Once again Victor woke up last, however this time he woke up to the feeling of a foot connecting with his face at high speed. He rolled back into a tree with a distinct crack as he tumbled over branches and rocks.
-28 health
“AHG! WHAT THE HELL!?” Victor asked.
“I told you it would start to get painful to sleep in. I gave you the entire month to learn your lesson. Up, now.” Forala stood over him.
Victor snapped to his feet. “Yes Forala.”
Serena yelled. “HEY! Don’t do that to him.”
“I told him if he kept sleeping in I’d do it.” Forala noted.
“I meant let me do it next time.” Serena added.
“What!?” Victor asked confused.
“You won’t always be there when he wakes up I will. I need to get used to doing it.” Serena nodded.
“Very well, since you have claimed him I will defer to you on this matter.” Forala agreed.
“Wait, so if I don’t wake up first you’re going to kick me awake?” Victor asked.
“Well I might slap you or use a bucket of water. It’s not exclusively limited to feet.” Serena noted. “You are vulnerable while sleeping and you sleep way too soundly, like you’ve never been in danger your entire life. Sleeping light is required for both adventurers and artifact hunters.”
“Fine, fine I get it. Emilie could you please heal me?” Victor asked with a cheery positivity.
“Regeneration. Let this be a lesson to you to be up on time.” Emilie waged her finger disappointed. “It’s not like any of us aren’t up at dawn every day.”
Serena echoed them in agreement. “You’ve got to be up on time, no matter how incredible you are if you wake up late in a dungeon or behind enemy lines you or everyone else could die.”
Cawthorn crowed. “MY MAGE I TRIED TO STOP THEM! YOU NEED YOUR REST!”
“Fine, I will work on getting up on time. Sorry.” His earnest apology as he wiped the sleep from his eyes seemed sincere to those around him.
Regenerated 22 health
Regenerated 20 health
Regenerated 20 health
Regenerated 20 health
Health has been fully recovered.
“Your healing magic is a lot stronger now. It didn’t even take two seconds to heal me.”
“Skill rank ups basically double the effectiveness of a spell or skill for most skills. Since it’s a rank 3 skill I even got to customize it. My regeneration now grants increased healing the lower health you are and always activates before health loss in the same second.” Emilie noted with a perky smile.
“Customize it?” Victor asked having forgotten what he was told before.
“At rank 3 the boost I chose increased the amount of health recovered and the speed with which it applies. That’s what I mean.” Emilie explained.
“Awesome.” Victor gave cheery thumbs up. “Considering how much health we apparently will have as we level up something like that seems critical to our survival.”
“Let us go.” Forala clapped. Everyone snapped to attention and they began to jog down the road cheerily. “I’m glad you’ve all learned traveling between towns needs to be exercise so quickly. If you do that you’ll rarely lose any strength, speed, or endurance from those achievements.”
Serena shrugged. “It helps, but we need to gain more levels. Skill ranks are a huge deal.”
“I’m sorry I took the kill for the skeletal mage.” Victor looked to her frowning with a sigh. “It would have caught you up in levels for sure and you’d be level 12 by now.”
Serena’s head faced the ground clearly upset at the mismatch. “If you hadn’t done it we’d all be dead. That isn’t your fault, it’s mine. I did reach level 11, but I am worried I will fall behind.”
Emilie breathing heavily still having trouble with jogging for a long period of time. “Yeah I feel the same way. Clerics but especially priests always fall behind and often get kicked out of groups for falling level after level behind since kills provide the most experience.”
“Can’t you take an attack spell?” Victor asked.
“Well yeah but my prowess is going to be terrible. I’ve already decided if I need to kill something I need a weapon and have to burn a ton of mana on strength boosting myself. That’s why I am now carrying the cooking stuff and my own bedroll.” Emilie shrugged.
Serena added. “I couldn’t break his barrier. I couldn’t do enough damage to him.”
Jenora perked up and tried to cheer Serena up. “Ah don’t worry about it. Rogues traditionally use piercing and slashing weapons like bows and daggers which are extremely bad against skeletons. Basically everything we fought in that dungeon was just a bad matchup for you. Undead in general aren’t a good matchup for rogues but skeletons especially. Oozes are bad for anyone using a weapon. The golem, well that’s just way too durable for anyone here to actually damage besides Victor. If it weren’t for you we’d have had to fight several additional rooms and would have died to traps.”
Serena didn’t cheer up and gave a glum. “Yeah, thanks.”
Victor jogged up next to her with a smile. “Aw come on. It’s alright. I’m sure there are things I will be immensely worse at than the rest of you.”
“There are a lot of magic resistant monsters and a lot of elemental resistant monsters. Devils are particularly resistant to magic.” Jenora noted.
“What about Demons?” Emilie asked. “Aren’t they also resistant to magic?”
“Yes they are.” Jenora paused with a long almost eerie pause. “Demons are a lot more dangerous because they are much more monstrous and hungry compared to devils.”
Forala laughed. “Everything is food if you’re strong enough. How monstrous they are doesn’t matter all that matters is level and skill.”
Serena got a long disgusted face. “I’m going to give you a tip. Don’t talk about eating to anyone you are looking to claim.”
Forala smiled warmly and her voice seemed almost chipper. “You’ll have to train me in that arena.”
“Second tip, use your gigantify basically all the time. Men will love that.” Serena nodded knowingly.
Victor tried to steer away the conversation from Forala now towering over him in a tight black dress so that he could stop staring. “Can we get a quick read on levels? I ask because it strikes me as a bad choice to let someone fall behind. I’m level 12.”
“It appears Victor agrees with you Serena.” Forala smirked leaning down. “I’m 60.”
“I’m level 11.” Serena pouted jealously as Forala towered over her.
“I’m level 11.” Emilie noted.
“I’m level 12.” Jenora chimed in.
“I’M LEVEL 12!” Cawthorn proclaimed.
“Wait you level up too?” Victor asked.
“OF COURSE MY MAGE! MY LEVEL INCREASES AS YOURS DOES!” Cawthorn proclaimed.
“You haven’t been using the book to level up though. Aren’t you wasting your points?” Victor turned to him looking for what he assumed would be a loud and stupid answer.
“I SHARE YOUR STATS MY MAGE! SINCE YOU LEVELED UP THE FAMILIAR SKILL I SHARE THEM ALL NOT JUST PHYSICAL STATS!” Cawthorn crowed with great pride.
“Wait do you also share my skills? That’s way more powerful than I expected.” Victor turned to Cawthorn
Swordie interrupted assuming this conversation would devolve into pointless chatter. “Each rank of the familiar skill improves what is shared. First rank physical stats are shared, then mental. After that your familiar shares your non-hidden, non-innate, non-unique skills. From there various enhancements to the skill accomplish various different improvements to the skill. What would like to know about the skill?”
“Can Cawthorn ever cast spells I know?” Victor asked.
“That is an option at rank 6.” Swordie remarked bluntly.
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“Does he draw from my mana or have his own?” Victor continued deeply interested.
“Yours, however at rank 9 there is an option to give him his own mana separate from yours.” Swordie noted with a bit of cheer in his voice.
Cawthorn couldn’t maintain his joy. “MY MAGE! I COULD SHARE IN THE GREATEST SPELL LIST OF ALL TIME!”
“What about his skills? Can I share them at any point?” Victor continued his deep curiosity.
“At Rank 3 that is an option.” Swordie noted. “However he won’t be able to buy new skills, only learn them and rank up existing skills since he shares your stat points.”
“MY MAGE! WE MUST ADVANCE POST HASTE!” Cawthorn declared.
The group continued this way for three more days discussing strategy and possible guild rules with a jovial and upbeat attitude. Each night they watched vigilantly. Every day Forala and Serena always watched the trees carefully. The group reached an area where the ancient trees towered over them ten times taller than they had earlier in the path. The sun and warm breeze continued to accommodate them despite being buried in the forest and improve their travels until midday when the sun beat down on them through the small crack in the canopy.
The first arrow was caught an inch from Emilie by Forala. A man whistled from a tree limb. “Impressive. Since you’re that strong how about joining us and ditching the dead weight. You look good, and you’re good looking.” The man with a feathered green cap and long pointy ears pointed another arrow in his wide green bow at them. “If they drop everything they have we’ll even let them live and they can go on their way.” More than 40 men began pointing arrows at them from the trees above all dressed in green with green caps.
“BARRIER SHIELD!” Jenora put up a barrier angrily.
“BARRIER SPHERE!” Emilie put up her barrier sweating with a heart racing out of her body.
“Come on now you can’t really believe you’re going to win here right?” The elf smirked confidently.
Victor doubled over laughing. “You missed your literal only shot. You’re all so dead.”
Forala turned to Victor nudging him playfully. “Don’t spoil it for them.”
Serena smiled. “Based on nothing but a guess he’s the only one above tier 1.”
Cawthorn crowed. “ALL WHITE! ONE YELLOW! ONE SKULL!”
“What are you talking about Cawthorn?” Victor asked.
Cawthorn quietly informed him with his wing covering his mouth to whisper. “I setup my eagle eye to determine the approximate strength of enemies. White dots are lower level, yellow dots are close to our level, red is significantly above, black is greatly above, and skull is beyond my ability to read. The skull is above them all in the tree. He’s practically sleeping.”
“Serena, you and Forala will have to deal with this. I need to help Jenora protect Emilie from becoming a pincushion.” Victor nodded.
“Have you decided yet tall woman?” The man called out irritated she hadn’t stepped out of the barriers.
Forala giggled eager to show off. “Serena If you can get 5 of them before I kill the rest I’d consider it an incredible success. Ready?”
“FIRE MEN!” 40 arrows surged toward them dotting the air like a swarm of birds Serena rushed past them but before she could reach the first bandit she heard a ripping, a tearing as though the ground itself gave way to the unparallel might of a tornado. A gale followed putting wind to Serena’s back practically accelerating her. An easy decapitation of the first bandit, her eyes turned with the head still mid air she barely glimpsed a vision of Forala with a massive log that swatted most of the arrows out of the air. She noticed 7 bandits falling to the ground likely to their deaths.
Serena darted to the next bandit leaping up the trees. He drew another arrow but it never reached the bow as she threw a dagger into his skull mercilessly ending him. His lifeless body began collapsing forward but Serena landed on it kicking off with vigor far surpassing those around her. Ascending the massive verdant trees she managed to find a third who diligently drew his weapon to block only to be overwhelmed by the flurry of daggers landing on him.
Forala darted around with the massive swinging it like a baseball bat with 20 balls mid air, determined to hit each and every one with a satisfying crack turning bandit after bandit into red paste on a tree. Her joy almost seemed as though this stress relief was something she missed. She was so relaxed with her gleeful smile flashing between swings that it began to unnerve the foolish bandits who had assaulted them. The one who shot at Emilie originally called up to the one far up the tree. “BOSS THEY’RE KILLING US YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!”
His voice was quiet yet even through the combat every single person there heard his words as though reality muted itself for a moment in reverence. “Then your deaths are earned. You had the element of surprise, numbers, and terrain and you lost miserably. He would be ashamed of you. Die as you deserve.” He dropped an apple core on the green hat causing him to lose his balance forcing him to drop to a lower tree branch. Forala continued her massacre the helpless bandits
Serena managed to find yet another bandit below her. She ran down the slightly angled tree at top speed avoiding two arrows before burying her dagger in his skull. She pulled out her bow aimed with great care and took a shot at the man talking. It flew past him scratching his cheek. “Damn.” She shot again and again but he dodged repeatedly. The screams of his men stopped as a roar from a black drake echoed through the forest.
Below the man a massive maw snapped the branch he stood on disappeared into her mouth along with his boots, feet still in them. He let loose a scream, cracking, breaking bones as he found himself on the ground begging for his life still in her sharp painful teeth “PLEASE SPARE ME!” The elf pleaded.
Forala growled angrily. “Pathetic. Serena, kill this man.” Serena landed squarely on his head crushing it beneath her feet. “Was that 5?”
“Yes. They were really weak. Like level 4 or 5 tops. They were all young too.” Serena noted.
The man far above dropped from the tree a massive black greatsword with crackling red energy coursing across it on his back. He crashed to the ground in a cloud of dirt and grime rose as the ground cracked beneath his feet. His aura gave off a feeling of menacing disinterest. He stomped toward Serena and Forala rather slowly with his hand in his pockets. “First of all bravo to the short girl. For those four you killed. Second of all WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO! That was the drakes kill.”
Victor spoke up aggressively defending her. “It’s the right plan to make the group more balanced. She needed it.”
“You do not NEED a kill. For your impressive display of violence and her impressive display of strength I will give you the opportunity to fight me in a Fair Fight instead of slaughtering you without even speaking to you.” He drew his blade with one hand letting it thud on the dirt road. The dirt around it turned black almost instantly the deathly smell filled the air.
“RUN MY MAGE!” Cawthorn pleaded with a rare desperation in his voice.
“Who are you? Why are you attacking us?” Victor asked practically desperate for an answer. Even without Cawthorn it was clear to everyone in the group that they were overmatched. They could only hope against hope that Forala could protect them.
“I am Zolvorn chosen of Gizixil. I attack you because violence is the best way to communicate. You can speak, plead, or think anything you want but when it comes to a life or death fight you cannot do anything other than communicate your true desires. The three of you I will deal with later. First these two lovely ladies, which of you shall go first?” Zolvorn pulled back his red hood revealing his elven ears.
Forala attacked with a quick lunge without asking. The red streaks behind the greatsword ignited the air. It infused with the fatal bloody wound suddenly flowing Forala as she flew through tree after tree into the distance. Emilie took off running toward her darting around trees hopelessly chasing her until she crashed into a pile of rocks bloodied and slashed from jaw to gut. Swordie cut in. “Sir Victor. This is an unwinnable fight which you cannot flee from.”
“Did you just tell me I’m dead?” Victor asked.
“Not presently, but eminently Sir.” Swordie shot back dripping with sarcasm before adding with respect. “It’s been an honor sir.”
“Cawthorn flee. You don’t deserve to die too.” Victor nodded with a smile.
“I SHALL DIE WITH MY MAGE!” Cawthorn declared bristling his feathers.
Jenora turned to Victor. “We’re going to die aren’t we?”
“Go to Emilie, get out of here.” Victor nodded.
He balanced his blade on his shoulder casually shaking his head. “Running isn’t going to help them. I’ll offer her a Fair Fight . If she wins you all live. No one has won against me yet other than Gizixil himself.”
“I’ll fight you in her stead please.” Victor offered drawing his blade and pointing it toward Zolvorn with killing intent.
“Cute.” Victor tried to dodge the pebble Zolvorn kicked at him but the pebble connected with his sword snapping it in half and nearly dislocating his arm causing the blade to fly out of sight behind him. “Shut up and watch a good combatant fight. Do you accept my Fair Fight ?
“Swordie what is he talking about?” Victor scrambled to open Swordie.
Fair Fight Rank 10
Rarity: Divine
Requirements: Gizixil Devotee Rank 10, Gizixil’s Anger Rank 10, Favored by Gizixil, Granted by Gizixil
Cursed Active Skill: Limit 1 target at a time.
You may challenge someone to a fair fight. Doing this and winning greatly pleases Gizixil triggering many other skills and improving your stats upon victory. Your opponent’s skills, stats, equipment, and unique effects scale to your level automatically. Neither you nor the target can flee or you die. This ability ends when the user or the target dies or admits defeat. Refusing the Fair Fight grants the skill user an insurmountable stat bonus up to rivaling the Void Lord Gizixil until the target is dead. Interference effects this ability based on Gizixil’s whims. If someone challenges you to a Fair Fight and you refuse Gizixil may punish you depending on the circumstances. Outside interference is prohibited. Gizixil may negate this skill if it runs directly counter to his goals.
“Fair Fight powers her up? Why would he use it?” Victor panicked asking Swordie.
Serena shook her head with a knowing smirk. “Because Gizixil loves a good fight and rewards him appropriately. Winning an easy fight sometimes entertains him but doesn’t curry favor. I bet you even get experience as though I were actually your level. Isn’t that right Zolvorn?”
“See I knew I liked you.” He wagged his greatsword at her with an ever growing smile. “The best part is I can tell from the way you move you’ll actually last more than a couple of seconds. If you say no since all of these men were aspiring followers I’d have no choice but to avenge them but that would be utterly boring, and to be honest they all sucked. Some of them even wanted to live peaceful lives. Just absolutely gross pieces of trash. A good fight is like a dance, a conversation, or song and I am interested to see how you perform for me. So do you accept? The Fair Fight will begin as soon as you say I accept.”
“What level are you?” Serena asked.
“I am level 94.” Zolvorn smiled deviously his short black hair and red shirt complimenting his blade as his ill intent stretched through the narrow forest path.
She took a long deep breath drew her daggers took a stance with firm determination in her eyes. “Well It’ll be good practice for your boss some day. I accept your Fair fight. ”