The following day was spent in preparation. The city was a flurry of activity as soldiers drilled and patrolled, engineers reinforced walls, and citizens either fled the city due to the impending attack or assisted in any way they could. The atmosphere was tense, but there was also a sense of unity among the people.
As one of the northern cities of the Holy Hexagon, the city of Alerial frequently had to deal with the raids or attacks from Dark Elven armies that had crossed the void passage. As a result, it was clear that the city, and the people within, were used to the threat of being under siege.
Aurelius took part in planning sessions with the city's leaders, once again strategizing how best to utilize his abilities and the resources at their disposal. He also spent time with Instructor Donovan, discussing battle tactics and warming his combat skills after the days spent on horseback.
Valen, as always, was full of questions and boundless enthusiasm. He had taken it upon himself to help organize some of the citizens into volunteer groups to assist with tasks around the city. Valen's ability to connect with people, along with his infectious energy, made him surprisingly effective at rallying support.
As the day wore on, the tension in the city seemed to escalate. Rumors of the approaching orc general's forces spread like wildfire, and the people's anxiety was palpable.
With the evening approaching, a sense of quiet anticipation settled over the city. The guards were stationed at their posts, the city's defenses were as fortified as they could be, and the citizens huddled in their homes, prepared to evacuate if necessary.
Aurelius stood atop one of the city walls, gazing out into the distance. The sun was setting and he could feel the now familiar presence of some of his guards surrounding him. More than that, however, Aurelius could feel the weight of the impending battle pressing on his shoulders, but he was determined not to let it overwhelm him.
Instructor Donovan joined him on the wall, his expression resolute. "It's almost time," he said, his voice steady. "We've done all we can to prepare. Now, we face what's to come."
Aurelius nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "We'll do everything in our power to protect this city and its people. We have a plan, and we'll execute it to the best of our abilities."
The instructor clapped a reassuring hand on Aurelius' shoulder. "That's the spirit, Chosen. Just remember, you're not alone in this. We're all in this together."
Aurelius could sense the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him as the hours passed. The responsibility of being a Chosen felt more real than ever before. He knew that the fate of Alerial and its people rested, at least in part, on his shoulders.
Turning back to Donovan, Aurelius decided to put his extra time to good use. “Instructor Donovan, do you mind if I test out some of my new abilities and skills on you?”
To Aurelius’ surprise, Aurelius could now see that Instructor Donovan, who normally had a calm and steady demeanor, now had a hint of worry enter his face, marked by a slight turn of his brow.
“Test? Aurelius? What do you mean test new abilities? I am not going to become some training dummy am I?” Instructor Donovan said, continuing to look at Aurelius with a slightly worried expression.
This time, it was Aurelius who clapped a reassuring hand on Instructor Donovan’s shoulder, something Aurelius was sure had no actual effect. “No, no..”Aurelius trailed off leadingly. “Consider this a spare, just like those times back in the academy.”
It was clear that Aurelius’ words and actions had no effect on Instructor Donovan’s worry. However, leading Instructor Donovan by the shoulder, Aurelius took the instructor down the ramparts of the wall and into a makeshift field area. Quickly, while Aurelius had the chance, Aurelius once again looked over his status screen.
==========Stat Screen==========
Name: Aurelius Lusam Race: High Elf Age: 18 Health: 460/460
==========Level==========
Overall Level: 19 Overall Essence: 63,955 Attribute Points: 0 Evolution The Fractured Chosen Unassigned Essence: 2,680 Next Level Progress: Essence (4,865/9,510)
==========Classes==========
Chronomage
Level: 17 (Evolved) Progress: 0/4180 Description: Harness the power of time and space Primary Ability: You can teleport yourself 25 feet away for 15 mana Evolved Ability: At level 17, you can open a spatial storage with the dimensions of 25x25x25 (in feet) for 20 mana Attributes: Each level grants +1 to Intelligence and +1 to Wisdom
Arcane Artificer
Level: 16 (Evolved) Progress: 0/3700 Description: Carve mystic symbols into objects, granting the objects enhanced abilities and elemental effects. Primary Ability: At level 16, you can expertly carve and empower common, uncommon, rare, epic, or legendary level runes onto objects. Evolved Ability (Passive): See the way mana moves through enchantments, runes, and objects. Makes it easier to both detect magical objects and to create them Attributes: Each level grants +1 to Constitution and +1 to Perception.
Blade Dancer
Level: 17 (Evolved) Progress: 0/4180 Description: Develop an innate aptitude for wielding bladed weapons and gain the Blade Dancer’s Intuition, allowing for precise strikes and heightened combat proficiency. Primary Ability: Bladed weapon strikes possess a 20% chance of landing critical hits, inflicting double damage. Evolved Ability: Infuse the Blade Dancer's weapon with the user's mana, enhancing its effectiveness against magical barriers and targets. The infused blade also deals an additional (Intelligence + Wisdom)% of damage. Attributes: Each level grants +1 Strength and +1 Agility.
==========Attributes==========
Strength: 30 Constitution: 46 (38% increase (Overall Level * 2) of base value: 33) Intelligence: 50 (38% increase (Overall Level * 2) of base value: 38) Wisdom: 41 Agility: 35 Perception: 33 Luck: 33 (38% increase (Overall Level * 2) of base value: 24) Charisma: 18
==========Mana==========
Mana: 520/520 Mana Regen: 4.1/sec
==========Skills==========
Adaptive Resilience Permanently increases essence gain by 50% Mental Manipulation Resistance Granting you innate defense against all forms of mental assault. Temporal Surge For 30 mana, focus your time-wielding abilities into a concentrated blast, unleashing a wave of temporal energy that damages and slows enemies on impact.
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Specifically, Aurelius wanted to test out his last skill, temporal surge. He hadn’t had the chance to test the skill out since he had received it following his advancement past level 18. Based on the skill description, Aurelius didn’t think the damage would be too lethal and almost considered testing it out on Instructor Donovan. However, Aurelius quickly scrapped that idea as even Aurelius’ tamer skills could have deadly side effects. Besides, if it wasn’t that bad, he could always test it on the instructor later, Aurelius thought with a slight grin. It was about time Aurelius took some revenge for some of those nearly lethal, to Aurelius at least, practices Instructor Donovan had put Aurelius through back at the academy.
Looking around the practice yard, Aurelius identified a practice dummy marked by a number of slashes and cuts, highlighting its years of use for swordsmanship practice. Aurelius yelled out to Instructor Donovan, “I’ve decided I am going to use this practice dummy for my first test instead,” Aurelius said, picking up the practice dummy and placing it at the center of the yard.
Even from across the field, Aurelius could see the sigh of relief Instructor Donovan let escape, quickly moving away from the edge of the practice field and quietly watching Aurelius. Aurelius rolled his eyes at Instructor Donovan’s over-dramatic antics but quickly regained his attention by stepping 5 years out in front of the practice dummy and getting ready to attempt to use his new Temporal Surge skill.
Aurelius focused, welling up the mana within him as he had often done for many of his other abilities. However, in this case, Aurelius gathered an intent to use his Temporal Surge skill, outstretching his right hand in the manner he had seen many fire mages use when attempting to cast the fireball spell. He then released.
Immediately, a wave of green light left Aurelius’ outstretched hand, hitting his target dummy with the force of a battering ram. Immediately upon hitting its target, the green light enveloped the dummy like a wave of water, washing over the dummy until it was entirely covered in the green, ethereal substance. The dummy continued to emit the pulsing green light for three more seconds until it fully disappeared.
Quickly walking over following his experience, Aurelius studied the dummy. Immediately he noticed slashes across the entire surface area of the dummy, fresher and deeper than any of the previous sword strike scratches he had noticed before.
Hmm.
Aurelius also had to assume, given the nature and the description of the skill to “slow enemies on impact”, that while the dummy was covered in this green ethereal light they would have also been slowed if they were actually moving. Ultimately, Aurelius was very satisfied with the results.
Just then, Instructor Donovan walked over, a horrified look on his face. “Were you about to do that to me?” he questioned Aurelius.
“No,” Aurelius lied, looking away from the instructor.
Instructor Donovan gave Aurelius a dubious look but said nothing more. Instead, he walked over to the now-slashed practice dummy, examining it closely. "Impressive," he finally admitted, though his tone was still tinged with concern. "Your abilities have certainly grown."
Aurelius nodded, feeling a mix of pride and apprehension. He was aware of the power he wielded, but there was always the fear of losing control or causing unintended harm. "I've been practicing," he said simply, "but there's still a lot to learn."
“I can tell,” Instructor Donovan said, “and I can tell that you will continue to progress in the future and will have plenty of opportunities to do so,” the instructor said with a knowing raise of his left eyebrow. “For now though, well, I’m just simply grateful that you chose the dummy,” Donovan muttered, shaking his head but with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
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As night approached, Aurelius and his companions gathered once again in the makeshift command center within the administrative building. Lord Gavrel and the other leaders presented their final plans for the defense of the city, taking into account the latest intelligence reports and adjustments made based on Aurelius' insights.
The atmosphere in the room was tense but focused. Each member of the group knew their role and the importance of their contributions to the upcoming battle.
"We must be ready for anything," Lord Gavrel emphasized, his voice carrying a sense of urgency. "The enemy will not hesitate to use any means necessary to breach our defenses. But we will not falter. We will stand united and fight with all our strength."
Aurelius nodded in agreement, his resolve hardened. He knew that tomorrow would bring the ultimate test, but he was prepared to face it head-on.
“Based on recent scout reports,” Lord Gavrel continued, “the possessed army led by the Orc General is less than a day away at this point. We can expect them to arrive in the city by sometime tomorrow evening.”
The room fell silent as everyone absorbed the gravity of Lord Gavrel's words. Tomorrow evening seemed both too soon and not soon enough. The anticipation hung thick in the air, a palpable tension that seemed to coil around each person in the room.
As the meeting came to a close, Aurelius and his companions made their final preparations for the night. They would need rest to face the trials ahead, but sleep did not come easily with the weight of impending battle pressing down on them.
Aurelius found himself pacing his quarters, his mind racing with thoughts of strategy and potential outcomes. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach, a constant reminder of the impending danger.
Valen, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood with his usual banter and jokes, but even his boundless energy seemed dimmed by the weight of the situation. They all knew what was at stake, and the reality of it was sobering.
As the night wore on, Aurelius eventually managed to find a brief respite from his thoughts, slipping into a fitful sleep fueled by exhaustion. Dreams of battles and shadowy figures haunted his rest, but even in sleep, his mind remained vigilant, always on guard against the looming threat.
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When dawn broke, Aurelius awoke with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. He dressed quickly, his movements automatic as he mentally reviewed the strategies they had discussed the previous night.
Gathering with his companions in the command center, Aurelius could feel the tension in the air thickening with each passing moment. Lord Gavrel and the other leaders arrived soon after, their faces set in grim determination as they prepared to face the coming storm.
Scout reports from the morning and the previous night kept flooding in, describing the army's steady, yet constant advance towards the city of Alerial.
As the morning progressed, the city braced itself for the inevitable. Guards patrolled the walls, archers manned their posts, and Aurelius watched from the walls, his gaze fixed on the horizon as he waited for the first sign of the approaching enemy.
Hours passed in tense silence, the anticipation building with each passing minute. And then, finally, they arrived.
Aurelius heard it before he saw it. The slow constant pounding of boots on the ground that caused vibrations to run through the ground. It wasn’t long before the city realized as well, horn blasts and alarm bells ringing, signaling the arrival of the army they had been waiting for.
The distant rumble of marching feet grew steadily louder, accompanied by the low whisper of the wind. Soon enough, the enemy army emerged from the horizon like a dark tide, a vast sea of possessed soldiers stretching as far as the eye could see. Orcs and Dark Elves marched side by side, carrying the malevolent energy of the possessed.
Lord Gavrel stood beside Aurelius atop the wall of Alerial, his expression grim but resolute.
"This is it.”