Lanek was roused from his sleep by the sun stabbing into his eyelids, a feeling he had never been fond of experiencing. He squinted at the sun that had found just the right angle to directly shine on his eyes despite the tall wall and roof of the stable and glared at the hateful thing. Grumbling and feeling incredibly hungry, Lanek stood and walked out into the light before coming to a dead stop.

Sprawled across the courtyard, sunning themselves on the warm stones were two heaps of fur that took him a moment to recognize as his companions. Part of the issue was that both animals now gave off a more intimidating aura that was just slightly visible to his eyes. Flickers of red would pop in and out of existence around Sanguineus’ fur while Kazuma had blue flickers that would occasionally dance across his fur. Lifting their heads and noticing Lanek, the two got to their feet and rushed him, giving Lanek his second shock of the morning.

They were larger. Where Kazuma had only reached 50cm before, the cat now hovered around 70cm. Sanguineus had grown as well, outgrowing his furry friend, much to Kazuma’s obvious disapproval. The wolf now reached 100cm in height. Lanek whistled at the sight, silently deciding that if the wolf kept getting bigger he would need to find a saddle. Honestly, he was kinda tempted to put saddle bags on the wolf and make him pull his own weight, but figured he shouldn’t push his luck considering Sanguineus probably weighed as much or more than him at this point. Well, let’s see what they evolved into.

Kazuma

Cloud Hunter lvl 20

Cloud hunters are one of several evolved forms of the mist cat. This particular variation provides an increase in speed and agility. This pairs well with the hunter’s ability to not only dissipate into mist like its un-evolved form but also spread that mist for several meters in every direction around it. Additionally, the cloud hunter’s claws gain the element of lightning on its first strike against an unsuspecting target.

Yikes, that’s nasty… Glad he’s friendly.

Sanguineus

Void Runner lvl 20

The void runner is a unique evolution created in collaboration by Eldros and the Void, making Sanguineus the first and last of his kind. The void runner is far stronger, larger, and has more stamina than the blood wolf it evolved from. In addition, a void runner will become faster when not in direct sunlight. This increased speed affects the void runner’s movement speed, reaction times, and attack speed.

That’s also terrifying. I’m the least intimidating of the three of us! Lanek chuckled in amusement. He gazed in the direction of the sleeping gryphon, imagining the possibilities if he could add that creature to his party.

Now, about those subclasses. Let’s start with the Rogue evolution, that way I can choose another subclass to complement it.

Please select an evolution for Rogue [Uncommon].

Shinobi [Rare]

You have embraced the acrobatic nature of your [Traversal] skill. As a shinobi you will find your mobility greatly enhanced as well as your hand-eye coordination, enabling you to be more accurate with thrown weapons and in melee. You will also become much harder to detect when in darkness. However, your personal code of honor disdains the killing of your inferiors, causing you to gain no experience from defeating opponents below your level. In turn, you will gain +50% experience for defeating enemies above your level and +100% for defeating enemies more than 10 levels above you.

+3 PER, +5 DEX per level.

Saboteur [Rare]

You have shown a talent for explosions and stealth. As a saboteur you will learn skills that will increase your arsenal of destruction. Your arsenal will grow to include everything from explosives to traps, allowing you to prepare and shape the battlefield to your advantage. However, your reliance on shaping the battlefield will reduce your mobility and force you to surrender your [Traversal] skill.

+4 PER, +2 DEX per level.

Alright, that is messed up. I love my mobility, but I also really love explosions. But is keeping my mobility worth the slower leveling I’m going to run into? Hmm, let’s look at the additional subclass options before making a choice.

You have unlocked the ability to select an additional subclass. Options are presented based on their compatibility with your actions and attributes.

Lanek scanned through the list, seeing the same options as before, builder, fisher, hunter, scout, and ranger. He wasn’t going to complain though as he always struggled between a rogue and ranger when creating a character in video or tabletop games, so his choice was easy.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Ranger [Uncommon]

You have proven that not only are you comfortable in the wilderness, but also happy to spend your time there. Rangers are the guardians of the wilderness, often serving as both the first line of defense and early warning system when it comes to monstrous incursions.

+2 DEX, +2 CON per level.

As for his evolution, he couldn’t pass up the versatility or mobility of the [Shinobi] class, even with the decreased experience gains. Once he finalized his choices, new notification flashed before his eyes, mostly for his new skills. Moving on to his skills, Lanek saw quite a few useful options were now available to him. He even saw a few skills that had evolved.

[Backstab] [Common] has become [Assassinate] [Uncommon]. You receive a damage bonus for striking any enemies that are unaware of your presence, regardless of placement of the attack or range. Scales with DEX.

Oh, that’s nice, I don’t need to specifically hit an enemy from behind anymore.

Your Shinobi class has forced [Traversal] [Uncommon] to assimilate your Ranger class’ [Wilderness Strider] [Uncommon] skill to create [Pathfinder] [Rare]. Your movement options have increased and the cost of those options on your body has decreased, allowing you to take advantage of the terrain to increase your mobility and greatly decrease your chances of being slowed or tripped up by rough terrain. Scales with DEX and PER.

Your Shinobi class has forced [Stealth] [Uncommon] to assimilate your Ranger class’ [Camouflage] [Uncommon] skill to create [Shroud] [Rare]. You are capable of masking your presence in almost any terrain and are able to move in utter silence. Note: This is not true invisibility, creatures with a high enough PER will still have a chance to detect you without special skills or abilities. Scales with DEX and PER.

Huh, shinobi is just going wild on my skills. It looks like it is an automatic upgrade if you have two almost identical skills. It looks like that’s all for my evolved skills. My new skills look handy as well.

[Tracking] [Common] You can detect signs of passage in the terrain, allowing you to track your prey more easily. Scales with PER.

[Calm Animal] [Common] You are able to detect the signs that an animal is in distress or about to attack, allowing you to calm them down peacefully. Note: Only effects mundane creatures. Scales with PER.

[Threat Detection] [Uncommon] You are now able to detect potential threats and enemies in a radius around you as long as they do not have a high tier stealth skill. As Threat Detection grows more powerful, the detection radius and its ability to negate enemy stealth effects will increase. Note: This will not let you see the threat, merely notify you of its presence. Scales with PER.

[Minor Bleed] [Uncommon] You are able to effectively target your opponent’s weak points, potentially causing a small bleed effect. The odds of the bleeding effect triggering with DEX and PER.

I’m surprised that I didn’t get a new Soulbinder skill. Maybe the skills for that class have special requirements or I need to find someone or something to teach me. It also looks like I got a few weapon proficiency skills.

Let’s see, throwing, one-handed sword, spear, and bow. Lanek shook his head ruefully. Add those to my chain whip and light blade proficiency, and I only have weapons to accommodate three of those. It does simplify my load out, no sense taking the hand axes or kanabo without skills for them. Looks like I’ll be lugging around Sanguineus and Kazuma’s vessels along with the throwing knives. I’m more than alright with that.

While he strapped on his gear and stowed his tools and excess weapons in one of the stalls, Lanek turned his attention to the courtyard before him. This has so much potential. It seems safe, has plenty of room for me to train, the building itself is imposing, and it would be fairly easy to defend considering the single door and narrow staircase leading up here. The tower is also a great vantage point.

The only problem is food, but I can always take a few trips into the forest and spend a day or two stockpiling food before coming back here. My cave can be my vacation/hunting cabin! I always wanted a vacation home in the woods. Laughing at himself, Lanek called his companions over, once more shocked at their size. Both creatures positively exuded hunger and Lanek couldn’t blame them, their evolution had to have taken a lot of energy.

“Alright, let’s head back to the cave for now and get some food. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I have some plans that I need to work on.” He hefted his pack, planning on poring over the maps back in the cave where he felt more secure.

Descending through the monastery, Lanek heard the clash of metal on metal outside in the plaza. He held out his hand stopping his companions from rushing outside. He leaned over and peeked through the open doorway, gawking at the sight. Four figures were running through the plaza, fighting their way through a crowd of ash goblins as they tried desperately to escape from a group of bugbears that were slapping their lesser kin out of their way in their eagerness to reach the fleeing figures.

Lanek found himself torn between his desire to help and the urge to remain hidden. He snapped himself out of his indecision, dropped his pack, and strode out of the monastery while drawing his sabre. Those were Night Arrows and he needed answers.