Charisma: 9+1 (+10)
Stat Points: 0
Her maximum mana had gone up with Intelligence as well. Each stat had additional effects besides boosting basic things like damage. She would have to keep track of things like this and study it more in the future.
"Are you done yet or are you going to just stand there all day?" asked Kirk.
"I'm trying to understand how this thing works," said Garnet. "But I'll hurry," she said as she continued forward.
As Garnet walked, she thought about the benefits of the Hero System. A lot of it depends on what she does. The actions she takes, and the decisions she makes. There was one thing that worried her. As a spellcaster, if someone or something got close, it would be very problematic. She needed to find a way to get around this problem. For now, the sword was sufficient since her base power was not much different from the enemies. The problem was what would happen in the future. She needed to find a way to compensate. Mana Strike was a starting point. Physical training was just as important. She needed the strength to fight back, so she decided to fight against the upcoming enemies with just her short sword.
There it was, a wolf. It was staring right at them.
Wolf
Level: 2
Class: Beast
Sub-class: None
Stats: ???
It was definitely faster than the boar, but it was not faster than Garnet. As the wolf came charging, she side stepped and stabbed her short sword right into the neck of the wolf and ran it across its body. She repeated this a few times on the wolf as it reappeared. The wolf was not like the boar. It attacked first without waiting for her to take action.
New Skill: One Handed Sword – Horizontal Slash
A slash that cuts the side of your enemy. Most effective on the torso. Deals reduced damage on other body parts.
Effect: +50% Attack Damage when used, +100% if attack lands on torso
It was a skill that targetted a certain part of the body. Training with a weapon gave weapon skills that were effective at close range combat. "With this, I can be a lot stronger if someone came close," she thought. It was useful in case her Air Bullet somehow proved to be ineffective.
"She's pretty good," said Klarth. "She's using the dangers of the real world to practice."
"I know," said Kirk. "It's almost like she's been fighting for many years."
The two stood and watched as Garnet fought several wolves. They were predictable and lept in as they attacked. When Garnet attacked, a blue streak of light appeared as she slashed through the wolf. Horizontal Slash had multiplied her strength when she used that action. "I have to find the others sword techniques," she thought.
You have leveled up!
Garnet had already reached level 3 from just killing wolves.
Stats:
HP: 330/330
MP: 450/1080
Fame: 0
Strength: 3+2 (+5)
Dexterity: 3+1 (+7)
Intelligence: 16+1 (+22)
Vitality: 8 (+5)
Agility: 5+1 (+7)
Charisma: 9+1 (+10)
Stat Points: 0
She was already much stronger than when she started. Each level was making a significant difference. She continued to pour all the stats into Intelligence to increase her magic power. Training proved to be effective as well since it provided additional stats on top of levels. What came to her mind was, "How strong is Zedd if that man is level 71 and has been practicing magic for many years?"
Eventually, the team made it to the forest. It was not as thick with trees like a rainforest. When Garnet looked up, she could see the sky. If she looked around her though, she saw numerous trees. Somewhere in this forest lived a giant wild boar. She now just had to find it.
"Any ideas where to look guys?" Garnet asked.
"If you see giant footprints in the shape of hooves, you're on the right track," said Kirk.
"That's obvious," said Klarth. "But there's also other things you can look for like caves or hollowed out trees. Large animals sometimes like to live in those places."
As the three looked, they mainly saw small boars though there were a few medium sized ones. She took this chance to train both skills. Lightning Bolt to stun, then finish it off with her short sword. This proved to be a very effective combination. It allowed her to raise both her magic and one handed sword skills. There was still one problem, taking a hit. She had not taken one and wondered what it was like to take a hit here.
Garnet decided to try. She was now at level 5 and already stronger than all of the boars, so she decided to try to take a hit from them. BAM. "She got hit!" said Kirk. "Is she okay?"
It did not hurt as much as Garnet expected. It did no visible damage. There was no bruising or bleeding at all. She was much stronger here than in her previous life. She could take another easily.
Garnet got up like it was nothing. Her health barely even went down by about 5%. BAM. She got hit again! "Is she doing it on purpose?" Klarth asked.
"I don't know," said Kirk. "But if it looks like she's in danger, we can always help, but these things should not hurt her that badly." He drew his sword and began to close his distance. But, it was not life threatening yet, so he chose to wait because of the agreement he made with Garnet."
New Skill: Physical Resistance (Level 1)
Damage from non-magical sources deal less damage.
Effect: Physical Damage Received Down 1%
"It's something," thought Garnet as she enchanted her hand with mana. POW. She punched the boar right in its head as it came charging.
New Skill: Mana Shield (Level 1)
Mana is reduced instead of health when damage is received. Ratio improves at higher levels.
Effect: Damage received is taken from Mana instead at 1:1 ratio.
As a spellcaster, this was a highly useful ability, since she had a high mana pool and high mana regeneration, it gave her incredible endurance. "Mana Shield!" Garnet activated the skill and let another boar hit her.
BAM. She was hit again, but the boar bounced back this time. She did not feel a thing. Her mana went down very slightly, but quickly recovered. The boar came around again. Garnet used Horizontal Slash and cut it. She watched as it bled on the ground before disappearing.
"Are you okay?" asked Klarth. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine," said Garnet. "I just wanted to see what it was like to take a hit." The two were worried about her because it was their job. If anything happened to her, they would have been responsible and it could potentially doom their kingdom.
As they made their way deeper into the forest, the number of enemies became fewer in number. "That's strange," said Kirk.
"What's strange?" asked Garnet.
"There should be more of them deeper in the forest," said Kirk. "But there's hardly anything here."
"We must be close then," said Garnet. "Stronger animals and beasts tend to mark their own territory and defend it. That's why they aren't coming here."
SNORT. "What was that?" asked Klarth. It was a noise that was deeper and not as high pitched as the others.
"It's the Giant Wild Boar!" said Garnet. "I know it."
BOOM. A tree was knocked over. It was the Giant Wild Boar. It was bigger than all three of them put together. It had a much bigger snout and on it, were horns that were as tall as the boar itself.
Giant Wild Boar
Level: 5
Class: Beast
Sub-class: Boss
Stats: ???
It was much stronger than the other enemies that Garnet had come across. It even had a sub-class. Garnet would have to slay it if she was going to complete Zedd's quest.
The boar turned to face them. It stamped its hooves as it prepared to charge. Klarth and Kirk moved away, but Garnet stood her ground.
"Hurry and get out of the way!" said Klarth as he pulled her. "I know you want to take it head on, but don't let it crush you."
"Klarth was right," Garnet thought. She was too focused on testing her limits than fighting to win. This was a battle that she needed to win. It was not the time to test. "Lightning Bolt!"
The Giant Wild Boar was struck by the lightning, but it had no effect. It turned around and faced Garnet who had drawn its attention with the lightning bolt. Luckily, it was slow, it was easy to dodge and she was able to roll to the side.
Garnet focused and accumulated mana into her finger tips. She needed to give the Lightning Bolt more power to stun it. "Wait!" she thought. "There's a better spell. Since the boar is coming right for me, I just need to accumulate power into an Air Bullet."
The Giant Wild Boar came running straight for Garnet. "Watch out!" shouted Klarth as he ran in. Kirk followed in with him. They had deemed it was too dangerous and went to intercept the attack.
"Air Bullet!" Garnet released the powerful burst of air at close range. The boar was sent flying back and Klarth was sent flying sideways.
Level Up: Air Bullet (Level 2)
BOOM. The ground shook as the Giant Wild Boar landed. Garnet looked at Klarth to make sure he was alright. He got back on his feet right away.
"She had more spells!" said Kirk. He was lucky that he was a few steps behind otherwise he would have been sent flying too. "She's got this. Let's just see how she finishes this."
Garnet used about half of her mana for that powerful Air Bullet. But, her mana recharged at an extremely quick rate thanks to her abilities. She began to charge a more powerful Lightning Bolt, one that would hopefully stun the Giant Wild Boar.
The Giant Wild Boar had gotten up. It shook its head as it was dazed from the last attack. It looked at Garnet again and prepared to charge. It ran straight torwards Garnet.
Kirk and Klarth watched as lightning gathered around Garnet's finger tips. Some of it was leaking out and striking the ground. Garnet was pouring an incredible amount of mana into one spell. "Lightning Bolt!" she cried. A huge bolt of lightning flew across the field and struck the Giant Wild Boar.
Level Up: Lightning Bolt (Level 3)
BZZT. The Giant Wild Boar crashed into the ground. Smoke rose from it. It had been stunned. Garnet took out her short sword and stabbed it into the head of the Giant Wild Boar killing it. The only thing that remained, a giant tusk.
You have leveled up!
Quest Update: Report to Zedd.
Garnet looked at her mana bar as it began to fill from nothing. She opened her Menu and continued to pour points into Intelligence. It now served as a boost to her health thanks to Mana Shield.
"That was incredible," said Kirk. "That lightning stunned the boar in a single attack."
"I poured all my mana into that attack," said Garnet. "I didn't know how much I needed to actually stun it, so I just put everything in."
"Come on, let's hurry up and report this to Zedd," said Klarth.
Garnet put the giant tusk into her Inventory. "I wonder if this has any use?"
On the way back, Garnet let Kirk and Klarth take care of anything they ran across. "You sure about this?" asked Klarth. "You don't need the experience or items?"
"No, I got enough," said Garnet. "The most important was the experience. Fighting here is very different from my old life and I learned a lot."
"That's good," said Klarth.
"Oh and don't tell anyone that I can cast magic," said Garnet.
"Why?" asked Kirk.
"Promise me or I will make you do it!" said Garnet.
Klarth understood what these words meant. Garnet had made Kirk slap Zedd across the face and he has no memory of it other than he wanted to do it. If she also had an ability like that, it would be scary to think about what she might do to them.
"I promise," said Klarth.
"Really?" said Kirk. "Don't you want to know why?"
"Do you want to be a chicken again?" asked Klarth.
Kirk remembered. Garnet had made him act like a chicken during her tests. "I promise!" said Kirk with enthusism.
"Good," said Garnet. "Then we won't have a problem."
Kirk and Klarth both looked at each other. "She's scary," whispered Kirk.
"Shh, don't let her hear you," said Klarth.
The three made their way back to Antium. Garnet looked at her Inventory. It primarily consisted of Boar Tusks and Wolf Pelts. There was also decent amount of Boar Meat and the Giant Boar Tusk. "I wonder if cooking will have special benefits," thought Garnet. She really wanted to try. If all of those other skills were useful, cooking would have some kind of additional effect as well. If she started traveling, it would also be an important skill that she needed. But, this might not be the time for it either. There were food problems in Antium, but with her ability, it might have been possible to at least acquire some Boar Meat to sell.
When the three made it back to Zedd's Workshop, Zedd was nowhere to be seen. "Is he out again?" Garnet thought. Zedd had been very busy from the looks of it. Although he spent a lot of the first day with her, he now left Garnet to Kirk and Klarth and disppeared early in the day.
"Do either of you know what Zedd has been up to?" asked Garnet.
"No," Klarth replied. "He told us to just protect you and make sure you don't do anything stupid."
Zedd was clearly up to something, but Garnet did not know what. She felt more comfortable if she knew what Zedd was up to.
Zedd did not return until dark. "Oh you guys are back," said Zedd. "I thought you guys would be out there until tomorrow."
"Nope," said Kirk. "She already slew the Giant Wild Boar."
"Is that so?" asked Zedd.
"Here," said Garnet. She pulled out the Giant Boar Tusk. It went from the floor to nearly the ceiling of Zedd's Workshop.
"Incredible," said Zedd. "This tusk is of the highest quality. I can use it for an experiment."
Quest Complete: Slay the Giant Wild Boar
Reward: 200 Experience, 50 Silver, 10 Fame
"Darn, no level up," thought Garnet. She had already obtained a large amount of experience from killing boars in the forest, but she wanted to catch up to the elites like Kirk, Klarth, and Leeroy.
"I'll pay you for this," said Zedd as he handed Garnet 50 Silver Coins in a bag.
Garnet placed the bag in her Inventory. That way no one could take it from her. She now at least had some money to spend. "I have a question for you Zedd," said Garnet.
"What is it?" asked Zedd.
"What have you been up to recently?" asked Garnet. "You seem so very busy."
"I've been trying to persuade the King and the nobles to fix the East Wall, but with no luck," said Zedd. "We will most likely have to make use of your ability, but that alone will not be enough."
"What do you mean?" Garnet asked.
"Duke Charles Wellington can certain propose the idea and get some support behind it," said Zedd. "But you need public pressure to persuade a majority of them."
"How do I do that?" asked Garnet.
"It's simple," said Zedd. "See if there are any requests by others in the city and try to fulfill them. That will build your reputation and influence with the people whether they be commoners or nobles. In addition to placating the people for the King, you will earn their support and eventually be able to call on them for favors."
"Can't I do the same for the Duke?" asked Garnet.
"Most of the high ranking nobles can do with the forces that they have," said Zedd. "They rarely need to call on the King or others for help. The small nobles on the other hand do frequently need help from people like mercenaries, so you can help them. Show them your worth and contribute to their efforts. If you do, they will owe you and you can call in a favor."
"That is much easier than having to sleep with every noble," said Garnet. "But I haven't seen many people with requests lately."
"That's because the people do not believe that people will help them," said Zedd. "What you need to do is to somehow get things started. Once it starts, people will believe again and will begin to ask the guards or more likely, you, for help."
"This is going to be a long task," said Garnet.
"I know," Zedd replied. "But this is the work that is needed to save our world, even if it means just saving one person at a time."
Spoiler :
Minor change to stat table. Base stat + gains from training (+skill boost)
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 4
Class: Dark Mage
Sub-class: Temptress
Stats:
HP: 380/380 [50*level + 10*vit]
MP: 1280/1280 [100*level + 20*int]
Fame: 10
Strength: 3+2 (+5)
Dexterity: 3+1 (+7)
Intelligence: 21+1 (+22)
Vitality: 8 (+5)
Agility: 5+1 (+7)
Charisma: 9+1 (+10)
PROFICIENCY: Weapon:
-One Handed Sword - 5
Magic:
- Fire – 0
- Lightning – 2
- Wind – 1
- Summoning - 0
SKILLS: Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 1)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 3)
- Air Bullet (Level 2)
- Mana Strike (Level 1)
- Mana Shield (Level 1)
- Call: Skeletal Dogs (Level 1)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 1)
Sub-class (Temptress):
- Enhanced Body (Level 1)
- Captivation: (Level 1)
- Mind Read: (Level 1)
- Drain Will (Level 3)
- Sexy Walk (Level 1) Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 1)
- Speed (Level 2)
- Physical Resistance (Level 1)
Unique:
- Hero System (Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)